# Scam or Not for ORIGINAL AURORA SILICONE TIRES



## Steve F (Apr 30, 2007)

I need some help trying to figure out if I am being scammed by a seller on ebay , They have 25 pair of AFX Silicone Tires claiming they are Original Aurora's , Here is what they have in their ad 
( ORIGINAL AURORA SILICONE TIRES Tires are from Aurora Products Division of Louis Marx & Co. Inc Girard Pa 16417 ) The item # is 181226777360 , To me they just look like brand new aftermarket silicone repro's
I have done a ton of research & I can not find any affiliation with Aurora & Louis Marx , The plant in Girard PA closed up in 1976 , I don't remember silicone being around in 1976 , I do remember rubber or sponge , Even if they were made in 1976 silicone dries up . These tires look like they were made yesterday
It really bothers me when sellers mislead buyers , its like they think we're stupid or something , 
Any input would be appreciated.

Steve F


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## hojoe (Dec 1, 2004)

I've been buying silicone tires since the sixties, and believe it or not they still work to this day. However, as for as I know Aurora never made silicone tires.
hojoe


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## Steve F (Apr 30, 2007)

hojoe said:


> I've been buying silicone tires since the sixties, and believe it or not they still work to this day. However, as for as I know Aurora never made silicone tires.
> hojoe


Thanks Joe , I didn't remember Aurora selling them either , I use to go to the hobby stores all the time for parts & never saw Aurora Silicone's & I also don't ever recall any affiliation with Aurora & Lewis & Marx ,


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

That Ebay seller is a member here. Maybe he'll chime in with some info...


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## 54belair (May 12, 2009)

It's been about 40+ years since I raced my Aurora and Aurora AFX cars but I happened to see this thread and remembered reading this article awhile ago about Aurora buying out some of Louis Marx's assets...

http://slotmonsters.com/slot-car-manuf-louis-marx.ashx

:wave:


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## TUFFONE (Dec 21, 2004)

Aurora and Marx were affiliated at some point. I am not exactly sure which of the two was the parent company.


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

Why not just ask the guy?


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## Steve F (Apr 30, 2007)

54belair said:


> It's been about 40+ years since I raced my Aurora and Aurora AFX cars but I happened to see this thread and remembered reading this article awhile ago about Aurora buying out some of Louis Marx's assets...
> 
> http://slotmonsters.com/slot-car-manuf-louis-marx.ashx
> 
> :wave:


What I see from this is this is when Lewis & Marx closed their doors for good in 78 is that Aurora toys of Canada bought some toy molds , There is nothing about Lewis & Marx having an Aurora Division , I can not find anything on them making anything for Aurora . Aurora never sold silicone tires , only rubber or sponge .
Thanks for the input


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## Steve F (Apr 30, 2007)

tjd241 said:


> Why not just ask the guy?


I don't know who he is .


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## Steve F (Apr 30, 2007)

TUFFONE said:


> Aurora and Marx were affiliated at some point. I am not exactly sure which of the two was the parent company.


Aurora of Canada bought some of their toy molds in 78 when Lewis & Marx when out of business , Lewis & Marx never had an Aurora Division from anything I can find.


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*Contact Us.*

Ask a question anytime. I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you!.. Goodluck...
SlotsnStuff
(a subdivision of SlotsnStuffcom)


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## Steve F (Apr 30, 2007)

I even had a friend of mine that has an account with REH in Ohio who bought all of Aurora's stock when they went out of business & they told him they never had Aurora Silicone Tires , I think I will just stay away from this seller


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## slots-n-stuff (Oct 18, 2006)

Steve F said:


> I need some help trying to figure out if I am being scammed by a seller on ebay , They have 25 pair of AFX Silicone Tires claiming they are Original Aurora's , Here is what they have in their ad
> ( ORIGINAL AURORA SILICONE TIRES Tires are from Aurora Products Division of Louis Marx & Co. Inc Girard Pa 16417 ) The item # is 181226777360......
> Steve F


Steve F and follow Hobbytalk members,
Yes these are Aurora Silicone tires... the AFX wide low profile tires I am selling are the same tires that are in Aurora/AFX kits...
The Aurora Drag Tires were in a box with the name on the side... Believe it or not these tires are over 30 years old.. and like Steve F said ... they look like they were made yesterday... I will add a couple of pictures one of the Aurora/AFX kits and the other of a sealed box with the Marx name... this should help you know more about the Marx company that was in Pennslyvania... 
I guess another thing you can do is ask Bob (Mr. Aurora) Beers... Andrew

www.slotcarz.com


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## Steve F (Apr 30, 2007)

slots-n-stuff said:


> Steve F and follow Hobbytalk members,
> Yes these are Aurora Silicone tires... the AFX wide low profile tires I am selling are the same tires that are in Aurora/AFX kits...
> The Aurora Drag Tires were in a box with the name on the side... Believe it or not these tires are over 30 years old.. and like Steve F said ... they look like they were made yesterday... I will add a couple of pictures one of the Aurora/AFX kits and the other of a sealed box with the Marx name... this should help you know more about the Marx company that was in Pennslyvania...
> I guess another thing you can do is ask Bob (Mr. Aurora) Beers... Andrew
> ...


