# Warning - Mattel Tires Melt Plastic Track



## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Hi All,
I just discovered something pretty unbelievable. And fairly scary.
As many of you know, Mattel recently (over the last couple years) intoduced four battery powered sets using the basic 440-x2 chassis. There was the Firebird/Police, Global World Circuit (2 F1 cars) and the two Pixar sets.
As I attend a number of shows per year, I have a couple display cases in which I keep the cars I sell and bring the cases from show to show. The cars are kept on Tyco/Mattel track inside the display case. In the case are Tyco, Mattel and Lifelike cars, along with some Aurora chassis. I have all 8 of the battery powered cars in the case.
My last show was in April, so I haven't done anything with the case since then. Since I plan to attend the Aberdeen show later this month, I decided to start getting the cases in show condition - make sure they are full. What I found amazed me.
I went to pick up one of the battery powered F1 cars and couldn't budge it without lifting the entire track section and all the other cars on that same piece of track. I held down the track and picked up the car. Under each of the four tires, the track had melted and the tires were in a depression. I found this under all 8 battery powered cars and did not find it under any other car in the entire case - actually two cases.
The tires themselves are not flat spotted, so the tires didn't melt. Something Mattel coated the tires with is actually corrosive to plastic.
How about that?

Thanks...Joe


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

wow, really? crazy!


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Very interesting. 
I have swapped out the JL tjet wheels for the JL pullback wheels and found that the pullback tyres, when exposed to oil will begin to melt and make a sticky mess! The pullback tyres are a plastic/vinyl, me thinks. Could the new Mattel track you are talking about have a quantity of the same elements in it that are reacting to the oil on tyco tyres?


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Hi All,
> Something Mattel coated the tires with is actually corrosive to plastic.
> How about that?
> 
> Thanks...Joe


 
Well, I guess that's one way to get sales of replacment track pieces.  rr


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## Omega (Jan 14, 2000)

It not the track. I have the two pixar cars here at work sitting on top of two AW cubes and the melted into the cube.

Dave


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## micyou03 (Apr 8, 2003)

Change the tires.


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Omega said:


> It not the track. I have the two pixar cars here at work sitting on top of two AW cubes and the melted into the cube.
> 
> Dave


Made me wonder about my Mattel Chrystler cars with the goofy big rims, eh. They have been sitting in an acrylic case. No damage.


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## Jim Norton (Jun 29, 2007)

*Mattel and slots?*

Is it just me or is Mattel absolutely clueless when it comes to slots? When I look back at what Tyco did and what little Mattel has done I wish they would just stop the charade of continuing the Tyco line.

Tires melting track? Lead in paint? What can we expect from China next? 

Jim Norton
Huntsville, Alabama


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*I thought you guys were nutz...*

At least until I pulled one of my Mattel cars off of a section of Lifelike track I have screwed to the wall at work.
I had to look close but sure enough. A small dent under the rear tires....
Weird...

Scott


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## FullyLoaded (Apr 19, 2006)

*It must be what they are using for the tires...*

I have heard and seen the vinyl tires in various model car kits melting and interacting with the plastic. From what everyone is saying, I assume that Mattel is using a different compound for their tires compared to Tyco or earlier Mattel used. I always preferred the lettered 440X2 tire compound just from racing and such unless swapping for silicone. Mattel then has to be using a compound which contains chemicals that react to plastic over time.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*El Melto*

Yup. Most vinyls will out gas volatiles/solvents through out their useable life, plastics too. Although this occurs some what slowly at room temp, heat can accelerate the drying out process as well as what the vinyl is in contact with. It's the leaching volatiles that are eating the track. As the cheapo tires decompose the track wicks the leaching volitiles just as though you spilled liquid cement on it.

Ever seen an old styrene body that spent a good portion of it's life in the path of the sun or near the furnace? Shrunken, warped and brittle with any tires near it melted down into a nice goobery mess.

