Looking for some info regarding tires for my 235. I've been using the Chen
(or is it Chin?) tires and tubes purchased from Lancair since '93 and in the
last couple of years, have had a spate of flats (may be as many as 5 in the
last two or three years). My LNC2 uses the original small size tires which,
I believe, are also used by most 235's and 320's.

My question is, is there another brand of tire/tube available out there that
is the same size (no wheel well interference, etc.) but from a better
manufacturer?

I'm can't figure out what causes the problem (other than perhaps a quality
issue) - it's not always the same wheel, it's not always the oldest
tire/tube, in every case but one it happened during taxi and it has happened
in the winter and in the summer. I have VERY carefully inspected the inside
of the hub halves, the inside of new tires and always use tire talcum to
prevent tube abrasion and haven't found a thing wrong.

Dan,

 

While I have not had many failures myself, I have been a careful observer of others with these tubes.  The tires seem ok and there does not seem to be a problem with the tire directly causing a tube failure.  On the other hand, I have seen many failures as a result of under-inflated tires leading to excessive wear on the sides of the tube from tire sidewall flex that eventually leads to a pinhole leak in the tube - most are slow leaks.  The famous "overnight flat" that some suspected were caused by Chinese Rubber Vampires. 

 

I recently had such a failure for a tube that had been in use for a year or more (and had received prophylactic treatment with garlic talc).  The pinhole failure in the tube side occurred after I slightly overfilled the tire (45#  instead of 42#) two days before a trip - the day after filling the tire it was flat and a submersion test revealed two small pinhole faults in the slightly worn tube side.  However, filling the tube and placing a 26# battery on it (but away from the fault) took 3 weeks before the tube became flaccid.  Sometimes these failures require the tire be parked in a certain way that emphasizes the tube fault or requires taxiing to initiate the lurking failure.

 

Additionally, there seemed to be a period about 2-3 years ago when tubes failed frequently - but always after varying short times in service.  Some have bought spare tubes in that time frame that are only now being installed and failing.

 

I do not know of a better tube manufacturer - it is hard to imagine a worse one.  Luckily, I have not heard of blowouts during a normal landing.