Large tires

[Hjorleifur1961]

I'm new to the Kitfox, just bought a IV Speedster.
I am looking for the largest practical tires to fit on the spring gear, thinking about the Alaskan Bushwheel, either 26 or 29 inch. The Kitfox currently has 600x6, but I need something larger for the terrain here in Iceland.
Does anybody here have any experience with these?
Any comments appreciated. :)

[WWhunter]

Welcome aboard!!! I am sure you may get other replies also but in my experience with a couple of different planes, I preferred the 26" Akbushwheel Airstreaks.

I have had both the 26" and the 29" on my RANS S7 and a heavily modified 7AC-CONV Champ. While the 29's sure look nice and offer more cushion, the 26" were sufficient for the flying I was doing. The 29's add weight, slow you down a tiny bit more, and just seemed to make the plane feel different. Not sure how to describe it but they change the feel of the plane making it seem heavy. The only time I think a guy needs the 29's are when landing on extremely rough terrain. If that is what you need them for, then go ahead and spend the extra coin for them as they may save your plane from an 'opps'.

[AirFox]

26" Airstreaks work well. Nice balance between drag and Orr field performance. The blue and gray has 26" Airstreaks.

[Hjorleifur1961]

Thanks. I think I'll go for the new 26" lightweight Alaska Experimental Bushwheel. Weighing only 15.25 Lbs and the pair is rated for 1320 Lbs.
I wrote to Airframes Alaska, and after consulting, I believe this to be the solution for me. $975 per tire, it's a little cheaper than the Airstreak.

[WWhunter]

Well, I'll be darned...a guy learns something new everyday!! I did not know that there was a newer lighter version of the 26" Airstreak. Not much cheper that the Airstreak version but to save 5 lbs. per tire is a good deal. The only thing I noticed was the 0.150 tread. Seems 'thin' to me but I am sure there will be lots of flex to it.
Heck, shaving 10 lbs off is great! I have actually been thinking of down sizing even further to the Desser 8.50 Smoothies. They are only 10 lbs a tire wich would shave another 10 lbs (total) off the GW. The 8.50 Smoothies are pretty rugged tires that I personally think will last much longer than the Bush tires. Plus, you can get two of the 8.50's for the price of one Bush tire. :) Desser also has a 27" that might fill your needs but you need 8" wheels.

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[jiott]

My next tires will be the Dresser 8.5" smoothies. The down side of these tires is that they require tubes, but I have not heard of anyone with problems if they keep at least 12 lbs air pressure.