Dont see any way around it, other than changing to a good quality tire, or avoiding storing the tires/cars in question on something vulnerable to the volatiles. It's just the nature of the beast... Truthfully I really dont know carp about it except for years of observation! Where's the boards resident chemist for some clarification? LOL


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## SwamperGene (Dec 1, 2003)

Bill Hall said:


> Where's the boards resident chemist for some clarification? LOL


Probably too busy sampling his work.

:drunk:


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

WOW! My kids Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson are sitting on my wood layout table. Tires gonna get yanked now. Luigi...need some White walls please! Vrrrr, vrrrr, vrrrr, vrrrrr, vrrrrrrr

Bob...zilla


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## rudykizuty (Aug 16, 2007)

Can you provide details regarding the Aberdeen show? I live in Wilmington DE and think I would like to attend.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

rudykizuty said:


> Can you provide details regarding the Aberdeen show? I live in Wilmington DE and think I would like to attend.


 The THIRD Aberdeen Slot Car Show and Swap Meet will be held on Sunday, August 26th, (10A-2P) at the Clarion Hotel in Aberdeen, MD. It's really easy to get to, as it's located in Northern MD, literally right off the I-95 Aberdeen Exit (#85). The direct local phone number for the hotel is (410) 273-6300.


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## Ian Garnett (Feb 22, 2003)

Also check the tires that might be on vicent rims. I purchased a couple of cars and displayed them on a 4-way intersection LJ. Low and behold they stuck and left marks, hopefully they can be sanded out?


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Ian Garnett said:


> Also check the tires that might be on vicent rims.


 What is a vicent rim?


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## roffutt (Jun 30, 2006)

Whoa.. thanks for the warning. I have 7 sets of the "cars" (still in baggies) as wells as a few other recent mattel releases. Apparently, the tire compound does not have a reaction with the baggie they come in.

-robbie


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## TK Solver (Mar 18, 2004)

I think Ian was referring to Vincent's wheels. I believe those are described here http://www.slotbox.de/.


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## mopar78 (Sep 23, 2004)

TK Solver, does that site come in english,my german isn't so good


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Try MEV.

Mike stocks Vincent rims


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## Ian Garnett (Feb 22, 2003)

Thanks spelling was not really good.
Fandango also uses Vincent rims on some his finished car's


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## Macs_Little_Car (Oct 25, 2003)

So this is JUST the Mattel slot cars doing this? No other manufacturers?

Thanks

Rob


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

Thankfully I haven't had this problem with the JL/AW tires. I leave them in the tackle box, and put them on the car only to run them (keeps 'em from stretching). I don't see any marks in my box from them.

Now the Thunderjet tires are a different story. They don't melt or corrode, but if you get oil on them, they'll turn into rocks over a few weeks. Many have noted this.

Hopefully AW will use the XT tire 'recipe' for the Thunderjets in the future. It would greatly improve performance and handling.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Just bumping this thread as the topic came up in Swap & Sell.

Joe


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Just bumping this thread as the topic came up in Swap & Sell.
> 
> Joe


thanks Joe


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Old Post/topic -I know, but....*



bobhch said:


> WOW! My kids Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson are sitting on my wood layout table. Tires gonna get yanked now. Luigi...need some White walls please! Vrrrr, vrrrr, vrrrr, vrrrrr, vrrrrrrr
> 
> Bob...zilla


 Hey Bob(or anyone), did you ever find an aftermarket tire maker, that made tires to fit the first release style wheels from the Disney/Pixar -CARS sets ?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

OMG- It's TRUE ! FYI, I just went to my pit box (which is clear plastic), and looked in the slot where I kept spare tires from the original Disney/Pixar CARS set, and those DAMN tires melted into the Plastic ! But the tires are still perfectly fine- just slightly tacky. Also of note, the same tires on three of my stored CARS haven't affected the OEM rims they are mounted on, and luckily they were NOT in contact with any track or Plastic, but they gotta go now.
So (like in my previous post) where can I find tires in that size/type to replace them with ?
One positive note, they sure make good sticker Tires


