Wheel Overhaul vs. Tire Change: Which Does Your Wheel Need?

A tire change puts a serviceable wheel back on the aircraft with a new tire and a fresh inspection. An overhaul takes the wheel down to bare halves, inspects every part against the CMM and rebuilds it. Most wheels get a tire change at each tire removal and an overhaul every few tire changes, or right away after a hard landing, overheat or flat-tire event.

What is included in an APSS Tire Change?

A Tire Change is the standard service when a tire is worn or due for replacement. The wheel arrives with the old tire and leaves with a new one and fresh paperwork.

Every APSS Tire Change includes:

• Old tire demounted and new tire mounted
• Bearings inspected and repacked
• Valve core and valve cap replaced
• Eddy current NDT of the wheel
• Magnetic particle inspection of the tie bolts when the CMM calls for it
• Inflation with dry nitrogen, never shop air
• Leak check at operating pressure with leak-detection solution
• Release with an FAA 8130-3

The leak check is always part of a Tire Change. It is followed by a stretch period, typically 12–24 hours, while the new tire grows to size; that hold can be waived for same-day AOG work. The $150 standalone leak check is for a wheel that comes in for that test alone.

Eddy current inspection looks for cracks in the bead seat area, where the tire seats against the wheel. It does not require stripping paint, so it fits inside a 48-hour turnaround. APSS performs it in-house.

APSS supplies the tire and all parts. You can also supply your own tire.

What is included in a wheel overhaul?

An overhaul is a complete teardown and rebuild. The tire comes off, the wheel halves are separated, and every component is cleaned and inspected against the wheel's component maintenance manual (CMM).

Compared with a tire change, an overhaul adds:

• Paint stripping, so the wheel halves can be inspected with dye penetrant NDT
• Replacement of seals and O-rings
• Inspection of bearings, tie bolts and fuse plugs, with replacement on condition per the CMM
• Dimensional checks where the CMM calls for them, such as after an overload or overheat
• Refinishing of stripped and repaired areas with conversion coating, primer and topcoat

The rebuilt wheel is inflated with nitrogen, leak checked and released with an FAA 8130-3. For the full sequence, read Inside an Aircraft Wheel Overhaul, Step by Step.

How do a tire change and an overhaul compare?

	Tire Change	Wheel Overhaul
Disassembly	Tire off, bearings out for repack	Full teardown to bare halves
Primary NDT	Eddy current, bead seat area	Dye penetrant, whole wheel, paint stripped
Tie bolts	Magnetic particle per CMM	Magnetic particle per CMM
Seals and O-rings	Per CMM	Replaced
Refinish	Not included	Stripped and repaired areas
Leak check	Included	Included
FAA 8130-3	Yes	Yes
Standard turnaround	48 hours	10–15 days
Expedited turnaround	24 hours, or same day for AOG	7 days, or 4 days for AOG
Labor, nose wheel	$450–$625	$650–$825
Labor, main wheel	$500–$675	$750–$925

Prices are labor only. Parts, shop supplies and freight are billed as incurred. The exact figure depends on the wheel part number; see the capability list and the services page.

When is a tire change enough?

A tire change is the right call when three things are true. The tire is worn or due. The wheel has no overload or overheat history since its last inspection. And the wheel is not yet due for its next scheduled inspection under the CMM.

The eddy current check at each tire change watches the bead seat between overhauls. If it comes back clean and nothing else turns up, the wheel goes back into service on a new tire.

Track tire changes against each wheel serial number. The CMM schedules its deeper inspections by tire-change count, so that count tells you when a tire change is no longer enough.

When does a wheel need an overhaul?

On the CMM schedule

Overhauls and fuller inspections come every few tire changes. The wheel's CMM sets the schedule, and it differs by manufacturer and part number.

Some manuals add NDT at specific tire-change counts. Some recommend a fuller inspection after a set number of tire replacements. Others leave the interval to the operator's maintenance program, and some add a calendar limit. APSS works to the current CMM for your part number.

Immediately after an event

Send the wheel for inspection or overhaul right away after any of these:

• A hard landing
• A runway excursion
• Rolling on a flat or failed tire
• Serving as the mate wheel of a tire that failed or ran under-inflated
• An overheat, including any fuse plug release

These events can crack, distort or soften a wheel in ways a tire change inspection is not designed to find. Depending on the CMM, the wheel may need dimensional checks after an overload or hardness testing after an overheat.

Tell APSS about any such event when you send the wheel in. Under the CMM, a wheel rolled on a flat tire, or an overheated wheel below its hardness limit, is rejected.

When inspection finds a defect

NDT sometimes finds a problem during a routine tire change. If the defect is within repair limits, APSS notifies you and re-quotes the order before going further. If it is beyond repair limits, such as a crack in a wheel half, the wheel is red-tagged and rejected.

What do add-ons and expedites cost?

Item	Price
Expedited turnaround (24 hours)	+$200 per wheel
AOG same-day turnaround (2–3 hours)	+$400 per wheel
Leak check, standalone	$150 per wheel
Balance	$150 per wheel
Tire disposal	$6.50 per wheel

All prices are labor only. Parts, shop supplies and freight are billed as incurred.

Expedite and AOG surcharges apply to tire changes and overhauls. Same-day AOG service requires the wheel at APSS by 8:00 AM, and availability should be confirmed by phone first. AOG Wheel Service: How 24-Hour and Same-Day Turnaround Work covers the details.

If your aircraft cannot wait for either service, an overhauled exchange wheel may be faster. See Aircraft Wheel Exchange vs. Outright vs. Repair.

Get a quote. Call (214) 337-3328, email sales@2aps.com, or send your wheel part number through the contact form or request for quote. APSS is at 2722 Burbank St, Dallas, TX, near Dallas Love Field, and is open 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM CT, Monday–Friday.