2004 CTSW Nose Wheels in 400 x 4 6 Ply no longer available, only 8 Ply. Need new tire and matco wheel?

[Vic]

Hi all,

Its been a rough week at the airport.  I blew a nose wheel and tube out.  Tire is very dry rotted and needs to be replaced.  I ordered what I thought was a 6ply from spruce but upon further research it seems that I received the 8 Ply version because 6ply is no longer produced.

 

I have the old gold wheels, not matco so I am not sure what to do next.  I do not have a tundra fork so I can not move up to the 400x 6 size.

Couple questions.

Has anyone else needed to go with 8 Ply since nothing else is available?

Would having the matco front wheel make a difference?

Will my plane explode if I use the 8 Ply if it fits in my fork?

Roger- I read thru a lot of your posts about this already.  Do you have anyone recently running into this issue with older CTSW's.

Thanks all, 

 

 

 

[Anticept]

8 ply is stiffer. Airplane tires are funny in the fact that ply ratings don't refer to layers like they do in cars, it's just an "equivalent to x ply" rating.

I've used 8 ply, not a big deal.

Here's the 6 ply:

https://shop.desser.com/4.00x6-6-ply-aero-classic-14-x-4-rib-tl-heavy-duty-tire/ecomm-product-detail/333902/

Tires are one of the things I don't recommend using aircraftspruce for; order from the manufacturers.

[Vic]

Thanks Corey,

I have the 400 x 4 size for my nose, I dont think the 6 would fit in my nose pant and fork right?

My mains are 400 x 6, so ill definitely pick theses up for spares which I'm sure ill need soon.

[Anticept]

I misread your post.

You should be fine using the 8 ply. For nose gear it isn't too big a deal, but main gears are more sensitive to ply ratings since tires are part of the suspension system.

[Vic]

Thank you very much,  Glad to know I can use this tire now.

[Tom Baker]

Just be aware that on some airplanes the 8 ply tire rubs on the weldment on the top of the fork.

[Roger Lee]

Tom's right, "Just be aware that on some airplanes the 8 ply tire rubs on the weldment on the top of the fork."

Plus 8 ply tires need more air pressure to maintain their round form and not get out of round. Did a study back in 2008 with Desser and found this out.