I have read on several forums that one of the ideal combos for the airglas fork installed on a 182P is 8.50s on the mains and an 8.00 on the nose. I’m currently running 8.50s on the mains and a 7.00 on the nose - I looked at the Goodyear spec sheet and it appears there’s not much difference (at least in height) between the two. It certainly doesn’t appear that it’s worth it to change to an 8.00 - is there any suggestions/opinions out there that would suggest otherwise? My main goal with this setup is to keep the prop out of the dirt.

mtnaflyer wrote:I have read on several forums that one of the ideal combos for the airglas fork installed on a 182P is 8.50s on the mains and an 8.00 on the nose. I’m currently running 8.50s on the mains and a 7.00 on the nose - I looked at the Goodyear spec sheet and it appears there’s not much difference (at least in height) between the two. It certainly doesn’t appear that it’s worth it to change to an 8.00 - is there any suggestions/opinions out there that would suggest otherwise? My main goal with this setup is to keep the prop out of the dirt.

Diameter of a tire is but ONE dimension. There are two things we’re trying to accomplish with “larger tires:

1. Diameter, which provides a smoother ride through rough surfaces

And,

2. Width, which provides “float” over softer surfaces.

That’s a bit of oversimplification, but…..

MTV

Thanks for the reply MTV - I was hoping I’d hear from you. I don’t do a lot of what I would consider soft - like beaches and sand bars. I mainly stick to stuff like Stehekin in Washington state, Reds horse ranch in Oregon - strips like those, although I suppose those would be considered “soft fields”. In any case it seems like the 8.00 would be better in general. Thanks again.

Jeremy

mtnaflyer wrote:Thanks for the reply MTV - I was hoping I’d hear from you. I don’t do a lot of what I would consider soft - like beaches and sand bars. I mainly stick to stuff like Stehekin in Washington state, Reds horse ranch in Oregon - strips like those, although I suppose those would be considered “soft fields”. In any case it seems like the 8.00 would be better in general. Thanks again.

Jeremy

Jeremy,

The problem is, most any unprepared surface (gobbledegook for not paved) can be soft, depending on recent climatological conditions. The exception is good, we’ll compacted gravel runways, but I’ve seen some of those “pumping” early in the season.

The only down side to a larger nose tire is a bit of drag, some weight and a bit of $$. That said, when you consider what that nose gear is protecting (engine and prop), these seem like pretty minor costs.

MTV

Thanks for the reply. I’m guessing the speed and weight penalty wouldn’t be that significant going from a 7.00 to 8.00 - maybe a pound and a knot or so. That’s less important to me anyway - especially considering the benefits.

Thanks!
Jeremy

I've got 8.00s and a 7.00 on my 205. It's just fine for Stehekin, Red's, Easton, Tieton, Moose Creek, etc. I've got 8.50s also, and they're much wider (1.5x?). They make the ride smoother, but they sit on the shelf as they take perhaps 5 knots off, and don't open up much for me that I'm willing to fly into. Everything I land on is labeled an airport, and 8.00's have worked well enough, with the exception of Big Flat airstrip. I don't know that I'd ditch the 8.50's to go smaller, but the 8.00s are fine for the strips you mentioned.

Thanks for the reply! I definitely don’t plan on ditching the 8.50s on the mains - just curious if an 8 on the front would be that much different than the existing 7. In any case I decided to order an 8 for the front - now the wait to get it here begins. In the meantime I imagine I’ll survive just fine with the 7 on the nose.

Jeremy.