Desser 27.5 tundra tire

[m.mooney]

i currently have desser smooth 850s on my Patrol, like them but am used to the comfort of bushwheels on my S7. Due to pavement ops a little too often, I’m considering the desser 27.5 on 8” wheels. Does anyone run these tires on their 4 place or patrol? If so, what wheels and brakes? Grove ? (Yikes! $3100 for wheels/brakes).
mike

[Mark Goldberg]

The 8" wheels/brakes from Grove are pretty much not available. Call them if you want. Looks like 10" are the only option if you do not want 6".

I learned this recently from trying to help a customer. Mark

[m.mooney]

The 8" wheels/brakes from Grove are pretty much not available. Call them if you want. Looks like 10" are the only option if you do not want 6".

I learned this recently from trying to help a customer. Mark

thanks Mark. I did speak with them and was told that they’ve sold very few sets and it would probably be a custom order, if at all. It makes sense that they would punt on them if they’re not selling. I wish Matco made an 8” wheel that was heavy enough for our weights (called and asked, George said nothing they have is rated that high). Their price is right and quality is pretty good. That would make the desser 27.5 a viable option and would be my choice over the 26 Goodyear, which is the most direct competitor. I like the Goodyear’s but wish they were a true 26” tire. The desser is less expensive, softer, lighter, and definitely larger. It’s just that crazy 8” wheel thing...

I’ve been giving this a fair amount of thought and am still not sure which direction I’m going to go. The heavy tread bushwheels have me intrigued. Per tire, they are $200 more, 3 lbs heavier, 1/4” rubber thickness (vs. 3/16”). Does anyone have experience with these heavy tread Bushwheels? I wonder if they are considerably more tolerant of pavement, or just a little?

Mike

[rodsmith]

Has anyone asked Desser why they don't make any bush tire larger than 850s for a 6" wheel. I would be interested in their 29" tires if I didn't have to buy $3000 wheels to use them.

[Rollie]

I really like the Desser 8.50 - 6 tires and would love it if they would make them in a taller size, sepecially if they would keep it 4 ply like the 8.50. Those tires are light and flexible. My 31" bushwheels are great but they wear so quickly when you have to land or even taxi on pavement that mine spend most of the time in my storage room instead of on the plane. The Dessers have enough landings on pavement now to have destroyed a set of bushwheels and don't really show any wear yet. I think I'll email Desser and ask them if they will make a bigger smooth and light tire like their 8.50. Maybe if a few of us contact them they will see that there is enough demand to make it worth it for them.

[JimParker256]

Are you talking about the Desser 8:50 "treaded" tires, or their "smooth" version? (Curious, because I bought the "treaded" version as a compromise for my "home base on pavement, but landing on grass at times" use...)

[Rollie]

The smooth tire. All I can figure tread is for on airplane tires is for wear indication and to pick up stones and fling them into the prop so I avoid tread on my airplane tires when I can. The smooth tires have wear indicators and they seem to hold up well on pavement.

[Battson]

You would be better to stick with your current wheels and use Goodyear 26" tires.

[m.mooney]

You would be better to stick with your current wheels and use Goodyear 26" tires.

Yeah, I keep coming back to this realization, the dessers have been a nice addition to the market but the 27.5 probably doesn’t make sense when compared to a Goodyear 26 because of the wheel size. I thought if I could get into some 8” wheels for a good deal, I’d try them, that isn’t happening. As for the desser 31, it looks like a great tire but it’s that wheel thing again, although the 10” wheel is good for other “tundra” tire options. As everyone knows, you can’t beat the Bushwheel. I’ll probably go for heavy tread bushwheels, either 26 or 29. Thanks for the reply.
mike

[kestrel]

Sure would be nice if someone would make a tire with the stem in the side wall, big enough, and can be used on pavement without costing $$$$/landing. When I've finished off my GY8.50's, I'll probably get a set of GY26's.

[Rollie]

I tried the Goodyear 26" on my Pacer, I was lucky enough to have a friend loan them to me. They are nowhere near 26", they were about an inch taller than 8.50s and heavier and very stiff, almost no give in the sidewall going over bumps. The stiffness, in my opinion, made them inferior to the Desser 8.50s for absorbing bumps off airport. Plus when considering the higher weight and price of the Goodyears, for me the 4 ply 8.50s win every time. Thats just between those two tires, for rougher off airport stuff I'll still stick with my 31" bushwheels, at least until someone comes out with a tire that wears better and fits on an available wheel without costing more than bushwheels.

