mtv wrote: A good mechanic will have developed a relationship with his/her PMI and that makes all the difference.

MTV

Right you are!.

It seems the old guys at the FSDO are way better to deal with when it comes to getting an approval!

Newer inspectors tend to get that deer in the headlights look if you mention field approval!

I would start with the office that sent the letter linked here. In willing to bet they still have a copy of the letter they enclosed.

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We have a set. Very light and thin. Paperwork issues aside, not sure they'd be a good choice for a heavy Cessna 180 series. Landing on a blown out main is a little sporty. Maybe not worth the few $ in savings or the coolness factor?

gbflyer wrote:We have a set. Very light and thin. Paperwork issues aside, not sure they'd be a good choice for a heavy Cessna 180 series. Landing on a blown out main is a little sporty. Maybe not worth the few $ in savings or the coolness factor?

That's my feeling as well. I would want some field experience out there on lighter planes before I hung a set on something as heavy as a 180. And, having landed with a flat in a 185, I concur on the sporty comment.

These tires aren't even as large in diameter as Goodyear 8.50s, if the specs are right. I for one don't see ANY "cool factor" with these things on a 180, at least.

YMMV

MTV

I looked at them real close and tried to talk myself into them over other 850s for my 170. I decided against them since I would be landing on pavement from time to time and they just seemed so soft that I thought they would wear too fast. I then was set on getting Goodyear 850s but those were almost exactly twice as expensive as the Air Hawks and since what I really want is Ak Bushwheels I decided to go with the Air Hawks for now and save for the Bush wheels. I think you would be safe enough with your 180 on the smoothies but I can't see the advantage over any other tire.

Good thoughts all. I've have a little time before my current 8.50's wear out , so I will keep weighing the pros and cons of all of these options.

Thanks for all the help and insight. This site is a valuable resource!!

Currently I have Goodyear-cored Desser / Aero WBS recaps on my 180.
Just for fun, I decided to measure them.
On the airplane, parked, 20-ish PIS, they measure 21-3/4" horizontal diameter.
Just FWIW.
Curious what anyone's 850 Desser smoothies or McCreary Airtracs measure out at?

Going to put the Goodyear 26's on. I'm not convinced 4plys are a good choice for a 180. Barnstormer says I should not lose a lot of speed, will gain a little floatation, and should wear better than the ABW. Fits my profile pretty well. Same weight as the ABW as well.

Will post a picture when I get them on.

It's Flying season in Idaho!

I think the 26" GY blimpies are a fine choice for a C180 when 850's aren't enough.

FWIW, I've been running the Desser 8.50 smoothies on my C170 since they were certified last summer. Don't know about the C180, but they are perfect for my airplane. They're around 10lbs lighter per pair than the 8.00's I had been running and have not caused any noticeable loss in cruise. They're also very cushy on rough grass and gravel strips. Long-term wear on pavement is still a question mark, but looking at the indicators they seem to be holding up well here at all-pavement TIW.

Tweaking the topic....my C180 came with a set of Goodyear-carcassed Desser (aka Aero Wheel and Brake Service) recapped 850x6's. Dunno when they were installed, but I've put 170 hours of mostly short flights on them and they're still going strong. Dunno the price either-- Desser's ad in TAP shows recapped 800x6 @ $109 and 850x10 @ $250, so I'll guess about halfway in between or about $180. By comparison, new 850x6 Airtracs are about $240. Someone here posted a while back that Wilkerson Aircraft Tires in VA does recaps also, including a treadles (smoothie) option. No pricing info on their website.

Does anyone have experience with having tires recapped? I'm curious if you have to provide the cores, or do they--maybe at extra cost? How many times can a core be recapped?

I have the Desser smoothies on my 800+ pound Super Legend and there're great. I have Goodyear 6ply 8:50's on my 54 180. The Desser's aren't nearly enough tire for the 180, in my opinion. For lack of a better word , they're too squishy.

Anyone willing to share their 337 field approval for Goodyear 26 smoothies on a 180? Anything to help the field approval process in the lower 48 would be appreciated.

The biggest incentive to using non-ribbed tires, in my opinion, is that they won't fling gravel in to the horizontal stabilizer or prop. I have a few nicks in my prop and a few chips in the paint on the stab that are right in line with the tires. I have flown with the 26 inch blimp tires and think that they are an excellent choice for the 180/185. They are safe and plenty stout in every way. Who has the STC or an approval letter for these tires?