Just put it on the new to me 170. What’s a good pressure to run?

Casual answer from the folks at Airframes Alaska:

Depends on the plane it’s mounted on. Range is 6-25 psi and most pilots find 10-12 psi to be a good pressure for most GA taildraggers.

Are you referring to the actual baby bush wheel, or the 400x4 tire/tube combo you are also allowed to run?

Actual baby bushwheel.

I like 20#s for longer life and decent shock absorbtion on the 180. I'd probly do 16 on a 170

Curious what others are running for pressure with the 400-4 hard tire? I've been running 45psi for routine ranch gravel/dirt and the occasional paved strip. (Heavy Hauler C-185 Goodyear 26" mains)

Really depends on the terrain and how much weight is in the tail. The difference between say 14 and 10 is very noticeable on rougher stuff and rocks with a reasonably light tail but not so much on other terrain. You'll feel a lot more jarring and bouncing around when aired up too much. Just start at 14ish and play with it until it feels good for what you do. 10 or so seems good for me or so it looks under inflated but I'm off grass no pavement. Also best to get onto any tailwheel shimmy sooner than later. Have fun!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t higher pressures reduce shimmy on paved surfaces?

jrc111 wrote:Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t higher pressures reduce shimmy on paved surfaces?

Yep for sure. I meant that going from a standard small tail wheel to a BBW you may end up with tail shimmy that wasn't apparent before. Spring, chains too tight, incorrectly adjusted, whatever. Best to deal with the cause if you have an issue rather than just increasing pressure and flying accordingly as that little fat guy will chew out quicker than you'd think.