[kestrel]

Weight and stiffness are issues. However, height/diameter isn't the only useful metric. The size of the contact patch is relevant for softer surfaces and I believe that the 26 is wider, esp. if pressure is kept (reasonably) low. ...I could end up with a new set of 8.50's, that time hasn't come quite yet.

[zkelley2]

Matco makes 8 inch wheels for about $350. They say they're only rated to 2100lbs though. Might call them and talk about it on a bearhawk.

[m.mooney]

​ ​
Update: I went with the Desser 31s and Grove 10” wheels and brakes. About 75 hours and a couple hundred landings later, I’m very happy with them. I’m running them tubeless, which has worked well thus far. The larger wheel with more contact area for the bead is helpful. Zero leakage. Running 10 psi currently and have no reservations going down to 7-8 for some off airport stuff. Can they be aired down lower? Probably, but in my opinion if I need to go to a fairly low psi on these for a certain LZ, I should be on bushwheels. The possibility of breaking the bead is troubling, that risk has to be properly managed.

They’re heavy, they’re a bit stiff, they do indeed wear like iron, and they’re not bushwheels. For serious off airport work, there is no substitute for the ABW and these Grove wheels will handle their 35s, a nice option to have. There is absolutely no sign of wear on them, I honestly think they’ll last forever. The disc is 7.5” and the brakes are outstanding. I gained about 40 pounds from my tubeless desser 850 smoothies and have lost around 5 mph.

Opinion, the Desser/Grove setup is an outstanding alternative to the bushwheel if your off airport work is on the lighter side and you also frequent pavement. The biggest hurdle with this is the transition to the 10” wheel, no small matter. Desser also makes a 29” version of this tire for the 10” wheel, around $500 each I think. The 31s were $800 each. For me, I’m very satisfied with the total performance of the Desser 31 and will utilize the 35” ABW if needed for more serious work.

Mike

[rodsmith]

That is great information, thanks for posting.

[whee]

Thanks for sharing Mike! I was very interested in going with 31” Dessers but with the constant increase in price and the expense of 10” wheels I lost interest. $1000 per tire plus another $1000 per wheel if I go with wheels that work with my current brakes makes me look back to AKBs. A buddy of mine “retreads” his AKBs and says they will last forever if you keep them out of the sun and down wear them down to the point of blowing cords.

[schu]

Thanks for sharing Mike! I was very interested in going with 31” Dessers but with the constant increase in price and the expense of 10” wheels I lost interest. $1000 per tire plus another $1000 per wheel if I go with wheels that work with my current brakes makes me look back to AKBs. A buddy of mine “retreads” his AKBs and says they will last forever if you keep them out of the sun and down wear them down to the point of blowing cords.

Dessers are $813 a tire at aircraft spruce. The bushwheels are $1800 or $2k for heavy tread. That's $1000 to $1200 PER tire more, and don't forget you are going to pay a bit more shipping on the bushwheels given they are sold out of AK.

The grove wheels are top notch (fully billet) and the brakes are bigger.

I think you will find that the desser setup is lighter too.

I'm not going to bother with retreading bushwheels. In Alaska, on tundra, on a light cub, they are amazing. But in the lower-48 where you must occasionally run on pavement, in a heavier airplane like a bearhawk 4 place, I think the Desser is the better setup.

[zkelley2]

Dessers are $813 a tire at aircraft spruce. The bushwheels are $1800 or $2k for heavy tread. That's $1000 to $1200 PER tire more, and don't forget you are going to pay a bit more shipping on the bushwheels given they are sold out of AK.

The grove wheels are top notch (fully billet) and the brakes are bigger.

I think you will find that the desser setup is lighter too.

I'm not going to bother with retreading bushwheels. In Alaska, on tundra, on a light cub, they are amazing. But in the lower-48 where you must occasionally run on pavement, in a heavier airplane like a bearhawk 4 place, I think the Desser is the better setup.

Not to mention 90% of people running 31s could use 8.50s and be fine.
And not to mention half the cub drivers could fly a 182 instead and still accomplish the mission but with 2x the payload and 3x the speed.