# Where the rubber(or silicone) meets the track!



## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Howdy Boys! I was wondering (oh oh, again) if any of you all recommend filing down silicone tires. I was thinking of trying it to get a little rougher surface on them. But I was afraid I'd just smear them up. I did the rubber tires with fairly good results. Has anyone ever tried those Jel Claws? I'm thinking I'd like a softer spongier tire.


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## wheelszk (Jul 8, 2006)

Don't waste your money on jelclaws, they are to sticky and pick up every bit of dirt from the track. They are great for about 2 or 3 laps and then re clean.
Bill


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

They are, however, great for cleaning up your track!! 2-3 laps, and all the dirt will be on the tires!! :lol:


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up on the jel claws. I noticed the silicones pick up some too. I usually wipe down the track everyday. What about filing the sillies or finding sponge tires?


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

DesertSlot said:


> Thanks for the heads up on the jel claws. I noticed the silicones pick up some too. I usually wipe down the track everyday. What about filing the sillies or finding sponge tires?


*When dealing with silicone slipons As a tire maker i tell guys all the time NEVER EVER grind or file down a silicone tire . When you grind a silicone tire it's not like a rubber tire. A rubber tire feels / grips virtually the same when ground down . A silicone tire has a skin layer from the molding process. This layer is what gives them the bite. You grind the skin .... you lose the traction. It's that easy ! Silicone tires are a better tire due to grip that rubber just can't match and the can absorb bumps like what you get from TOMY or TYCO track joints etc. The only way i would ever say to go ahead and grind a silicone tire down would be if you knew how to recap it ! When using a silicone tire the 1st few laps with act as dust collectors in most cases. Clean the tires by rolling them over a tape product like masking or painters tape or even a lint roller. the more you run the cleaner both the track and the tires will be and that equals traction ! 

As for silicone sponge tires .... simple answers is to only lightly scuff them with a red 3m scuff pad and they work well from that alone . Never grind them either as scuffing is the way to go. Hope this helps you out.

Dennis Rutherford
Road Rage HO :wave:*


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Glad I asked. I thought it might not be a good idea. Thanks Dennis!


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## Voxxer (Oct 25, 2003)

*Round the edges*

Hi:

On my slip on tires, I do round the edges to prevent the square edge from catching while on a curve. Just round the egde with on emery file, while the wheel is turning.

www.voxxer.com

Jon
Voxxer


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Where do the new, one-size, rubber tires from BSRT fit in then?


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

Voxxer said:


> Hi:
> 
> On my slip on tires, I do round the edges to prevent the square edge from catching while on a curve. Just round the egde with on emery file, while the wheel is turning.
> 
> ...


*True Jon it's a good thing and i didn't mention it. :wave:*


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

Montoya1 said:


> Where do the new, one-size, rubber tires from BSRT fit in then?


*I'm guessing boise ? :freak:*


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Good answer Dennis, BUT, that may apply to t-jets and AFX cars that have very little magnetic attraction, but I used to grind my silicones down when I raced magnet cars. WHY? The closer the traction magnets get to the rails the better they will hold you on the track. It really did not make much difference in traction on a mag car. Carrying 10 or 15 different sizes of slip ons was not a viable option for different tire sizes. For one thing they were just not available, a la Super Tires, just AJ's available back then. I carried one size ground down for the track we were racing on. They worked really well. I also use a stone to trim the edges and grind down the diameter of silicone slip ons. The stones work much better and faster than sandpaper, emery boards or nails files. JMHO!!


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

partspig said:


> Good answer Dennis, BUT, that may apply to t-jets and AFX cars that have very little magnetic attraction, but I used to grind my silicones down when I raced magnet cars. WHY? The closer the traction magnets get to the rails the better they will hold you on the track. It really did not make much difference in traction on a mag car. Carrying 10 or 15 different sizes of slip ons was not a viable option for different tire sizes. For one thing they were just not available, a la Super Tires, just AJ's available back then. I carried one size ground down for the track we were racing on. They worked really well. I also use a stone to trim the edges and grind down the diameter of silicone slip ons. The stones work much better and faster than sandpaper, emery boards or nails files. JMHO!!


Dennis ,
your correct as my answers refer to non - magnetic cars . When added downforce and stronger magnets come in the picture the tires role gets more reduced to size than material of the tire. 

Bear :wave:


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

bearsox said:


> *I'm guessing boise ? :freak:*


Please explain.


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## gordonmoney (Jan 15, 2002)

*bsrt rubber tires*

I like these alot. They can be sized by grinding, work well when scuffed(or ground), don't pick up much dirt, on a bsrt g3 wheel they are a good size for Tomy track and, oh yeah, they grip really well.


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## SuperFist (Aug 7, 2005)

If you want real soft silicone slip on tires, Penn Valley tires are about as soft as it gets.
http://www.pennvalleyhobbycenter.com/slotcars/supplies/tires/siliconetires.htm

They're like the same ones that Wizzard sells PVT.
I think they grip better than AJ's Gumdrops.

__________________


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

SuperFist said:


> If you want real soft silicone slip on tires, Penn Valley tires are about as soft as it gets.
> http://www.pennvalleyhobbycenter.com/slotcars/supplies/tires/siliconetires.htm
> 
> They're like the same ones that Wizzard sells PVT.
> ...



Not all silicones are created equally. I'm with Fist and the rest of the Penn gang. I like PVT's for my slip on needs. Scuffem', grindem, roll the edges, no problemo! Heck I even snip them to width with scissors and regrind the inside edge.

