# slip on sili-foams????



## lbishov (Sep 21, 2004)

Has anybody ever tired to take some regular AFX type foam tires and coat them with silicone? Is it feasable, would they work??


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Absolutley dude, this is a common practice among the guys who know how. I would make sure the rims are trued up then glue the foam, true the foam, then coat em once or twice and set em to dry.

My bad, I just re read your post. Not using the old dry foam AFX tires, just the AFX rims with new foam glued on.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Yes, I've taken worn-down/dry/old AFX Foamies and coated them in Flowable (type)silicone and they work GREAT ! This was a tip I picked up from the 1/32 & 1/24 scale Slot Racers, and it works just as good on old AFX Foamies. Just make sure their is no oils in/on the foamies, and they'll suck up the (flowable type) silicone perfectly.
:thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

PS- when I said "Flowable" silicone, I meant the kind made specifically for Auto windshields and Glass sealer. I personally use Permatex #81730
Oh, and btw, coat the foamies while they are MOUNTED on the rims, not when they are off the wheels- because the tires shrink down a little when not mounted(which is true of rubber and sili tires as well).


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## tabcomary (Jun 2, 2010)

My understanding of the benefit of silicone-over-foam tires, is that it combines the traction (stickieness if you will) of silicone, with the inherent ability of a foam tire to deform under the weight/down-force of the chassis. This deformation emulates the physics of pneumatic tires, and yields a larger contact patch/more traction.

If you coat a dried-up A/FX tire with silicone, you get the benefit of silicone, but no deformation, so you might as well use a new silicone tire.

Please let me know if I have that wrong.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Tab, thats probably true, but also probably more true for the larger scale slot Racers. Some HO cars(Pancakes) w/Foamies don't exhibit much down force to flatten out the contact patch- unless the car is using strong downforce magnets. And usually the Pancake Type AFX Chassis don't have that much downforce, unless it's one of the newer AW Chassis with the added button mag.
But thats a good point you made :thumbsup:

PS- But in the end, if you have a ton of old foamies laying around, and already have a tube of Flowable Silicone, then it's a bit more cost effective than buying lots of new Silicone tires. But New Foamies with the silicone applied and strong traction mags would be the ultimate traction...I guess ?


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

*Hey Ralph ,
glad to hear your having some fun with this project ! If you have a Murphy / Oreilly Auto parts store near you they sell a flowable called Versa Chem . As i had progressed along making tires i found i liked this stuff even better than the Permatex. If you really wanted to take yet another bump up i may suggest Dow 734 flowable . I have gotten it in the past from Neely industries for around $10 or so in a 3oz tube and it is the best i have ever used . My guess is that this is what the top guys are using for silisponges today . If not it's damn close to it ! Hope this helps but have fun either way .

Bear :wave: 
*


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Hey Ralphie can you link me where to get that Flowable silicon??? I have had zero luck locally.


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

Joe65SkylarkGS said:


> Hey Ralphie can you link me where to get that Flowable silicon??? I have had zero luck locally.


 Hey Joe ,
most auto parts stores sell the Permatex stuff as do some hardware stores . If you have an Auto Zone , Advance , Pep boys etc most have it. Also try good ole Harbor Freight as they sell a generic version in a white tube with a red dot on the label that ia all but the same as Permatex . BTW if you go to Oreilly Auto parts on line you can get the Versa Chem and Dow Chemicals online you can locate a local Dow 734 dealer ! 

Bear :wave:


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Hey Joe, listen to what Bear posted, he seems to do a bit more of this than me. And Thanks Bear, for the heads-up on the other brands of Flowable


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

bearsox said:


> Hey Joe ,
> most auto parts stores sell the Permatex stuff as do some hardware stores . If you have an Auto Zone , Advance , Pep boys etc most have it. Also try good ole Harbor Freight as they sell a generic version in a white tube with a red dot on the label that ia all but the same as Permatex . BTW if you go to Oreilly Auto parts on line you can get the Versa Chem and Dow Chemicals online you can locate a local Dow 734 dealer !
> 
> Bear :wave:


Your the man!



Ralphthe3rd said:


> Hey Joe, listen to what Bear posted, he seems to do a bit more of this than me. And Thanks Bear, for the heads-up on the other brands of Flowable


Can never have too much info right :thumbsup:


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

I make all my own Sili-sponges now, all different sizes & wheel types, I mount (glue) em to the hubs with a common tacky type adhesive. Then you can size them with a dremel tool & nail file, diamond block or sand paper, or tire grinder (Hudy makes a nice one) then I do 3 coats of the silicone, squeeze the first coat into the sponge with your fingers, lightly spin off the excess with the dremel, let it dry add coat 2, spin off the excess, add coat 3 & spin off the excess and you should have a great tire, Once in a great while I have to smooth / scuff them afterwards, so use 600 or 1000 grit sand paper and just light pressure. Spin them in a paper cup or bowl to remove the excess, the silicone will fly off into the cup, or all over everything close if you dont spin it in a cup / bowl. 

It's really nice to make the exact size you want, it may take you a couple sets to get it down, but its not too hard, As for silicone I like the Dow, Versa Chem & Permatex in that order, I have not tried the Harbor Freight brand yet. I also coated some that were black by mixing some adhesive type silicone with the flow-able type. It does not take much adhesive to get it too thick, and its has a different durometer when it dries. Its all up to you what you want to try. 

Its neat to make your own tires, especially when they perform well, you will find that different sidewall thickness will make the car handle different as well.

Give it a try!

Boosted


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

I had this link posted awhile ago.
It's how i used to re-build silly-foam tires years ago,and some of it might be useful for what you're wanting to do with old foamies:thumbsup:

http://ho-tips.net/showthread.php?tid=562


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

all good posts and information I am glad to have. 
I wonder if the OP was meaning that he wanted the finished product to be slip on? 
thereby being removable and replaceable on the wheel without pulling the wheel from the axle. 
I wonder, has anyone tried completely coating foam tires, even the inside diameter, for that slip on application? 

just wondering?


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

If you're talking about making a slip-on silly foam Al,yup tried it,they wouldn't stay on a hub,the growth factor was to much at speed,but that was on fairly radical magnet cars for the time.On a slower style car,you might get away with it,i never tried making them for a T-get,but they might stay on the hub on them.
Tried it way back when i was into building tires,and i used the tan foam donuts you could get from BSRT years ago.
I haven't tried Scott's (Noddaz)idea of coating a hub itself though,that one is on the back burner for someday when i'm really bored:thumbsup:
Rick


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

I made some T-jet large Indy / dune buggy style sili-sponge slip on tires and they would not stay on as well, just a couple dots of glue and they were fine. Its amazing how good those t-jet gran prix / Indy cars handle with some good tires, lots of fun to race.

Boosted


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

alpink said:


> all good posts and information I am glad to have.
> I wonder if the OP was meaning that he wanted the finished product to be slip on?
> thereby being removable and replaceable on the wheel without pulling the wheel from the axle.
> I wonder, has anyone tried completely coating foam tires, even the inside diameter, for that slip on application?
> ...


*Tried it Al but never got anything to work out very well. Speed even on Tjets pushed them around . Tried to use screw driver handle dip on rims to create a bite platform but that was another soup sandwich. Then tried shrink tube and while better it too eventually got an odd bounce effect. SOoooo i just never stayed with it and moved on.

Bear :wave: *


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

well, all those informative posts certainly answered that question beyond a shadow of a doubt. no sense in me repeating what others have tried in vain. thank you. al


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