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

For more reading on the same topic:

http://www.slotcarillustrated.com/portal/forums/showthread.php?t=15168

Joe


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> OMG- It's TRUE ! FYI, I just went to my pit box (which is clear plastic), and looked in the slot where I kept spare tires from the original Disney/Pixar CARS set, and those DAMN tires melted into the Plastic ! But the tires are still perfectly fine- just slightly tacky. Also of note, the same tires on three of my stored CARS haven't affected the OEM rims they are mounted on, and luckily they were NOT in contact with any track or Plastic, but they gotta go now.
> So (like in my previous post) where can I find tires in that size/type to replace them with ?
> One positive note, they sure make good sticker Tires


hi,
try cutting some cheap felt to line the bottom of u'r plastic boxes..
i use a wood freight ?? box w/ felt already inside...
see link;

http://s1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee498/larcombe1/?action=view&current=016.jpg

and have not had any problems... FYI

Buba 123


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Thanks Bubba, I think I'll do JUST that, and keep my tires. BTW, I did an experiment last week, I removed the tires and washed and scrubbed them with soap/water and repeated, then rinsed them with alcohol and let them air try on a towel. Then I set them aside for several days on a scrap piece of plastic. And just today went to check on them, and when I tried to lift them off, they were stuck ! Yep- they had already started to melt into the Plastic AGAIN ! Geeez Louise, what the heck is IN those tires that keeps leaching out !? I mean the tires are a half dozen years old by now


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Talk about grip!


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## foxkilo (Mar 27, 2008)

Know this problem for quite a while. Bought a few years back a big box of Faller NOS and among those where sets of traffic light bases with all the necessary cables etc. Unfortunately the cables insulating is made of PVC and the traffic light bases are made polystyrene. So over the 30 something years the stuff had melted into bases, creating nice deep grooves. Some goes for many modern tires. You won't have that problem with good old rubberstuff.

Mario


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Thanks Bubba, I think I'll do JUST that, and keep my tires. BTW, I did an experiment last week, I removed the tires and washed and scrubbed them with soap/water and repeated, then rinsed them with alcohol and let them air try on a towel. Then I set them aside for several days on a scrap piece of plastic. And just today went to check on them, and when I tried to lift them off, they were stuck ! Yep- they had already started to melt into the Plastic AGAIN ! Geeez Louise, what the heck is IN those tires that keeps leaching out !? I mean the tires are a half dozen years old by now


the alcohol. probably assisted in da' melting (??)
Bubba


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Foxkilo, yeah, I think I remember stuff like that happening with the insulation on wires touching plastic bits when all stored clumped together- same dealio. 
And Bubba, to me it appears the Dis/Pix Cars tires are made of a type of silicone or PVC, and were unaffected themselves by the light alcohol swab....which is something I used to clean my Super tires off with many times in the past, until peeps told me I shouldn't use it to clean tires....but in the case of the Super tires at least- it never affected them one way or another.
These old Mattel tires just seem to ooze something ever so slightly out of their pores- like they are sweating ?
PS- Funny thing, I have a fairly new Mattel Chassis that came from a Set that Target sold last year(don't remember the set it came from), the rear tires are very wide smooth slick type, and these later tires have not been oozing and making plastic sticky? BTW- that chassis I mention happens to be my FASTEST 440 type Chassis EVER and Faster than EVERY OTHER Brand of Chassis I OWN !

PPS- So what tires are on these cheap HPX2 Chassis that Mattel are selling aftermarket these past few years ?


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> BTW- that chassis I mention happens to be my FASTEST 440 type Chassis EVER and Faster than EVERY OTHER Brand of Chassis I OWN !


 That is not be surprising as the new Mattel chassis are designed to be run on 6v of battery power (they have a lower Ohm armature). When you run them at "normal" slot car voltage, say 18v, they will blow away anything designed to run at around 16v-18v.

Joe


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