Main wheels mod
Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 9:38 am
by Carlos Trigo
Guys
Has anyone with a XENOS, a Waiex or a taildragger Sonex replaced the stock main wheels (Azusa 5 inch) by any other wheels, being those the same size or a bit bigger?
Carlos
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 10:49 am
by sonex1374
Carlos,
I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think replacing the actual Azusa 5" wheel hubs is very common on the Sonex. These stock hubs will accept slightly larger tires (5.00x5) that increases overall tire diameter by approximately 2 inches. Replacing tires allows for improved performance on unpaved surfaces (gravel, long grass, etc), and the cost to make this change is minor (approx. double the price of stock tires, and an increase of 2-3 lbs).
If you’re looking to use tires larger than 5.00x5, you may indeed need 6" hubs to be able to mount the larger tires. I doubt this is really necessary though.
Jeff
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 4:24 pm
by Area 51%
Take a look at the Tracy O’Brien website. He has a 6" wheel available as well as a 5". He will even custom make a one-piece wheel if you want to go tubeless.
I have the 5" wheels on my Waiex project. If nothing else, these are better looking wheels, should the Waiex turns into a static display.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 6:34 pm
by Sonex1517
Hi Carlos
Yes. I have a taildragger Sonex and replaced the stock tires with 5.00 x 5’s and kept the same rim.
No issues so far. I’ve put 65 hours on it since then.
Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 7:43 am
by Carlos Trigo
Thanks for your answers.
How about the brakes, is it possible to instal new discs for calliper brakes (like Matco) in the stock Azusa rim?
Carlos
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 8:26 am
by DCASonex
Both the Sonex disk brakes and the O’Keefe disks bolt to the stock wheels.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 10:48 am
by Paul Johnson
Carlos,
If you are looking for bigger tyres you can fit 380-150-5, this is basically a 6″ wide tyre with somewhat more height but fits on the 5″ wheel, that is what we do on the RV’s to upgrade from 5.00x5 tyres and keep the same rims for better operation of grass strips.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 6:30 pm
by bvolcko38
I replaced the factory supplied Chinese tires and tubes with 5.00x5. No modifications required.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 6:33 pm
by sonex1374
Paul Johnson wrote:… you can fit 380-150-5, this is basically a 6″ wide tyre with somewhat more height but fits on the 5″ wheel…
To help put this in perspective, a standard 500-5 tire is typically 14.2" in diameter, 5.00 inches wide and fits on a 5" wheel hub. The 380-150-5 is 15" in diameter (380mm), 5.9 inches wide (150mm) and fits on a 5" hub. I believe this is about the biggest tire you can easily use on a standard Azusa hub.
Jeff
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 10:40 pm
by Darick
bvolcko38 wrote:I replaced the factory supplied Chinese tires and tubes with 5.00x5. No modifications required.
Does it require mods on the stock wheel pants?
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 10:43 pm
by Sonex1517
I have stock wheelpants with 5x5.00 tires. It’s tight but it fits.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 10:52 pm
by Darick
Thank you. I will definitely change to the 5.00x5 as I am based on a turf field.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 11:04 pm
by Sonex1517
You may need to do a small trim on the inside edges. But it works.
Main wheels mod
Posted: Sun May 03, 2020 8:27 am
by Carlos Trigo
sonex1374 wrote:
Paul Johnson wrote:… you can fit 380-150-5, this is basically a 6″ wide tyre with somewhat more height but fits on the 5″ wheel…
To help put this in perspective, a standard 500-5 tire is typically 14.2" in diameter, 5.00 inches wide and fits on a 5" wheel hub. The 380-150-5 is 15" in diameter (380mm), 5.9 inches wide (150mm) and fits on a 5" hub. I believe this is about the biggest tire you can easily use on a standard Azusa hub.
Jeff
Jeff
This is good technical information!
Do you also know the dimensions of the stock tires?
Thanks
Carlos
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 8:30 am
by bvolcko38
Mine did not require any modifications other than putting an 1/8" shim on one side of one wheel pant to prevent rubbing. If I had the larger tires when I mounted the wheel pants on the first go-around I’m sure the shim would not have been required.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 12:42 pm
by SonAl
For us nose draggers, does anyone know if it would be difficult to put a larger tire on the nose wheel fork? Would it fit or require modification of the fork (for diameter and/or width). Thanks.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 1:35 pm
by sonex1374
Carlos Trigo wrote:Do you also know the dimensions of the stock tires?
The stock Sonex tires are Cheng Shin 11-400x5, which are a 11" in diameter, 4.00" wide, and fit on the 5" hub.
Jeff
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 10:04 pm
by Darick
just today I put on the 5.00x5 tires and they rub on the outside wall. I cut off about 1/2" of the axle when originally fitting the pants to eliminate having to pull the bottom apart to get them over the axle.
That eliminated the stress on the fiberglass and they fit nice and close to the smaller tire.
However now they rub with the 5.00x5 and I need a solution. Should I cut them apart and add width? ( I hate working with fiberglass). Is there another brand like Vans, Kitfox, etc that someone has used without much modification?
Any help is appreciated.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2021 1:12 pm
by DCASonex
Did much the same as you, made a spacer that attaches inside the wheel pant to make up the added axle length. Still need to spread the wheel pants by cutting along center line on Bottom only, and splice in a filler. Common fiberglass epoxy from a local marine supply works fine, very easy. Send me a PM with your direct e-mail and I can send you some pictures.
David A.
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:16 am
by Murray Parr
I have the 5x 500 tires and had to add width to the wheel pants and a shim on the attach plate. It is still tight but not rubbing. Does anyone know what would be an acceptable clearance between tire and wheel pant or what the standard sonex wheel pant clearance is?
Re: Main wheels mod
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:48 am
by DCASonex
The original clearance of standard Sonex tire to wheel pant may not be relevant. Those small tires needed a very high pressure, about 25 PSI is max needed for the 5.00 x 5 s (Note: the rims specify 35 PSI Max. and the larger tires will provide more spreading force than the smaller ones.) The lower pressure lets the larger tires flex more. When first flying with mine, had the pressure around 20 PSI and tight clearances. One day a rather hard bounce flexed the tire enough that it caught one side of the wheel pant and and rolled in a portion of the pant requiring a repair job. Now have enough clearance so that flexing of the tire cannot snag the edge of the wheel pant.
David A.