The tires in your picture here are rubber ,not the silicon tires in your ebay add , Again after checking with REH who bought out Aurora's entire inventory said they never had silicone tires , I will stay steer clear of your auctions .


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## slots-n-stuff (Oct 18, 2006)

Steve F said:


> The tires in your picture here are rubber ,not the silicon tires in your ebay add , Again after checking with REH who bought out Aurora's entire inventory said they never had silicone tires , I will stay steer clear of your auctions .


Steve F, 
You are the same guy that said you knew me and I was dead... Well you don't know me, I'm not dead and you don't know what you are talking about...
these are silicone tires.. They came from Aurora Products Division of Louis Marx & Co. Inc Girard Pa 16417..
For as you staying clear of my auctions .. that is OK with me... 

For those of you that would like to purchase sample packs or lots of 50 tires you are welcome to do so... samples are on my web site 6 pair for $3.95

50 AURORA AFX DRAG SLOT CAR TIRES - **MONEY BACK GUARANTEE** 

50 AURORA AFX FRONT SLOT CAR TIRES - **MONEY BACK GUARANTEE** item=181237662124

I stand behind everything I sell... If you are nit satisfied return .. it for a refund... 

www.slotcarz.com


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

I guess the NEW Norm on this Forum is > you are "Guilty UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT" ?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Andrew, I'd like to please order some samples from your website for 6 pr. for $3.95 ...but I cannot find them there, can you provide me a link ? ...thank you. ~Ralph



slots-n-stuff said:


> For those of you that would like to purchase sample packs or lots of 50 tires you are welcome to do so... samples are on my web site 6 pair for $3.95
> 
> 50 AURORA AFX DRAG SLOT CAR TIRES - **MONEY BACK GUARANTEE**
> 
> ...


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## Steve F (Apr 30, 2007)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> I guess the NEW Norm on this Forum is > you are "Guilty UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT" ?


The picture in the auction & the picture he posted are clearly different tires , 
Maybe Lewis & Marx made some track for them , but definitely not silicone tires , Confirmed with REH , I goggled Lewis & Marx & could not find any connection other than Aurora of Canada buying some molds when they closed up. Look for yourself


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## hojoe (Dec 1, 2004)

hojoe said:


> I've been buying silicone tires since the sixties, and believe it or not they still work to this day. However, as for as I know Aurora never made silicone tires.
> hojoe


I did not know Aurora ever provided silicone tires. I apologize. That's what I love about HT. Ya learn somethin new every day.
hojoe


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Steve, he told you to ask Bob Beers for confirmation, have you ?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Ebay Aurora Tires...*

Ok, I'm not sure of anything anymore. But I will say, that these Ebay "Silicone" tires look distinctive- especially the one sidewall, and I believe I have at least one or more pairs floating around, that I got on some car I purchased....


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

My slot car can beat your slot car...


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

Let me see if i can help with some things here. Louis Marx & Co (not Lewis & Marx) was absorbed by General Mills along with Aurora and a couple of other toy and game manufacturers in the early to mid 70's. Aurora still operated as it's own company (subsidiary) but was able to use the parent companies resources. Louis Marx & Co was used as a packaging and shipping source for Aurora's (and Parker Brothers among others) midwest and southern distributors. As far as I know from the documents I have, Louis Marx & Co did not manufacture any of the products, just packaged and shipped. Aurora's record keeping is a bit spotty in the mid 70's with acquisitions and bankruptcies re-occurring every couple of years until the death throes of '83. They may have purchased the tires from a 3rd party and had Louis Marx & Co. put it all together in a bag. Bob Haines (REH) and others (Mike Trost of Trost Modelcraft in Chicago for example) scarfed up the remaining stock over the years and have been reselling it for years.

-Paul


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## Gear Head (Mar 22, 2005)

NTxSlotCars said:


> My slot car can beat your slot car...


LMFAO! :tongue:


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Andrew, one thing I did notice is the tires in the bottom picture on the Ebay listing in question don't look like the same tires in the other pictures. You might want to make sure you put the right picture on the listing when you made it. Other than that I have no opinion as I can't tell one type material from the other in the pictures.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

*veracity*

the pics in the auction look like Jel-Claws to me.
I have bought a good many of those AFX hop up kits for the blue-yellow dimpled magnets.
I don't recall tires that had a mold sprue mark in the middle of the tread as the ones pictured in the auction do.
I have bought many silicone tires from AJs and the original Auto World so, silicone tires have been around for many years.
I think in larger scales (1/24) there was a brand call 'Candies' that were sticky and worked well.
I am not going to pretend to know everything about Aurora, especially under the Marx banner, but I don't recall getting anything but molded rubber and foam tires from Aurora in my experience.
Bob Beers (Mr Aurora)might be able to identify the part number on the box in the pics presented here.
Bob Molta SlotCarCentral.com [tubtrack]) might also be able to shed some light on this conversation.
I would be interested in knowing where this case of tires was obtained?
I am certainly not about bashing sellers whether members of HT or not, but _Caveat Emptor_ !


