Air Pressure: 8.00x6 Tires

[SkySteve]

Today I replaced my 6.00x6 tires with 8.00x6 on the mains. The tire mfg recommends 35 psi for the 800's. Well that's not going to happen! You guys running 8.00x6's. What air pressure do you use? I'm mostly off airport stuff: dirt & gravel backcountry type strips, cow trails and ranch roads.

[beeryboats]

Hi Steve, I have no idea on pressures, but I love the paint job! I'm a proud new owner of a mod IV that's been setting for 10 years. My first purchase was large smooth tundra style tires for my grass strip. If those are Goodyear "big plane" tires they are plenty tough. Maybe you could see how they behave by starting at 25psi and do a few touch and gos. Then drop 5psi and do it again until you get where you want to be? I wouldn't get too crazy low and blow a tire off the bead on landing though.
Jay

[SkySteve]

Jay,
Thanks for the kind remark regarding the old girl's paint. Dan Denny painted her in 1986 when she was the Kitfix factory demo. To fine tune the air pressure in her new tires I will be doing exactly as you recommend. But I'm hoping to get a head start by taping into the large pool of experience we have here at TeamKitfox.

[Av8r3400]

Are those the 12x8.00-6 Aero Classic tires? If they are that is the same as what I run.

Depending on the season, I run 10-20 psi. 10-12 psi in the summer and 20 in the winter with my wheel-skis to give a little more clearance under the skins.

I am currently running them with tubes on my yellow plane, therefore I won't go below 10 psi to keep from slipping on the rims and shearing the valve stem.

[SkySteve]

Naw Av8r3400, they're Air Trac's. They are quite a bit wider than the 6.00x6 Air Hawks I took off. They do have tubes. I was guess 15-20 psi. You are running with 10 and haven't slipped the tubes?

[airlina]

Naw Av8r3400, they're Air Trac's. They are quite a bit wider than the 6.00x6 Air Hawks I took off. They do have tubes. I was guess 15-20 psi. You are running with 10 and haven't slipped the tubes?

Steve , i have airtracs 8.00x6 and fill them to 20 psi. , works great lasts a long time. Bruce

[PapuaPilot]

Is anybody using 8.50 x 6.00 tires? That is what came with my plane. What pressure do our use in them?

[airlina]

Phil, I started out with 8.50s on my Outback but didn't like them for a couple reasons. They sure looked cool but they weighed alot (as I recall I saved 14 lbs-7 per side ) just by going down one size to 8.00x6. With the IO-240 up front, weight savings anywhere you can get it is helpful. And they sure didn't like pavement-because they weighed so much it takes a bit to spin(that inertia thing) them up on landing so you get some directional control excursions on touchdown that always had me sitting up a bit taller on hard surface landings. Going down to 8's hasn't affected where I can land , (mostly grass) and they handle much better on pavement. Sold my 8.50's on Barnstormeres and they went quick. Theres another guy on this site who had a similar opinion on his experience with 8.50's and he sized down to 6.00 as i recall. (you out there Jeff?) I used 20 lbs on the 8.50's when I had them. Bruce

[n85ae]

That would be me Bruce. I'd highly recommend 8.50's to anybody who flies
off pavement a lot, and a has a desire to really fine tune their rudder pedal
skills .... In fact that's where "Whoa Baby!", and "Phew!" became part of
my regular vocabulary

I have 6.00's which I use most of the time for pavement now, sold the 8.50's,
and have a set of 8.00's in the hanger ready to try out this summer.

Regards,
Jeff

Phil, I started out with 8.50s on my Outback but didn't like them for a couple reasons. They sure looked cool but they weighed alot (as I recall I saved 14 lbs-7 per side ) just by going down one size to 8.00x6. With the IO-240 up front, weight savings anywhere you can get it is helpful. And they sure didn't like pavement-because they weighed so much it takes a bit to spin(that inertia thing) them up on landing so you get some directional control excursions on touchdown that always had me sitting up a bit taller on hard surface landings. Going down to 8's hasn't affected where I can land , (mostly grass) and they handle much better on pavement. Sold my 8.50's on Barnstormeres and they went quick. Theres another guy on this site who had a similar opinion on his experience with 8.50's and he sized down to 6.00 as i recall. (you out there Jeff?) I used 20 lbs on the 8.50's when I had them. Bruce