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Thread: Herculiner on tyres

  1. #1
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    Default Herculiner on tyres

    Today I decided to start coating my 26" Airstreaks with Herculiner. My friend Col with his Super Cub is doing it also. We researched it fairly well - there are good reports from the super cub mob on using this stuff successfully so we decided to give it a go. Especially given the price of replacing these tyres given their high price to start with and then conversion to OZ dollars and freight!

    I washed the tyres with detergent and water then rinsed them off with fresh water. I then cleaned them with Xylene before brushing on the first coat. I plan on 2-3 coats. Will let you know how it goes.

    Hope you like the white walls too!

    cheers

    ross
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    Ross
    Mt Beauty, Vic
    OZ
    Sold to Richard and Scott Taubman in OZ, 2019. Kitfox SS7,Rotax 912is Sport, Airmaster CSP 75" blades.
    Landcruiser and Cub off road camper (doesn't get any kudos on this forum!)

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Herculiner on tyres

    What is the purpose of this application?

  3. #3
    Senior Member Esser's Avatar
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    Default Re: Herculiner on tyres

    Is that a polyurethane product Ross? Edit: It is polyurethane, I just looked it up. Seems like a good idea to me.

    It's to add material to the tire so they don't wear as fast.
    ------------------
    Josh Esser
    Flying SS7
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    AirMaster Prop

    Edmonton, AB, CWL3

  4. #4
    Senior Member AirFox's Avatar
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    Default Re: Herculiner on tyres

    I ran into a guy on the gravel bar yesterday who was on his 3rd application of this stuff Ross. He said that it was working out great. I have 655 hours on my Airstreaks and They are still holding up. I stay off the asphalt as much as possible. I am considering doing the same application. Thanks for the detailed instructions.

    Scott

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Herculiner on tyres

    Yes Guys, its to prolong the life of these great but rather expensive tyres. A bit like retreading I guess. There are many posts on the Cub blogs sites about it. My research suggests that Herculiner is the one to go with. There are other bedliner products and reports suggest they are nowhere near as effective on the tyres as is Herculiner.

    That's impressive Scott - 650 and still ok. I too try not to use the asphalt - only occasionally due to the grass being too wet. Mine have 300hrs on them now and they are doing well. I think I can detect a little bit of wear and that it is on e the sides - I have ordered some shims as I thin I have a little bit of +ve camber.

    Off to the shed to see if coat one has cured overnight!

    cheers

    r
    Ross
    Mt Beauty, Vic
    OZ
    Sold to Richard and Scott Taubman in OZ, 2019. Kitfox SS7,Rotax 912is Sport, Airmaster CSP 75" blades.
    Landcruiser and Cub off road camper (doesn't get any kudos on this forum!)

  6. #6

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    Default Re: Herculiner on tyres

    Bumping an old thread to give my experience rolling Herculiner onto my expensive 26" Airstreak 2.0 tires. To make application easy, I put the front end up on blocks so each wheel could spin freely. I washed the tires with dawn and a scrubbrush, then rinsed with clean water and let dry. I skipped the cleaning with xylene. To put the stuff on, I used a 2" roller and just spun the tire while holding the roller in one place. Pretty easy to put on. I put on one coat, then had to let it dry for 3 days to lose its tack because temp was in the 50s, normally it would be dry in a few hours. The second coat also took 3 days to dry. One quart covered both airstreaks with two coats.

    That was 3 months and 34 hours of pavement flying ago and the tires have been awesome. Nothing ever came off and it wore evenly. I typically land about 3x/hr so about 100 landings on pavement in that time. The liner has now worn off and its time for another herculiner coat. This time I will do three coats to make it last longer. Re-treading with a $29 can of Herculiner every 30-50 hours might seem like a pain but its not nearly as painful as another $2400 set of tires
    Screen Shot 2022-03-03 at 4.48.22 PM.png

  7. #7
    Senior Member Eric Page's Avatar
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    Default Re: Herculiner on tyres

    Thanks for the bump. I joined the forum after this thread was long dead and I was unaware of this procedure. Appreciate the tip!
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
    Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Herculiner on tyres

    I'll have to find the thread, but I think someone suggested Flexane (?) over Herculiner.

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtthgYYhkz0
    Last edited by WWhunter; 03-04-2022 at 10:26 AM.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Herculiner on tyres

    I think Trent did a video showing a small contraption that looks like a motorcycle wheel balancer, and they dip the tire in a tray and keep it rotating so it coats evenly.

    Eric, you won't need to worry about this coating process if you're using the Desser 8.50s like I had on my Citabria. I not only abused those tires extensively on pavement, I signed off several tail wheel endorsements over a 3 year period and they still had lots of life left in them. I'm talking many, many hundreds of landings.

    The AWB 26" (and larger) are soft sticky rubber, and they're much heavier than the Desser 8.50 which means they suffer more when they touch down on pavement. When I was at Stick and Rudder they showed me the dead pile. They go through several sets of 26" AWBs every season.
    Kitfox 5 (under construction)
    Commercial SE/ME, CFII

  10. #10
    Senior Member Eric Page's Avatar
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    Default Re: Herculiner on tyres

    Quote Originally Posted by alexM View Post
    Eric, you won't need to worry about this coating process if you're using the Desser 8.50s like I had on my Citabria. I not only abused those tires extensively on pavement, I signed off several tail wheel endorsements over a 3 year period and they still had lots of life left in them. I'm talking many, many hundreds of landings.
    Thanks, Alex. That's good to know!
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
    Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

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