Tires
Full scale T-6 stunt team with a unique way of using their tires.
Lightweight parts can save pounds!! We have evaluated tires from most everyone and found the Kavan tires to be the lightest by far. You can save 1/4 to 1/2 pound of weight on your airplane compared to Sullivan Skylite or Dubro Lite tires!! The TBM tires are more durable than the Kavan tires, are less expensive and almost as light.
Find the tire right for you:
TBM Rubber Tires - 3.5", 4.5", and 5" are filled with foam so they don't go flat. They have proved to be very durable. They have strong hubs and the tires are stiff so they don't deform under side loads. They are only slightly heavier and they do hold up better than the 5" Kavan tires. (The 4" Kavan Air tires are very good).
Kavan Tires - 3.5" and 4" are filled with air though do not have an air fill valve. They have grey plastic hubs. They will not go flat even if punctured. They are 1/2 the weight of Sullivan or Dubro tires. I use them extensively, though the hubs are not real strong. If you get sideways on landing or turn sharply at speed, the hubs will break. The Kavan chrome hubs are very strong and much better. If you break a grey plastic hub, switch to the chrome hubbed tires.
Kavan Air Tires - with Chrome Hubs 4" and 5" are filled with air and have an air fill valve. I never fill the 4" tires with air though the 5" lose air and need to be inflated occasionally. Any bicycle type pump will work with the included fill valve. The stock plastic hubs on the 5" Kavan tires are very small, light, and strong. They are 1/2 pound lighter than other tires. These tires are wide. The 4" tires are 1 3/8" wide and the 5" tires are 1 5/8" wide.
Dubro Tires - 4", 4.5", and 5" are filled with foam so they don't go flat. They have proved to be very durable. They have strong hubs and the tires are stiff so they don't deform under side loads. They are heavier but they do hold up better than the 5" Kavan tires. (The 4" Kavan Air tires are very good).
MPI Tires - 3" The MPI 3" aluminum wheel has an 1/8" layer of rubber sandwiched between light foam to maintain shape under weight. They have proved to be very durable The CNC machined aluminum hubs are very durable and light weight to withstand the loads endured during takeoffs and landings.
Sullivan Skylight - Skylites are the originator of the urethane skin/foam filled lightweight tire technology. These tires are very strong and durable, yet weigh much less than regular rubber tires. The one-piece Nylon hubs are overdesigned and can be drilled out to the next axle size.
