airplane tires John Keeble/Getty Images
If you are fascinated by flying and the world of aviation, you must have appreciated the modern marvels we get to experience in the form of airplanes. While there's a lot to appreciate on an airplane, from its powerful jet engines to the massive wings, the aircraft tires somehow fly under the radar. While they may not be appreciated enough, these unsung heroes literally do all the heavy lifting during takeoff and landing. Airplanes — like any wheeled vehicle on the tarmac — need tires, but airplanes are just not glorified buses.
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Airplane tires are pushed to their extremes during landing, when the impact is most severe. For this reason, aircraft tires must be carefully designed to meet the requirements of aviation. These tires also need constant monitoring and are either replaced or retreaded, as a blown aircraft tires can do lots of damage to a plane. Airplane tires are made by many of the world's best tire manufacturers — like Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Dunlop — and usually cost more per tire than a full set of premium car tires.
Leading aircraft tire manufacturers
tire manufacturing plant Jie Zhao/Getty Images
Much like automobile manufacturers, airplane makers prefer using third-party vendors that specialize in certain components like tires rather than developing in-house solutions. Michelin topped our rankings of the best tire manufacturers in the world, and produces radial and bias tires and tire tubes for aircraft via its Michelin Aviation division. Michelin sells tires directly to aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, as well as to airlines like Emirates and Delta. Michelin produces in the neighborhood of 200 million tires each year, although the overwhelming majority of those go on cars, trucks, and SUVs.
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Another famous automobile tire manufacturer, Bridgestone, has 130 factories around the world and makes tires for airplanes at its plant in North Carolina. In recent years, Bridgestone has vied with Michelin to be the biggest tire manufacturer in the world, and its tires are used in popular commercial aircraft like the Boeing 747 and Airbus 320. A typical aircraft tire lasts anywhere from 200 to 400 landings, but they aren't immediately thrown away. Tire manufacturers inspect used tires for flaws and sometimes retread them to be used again. Aircraft tires can typically be retreaded up to 7 times, after which they are recycled. Apart from Michelin and Bridgestone, Goodyear, Dunlop, and Qingdao Sentury are some of the leading aircraft tire manufacturers.
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The dIfference between airplane and car tires
airplane tires and landing gear Jun Xu/Getty Images
You might expect airplane tires to cost a fortune. While they are certainly more expensive than automotive tires, they aren't expensive by aviation standards. A typical airplane tire can cost anywhere from $1,200 to $5,500 for commercial airliners, but the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 cost hundreds of millions of dollars up front and thousands more per hour of flight time. Modern airplanes can have anywhere from 14 to 32 wheels, meaning the cost of tires adds up quickly. In addition, tires need to be monitored frequently for flaws and sent for retreading or recycling depending on their condition. This further adds to the ownership cost.
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While airplane tires might appear to be merely larger versions of car tires, they require a treasure trove of tech to withstand up to 38 tons of load on touchdown. Aircraft tires consist of materials such as nylon, aluminum, steel, and proprietary synthetic compounds that add extra strength to prevent them from bursting at impact. This construction also makes airplane tires able to withstand a wide range of temperatures, including the tread burn from friction while landing. It's this tech and frequent maintenance that make aircraft tires cost significantly more than a typical car or motorbike tire. Tires are inflated to about 200 PSI on large commercial aircraft and as much as 320 psi on fighter jets. In comparison, most car tires should be run at between roughly 30 and 40 PSI.
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