# Replacing Hard Tires...



## MattSaint (Oct 27, 2008)

Hey there, I have just recently gotten back into racing and collecting HO Slot Cars. I've been picking up cheap cars on eBay. Some of them have turned out to be in much better condition than I thought. However, the tires leave something to be desired. A few years back, I had picked up some sets of original AFX rubber tires (HXP503). These were listed for Magnatraction. In some reading I have been doing, some of the cars originally came with foam type tires. Were these just for the non magnatraction cars or both? From a collectible stand point how important are having the correct tires on the car?

I've also noticed that there are a lot of makers of the silicone rear tires. Are there any makers of rubber tires for these cars? I see lots of the AW tires on eBay, but would rather purchase tires from a source who's quality is consistent.

Thanks to all!

Cheers!
~MattS


----------



## TK Solver (Mar 18, 2004)

I've found the AutoWorld X-Traction tires from the last few releases to be pretty good.


----------



## afxcrazy (Aug 23, 2008)

By foam tires I think you mean the ones found on the G plus chassis. I have found none to be a good (exact) replacement for them. I would love to hear if others have found any exact replacements for them.


----------



## micyou03 (Apr 8, 2003)

Not exact, but Tyco tires from the 440-x2s fit good.


----------



## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

MattSaint said:


> Hey there, I have just recently gotten back into racing and collecting HO Slot Cars. I've been picking up cheap cars on eBay. Some of them have turned out to be in much better condition than I thought. However, the tires leave something to be desired. A few years back, I had picked up some sets of original AFX rubber tires (HXP503). These were listed for Magnatraction. In some reading I have been doing, some of the cars originally came with foam type tires. Were these just for the non magnatraction cars or both? From a collectible stand point how important are having the correct tires on the car?
> 
> I've also noticed that there are a lot of makers of the silicone rear tires. Are there any makers of rubber tires for these cars? I see lots of the AW tires on eBay, but would rather purchase tires from a source who's quality is consistent.
> 
> ...


Try "Slot Car Central" for original AFX tires. They were a weird early silicone rubber foam mix...not unlike todays silifoams in concept but I always felt they left a lot to be desired.

"Weird Jack" AKA Rocket Science LTD makes a silcone sponge tire that is pretty close to the slippery at first then hook up original AFX tire. They cut/true like butter. Jack's tire leans a little more towards the sponge side when compared to the original AFX tires that had a skoshe more rubber in the mix. 

PVT's, Penn Valley tire makes a sticky silicone tire that is also nice to look at ...IE: no inclusions, flash, or lumpage. A little harder to to true than Jack's, I rather like PVT's because they track good and look great on the shelf. simply a matter of personal preference. They do pick up their fare share of crap, but ALL sticky silicones do regardless. PVT's are some of the quietest running tires made IMHO.

"Super Tires" come in 2 compounds... hard and soft. Super Tires are pert near indestructable however they do have a rather sharp sidewall edge that is impossible to round over...they are very hard to true even the slightest bit. I've had a few sets that are chattery and noisy. They arent round and will not grind out true to save my soul. Some guys do swear by them. 

If yer just looking for a decent display and putter around the track tire Weird Jack is the way to go. He also sells blems at a discount.

I havent found a tire I really like to replace the G-plus rear foams either. The PVT extra tall, extra wide is close but the extra tall inhibits downforce until ya grind them down and no matter what thet are still not quite wide enough. I didnt particularly care for the Tyco tires they are a bit hard, noisy and dont provide near the "gription" of the PVT. Regardless of yer chosen substitute for G-plus foams ....anything is better than what you have. snicker


----------



## bobwoodly (Aug 25, 2008)

*Weird Jack blems*

I've been buying some old collections where you remove the tire with slight pressure from the pliers and they dissolve into may pieces. I'd vote for - "Weird Jack" AKA Rocket Science blems :thumbsup:. You don't get your choice but you do get a great deal.


----------



## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

> From a collectible stand point how important are having the correct tires on the car?


With rare exceptions, none of which I can think of at this time, it probably does not matter at all. The vast majority of the value in most collectible slot cars is in the body. The best case scenario of course is to have the whole car still in the original package, old tires and all. 

