# T-Jet tires



## bolts69 (Dec 24, 2009)

What tires does everyone use when racing t-Jet skinnies? I have tried gel claws and haven't had much luck. I race on Aurora and tomy track.


----------



## brownie374 (Nov 21, 2007)

Balls out ho


----------



## waltgpierce (Jul 9, 2005)

Definitely BallsOutHO stock skinny silicone slip-on tires (.352 diameter).
Go for the SOFT version for ultimate traction; use the FIRM if you prefer a little slide in the corners.


----------



## slotking (May 27, 2008)

do they make them to fit the wider nostalgia hubs


----------



## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

You could also check out Tom Heister's H.O. Parts. I have always used the skinny T-Jet tires from Wizzard that were made by Penn Valley, those are no longer available since Tom Heister took over that business.


----------



## yellerstang (Feb 20, 2012)

*.352*

Does anyone make a taller set?? I would like a taller tire, closer to the stock size.


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aurora-HO-T...303270?hash=item3abd13eea6:g:478AAMXQTT9RuEm6

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aurora-HO-T...810322?hash=item542a3bba92:g:HdAAAOSwL7VWpVMj

http://www.ebay.com/sch/weird_jack/m.html?ssPageName=STRK:MEFSXS:MESOI&_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2654

.


----------



## slotking (May 27, 2008)

thanks for the links:wave:


----------



## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

from personal experience..i wouldn't use those if they were free.
they have a oily greasy feel even after cleaning they are also grainy looking.
i have a load of them that I purchased 3 years ago and they are all stretched out and out of round.


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

well, when you find another source, be sure to let me know


----------



## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

alpink said:


> well, when you find another source, be sure to let me know


now I am using jel-claws (I don't know what the heck they are made from)but I am very happy with them, i like the way they grip and look.
I only wish they were available more locally.
also this flebay seller racer8838 has excellent tires that I purchase on a regular basis for my afx/tuff ones/tyco/life-like but does not carry skinny t-jet tires.


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

bolts69 seems to indicate that he didn't care for the JelClaws, so I was trying to offer something optional.
JelClaws don't work well for the straight line racing I do. not enough grip.
it is well known that I don't slow down for curves/corners.
LOL



stirlingmoss said:


> now I am using jel-claws (I don't know what the heck they are made from)but I am very happy with them, i like the way they grip and look.
> I only wish they were available more locally.
> also this flebay seller racer8838 has excellent tires that I purchase on a regular basis for my afx/tuff ones/tyco/life-like but does not carry skinny t-jet tires.





bolts69 said:


> What tires does everyone use when racing t-Jet skinnies? I have tried gel claws and haven't had much luck. I race on Aurora and tomy track.


----------



## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

About 16 years ago there was a seller who used to sell the white-wall skinnys along with red line and blue line skinny silicones man they were the best tires i ever used.


----------



## brownie374 (Nov 21, 2007)

alpink said:


> bolts69 seems to indicate that he didn't care for the JelClaws, so I was trying to offer something optional.
> JelClaws don't work well for the straight line racing I do. not enough grip.
> it is well known that I don't slow down for curves/corners.
> LOL


The gel claws look great, but after a few laps they will find dirt on a freshly cleaned track and get real loose.


----------



## vaBcHRog (Feb 19, 2003)

stirlingmoss said:


> About 16 years ago there was a seller who used to sell the white-wall skinnys along with red line and blue line skinny silicones man they were the best tires i ever used.


That was Tom Nagler of Thunderslicks fame.


----------



## vaBcHRog (Feb 19, 2003)

Balls Out Racing http://ballsoutho.webs.com/

He has good skinny TJET racing tires


----------



## yellerstang (Feb 20, 2012)

*tires*



alpink said:


> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aurora-HO-T...303270?hash=item3abd13eea6:g:478AAMXQTT9RuEm6
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aurora-HO-T...810322?hash=item542a3bba92:g:HdAAAOSwL7VWpVMj
> 
> ...