In all but a very few isolated cases an undersize will stretch nicely on an oversize rim with little or no distortion. What there is can be quickly corrected. They have an appealling finish, very little annoying flash, and I have only found one with a pocket/bubble during grinding.

I check/inspect them all with a light pass on my truing board to reveal any irregularities or abnormalities along the contact patch. Why? Cuz inspite of all claims most tires aint perfect! The performance difference between a shiny new out of box tire and a correctly trued and scuffed tire is huge! 

The only cautions with grinding PVT's are keep your grind speed down and watch for nicks as they are soft and tear easily if you gorilla them...and wear an old shirt ....LOL!


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## Voxxer (Oct 25, 2003)

*Slip-on tires*

Hi All:

At FHRO ( www.slotcarmonsters.com ) we do race MT/XT slot cars. On my XT car I have .400 O-rings on the front and .446 slip-ons on the back. I use Tom Hiester's AFX Low tires ( http://www.xp77.com/hiester/ ). The rim is by JW's Speed Parts ( http://users.cescowildblue.com/jwsteed/newpage2/mprod.htm ), the MWO3 -D ( white rim ) which is .275. This brings my back rim to .446-.448. With this set up, you must adjust the pick-up shoes to be flat, and very little travel. Most MT/XT slot cars seem to have around a .460 back rim with slip-ons.

Also, use the Porsche 917 body when racing. The Datsun 510, Camaro and the Mercury Capri are good racers.

Lastest race on a Buck Scorpion:

XT/MT (3 minutes per lane)
Place Racer Laps Best Lap time
1st Walt Pierce 166.31* 5.826
2nd AJ Hoyt 162.43 5.814
3rd Brett Ginsburg 148.55 6.287
4th Al Silverberg 144.44 6.424
5th Jerry R.’s twin 143.02 6.302
6th Jon Soffa 140.03 6.573
7th Sheldon Brunn  137.30 6.838
8th Alan Wolcott 135.26 6.527
9th Geoff Campbell 131.03 6.155
10th Damon Dirksen 127.42 6.614
11th Rick Coates 125.23 6.940
12th Joe Furuli 124.06 7.513
13th Pat Pansini 110.14 8.152
14th Steven Dirksen 107.02 7.398
15th Carl 91.23 9.616

www.voxxer.com

Thanks

Jon


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## resinmonger (Mar 5, 2008)

Jon (Voxxer),

Thanks for the tuning and race post. Did you guys take any pictures of the field of cars? Did Walt and AJ run a different set up from the rest of the field? I am curious as to what accounts for the time spread.

Russ the curious Hutt


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## JWSpeed (Jun 2, 2009)

JW here! 
I'm going to have to disagree with not grinding your silicone slip-on tires. Before grinding I could not wait until the mold release and skin was worn off. I always considered that breaking in the tires.
I like my cars a little loose on a very clean track and get great traction with my CNC ground tires. On a dirty slippy track it's a different story.
My advice try both and see which one you prefer, I like the lower CoG myself. Just be sure to break the ground tires in, it takes a little time to smooth up the grind marks. 
Another problem I see is when you hand grind most of the time the tire is not ground correctly, only a small part of the tire is on the track. This causes a big loss in traction.


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## Voxxer (Oct 25, 2003)

*Results.*

Hey Resin:

I think Walt runs Super Tires but on a JW .275 rim. AJ runs what I run since he bought the rims and tires from me. I would say that 90% run .400 front and .446-.448 on the back, racing on Maxx Traxx.

To see the tracks go to www.slotcarmonsters.com and under FRHO Club tracks.

Walt, Tony V., AJ Hoyt, Chris Byers I would put up against any racers in the country.
Yes, they are that good. Important note: The club races for the fun and enjoyment of slot car racing. We share tips and building techniques, we do not have that " win at all cost " attitude. It just slot car guys getting together to have fun. Our guys race what they like, some only race Fords - AJ Hoyt, knowing ( ? ) that the Porsche would be the best to race, but he still runs at the top.

First - Full Race Results

www.slotcarmonsters.com

Slot Car Forms

FRHO Racing

FRHO race results for 3/20/09 SS and XT/MT


Second - Pictures

Same as above

FRHO race results for 2/13/09 SS amd MT/XT

I'm not proud of this race because my car had many mechanicial problems.

Thanks

www.koinhedz.com

Voxxer


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## resinmonger (Mar 5, 2008)

Voxxer,

Thanks for the additional information and links. It sounds like you have a fun crew to run with! Plus, you guys have a really amazing web site. Slot Monsters has great set of reference material. 

Thanks for sharing.

Russ


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Would there be any interest then in an HO version of this

http://www.area3slots.com.au/


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Deane a Hudy Tire Truer is probably a better bet,it runs the tire up against a rolling drum ,instead of a flat piece of piece of sandpaper.I'm not sure of the exchange rate,but usually the Hudy is in the 200 dollar range US,for the low end tire truer,if you want to go expensive Hudy's got a industrial style truer that'll do damn near everything except butter your toast,but it's a whole lot more money:wave:


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## Voxxer (Oct 25, 2003)

*MT/XT Wheel set*

Hi All:

This might help. JW's has a wheel set for the MT/XT. Listed under catalog and price list.

The part is CO6. It is not the size I race but, works very well. I put this set up on one of my A cars and we did a 5.8 on Blue/Buck Scorpion. It would be a record, but it was practice.

www.voxxer.com

voxxer


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