Now that the 1/48 P-47N wheels are done, I’m starting to move onto other P-47 wheels.
And hoo boy.
I knew going in that there’d be more tread patterns. Thanks to modeling and buying aftermarket things, I knew there were covered and uncovered wheel options, as well as four tread patterns. Diamond tread, block tread, cross tread, and radial.
Turns out, I was wrong. Very wrong.
So far I’ve identified nine different tires.
Combine that with covered and uncovered options, and we’re talking 18 different releases right there. And then there’s manufacturer matching – Tamiya, MiniArt, Hasegawa, Dora Wings – not to mention Hasegawa and Trumpeter in 1/32.
This is all kind of ridiculous.
Anyway – since this information seems to not exist on the internet as far as I can tell, I figured I’d put together a handy little P-47 wheels and tires compendium to gather it all in one place.
Wheels
Every variant of the P-47 used 16×8 wheels. For P-47s up through the P-47M, these were six-spoke affairs made by Bendix. They could (and frequently did) have wheel covers attached.
The only significant difference I’ve been able to find in these wheels is that some appear to have strengthening ribs on the outer diameter of the brakes. I’m assuming this is some production evolution.
P-47N wheels were different, with eight spokes and upgraded multi-disc brakes. I haven’t been able to find out anything about suppliers, beyond the brakes being General Electric. Bendix is a reasonable assumption, but the design of one wheel variant has some similarities to Goodyear wheels made for Corsairs.
Smooth Tires
With the exception of the P-47N, Jugs ran 34×9 tires. And, I guess not surprisingly, some early P-47s ran smooth tires. Considering this was the norm until 1942 or so, it checks out.
Not relevant for most P-47s most people will ever build. But thanks to Dora Wings, there are some solid early P-47 options out there.
Diamond Tread
The classic diamond tread. According to what literature I’ve been able to find, these were supplied by B.F. Goodrich.
P-47Ns wore larger 34×9.9 tires, and their diamond treads appear more squared off, with a distinct shoulder and sidewall look compared to the 34x9s of earlier Jugs.
Block Tread
Apparently, B.F. Goodrich wasn’t able to meet full demand for the P-47, so Republic turned to the United States Rubber Company (later to become Uniroyal) to supply additional tires. USRC’s “Royal Airplane” aviation tires used a block tread pattern. And while these are heavily talked about, and it’s possible to find wartime ads boasting about them, I struggled to find them actually fitted to a P-47.
But here are two:
I think maybe it’s just how heavily they’re represented in aftermarket, but block tread tires were definitely the most challenging to run down actual examples of. Hell – tread patterns I didn’t know even existed seem to be more common.
Cross Tread
USRC wasn’t the only other supplier Republic tapped. Firestone also supplied tires for the P-47 – the very distinctive “cross tread” pattern.
These are very eye-catching tires, particularly around the sidewall. They’re also an extra level of difficulty to design.
I’ve seen cross treads on all manner of P-47s, but have not seen any examples of them on the P-47N.
Oval Tread
When I started on the P-47N wheels, I didn’t know that oval tread tires on P-47s were a thing.
Well they were.
Annoyingly, I have no idea who produced these. And this despite coming face to face with oval treads the other day at the Pima Air & Space Museum. I scoured the sidewalls and wasn’t able to find manufacturer info.
Here are oval treads on P-47Ds and such:
And on P-47Ns…
Radial
The “yawn” of tires. But extremely common on post-war and restoration P-47s. And even used in wartime.
“Diamond Dot” Tread
This slight variation on diamond tread has a small dot in the center of each diamond. I’m sure this is just some other manufacturer or something like that. But it’s another option.
Not seen on P-47Ns as far as I can tell.
“Square” Tread
Now we’re getting into silly territory. I’ve never seen a tread pattern like this until the other day when I was reference-combing. There may or may not have been an audible “what the hell is that!?!?”.
Who made these tires? I cannot say for certain, but I believe Dunlop is the likeliest contender. Both because these are all P-47s operating in the ETO, and because Dunlop make a Spitfire tire with a similar tread pattern.
“Chevron” Tread
Holy shit we’re still going. I’m not sure who manufactured these tires, either. But they show up a surprising amount, and considering their appearance on stateside experimentals like the XP-47J, they’re almost certainly American.
Which Ones to Tackle?
Out of curiosity, I ran the numbers. And even limiting the smooth tires to Dora Wings, we’re still looking at a potential 62 individual SKUs.
That’s…entirely too many.
Which ones do you want to see released?
Bravo 👏
The winning P-51 at the Nats had the gear doors on backwards…if you’re building for judges…they’ll never k ow the difference.
I’d never advocate building for judges – this is simply for love of the game.
To the best of my knowledge there are no 8 slot wheels available in 1/32. So the P-47N from Trumpeter would benefit.
Yep! Already in planning.
The 1/32 Trumpeter P-47N could certainly use an accurate 8 slot wheel and my preference tire for the N would be oval tread.
I don’t suppose you can be talked into making dorsal fins for 1/48 P47, could you? Buying several P47Ms is both a cost and availability issue and the Hasegawa kit isn’t worth throwing the whole plane away for the fin sprue.
As in for the Tamiya kit?
Yep exactly. I have had (with a little work) luck making that fin from the Hasegawa kit work out well for me on the Tamiya kit. But the idea of buying the Hasegawa kit for one part is kind of wasteful, and the M from Tamiya is tough to find….especially for under a C note. And I need like 3 of them. And above all I know what I’m getting if you’re doing it.