An airplane is a fine piece of technology that is made up of many different parts with such a wide range of different prices. When you take a look at the tire of an average commercial aircraft, the first thought that comes to mind may be about how much material has gone into making such a sturdy part. The tire of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, for example, has an exceptional height of about 54 inches and a width of 20 inches. To make things even more interesting, one must remember that airplane tires are built to support a weight of over 255 metric tons. With all these factors considered, it becomes necessary to ask: how much do airplane tires cost?
The cost of a single unit of an airplane tire depends mainly on the type (in other words, size) of the aircraft and the manufacturer or distributor of the tire. All airplane tires are sold in sizes that are directly related to the size of the aircraft they are to be used on. But on average, the cost of an aircraft tire can range from $15 to $5500. Aircraft tires are generally divided into the 3 main aircraft categories namely general aviation, commercial, and military. The cheapest aircraft tires belong in the light general aviation category while the most expensive ones are those of large commercial planes.
However, the real implication of the cost of aircraft tires is mostly not just about the price of a single new unit. All airplanes often require numerous tires to run. The Boeing 777 uses 14 tires, the Airbus A380 — 22 and the huge Antonov An-225 requires a whopping 32.
Also, due to the amount of wear they experience, airplane tires can be replaced as regularly as once in every 3 months. There are cases when wheel assemblies were changed barely after about 10 landings for unforeseen reasons. This means most airlines have to budget hundreds of millions of dollars in tire costs every year.
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Major Aircraft Tire Manufacturers
In today’s market, 4 major companies dominate the aircraft tire manufacturing industry. They are namely Goodyear (United States), Michelin (France), Bridgestone (Japan), and Dunlop Aircraft Tyres (United Kingdom). These four names control a very large portion (over 85%) of the industry.
These firms do not only dominate the manufacturing of these tires, but they are also known to account for most of the retreads. Retreads are a maintenance procedure whereby the tread on used and worn tires are replaced to elongate the lifespan of the tire. Though very well known for its tires in other vehicle categories, Dunlop is the smallest player of these 4 above-mentioned manufacturers.
China also has a considerable number of smaller aircraft tire manufacturers of which Guilin Lanyu Aircraft Tire Development Co. is prominent. Another is the Shandong-based Sentury Tire, which produces tires for the Boeing 737. Up until 2009, the famous Yokohama Rubber also used to manufacture tires for aircraft.
As earlier mentioned, the prices of aircraft tires can depend largely on the manufacturer. Goodyear is widely known to make the priciest tires and generally trusted too for high quality. Michelin follows very closely behind.
Sizes of Aircraft Tires
A very common question many ask is whether or not aircraft tires are custom designed based on the model of the airplane. The simple answer is no. The size and specification of every single aircraft tire made are standardized allowing it to be used across different corresponding plane models. The cost of an aircraft tire can easily be estimated based on its size.
Just like automotive tires, there’s a long list of aircraft tire sizes and variations available. Each time a new airplane is designed, these existing tire models are easily incorporated into the new design. With increasing development in aircraft design, we can expect to see even more aircraft tire sizes surface in the future.
One aircraft tire size measurement system commonly used by manufacturers of general aviation tires is the three-part name size. Using this measurement, a typical tire’s size will be denoted as AxB-C. The denoted dimensions represent:
- Outside diameter (A);
- Cross-sectional width (B) and;
- Inner (rim) diameter (C).
However, some distributors leave out the outside diameter to opt for a B-C notation. Tires of the same size often have the same range of prices irrespective of the manufacturer. For example, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. offers 5.00-5 general aviation tires for prices ranging between $69 and $212. Most manufacturers have exhaustive databooks detailing all the available sizes and specifications of their aircraft tires.
Apart from size, another factor that determines the price of an aircraft tire is its ply rating. A tire’s ply rating refers to the number of layers of rubber on the tire. Logically, in most cases, the higher the ply rating, the more durable and expensive the tire is.
Cost of General Aviation Tires
As one might expect, aircraft in the general aviation category often require the smallest tire sizes. For aircraft tires in this category, one should expect prices within the range of $15 and $1000. Because they are designed mostly for private use, the major type of tires you’ll find in a distributor’s shop are general aviation tires.
Arguably the most popular single-engine general aviation aircraft, the Cessna 172 uses 6.00-6 tires on its main wheels and 5.00-5 on the nose wheel. Michelin offers the main wheel tires with a ply rating of 8 for approximately $235 and Goodyear offers the same for $237. The 5.00-5 nose wheel tires, on the other hand, cost between $69 and $212.
Another interesting example is the low-wing aircraft, Mooney. Many of its models like the M20K, M20M, M20R, and M20S are also fitted with 6.00-6 tires on their main wheels. Beech Aircraft’s Twin Bonanza BE50 uses 8.50-10 tires on its main wheel. The price of these tires ranges from $322 to $569 depending on the ply rating as usual.
Cost of Commercial Aircraft Tires (Jets)
On average, the cost of tires used in commercial planes can range from $1,200 to $5,500. It is however more difficult to find commercial aircraft tires in a distributor’s store. Most airlines have longstanding contracts with tire manufacturers. These contracts allow the manufacturers to subsidize the price of each tire unit.
It is also not uncommon to find that airlines and aircraft tire manufacturers have a lease agreement. In other words, the manufacturer owns the tires and the airline company pays for the tire per landing cycle. Under this type of agreement, the manufacturer also takes care of all the necessary maintenance costs (treading mostly) involved.
The Boeing 777-300ER has some of the most expensive tires in the aviation world. Each of its twelve 30X8.8 main tires costs more than $5000. Commercial airlines often have to spend the most on tires. To put things into perspective, Emirates, the world’s largest Boeing 777 operator with 163 of them in service, needs 1,956 tires and 1,956 spares to keep its Triple-Seven fleet’s main landing gear operational. Alitalia, with 11 Boeing 777-200(ER)s and one 777-300(ER), needs about 288 main landing gear tires. That is about $1.4 million worth of rubber in stock!
Cost of Military Aircraft Tires
When it comes to size, a lot of military aviation tires share some similarities with general aviation tires. Many of them share the same tire sizes such as 7.00-6 and 8.50-10. But it will be misleading to think that aircraft in these two categories share the same tire cost implications. While the F-35’s tires cost about $1500 each, they last way shorter.
Military aircraft tires have a lifespan that is short and unpleasant. Some like those on the F-35B can survive only about 10 landings. They are swapped out far more often than those on commercial airliners and pressurized 10 times more than your car’s. They’re pounded during takeoffs and landings, generating smoke as they skid upon touching down until their rotation catches up with the plane’s speed. Tires are still a big problem in military aviation today.
Tools and Accessories
There are other tools and accessories that are needed when changing or retreading aircraft tires. Most of these accessories are often relatively cheap and can be used over an extensive period of time. Some good examples are aviation tribal jacks, tire changing tools, hoists, valves, balancers, and pumps. A valve core can cost as low as $2 while a jack pad can go as high as $400.
Summary
For the kind of utility and durability they provide, aircraft tires are sure worth their price tag. It will, however, be desirable to see tires that last longer as material technology continues to improve, especially in the military aviation category.
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