# Cleaning Tires AFX Cars



## meecrob111 (Aug 13, 2012)

New to the hobby....

The instructions in the racing set I purchased said use tape and roll the tires around on it for a while, just read somewhere else not to do that as it leaves glue residue.

How do you clean tires?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Don't laugh, I normally just use Spit on my Finger ! But the greasy residue build-up varies, whether it's on rubber tires or Silicone, sometimes I need to use a dab of paint thinner on a Q-Tip....which may also soften the tires somewhat, but I've never had one degrade noticably yet.


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

I've always used the tape method and have never noticed a residue. Perhaps the source of your reading had been using ancient tape and the "glue" was breaking free of the backing.

Sticky tape (cello?), masking tape and duct tape have all worked for me but duct tape can be a little too sticky and hard to roll the tyres on. I leave the tyres on the car and place a long strip of tape on the edge of a table/bench, sticky side up, with each end folded back under and stuck down to the table. Run each side of tyres along the tape and you're good to go. If you don't do it on the table edge the guide pin will prevent the front tyre from cleaning but front tyre "stickage" is not an issue anyway. You can also lay the tape on the track in the same way, in the tyre path and do both sides at once. 

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## TK Solver (Mar 18, 2004)

Palm sweat works great but if that's not available a fingertip to the tongue is in order.

One guy we race with runs his car over a loop of duct tape pre-race and wonders why he occasionally loses a tire during a race. Duct tape is too "violent".


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Ok, this may sound off the wall, but it worked on sili's really good. A drop or two of red oil smeared around the tire and then wiped down with a piece of paper towel cleaned the crud off my tires, and left them clean and grippy. This was a Phil Pignon (RRR) trick he shared with me on the phone while ordering.


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

slotcarman12078 said:


> Ok, this may sound off the wall, but it worked on sili's really good. A drop or two of red oil smeared around the tire and then wiped down with a piece of paper towel cleaned the crud off my tires, and left them clean and grippy. This was a Phil Pignon (RRR) trick he shared with me on the phone while ordering.


 Neat trick, but I'll be dinged if I am going to use up my red racing oil 
to clean tires with! 
Back-rolled cello tape works fine.:thumbsup:


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Tranny fluid does the same thing.


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

Blue Painter's Tape... Made to release from surfaces, so it's not as tacky as tape that's made to stay put. I never sit down to run cars without a roll at arm's length...


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## swamibob (Jan 20, 2009)

I like to use fabric lint rollers myself. Just enough stick to clean the tires, but not too much. They're really cheap at the dollar store!

Tom


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## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

tjd241 said:


> Blue Painter's Tape... Made to release from surfaces, so it's not as tacky as tape that's made to stay put. I never sit down to run cars without a roll at arm's length...


works great for me too..


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## SlickRick (Mar 3, 2011)

tjd241 said:


> Blue Painter's Tape... Made to release from surfaces, so it's not as tacky as tape that's made to stay put. I never sit down to run cars without a roll at arm's length...


You took the words right outta my mouth lol. I have a 3" wide roll so I can clean as many tires as possible! :thumbsup:


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## ajd350 (Sep 18, 2005)

swamibob said:


> I like to use fabric lint rollers myself. Just enough stick to clean the tires, but not too much. They're really cheap at the dollar store!
> 
> Tom


+1

Cheap, handy and effective.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I hear honda just rolls the cars on his slider's wrappers. Lubes the car and cleans the tires in one shot!!! And as an added bonus the cars smell like fried onions once they warm up. :lol:


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Cheap, handy and effective, slotman!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: pig


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## theking43 (May 1, 2012)

Switch to urethane. Great grip for long periods of time. They don't attract dust and debris like silicone. Far less cleaning required.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

What !? IMHO- Urethane(at least in HO tires)- Sucks ! It sucks all the oily film off your track (unless your track is Clean Room Spotless), and when it sucks all that oily film, they becomes as slippery as a bald 1:1 tire on ICE. FYI- Jel Claws tires are like that as well.
BTW- I personally, was one of the Beta Testers, for the NEW "Super Tire" Urethanes that just came out..... When they're Clean- They Grip like Glue - but when they get greasy- they are Worthless- YMMV


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## Grampa Ho (Feb 25, 2009)

Siliva works as well as tape. I also see a build up after awhile and use very lightly some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper to remove the buildup of the tape/spit/dust/grime/whatever. not so hard as to untrue the tires
Rich


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## theking43 (May 1, 2012)

Urethane is pretty much the popular standard for larger scales, I don't understand why HO is any different.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Urethane is great on routed painted wood tracks. They are the tires Vincent Wheels sells with their wheels. Larger scales tend to run slower than HO, and due to the difference between HO and larger scale wheels, the big'uns spin at a much lower RPM. Maybe an over dramatization, but it would be like comparing a pin vise to an electric drill speed-wise. 

Jelclaws are the opposite problem. They are an overly sticky silicone compound which gets dirty (in my dust bowl of a house) in less than a lap on my little track... and that's right after hitting it with a swiffer.


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## theking43 (May 1, 2012)

Ralph,

I have the same dissatisfaction with silicone as you have with urethane. I switched over to urethane that I run on plastic track with no regrets. IMHO, the softest of compounds offered by Supertires are still too hard and lose traction quickly even under the best of track conditions.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Pro Series 'thanes*

Well, I only know what I know !? I've used the regular(silicone)Super tires for the past couple of years on T-Jets and A/FX cars with no troubles on my plastic track. None of the cars I use these on have traction magnets, and I do note the (limited)sliding in the corners, but that's what my racing is all about, and I have full corner aprons to promote this style of racing.
And just for the record, earlier this year, I was one of Several Beta Testers for Super tires, for their new Pro Series Urethanes. The ones I tested were Yellow and fit Tuff Ones sizes rims, but they gave me sizes from .328" to .364" - and were very sticky when clean. But they tended to pick up some sort of deep embedded Grease from my track surface, and even after repeated track cleaning, with all sorts of cleaners -including denatured alcohol, those Urethanes still would pick up grease and get slippery after about 10 laps. YMMV... 
PS- I have one other set of Custom Made -Urethanes from a friend in Maryland, and his 'thanes act differently on my track. ie- they felt sticky to the touch(when new), and they slip more than my silicones do when dirty, but they don't get as slippery as my Yellow (PS)Super Tire Urethanes did when THEY got dirty. 
Anyway, I'm waiting on a set of New Pro Series Silicones to test now... and they will probably suit me better than the Yellow 'thanes I tested for S.P.




theking43 said:


> Ralph,
> 
> I have the same dissatisfaction with silicone as you have with urethane. I switched over to urethane that I run on plastic track with no regrets. IMHO, the softest of compounds offered by Supertires are still too hard and lose traction quickly even under the best of track conditions.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Jel Claws*

BTW- right on the Jel Claws site, they state that they are Neither -Silicone OR Urethane....



slotcarman12078 said:


> ...............Jelclaws are the opposite problem. They are an overly sticky *silicone compound* which gets dirty (in my dust bowl of a house) in less than a lap on my little track... and that's right after hitting it with a swiffer.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Ralphie-Boy.
maybe the "oil" on the tires isn't coming from the track?
maybe it is coming out of the tires?


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