In the past we used a lot of Weird Jacks tires. They need to be glued and sanded to the rims to work well, but then they wore out. Ok for a cheap tire, but not really good enough for hard racing. Just my two cents...


----------



## slotking (May 27, 2008)

super tire has them as well od of 378 and 400
rtho has some that are a little wider
balls out
model motoring
I think RRR has them as well


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

*options !!!!*



yellerstang said:


> In the past we used a lot of Weird Jacks tires. They need to be glued and sanded to the rims to work well, but then they wore out. Ok for a cheap tire, but not really good enough for hard racing. Just my two cents...


Jesse, yeah reults can vary. and hearing peoples personal experiences can help some of us avoid the pitfalls of trial and error.



slotking said:


> super tire has them as well od of 378 and 400
> rtho has some that are a little wider
> balls out
> model motoring
> I think RRR has them as well


I don't know the exact compound of DASH skinny t-jet tires, but they are softer than the best original Aurora t-jet tires and grippier(word?).
forgot about Model Motoring and didn't know that RTHO made them.
good, new sources.

thank you :wave:​
just wondering if OP has read any of this?


----------



## yellerstang (Feb 20, 2012)

There are several choices out there for a stock, rubber ribbed type tire out there. Old tjet tires are fine with gluing, truing, and treating... But they get smaller when you do this... and there goes some top end speed on a stock class drag car.

The silicone slip on type tires for tjet sized hubs need double flanged hubs to work well, super glue works for a bit but will always fail. The weird jack tires take the glue better than the other tires, I think because of the grade of material they are molded with.

I would really like to find a .405" tall slip on silicone. An earlier post here mentioned Super Tires, I need to check that out.

This has been a good read, enjoying the feedback.

Heisters and Super Tires quality is excellent. I have tried some others with less than stellar results, I wont buy them again.


----------



## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

I also tried using the cigar box aluminum flanged hubs and they work very well but they are hard to remove from the axles.


----------



## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

Gel Claws are made of EDPM, not silicone. I have only tested those VS the silicone T-Jet dune buggy/hot rod tires that I normally use and they do not have as much grip. If you enter formal races you usually want all the grip that you can get, for more informal running a tire that gets you more slide is often more fun. Silicone tires run their best on a perfectly clean track. Dust sticks to silicone tires, so on a dusty track you will get good grip at first, after a few laps the tires get coated with dust and the amount of grip goes 'way down. Dust does not stick to urethane tires, on a clean track they have a bit less grip than silicone tires, but on a dusty track the grip does not fall off as much as the laps pile up. I only tested Gel Claws on a very clean track, so I am not certain how well they hold up after a long run on a dusty track.
Super Tires does make a skinny silicone T-Jet tire, those are harder and a little narrower than the other silicone T-Jet tires that I am aware of.
The Dash tires are supposed to be silicone, they are clearly not poured like most silicone tires and they both look and perform like the original Aurora skinny T-Jet tires did.


----------



## yellerstang (Feb 20, 2012)

Dash tires: I was told at a slot car show that they are a compound of rubber and silicone. They are hard to sand and don't respond well to truing efforts. 

I have used the older JL front tires for tjet rear wheels. Excellent traction, but crappy quality. Don't ever use any oil of wintergreen on them, they will melt. As these tires age, oil may come out of them. But, when glued and trued, and cleaned, they will hook up quite well. Clean them with alcohol.


----------



## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

I put a couple of the Dash tires on the shank of a 3/16th inch drill bit and chuck that up in a drill press. I use the side of a small vise to keep an emery board parallel to the tread of the tires while I true them up.
Note that Dash wheels have a slight taper and a lot of aftermarket tires can get knocked off easily. The boxstock cars that I race have double flanged wheels.


----------



## slotking (May 27, 2008)

> super glue works for a bit but will always fail



try silicone adhesive


----------



## slotking (May 27, 2008)

the old aw skinny tires also worked ok


----------

