Im almost certain I found the information on here, but hopefully it's ok to repeat it. I just talked w WILKERSON AIRCRAFT TIRES, out of Va. They confirmed that they still do smooth tread retreads up to at least 850s. And I think 850-10s $140 if you supply the carcasses. Not as big a deal now w the new 4ply out but If you need 6ply or like me and want a smooth 700-6 for the nose, it may be useful info

+ 1 for Wilkersons, Great service.

I chose to go with grooves, but they offer smooth also.

daedaluscan wrote:+ 1 for Wilkersons, Great service.

I chose to go with grooves, but they offer smooth also.

Good to know about. Curious, why did you opt for grooves?

Because realistically 90% of my flying is on pavement, it rains a lot here, and I like the wear indicator function.

daedaluscan wrote:Because realistically 90% of my flying is on pavement, it rains a lot here, and I like the wear indicator function.

Makes sense- thanks for explaining

Always wondered why they don't groove them in a V pattern so water can actually escape. A little water on top of the ice on a frozen lake can be sporty. Not that I run into those conditions often

I actually seriously wonder if the grooves add any benefit for water removal. But I do like to see how the tires are wearing, and I tend to swap mine on the rim every 150 hours or so as they seem to wear more on the outsides. I have 180 gear, and probably have too much camber, but I like the way the plane handles and don't want to mess anything up.

I considered going without the grooves as I think they look badass, but am too inexperienced to want to make any changes that I don't understand.

My gear is set up about the same but got rig of a little extra toe-in on one side. Unfortunately, I'm the opposite, I always want to try something new to see if it works better. Mostly it doesn't. Haha

daedaluscan wrote:+ 1 for Wilkersons, Great service.
I chose to go with grooves, but they offer smooth also.

What was the price, and for what size tires?
With Airtrac 850's (and the new Desser 850 smoothies) going for close to $250, I'm starting to think more about recaps.
Do you send in your carcasses to be recapped, send them in (maybe later) as cores, or is the core included in the prices?

hotrod180 wrote:

daedaluscan wrote:+ 1 for Wilkersons, Great service.
I chose to go with grooves, but they offer smooth also.

What was the price, and for what size tires?
With Airtrac 850's (and the new Desser 850 smoothies) going for close to $250, I'm starting to think more about recaps.
Do you send in your carcasses to be recapped, send them in (maybe later) as cores, or is the core included in the prices?

I sent my cores to them.Two Goodyear 8.50X6 was $258, including the UPS back to Port Angeles.They are still there, hope to go down and get them tomorrow.

Pretty good price- about half of new, not counting shipping the cores to them.
I wish I'd known about this last fall, I wouldn't have thrown in the worn-down 850's when I sold my C150TD.