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

*G-Plus?*



slots-n-stuff said:


> Steve F and follow Hobbytalk members,
> Yes these are Aurora Silicone tires... the AFX wide low profile tires I am selling are the same tires that are in Aurora/AFX kits...
> The Aurora Drag Tires were in a box with the name on the side... Believe it or not these tires are over 30 years old.. and like Steve F said ... they look like they were made yesterday... I will add a couple of pictures one of the Aurora/AFX kits and the other of a sealed box with the Marx name... this should help you know more about the Marx company that was in Pennslyvania...
> I guess another thing you can do is ask Bob (Mr. Aurora) Beers... Andrew
> ...


by the way, the pickup shoes in the cellophane packages pictured in this post would NOT fit AFX or MagnaTraction chassis.
they are for G-Plus chassis' and wheels
the tires are certainly lower profile than the ones pictures in the auction in question.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Display tires only*

Ahhhhh gotcha Shoe thanks for the clarification.

Uhhhhh....the authenticity shouldnt be the deciding factor here anyway.

Steve: Note the rear Drag tires:

Every tire has a large gunshot wound on the contact patch. Those belly buttons will not buff out...LOL! Many also clearly appear to be drawn and puckered and across the patch's horizontal plane. This is also hopelessly unrepairable by truing. Even if you did they would be well undersized. One of the main problems with this type of tire is that even if you do get them round and flat, it doesnt guarantee that they will be balanced. That button is like a knot in a pine board. 

The front tire offerings are also flawed:

Many exhibit a birth defect common among substandard tires. See the savage tearout on one of the sidewall edges. Exactly what AFX do these fit? They lack the proper internal relief that compensates for the front rim center bead.

Based on the visual alone an advanced slotter would be hard pressed to get a chassis down the track satisfactorily with these offerings.

See Al's notation above


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## slots-n-stuff (Oct 18, 2006)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Andrew, I'd like to please order some samples from your website for 6 pr. for $3.95 ...but I cannot find them there, can you provide me a link ? ...thank you. ~Ralph


Ralph, 

I moved them to the top of the Home page on my Web Site ... Now they are right above ...We are taking reserve orders for T-Dash Chassis...

I hope this helps you find them...

For Whoever wants to know... I purchased everything our local hobby shop had in Aurora products .. Nassau Hobby in Freeport is where it all was purchased... They were one of the ones that purchased a trailer back in the day... This was the last of what he had left... Track, 200 thousand tires, Trailers, Aurora AFX cars and much more in various parts... i was going to post this... but I have had many problems here on hobby talk.. just like this... I had an ad here but because of all the bull here I stopped advertising... Our business does just as well without paying for advertising on Hobbytalk... Don't take this wrong there are many good people here.. it just wasn't worth the money it cost to place an ad... 

www.slotcarz.com


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Please keep one other thing in mind guys. It was a post situation quite similar to this that caused most of the current issues the slot boards are dealing with along with the deletion of the Ebay craziness thread. Keep it civil!!


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## Steve F (Apr 30, 2007)

alpink said:


> the pics in the auction look like Jel-Claws to me.
> I have bought a good many of those AFX hop up kits for the blue-yellow dimpled magnets.
> I don't recall tires that had a mold sprue mark in the middle of the tread as the ones pictured in the auction do.
> I have bought many silicone tires from AJs and the original Auto World so, silicone tires have been around for many years.
> ...


Hi Al The picture they put up of the Box with # 2532 is the same picture they have listed with Wiggle track , here is the item # for you to see 181235848706 , The tire picture they posted is also definitely not the same tires as the ebay tires , Look at the thickness of the sidewalls , completely different , Aurora only made rubber or sponge tires


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Yes Alpink, those Tires do resemble Jel Claws, but not exactly. The Jels have a spure mark on the outer stepped sidewall, instead of on the tread tho. And the step in the sidewall isn't exactly in the same location.


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## wheelz63 (Mar 11, 2006)

THIS IS A CLEAR VIOLATION OF THE TOS ANDREW, THIS IS NOT THE SELLING SECTION??

For those of you that would like to purchase sample packs or lots of 50 tires you are welcome to do so... samples are on my web site 6 pair for $3.95

50 AURORA AFX DRAG SLOT CAR TIRES - **MONEY BACK GUARANTEE**

50 AURORA AFX FRONT SLOT CAR TIRES - **MONEY BACK GUARANTEE** item=181237662124

I stand behind everything I sell... If you are nit satisfied return .. it for a refund...

www.slotcarz.com


Richard
wheelz63


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Thank you Andrew 



slots-n-stuff said:


> Ralph,
> 
> I moved them to the top of the Home page on my Web Site ... Now they are right above ...We are taking reserve orders for T-Dash Chassis...
> 
> ...


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## wheelz63 (Mar 11, 2006)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Andrew, I'd like to please order some samples from your website for 6 pr. for $3.95 ...but I cannot find them there, can you provide me a link ? ...thank you. ~Ralph


this is a no no andrew but i have it quoted just in case.


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