Power Kite Forum - Best tires for heavy gravel

Best tires for heavy gravel

Ed Cline - 2-2-2018 at 02:14 PM

I am flying where the wind is fairly steady and almost always a little better than the forecast..

This gravel wears out tires quickly. One good session and they are noticeably without much tread in the middle. Second session balding and small thread showing.
Third time out will probably blow out one tire if I skid much in the turns.

These are Starco "barrows" as supplied by PL. I am not experienced enough to really drive the bug to its limits so I only skid when over powered or to quick turn when I'm out of field.

Windstruck - 2-2-2018 at 07:20 PM

Sally, a number of us have had good success with 6-ply trailor tires.

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=33308&p...

These are pretty much the nuclear option when it comes to buggy tires.

Ed Cline - 3-2-2018 at 01:06 AM

Dr Steve, I can't find a mention in the link. Do you know where to source 6 plys to fit my PL rims? I'm guessing the number of plys is directly proportional to number of plays?

I should have named the post Sally can't dance no more :lol:

Ed Cline - 3-2-2018 at 07:37 AM

I found some Kenda 6 plys, the numbers match up, and Northern tools has them in stock locally. Sirs, and Randy, is this what to use?

https://www.etrailer.com/Tires-and-Wheels/Kenda/AM10004.html

I single out Randy cause His bug has rugged looking tires, admired them right off.
Are they 6 ply?

Windstruck - 3-2-2018 at 09:36 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Ed Cline

I found some Kenda 6 plys, the numbers match up, and Northern tools has them in stock locally. Sirs, and Randy, is this what to use?

https://www.etrailer.com/Tires-and-Wheels/Kenda/AM10004.html

I single out Randy cause His bug has rugged looking tires, admired them right off.
Are they 6 ply?

Sally, I believe the 6-ply trailer tires are the nuclear option when it comes to kite buggy tires. I'm not sure you will find a more sturdy tire out there that will actually fit on our rims. Paul (jeepersjoey) turned me on to these. He has these tires mounted on two sets of 4x8 Sysmic rims and I have a set mounted on a set of Sysmic rims as well. As far as I know these are sufficiently dimensionally similar to the PL rims that what works on a metal Sysmic rim should work on a similarly dimensioned PL plastic rim. The ones you linked to look great and assuming you can get them mounted on your rims should serve you well.

Downside? Weight! These guys are heavy. If that isn't an issue then I don't think they really have a downside. I guess one downside might be ride feel. They feel a little harsher than flimsier tires because at our buggy loads these tires really don't flex much.

I bought my trailer tires on Amazon. If I could have bought them at a shop I would have. The ones you are suggesting look great. Here are the ones I got:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TTFTK26/ref=od_aui_deta...

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Paul and I run ours at somewhere around 30 PSI. You could probably do less, but you sure don't need to go higher. I'm not sure how much pressure the plastic PL rims can withstand. Good luck!

Cheddarhead - 3-2-2018 at 01:08 PM

I also run Kenda 6 ply's. Bombproof!

Ed Cline - 4-2-2018 at 03:11 AM

Hey thanks guys. Bombproof is just the ticket.. plastic rims are labeled 2 bar. So 30 Psig doesn't push that too much. Nice rims Steve. Really pretty.
6 plys are available from Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Northern Tool.... from 17.usd to 32.usd. I'm thinking Kenda might be top of the heap, and one witness, thanks Wisconsin.

All the 6 plys are a little taller than the Starco tires supplied by PL. 1/2" or more. I can use the clearance to keep my seat low in the frame. BuggyBags is working on a full length splashguard to protect my sport seat. :thumbup:

Randy - 4-2-2018 at 05:34 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Ed Cline

Hey Ed,

Mine aren't like that. I have a standard Flexifoil buggy so I guess it is whatever came with it. If it ever stops raining I'll go check and see what tires they are. My main buggy spot has some gravel paths on the perimeter, but haven't noticed much wear. I hit those most times I'm out there but they are only a small fraction of the area I ride in.

Ed Cline - 4-2-2018 at 07:32 AM

No problemo Mr Randy. I've pretty much decided where to go with this. We got rain too, howsomuchever I pulled my shoulder out during an OBE with a drag for a finish.
Let it rain Raleigh ..pay more attention in the turns Sally. :singing:

eric67m - 4-2-2018 at 08:09 AM

I just went out and took a look at my Flexifoil Navaro buggy. It has Deli tires 4.8/4.00-8 that are rated 6ply. I did not realize these were six ply. I have only used them on beaches. I like them and have no complaints but no other brand tire has been on this buggy.

Blitzhound - 4-2-2018 at 11:40 AM

I would strongly recommend against using 30psi on plastic PL rims. They are rated for 2 bar which is 29psig (g) being relative to nominal atmospheric pressure at sea level. I aired mine to 15psig to set the bead. Then forgot to relieve the pressure. Went out buggyin on a nice hot summer day and the rims deformed. Due to pressure and softening of the plastic in the hot summer sun.

eric67m - 4-2-2018 at 12:13 PM

I had a set of PL wheels that I bought used along my kiting journey. When I mounted a set of Nancos to them you could see the plastic beading area of the wheel leaning out with 7-10 psi in them. When I un-mounted them to replace the wheels you could see a linear tear of the inside beading area, pulling away from the ribbed/mag looking part of the wheel.

Does anybody have any re-purpose ideas for old PL wheels? Or just toss them in the trash.

Windstruck - 4-2-2018 at 12:52 PM

I think this discussion of PSI is spot on. I have actually considered going down to sub-20 PSI. The hot weather mentioned is a real point as is altitude. I remember reading on PKF a while ago (by BigKid I think) that he drove someplace that involved going over a high altitude pass and the tire exploded. Maybe someone going to Ivanpah from Colorado, maybe not BigKid.

In any case these 6-ply trailer tires are seriously over speced for our use in buggies and I bet you could run 10 psi and they would stay pretty rigid.

Wind_dog - 4-2-2018 at 02:04 PM

Are we mixing apples and oranges?

Correct me if I am wrong.
The original post was seeking a tire with longer tread life in gravel.

The ply rating does not necessarily relate to tread life.
A higher ply rating corresponds to a stronger (stiffer) sidewall thus an ability
to carry a higher load at a higher psi. A psi much higher than plastic rims will hold.
Some of these barrow (4.8/4.00-8) tires are available in 2,4,6 ply ratings but you should never
be running them with relatively high pressure. So there may be no difference to buggy users
except for price.

As with car tires, tread life varies with make and model of tire.
Car tires have ratings for tread life. Unfortunately, not so for wheel barrow and trailer tires.
We only have reports from the community.

I wonder if a tire with a bigger footprint such as a midi (16x6.5-8) would spread the wear over
a bigger surface resulting in a longer life? I know they work well on std PL rims.

Just wondering.

Ed Cline - 5-2-2018 at 05:18 AM

Yeah..what wind dog said. I appreciate the pressure advice. I was thinking car tires wear out faster with low pressure, but traction is better. Well traction isn't a problem but wear is.
I'll back off to under 20 and see how it feels.

How resistant to wear is the tire I need and which one, was the query. The deepest tread was named 7, which I guess is 7/32. That was the deepest.

I wish midis were the answer. High cool factor. But if you're gonna skid anyway how would a bigger footprint help?

Right now I wish I could try one of the 17.usd Walmart tires against the other 6 plys to see if there's any difference in how tough they are. I am also concerned that I'm the only one with my tires wearing out too fast. Am I driving wrong?