Poolcleaner Tires - Any experience with Vinyl??

[LeoInGA]

Would like to hear from Poolcleaner owners who have actually had experience with replacing the Poolcleaner tires with the models they claim are better for vinyl pools - e.g., did the tires actually make a difference?

We have been very happy with the Poolcleaner for many years in our cement pool. The unit could clime the vertical walls with no problem. Recently bought older house with large vinyl pool and purchased new, 4 wheel Poolcleaner. It cannot climb the walls and wondering if replacing the standard tires with one of the various other tire sets might make any difference.

 

[JohnT]

Mine didn't climb at first either, and when it started to, the bumps on the wheels made it lose its grip. The vinyl/fiberglass tires are better. It takes some playing with the float to get it to climb best.

I wish I'd tried the two-wheel model first. The back wheels seem to get in the way when it tries to turn and when it tries to make the transition to go up the hopper.

 

[LeoInGA]

Success!!
I have suspected that my problem was mostly related to the level of vacuum/suction I'm creating via my pump, pipes, etc. Just removed the narrow jet from the return pipe. My filter pressure dropped significantly and my total flow significantly increased. The unit is not climbing out of the pool, but is getting up much higher and doing much better. I'm pretty satisfied. I think that confirms that total flow is the real key to these. I very recently replaced the pump and think I may have "undersized" it. At recommendation of "pool guy" I went with a 1 hp Pentair. It's very quiet, and all that. The Poolcleaner might be happier with a 1.5-2 hp pump, but I think that's something of an enigma to calculate if your not a hydro engineer.

 

[LeoInGA]

Update for Poolcleaner fans with vinyl liners. Although my pump and flow are probably "marginal" for best results with the Poolcleaner, I was able to provide it with enough vacuum and flow to maintain the requisite/recommended 13 rpms, and in spite of best efforts the Pookcleaner continued to struggle on the upslopes. I've studied the problem for several weeks and have become convinced that:
1. In general Vinyl liners are more of a challenge due to the reduced traction.
2. The Poolcleaner's ability to hug/cling close to the pool surface is critical to its traction and the flow/vacuum from the pump is one of the major components/variables.
3. Another variable is the distance between the pool surface and the Venturi on the belly of the Poolcleaner. This distance is largely set by the diameter of the tires and the tires' treads - particularly those on the rear wheels.

I became convinced that by significantly trimming the treads on the rear wheels it would lower the Poolcleaner enough to improve its ability to maintain a stronger pull against the pool surface and get better traction and overall results.

It worked. I trimmed all the tread off half of both rear wheels and it is now working great - well much better. It can easily reach the entire length of the pool and has no problem climbing from the deep end, up the steep slope to the shallow end. It still bumps against but does not climb the vertical walls, but this has been a MAJOR improvement, and I'm pretty happy. I expect I'll continue to attempt to "tweak" this puppy a bit. I'm thinking that if I can find a way to attach a small amount of weight in the vicinity of the rear wheels, that may enable the Poolcleaner to "go vertical". Stay tuned to this channel

FYI - My pool is 40x20 with 8ft in deep end and steep sides.