My first Kitfox... What tires are you guys running on the IV?

[Ington6]

So I just purchased my first kitfox. Model IV 1200 with Rotax 912 100 HP. I am super excited about the purchase and cant wait to do hundreds and thousands of hours of flying in her. I have 6.00 tires on there but was thinking about going 8.00 or 8.50. Any recommendations or pictures you guys could share? I plan on landing in a field by my house 15 to 20 times per year. I have no plans to make serious gravel bar landings but I dont want to limit myself. Thoughts?

Anyway, I havent even gotten to fly the plan yet but Im introducing myself on here before a start asking many stupid questions. Promise I will use the search function before asking every thought that comes through.

[cap01]

congrats and welcome aboard . i have the 6.00X6 on my model IV and they have worked well . i use several grass strips , some not so smooth . granted the big tires look cool but you can get too big if your not landing on gravel bars . good luck with the new plane , they sure are fun .

[kitfoxnick]

I'm running the nanco 21. They are great they do just as good on the pavement as the grass. The occasional wheat or bean field can be hit with no trouble. They are not ABW but for around $50 they do the trick.

[airlina]

I started with 8.50's on my Series 5 Outback, but after I found out how much they weighed, I have switched to 8.00's , to save a whopping 14 lbs. , with the added benefit of much better handling on paved runways. I fly in and out of lots of grass strips (based on one) of varying roughness and found the 8.00's are just fine. Bruce Lina N199CL

[N82HB]

Welcome! If you are not asking dumb questions you don't belong here. We all do it!

A friend of mine told me a story of when he and his dad left Anchorage in the late 50's to go pick up a C180, brand-new, from Wichita. He showed up and they were all sporting 600x6 tires. He asked his dad, "They just use those for pushing them around in the hangar, right?" Awestruck that those would be airworthy.

I too have this feeling about small tires. I love the confidence in being able to land ANYwhere. But with that said other factors also become a factor of decision making. How about appearance and cost??

I'll try to help out.

2479
This is my airplane on 800's. It came with these on 6" wheels. Not enough tire for how I like to use the Kitfox, and they look a little to City Slicker for me. $400 a pair.

2480
These 850's looked better, handled rough surface a little better, with not much loss in cruise. Reasonable price at about $450 pair.

2481
I then had a free pair of 26" Goodyears to try. The diameter looked great, but the footprint isn't any bigger than the 850's. They are expensive at $800+ a pair. But the scariest thing was the spin up force on touchdown. It would pitch the airplane over pretty aggressively unless you did full stalls every time and then even then, sometimes. I hear this does not happen with the 26" Airstreaks, but who can afford them. I then stepped back to the 850's.

2482
Then I searched out a pair of the old 8" wheels so I could get what I felt was perfect for me. The 21" Nanco tires have reasonable diameter and a huge footprint. Now they are not without problems. The tires are hard to come by, the wheels are not made anymore so if you damage one you are almost done for. The braking is not as good, but for me they are perfect. Did we mention price? $110 a pair.

I have lost a little less that 5 mph between the smallest and largest choices of tire, just as an FYI.

I know I did not make the most popular choice, but it was right for me. I hope this helps with your decision. The 700 and 800, barely have any diameter change from the 600 you are running, but when you go to the 850 it is a pretty good change in appearance. I think it is the perfect choice for an all-around tire for the Kitfox. Weight will not be a big enough factor in your decision because your performance is silly to begin with. Choose what looks best in your mind and have fun.

Kelly

[cap01]

kelly , i made it up to concrete for the flyin last weekend and was tempted to fly up the skagit and look for your spot . it got warm and late