Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 19

Thread: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Shelby, NC
    Posts
    41

    Default 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    Does anyone know anything about handling characteristics of CC Ex. using 26 inch tires versus 29. I like the looks of the 29 inch better than the 26 but wondered if they cause lower airspeeds or other glitches. Also, I would like the better ground clearance afforded by the 29.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Centmont's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Winifred, Montana
    Posts
    257

    Default Re: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    I have flown both sizes. Currently have the 29's but will go back to the 26's when these are worn out. They are a little slower than the 26's and, quite frankly, even though I land in some rough places, they just aren't needed on this 900# airplane (IMO). I assume you also know that if you make many asphalt landing, your tires will wear out very quickly. R
    Ralph Rogers
    Owner: TheCubWorks
    www.TheCubWorks.com
    CCSS #142 N123MR
    I have always felt the supercub is one thing mankind got right the first time but that there were better materials and methods to build them. CubCrafters products are proof I was right.

  3. #3
    Senior Member randylervold's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Yakima, WA
    Posts
    1,378

    Default Re: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    Ralph has more rough strip experience than I do and he makes an excellent point about the weight of the plane. I would personally go with 26"s as a good all around solution. If you take the time to manage tire pressure (lowering/raising as needed for the surface) you can make them work well in the rough stuff quite well.

    That said I know Ben Hodges and Scot Warren both love their 29s, and we have a customer north of us here in Washington who has 31s installed on his single-place Carbon Cub and loves them.
    Randy Lervold

  4. #4
    Senior Member John Hodges's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Arroyo Grande, CA
    Posts
    692

    Default Re: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    No shortage of opinions on this one. Most of our customers who purchase Carbon Cubs with larger size tires opt for the 26s, for the same reasons Ralph mentioned. Quite honestly, a major reason we went with 29s on our demo was the "bad ass" look, which it definately has. That said, the 29s at 4 to 5 psi have served us well rolling over some stuff that we didn't see when dragging a landing spot. And they are particularly nice on extremely soft surfaces such as sand dunes and dry lakes. We've hopped our of our Carbon Cub and practically sunk up to our ankles, but the airplane sits on top having only slightly disturbed the surface.
    Our 29s have a lot of asphalt time, since they are on a demo plane hangared at a regional airport. And we have done a significant amout of transition training on asphalt, which involves landing after landing after landing on asphalt. We have over 250 hrs on them now, and they still look fine.

  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Mission Beach, Qld, Australia
    Posts
    39

    Default Re: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    Would appreciate some opinions on tire pressures for 26inch Tundras with AOSS suspension on different surface conditions. I suspect mysoft tires are preventing the AOSS from contributing very much. I have tried pressures from 5psi to 12psi but it is hard to discern what happens down there. I would like more action from the AOSS as this would have less rebound than the tires. Also wondering about softening the AOSS, is that possible?

  6. #6
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    The Dalles Oregon
    Posts
    54

    Default Re: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    I have the 26 inch tires on my sport cub. I have the bungee landing gear and run 11.5 lbs in the tires. That seems for me to do well off airport and on pavement. I have about 100 pavement landings and they seem to be holding up well though with no wear indicators I really have no idea. A husky at KDLS got over 400 pavement landings on his and didn't count the off port landings on his 31 inch Alaskans before they wore out. I mention this only because they told me when I bought my 26's that I could expect more than the 31's because the sport cub weighs so much less. They said to run them till you see cords them change them and that's what the Husky did. I also don't keep track of non pavement landings but have quite a few, not as many as pavement but a fair number. I'm not sure if I'm running the best pressure for wear but I like the way the plane handles in all situations.
    Rich

  7. #7
    Senior Member Pilawt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Vancouver, WA
    Posts
    170

    Default Re: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    Rich, how much of speed loss do you notice with the 26" tires vs. 8.50s?
    Jeff Jacobs
    Vancouver WA / KVUO
    C-172N-180


  8. #8
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    The Dalles Oregon
    Posts
    54

    Default Re: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    Not much , 2 mph at most .Alaskan bushwheel hold me that it wouldn't slow it down much. I did not do any speed runs before and after mostly because I didn't care if they slowed me down. I think I can safely say you won't notice the speed diff.
    Rich

  9. #9
    Senior Member John Hodges's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Arroyo Grande, CA
    Posts
    692

    Default Re: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    Pwill435, we did development work on the AOSS for the Carbon Cub in 2010. The AOSS used on early SuperSport/Carbon Cubs and Sport Cubs were way too stiff. If you have one of those airplanes, you're not going to be happy with how the AOSS functions. We tested a number of different setups from Burl, who makes the AOSS, and ended up selecting a much more compliant calibration. The current setup yields approximately 3" AOSS shaft deflection during a fairly firm touchdown. That's on 29s carrying around 7 psi (we generally run them between 4 and 10, depending on the mission). This set up does a good job of helping the tires stay in contact with the ground for braking. It is by no means as effective as a trailing link suspension, or the like. But it's a lot better than undampened bungees, which make it a lot more difficult to keep the tires in contact with the earth when you have to hit your spot, and you hit it firmly.

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Mission Beach, Qld, Australia
    Posts
    39

    Default Re: 26 inch Tundra Tires versus 29 inch

    Quote Originally Posted by John Hodges View Post
    Pwill435, we did development work on the AOSS for the Carbon Cub in 2010. The AOSS used on early SuperSport/Carbon Cubs and Sport Cubs were way too stiff. If you have one of those airplanes, you're not going to be happy with how the AOSS functions. We tested a number of different setups from Burl, who makes the AOSS, and ended up selecting a much more compliant calibration. The current setup yields approximately 3" AOSS shaft deflection during a fairly firm touchdown. That's on 29s carrying around 7 psi (we generally run them between 4 and 10, depending on the mission). This set up does a good job of helping the tires stay in contact with the ground for braking. It is by no means as effective as a trailing link suspension, or the like. But it's a lot better than undampened bungees, which make it a lot more difficult to keep the tires in contact with the earth when you have to hit your spot, and you hit it firmly.
    Thanks John. My CC is no 167 built 2011 so probably has the soft AOSS. I will put a camera under there and see how much deflection we get. If I do want to soften the AOSS, is that a job I or my LAME could do?

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •