Mike U and i have been talking tires. He often using stock tires, that he wets with solvent and then sands to true them up. Ive never had much luck sanding/grinding tires. i use those sandpaper nail file things from the dollar store, and i get rubber everywhere!

I mostly use silicone tires, supertires, budsho tires (i am not sure where he gets them, they are softer than the supertires i use) and weird jacks. the supertires last forever and never stretch. the weird jacks stretch if you let them sit on the car for years.

for fray cars i use sponge silicones. good but spendy!!!

the wierd jack tires are a great deal, especially his bulk bags.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Aurora-HO-slot-car-Silicone-Tires-200-pr-Bag-O-Rejects_W0QQitemZ280130237324QQihZ018QQcategoryZ26 18QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

what do you use?

I pretty much use whatever you happen to give me at one of my get togethers buddy! :)

Now if I could figure out how to get you to give me some silicone over sponge ones as well I'd be good to go!

Heck Mike I still use the old faucet washer slicks.... for my vibes.

I try and true everthing that's suspicious. Throw the emorey board away and get some sticky back 220 sandpaper. Napa's got it buy the sheet, but I always have the butt end of a roll leftover from 1:1 land.

I have a folded piece that I use to LIGHTLY duff the inner and outer edge of the tire. Then I stick a bigger piece on an old terminal track that I have wired to the bench. Hold the car to it gently and keep level. The car will yank to the tire with the high side and you can feel any irregularities vibrating in your hand. Once both tires are cutting properly and any vibration smoothes; I swish/fishtail the car from side to side across the paper till it moves smoothly on an arc. I always true tires in reverse as this lessens the load on the arm and eliminates the chance of lockup that occasionaly occurs if you go forward. Doh! :freak:

Mic U's lighter fluid technique provides much needed lubrication when truing and I've like using it right on the paper. Thanks Mic! The paper degrades a little quicker and it can get messy. There is some risk of FIRE, but how cool would that be?! I wish it would hurry up and happen. A proper bleach box. :thumbsup:

Sometimes the rim isnt round and silicones will mirror any lumps in the rim. I just wrap a small flat file with the 180 and dress out the rim. Dont take too much or the tire wont stay on afterwards. If you run at very slow speed you can see a bad rim wandering around from it's center. Some just arent fixable but I always give it a shot anyway.

I keep a couple beater chassis with junker/runner arms for truing and do the front and rear tires as sets. I dont like to submit a freshly tuned motor to the added stress of truing. Of course you may have to adjust your pickups if you really remove some material; so as a rule I try to true up and then fiddle with the shoes and springs afterwards. Once I'm all set up the car is set on the paper one more time to double check for any irregularities.

Gotta agree on the super tires. Super durable and a great value. However, they have a really sharp outer edge that's not realistic. I've leaned on them pretty hard and can only just soften the edge some. I've gotten a few that are not concentric and there's no fixing them! They can be a little chattery and are a bit noisy to boot. I like so many people, have yet to kill a pair of super tires. Ya gotta love that!

I really like the gummy Wizard lowpro slip ons for my customs, unfortunately they tear easily especially when narrowed so you gotta use sharp scissors and try and keep the inner edge as smooth and nick free as possible. As long as you dont manhandle them when removing they survive. I like the soft compound and they do seem to provide the best tractive effort of everything tried in a slip on. Not a lot of slide in the corners unless they are dirty. Like all silicones they do pick up a lot of carp. Perhaps more so. But they clean up nicely with a little DNA/spit shine. :tongue:

Ya gotta love Jack's tires. Bang for the buck! They true beautifully unlike any other tire on the market today. Once cut have a very realistic "vintage spongee" appearance and are pretty quiet. I love the way they provide some slide but hook up right on time for the slingshot down the straights. Like all things this is also their weak point. High zoop cars tend to slide excessively as they bake the hides. As Mike documented last month they do have a shelf life, but are easily revitalized. :thumbsup:

Slotfather has some really shiny, super soft silicones in stock. For all their softness they retain their shape and I havent torn one yet. Dunno who makes them, but they are the quietest running tire I've ever used. Nothing else comes close. Spooky quiet! So far I've just used the standard T-jet and hotrod/truck diameters. Dunno if he carries them in a smorgasboard of sizes.

i forgot to mention that i have had good luck with the stock JL/AW XT tires. i have replaced some with slip on silicones, but i was quite surprised that my best lap times have been with the stock tires (and spit :); maybe my spit is SPECIAL).

Bill....Ive got to get some lighter fluid. The opportunity to start a fire during a burnout is just too good to pass up. i miss being 10 (well, not THAT much; i still ACT 10 (just ask martyb) but now i have more money to spend on toys:)).

besides, if i didnt spend money on slot cars, my wife would spend it on shoes. how fun would that be?

I'll go ahead and be a party pooper now and say that there will be no fire burnouts allowed at Wilderness Hills Speedway. That's all I need, is a completely scorched yellow lane.....

I use sticky backed sand paper stuck to a terminal track to true my rubber tires.


I use clear permatex silicone adhesive to mount my Wierd Jacks silicones. I have cars that have had WJs on with the silicone adhesive for three years and they are still on good. And, if I want them off they will slide off pretty easily.

I've used a number of different silicone tires and Wierd Jacks are my favorite.

I'll go ahead and be a party pooper now and say that there will be no fire burnouts allowed at Wilderness Hills Speedway. That's all I need, is a completely scorched yellow lane.....

Kill joy! You'll have to hit the can eventually and it wont be hard to get the rest of the gang in on it. Dave cant see the fire and Randy will just drive right through anyway. Mike and I will be left to our tire research at some point. ;)

"Whats burning?" Oh that's just Marty's new Brystal... Woops looks like the infield carpet isnt fire retardent! Oh that should be covered under warranty." :tongue:

Is your home owners up to date big guy?

Bill, don't make me ban you man.... ;)

First off, for truing tires I have my wife drive our car at an even steady 40 mph. I open my passenger door and leaning out carefully, I lower the chassis onto the pavement ( Without the guidepin ! )....for sixteen seconds facing to the rear and then facing forward for eight seconds. If my wife is not available to help out, I use sandpaper on a terminal track. ;)

Stock or near stock tjet rears:
Among the ones that have been mentioned so far I'd choose the Supers if none others could be had. However, last Fall I started using Penn Valley slip-ons and I have found them to be a clear winner on my little Land HO Raceway. In a double flange hub or on a stock hub, (rears) I really like how they handle. I believe if I'm not mistaken, that they are made by Wizzard. I swear by them (so far).

Stock or near stock tjets fronts:
I use either JW's washer skinnies (which he sells to compliment his DF hubs) or ground trued stock rubbers on stock hubs. I do like the look of the ribbed style tires, but since I run them more than look at them the edge goes to JW's washers.

On a tuffy setup:
I use Bud's Low Pro Silicone rears and ground stock rubber fronts.

If I'm gonna tune a chassis to run strong in a race or one for a friend, I'll use JW hubs all around, Penn Valley rears and JW washer skinnies on the front. I cannot say enough about this combination. This is how I tame the savage hopping beast. I used to poo-poo the fussy wheel choices and special tires. Not anymore though. If you like to run slot cars... you'll LOVE to run them on really true hubs and good quality tires. nd

However, last Fall I started using Penn Valley slip-ons and I have found them to be a clear winner on my little Land HO Raceway. In a double flange hub or on a stock hub, (rears) I really like how they handle. I believe if I'm not mistaken, that they are made by Wizzard. I swear by them (so far).


Other way 'round, Penn Valley Hobby makes the tires...hence the "PVT-" numbering. You can buy 'em right from them at about half the price too, real nice folks.

http://www.pennvalleyhobbycenter.com/slotcars/supplies/tires/siliconetires.htm

:thumbsup:

I use PVT tires and I love them.... no complaints

[QUOTE=tjd241]First off, for truing tires I have my wife drive our car at an even steady 40 mph. I open my passenger door and leaning out carefully, I lower the chassis onto the pavement ( Without the guidepin ! )....for sixteen seconds facing to the rear and then facing forward for eight seconds. If my wife is not available to help out, I use sandpaper on a terminaltrack. ;) /QUOTE]

I take it your wife is never available.

Last time she tried to shove him out. ;)... it's not the pushing, it's the lack of warning that we're approaching a mailbox. That's what really leaves a mark !! :p nd

Penn Valley Hobby makes the tires

....but regardless who makes them I really do swear by 'em. At 60 cents a pair they're a good value too. nd

... it's not the pushing, it's the lack of warning that we're approaching a mailbox. That's what really leaves a mark !! :p nd


Ouch! :freak:

I have had good luck with Wierd Jack's and Supertires. Found a lost baggie of STs behind a cabinet a few weeks ago. They'd must have been there for a good year or so, they were just like new. And just the size I needed. :) rr

Just wanted to say this is a great thread, with lots of valuable info for a newbie, such as me.

Thank you!

If you guys ever get so inclined,I can show you how to make the penn valley tires on the cheap.
DRAGjet
"Who..me buy tires?"

Do any of you guys know if someone makes tuff one sized rear tires that are a bigger O.D. than stock?

ZIG

Do any of you guys know if someone makes tuff one sized rear tires that are a bigger O.D. than stock?

ZIG
PVT(penn valley tire,and weird jacks)
If any of you are serious about making your own tires,just give me a call,glad to help!
859-356-1566 Chris :thumbsup:

Hello
Hellonwheels8 here. If there is anyone out there that have tried my tires I would love to hear what you think. I am always up for suggestions. Thanks
:wave:

How about a Tuff ones tire with an outside diameter of .350?

Anyone?

Scott?

How about a Tuff ones tire with an outside diameter of .350?

Anyone?

Scott?

I'm thinkin' more like around .400 to .415 :cool:
Sounds wierd but four rear wheels with stock sized or slightly smaller tires on the front, and oversized on the rear would look pretty bad on my sprint cars.

I searched the internet for 3/16" silicone tubing to make some out of but can only find it in blue and red... yuck :eek:

I'm thinkin' more like around .400 to .415 :cool:
Sounds wierd but four rear wheels with stock sized or slightly smaller tires on the front, and oversized on the rear would look pretty bad on my sprint cars.

I searched the internet for 3/16" silicone tubing to make some out of but can only find it in blue and red... yuck :eek:

Looks like 13/32 Penn Valley tires would be what you are looking for...
13/32 = .4062

Here is the link...
http://www.pennvalleyhobbycenter.com/slotcars/supplies/tires/siliconetires.htm

I need to order some myself...

Scott

Mike U and i have been talking tires. He often using stock tires, that he wets with solvent and then sands to true them up.

Does Mike U prefer the stock rubbers for any specific reason? Race rules? Cost? Looks? or Performance? After I started using silicones I never looked back, except if I was going for "looks". Just curious. nuther D

Stock Tires: After noticing one of MikeU's posts on stock tires, i threw a pair on an XT chassis i tuned up. i was amazed. after a bit of testing, i found out that on my track, i got the best lap times using a clean pair of stock XT tires. i dont know why. i am usually a really big fan of switching from stock to silicone tires. but on my track (4x8 twisty road course, routed MDF, magnatech braind instead of rails) i get better results with the stock XT tires. not at all true for JLTO or any other chassis, just the XTs.

Helens tires: i have tried and like her white boots for HP2s.

Hello
Hellonwheels8 here. If there is anyone out there that have tried my tires I would love to hear what you think. I am always up for suggestions. Thanks
:wave:


I have used them. I have used Weird Jacks and Super tires too. I prefer yours over both of the others. Look better than the others and they grip GREAT!!! Keep making them, please!

I have used helen's tires - they are great! they grip really well on my 4 by 15 track. I like her white boot tires the best.

Wes

Looks like 13/32 Penn Valley tires would be what you are looking for...
13/32 = .4062

Here is the link...
http://www.pennvalleyhobbycenter.com/slotcars/supplies/tires/siliconetires.htm

I need to order some myself...

Scott

Thanks Scott,
That is just what I'm looking for... can't beat the prices either :)

I trued my first tires today, and very pleased with the improvement!

I followed Bill Halls description, substituting 150 grit (all i have). It took a quick 10% off my lap time for the particular car i was using, which I had just put some wierd jack blems on.

I like it when I can implement one of the tips you guys offer, and see the results right away.

Thank you!!

No way! Sumthin I suggested actually worked LOL.

Good news Scaf. 10 percent is huge. Having a full contact patch on all tires works great!...No? Did ya check the front tires as well? Please do! Its a critical and related part of pick up shoe tuning that is often overlooked.

It should be noted that acceleration may have been improved by a slight change in the final ratio as you took a bit off the total diameter. Really easy to do with Jack's tires as they cut like butter! This diameter change could also influence your number's as well.

Also keep in mind that not all tires are truable. Best you can do is knock the flash off "Super Tires. Caution should be exercised when truing so you dont cook the arm! I often use a slave chassis or the dremel to avoid the stresses of tire truing.

Tire and wheel concentricity may seem like beating a dead horse, but for me it's the number one and often the first step in tuning a chassis. Hard to see or hear what's going on when the chassis is wigglin' and hoppin' around.

You have been assimilated and all slotheads are Borg!

How about a Tuff ones tire with an outside diameter of .350? Anyone?Scott?
Scott, drop me an email at jack.stinson@yahoo.com .... I mold some for friends now and then, I just don't advertise them. I make them as a Tuff-Ones chassis companion to my #RSL & #RSLT low-profile tires.
I have molds for a couple hundred types of tires from HO through 1/24 which I don't advertise any longer, due to not enough hours in the day to keep up with it all.
BTW- Thank you folks for the kinds words. I never set out to make tires for other people. I started because I could not find usable Strombecker 1/32 tires for my own use. One thing led to another. I am happy that others find them useful as well. I don't make tires as a business, but thank you for 10 years of support for this extension of my slot car hobby.
WJ

Jack, do your Afx/XT silicone tires have the inner flange to fit the rim better?

Just FYI.

If you run a variety of cars, grab one of Jack's Bags of Rejects. Mine had a bunch of tires the were an even better fit for rears on my TycoPros that the AFX rears that I've used before. I can't forsee needing tires anytime soon. I also haven't had any tire work better on my Tomy track. Even the softest of other slicones feel too hard on the track.

Jack, do your Afx/XT silicone tires have the inner flange to fit the rim better?
No they do not. I have made them, hell, I even make Tuff-Ones tires that slip completely over a stock skinny T-Jet wheel to get around the "skinny T-Jet wheels only" rule in Stock T-Jet classes. But I don't sell them. Same reason I no longer offer over 200 styles of HO, O, 1/32, and 1/24 tires...there are only so many hours in a day. http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/images/smilies/freak.gif
WJ

hey Jack... do you ever make tires for Penn Line or old Faller F-1 slimlines?

hey Jack... do you ever make tires for Penn Line or old Faller F-1 slimlines?
Sorry no. But I would imagine they are no more difficult than the Motoriffic or 2 sizes of Aurora "O" tires I used to offer...or the 1/32 Airfix Mini.
WJ

I'd be interested in some mini motorific tires as well.

Sorry guys, notice the key words; "I used to offer". :)
There are a lot of types of tires which I once made which I simply do not offer now.
Aside from not having the time to do everything people need....there was the "grand Motoriffic fiasco"; Where a guy ordered 4 sets of tires, proceeded to break off the hard tires which were on his cars before he received the new ones, then decided he didn't like silicone tires and tried to charge me the total cost of his 4 cars from which he had broken off the hardened (and useless) rubber tires. After than incident, I pulled Motoriffic tires from my website and stored the molds. You should see a Motoriffic car scream on silicone though...very cool. WJ

well Jack... of you ever offer them again, let us know. We're not like that guy here... I don't know one poster here who would behave that way, but I see why you would be disillusioned by some butt crack moron

also.. is there a way I could bribe you to make up some Penn Line tires? I'm dying to runs my cars but the tires are so hard, the car just sits and spins it's back wheels

does anyone have any suggestions on how to get more grip from my old tires?

Jim, Mic uses lighter fluid for rubber rejuvenator. I've used automotive wax and grease remover with some success. Most commercial rejuvenators are solvent based.

Sometimes the tires puff up like Barry Bonds and then return to their original state and sometimes not. Seems like Mayhem posted about watching his tires swell to terrifyingly gargantuan proportions only to have them settle back down to normalcy.

Rejuvenating tires is always a crapshoot as rubber compounds vary from manufacturers. I've had pretty good luck bringing back some of the faucet washer vibe slicks. LOL... not that they were ever very good to start with. Sometimes I get lucky and save a set of spongies once in a while.

So far it's been hit and miss on my end, but I am persistent. Other than a display car sitting on concrete tires whats to lose? Were it me I'd start with a paint brush and some of Mic's lighter fluid. Test the rim for color/chrome fast then gently paint the worst tire with fluid till you can work it off without destroying the tire. Give it a bath in a bottle cap of lighter fluid and stay attentive. Little bits at a time. Give it a poke with your finger to see if it's starting to soften up. Keep poking and prodding till you get some flexibility, always watching for the dreaded steroid puff up! If the tire starts to shed rubber like dust or mud into the fluid it was never gonna happen anyway.

Dont have any Motorifics myself so I'm ignorant to the dimensions. If you can get one of WJ's tires around the rim you've got her licked whatever the other dimensions are. Use sharp scissors to cut it close to width then approximate the OD you want. Using a slave chassis and some clunker wheels, take a pice of sticky back 180 and fold it sharply, then light up the chassis and carefully true the side walls till your close. Same for the OD! I usually finish them off with 220 for a smoother finish = a less rough contact patch, then a slight roll to the inner and outer edge. Just a touch. Careful!

Jacks tires have never failed me for the wacky applications. They can be shaped and profiled easily and run beautifully. Even if you gotta stretch them around the rim a skosh they dont get overly distorted and always true right up. If you screw one up, no big, start over; cuz Jack makes mistakes affordable! LOL.

Perhaps more fiddlin than most are willing to go through, but it may get you back on the track and down the chute.

I'm gonna try the lighter fluid thing. Maybe I'll be able to get the tires to smoke when I do a burnout!

if my house burns downs, expect a knock on your door... I'll be needing a place to stay. Don;t worry about my wife.. she would have left me by then

hehehehe

No sweat Jim, Spare room is one door down from the slotcave. You should be right at home. Robin and the Cats are already conditioned to sleep through a screaming dremel. 'Puter is wireless so's you can build cars,test, and troll the bay similtaneously.

We'll take cars in kind for room and board so dont forget bring them along too!
I presume you save them from the flames first!

Hey guys here is one for the books. Went up into my attic where I have my track set up, plenty of room up their by the way thinking one day maybe I will finish it and add a/c. Well back to the story, so I am looking all over for my bags of weird jack silicones, had 4 or 5 bags of diiferent sizes from the last batch I bought. Found just the contents from one zip-lock bag on the floor behind my pit box, no bag mind you just the tires. Whatever got hold of the other bags left these tires minus the zip-lock baggie. I'm thinking 4 legged rat or mouse since I am the only one that has been going up since about last april when it started to get so hot. What happens when a rodent eats silicone tires, does he turn better lap times or just die?
Andy

I'm guessing the mouse just passes that stuff. You might find some bouncy turds

Bill, as a slot head... do you have to ask? YES! I will save the cars... much to my wife's disamy, they mean more to me than our wedding album

well Jack... of you ever offer them again, let us know. We're not like that guy here... I don't know one poster here who would behave that way, but I see why you would be disillusioned by some butt crack moron

also.. is there a way I could bribe you to make up some Penn Line tires? I'm dying to runs my cars but the tires are so hard, the car just sits and spins it's back wheels

does anyone have any suggestions on how to get more grip from my old tires?

videojimmy,

I had the same problem with tires with my 1/32 Eldon slot cars. Ended up getting the kids toy Creepy Crawler Machine (the modern one) and made tires with my own custom molds. You know those rubbery snakes, spiders and what not.

All I did was take some Hard copper and JB Weld the pieces down to a small piece of sheet metal...one for the center and one for the outer and then filled them up with the color of my choice. I did have to remove some air bubbles with a straight pin before putting them in the Creepy Crawler oven...the Creepy Crawler oven uses a light bulb. You can cook them too long and I used a timer when I got the time frame down. They worked really well. I even made tires for Strombecker cars by putting JB Weld inside the tire and letting it dry....I use the 5 min. type of J.B. weld!!! Then just use that instead of a piece of copper and JB Weld it down in the center. I would use the old tire to help get the whole thing centered up. Made several little molds and then just cooked up 4 at a time. Placed them on the Creepy Crawler mold and slid it in. I filled the creepy Crawler mold in with JB Weld and then sanded it smooth so that the heating process would be constant!

Well that is what I did. You can mix colors of the Goop to make the colors you want. I was able to match the tires to the bodies pretty well.

Also I later found that the Eldon spoke rims (like old Stombecker) can use the newer Carrera tires! Red lines and all....Sweet!

I let some guy that got a hold of my tire idea have all my stuff as I am HO all the way now baby! It was fun to run on tires that I actually made.

If you have any questions about any of this just PM me and I can shoot you my Phone #. :wave:

Bob...zilla

videojimmy, email me about the PennLine and Motoriffic tires. jack.stinson@yahoo.com
I don't get to this forum as often as I would like to, so forgive me if I don't respond to posts regularly.
I am about to move to another house. Rocket Science Ltd will be shut down for a couple of weeks while I move the lab to a new basement. I suppose that might be a good time to dig out the molds I haven't used in awhile.
The new home also means I'll once again have dedicated space for large HO and 1/32 tracks.....with no future moves in mind...EVER! Once I start running 1/32 again, I'll probably start offering more by way of custom tires for oddball cars like PennLine....maybe re-offer the Aurora O-ga tires and Motoriffics?
Jack
http://altair-four.com/rsl/bh.htm

It was fun to run on tires that I actually made.
It sure is fun!
Heck, I have molds I've created to cast my own resin chassis, resin wheels (for 1/32, 1/24, and HO), bodies, drivers, bits and pieces, track buildings, silicone tires...whatever I might need. It's a blast!
That is how I started out making tires 11 years ago. I could not find any decent rubber tires for old Strombecker, Eldon, and other vintage 1/32 cars. And the rubber which came on "modern" 1990's cars was horrid. I started making silicone tires for Stroms, Eldon, Scalex, Ninco, SCX, then HO...and it just snowballed. I've spent several years tweaking the compound and additives to get what I like to use. Nope, it doesn't suit everyone. But since I only really started out to use them for myself, I am elated that others still find them useful also. Thanks folks for keeping the lab hopping all these years.
Jack
http://altair-four.com/rsl/bh.htm

NO! Jack, Thank You!
Without you we'd be hurtin fer certain.
Good luck on your upcoming move.