Spitfire tires ?

[Pascal]

Hello,

I've found pictures of "treaded" tires, one version has "stripes" and the other has "blocks". Did all Spitfires tires had a treaded surface ?

Or was there also a "flat" version ? And what kind of tire was used on the Mk V ?

Greetings

Pascal

[AnonymousA667]

I stand to be corrected but I think all tyres for the 1939-45 period were 'slick' and that tread patterns were a post war innovation.

peebeep

[Mike]

I stand to be corrected but I think all tyres for the 1939-45 period were 'slick' and that tread patterns were a post war innovation.

peebeep

I'm no expert on anything, but that was my understanding too... although I was only told this in connection with bomber tyres at the time.

[TonyT]

I'm no expert on anything, but that was my understanding too... although I was only told this in connection with bomber tyres at the time.

Stripes were late tyres and designed for hard runways, blocks were designed for grass....... and chatting to friend we think the change over from smooth was about the MKV but not 100%

[AnonymousA667]

we think the change over from smooth was about the MKV but not 100%

I have a fair few references to choose from and can't find a single photo of a wartime Spitfire fitted with treaded tyres and that includes Griffon Spitfires well into 1945. I can find pictures of Griffon Spitfires with treaded tyres from late '45-early '46, but no Merlin engine variants thus shod.

OTOH treaded tyres are common enough on warbird Spitfires.

I fully accept that somebody with more extensive references could easily prove me wrong, but until they do if I were building models of wartime Spitfires I would not be bothering with treaded tyres.

Come in Edgar, I'm sure you know the answer to this one!

peebeep

[Edgar]

I had to find my notes, and check with another modeller, just to be sure. Tyres (not tires; I do that every evening) were kept smooth as long as the aircraft (not just Spitfires) were based on grass airfields. Any tread tended to pick up mud, stones, etc., then throw it out, in the general direction of the radiators, flaps, even the ailerons, so, until the advent of paved runways, tread was definitely out.

Edgar

[Guest les]

I had to find my notes, and check with another modeller, just to be sure. Tyres (not tires; I do that every evening) were kept smooth as long as the aircraft (not just Spitfires) were based on grass airfields. Any tread tended to pick up mud, stones, etc., then throw it out, in the general direction of the radiators, flaps, even the ailerons, so, until the advent of paved runways, tread was definitely out.

Edgar

That makes sence, Based on that could we say the lancs tyres would have been treaded as many say its incorrect to fit the treaded tyre

[Pascal]

Thanks for the replies.

Now I know what TYRES to put on my Spits, I hope that nobody fell asleep with my question about TIRES

Thanks again

Greetings

Pascal

[TonyT]

I had to find my notes, and check with another modeller, just to be sure. Tyres (not tires; I do that every evening) were kept smooth as long as the aircraft (not just Spitfires) were based on grass airfields. Any tread tended to pick up mud, stones, etc., then throw it out, in the general direction of the radiators, flaps, even the ailerons, so, until the advent of paved runways, tread was definitely out.

Edgar

We came to the conclusion the diamond tread was for grass operations, but we both could be wrong........ will get the Dunlop manuals out next week if I get a chance and look

Edited January 24, 2009 by TonyT

[Edgar]

It was Peter Cooke's research, back in the 1970s, which uncovered this; he also said that, when they started using paved runways, especially in Europe, they found that the tyres scrubbed very quickly, so it's possible that some Squadrons started to use treaded tyres late in the war.

Edgar

PS I remember reading, somewhere, that Typhoons had trouble with keeping their "feet" on PSP; maybe Spitfires had similar problems.

Edited January 24, 2009 by Edgar