Your best bet for longevity is silicone tires, especially the SuperTires brand. They will in all likelihood outlive you and your immediate descendants. Sponge and rubber tires dry out, crack, flat spot, and fall apart over a relatively short period of time. I have several recent vintage, less than three year old AutoWorld releases where the tires have one or more clean splits from the inner edge out to the tread. Natural sunlight and/or fluorescent lighting may exacerbate the degradation of the material. Some tires on Mattel cars have been reported to react with the plastic used for the track and melt. It's not a quality of construction, roundness, fit and finish issue, you are at the mercy of the material that the tires are made from and who knows what goes into these things when they are manufactured in China where the primary motivation is minimizing the cost. 

For shelf queens and collectibles that are out of the package, any tire that looks good and is stable and not reactive with the storage case is as good as any other. On the track, get yourself a few sets of different diameter slip-on tires and dedicate their use to the cars that are actually being run on the track.


----------



## Jim Norton (Jun 29, 2007)

*Spounge Tires*

Back in the early 1970's, we were pretty much going with silicones. Then, in 1976, one of my friends went to Nashville, TN and came back with a new 4 lane set, a couple extra cars and an AFX handbook.

The handbook had a great affect on our racing. Within was the method of rolling tires across a piece of tape. We had never even thought of that! Suddenly, stock spounge tires cleaned quite often with tape were the preferred choice. They actually would run very nicely with silicone tires. Spounges dominated that summer of 1976.

As far as value, I think a car originally equipped with spounge tires should remain so as far as collectibility goes. A brand new set of spounges that have that sticky feeling to them takes me back to the good ole days!

Jim Norton
Huntsville, Alabama


----------



## MattSaint (Oct 27, 2008)

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the replies! It is nice to see that this is an active community!!!

I guess some of what I have been reading is a little off. So, there were only rubber compound tires for non magnatraction and magnatraction cars? and the foam tires were only on the G-Plus cars?

Cheers!
~MattS


----------



## afxcrazy (Aug 23, 2008)

Can anyone post some pics of the tires talked about here in comparison to original g plus tires. I need a bunch of tires for my display cars. And I wish for the OEM look.
Thanks


----------



## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

The ancient tires were a "Recap", basically foams with a silicone rubber composite bonded over the top. The silicone rubber was kinda of like a retread over the foam. Just like today's sili-sponge tires...they were the first real composite tire available.


----------



## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

The original A/FX car had sponge tires. So did the Super II, Wild Ones TJet, Boss Riggen, DynaBrute, G-Plus, Tyco 440, some Tyco 440X2s, and some of the AJs truck thingies. The aftermarket AJs sponge tires mounted, glued, and trued on threaded aluminum hubs were a thing of beauty. The sponge tires were good on bumpy tracks and had decent grip when new and soft, or when treated with traction compound. The slip-on silicone tires back then were not as sticky as some of the ones we have today, with the exception of the "white boots" that came on some of the TycoPros.


----------



## MattSaint (Oct 27, 2008)

Ok, what are the HXP503 tires? Strictly rubber? They seem like it...


----------



## Jim Norton (Jun 29, 2007)

*G-plus tires*

The spounges on the AFX cars were different from those on G-plus cars. Both mag and non-magnatraction featured a dense spounge.

The G-plus cars came with tires that looked very pourus and actually more like a spounge than the AFX spounge tires. Also, the G-plus tires seemed a lighter weight as well.

Jim Norton
Huntsville, Alabama


----------



## tjettim (Nov 29, 2005)

(Ok, what are the HXP503 tires? ) If you mean
the ones from Mattel, I don't know,but round 
ain't one of them.


----------



## MattSaint (Oct 27, 2008)

HXP503 Is the code for Aurora Original Magnatraction rubber tires. These are back and front. The front have GoodYear molded into them.

~MattS


----------



## resinmonger (Mar 5, 2008)

*HXP eh?*

HXP503 is not an original Aurora part number. I googled HXP and found HXP parts listed at ehobbies and toys - see link. 

http://www.ehobbiesandtoys.com/slot_cars/hoslot_pages/ho_hxp.html

These are aftermarket parts, Matt. Where did you get them from?


----------



## MattSaint (Oct 27, 2008)

I picked them up at a Slot Show Years ago. Honestly, I thought I got them from Bob Beers. He was setup at the show. All Aurora original parts I purchased that day were bagged the exact same way. However, I will be the first to admit, if they are reproductions I wouldn't know.


----------



## MattSaint (Oct 27, 2008)

Also, if you go to NCPHobbies, they have them in the 1/64 Aurora Departments: Check Page 3 of the Aurora Magnatraction Parts section. They have the HXP503 designation and are called Aurora Original - Magna-Traction Tires Front and Rear


----------

