what foams work better with the axial weight ring 1.9

[Spazzx]

Im trying to come up with a better set up for my smaller tsl tires. I have the lil nova two stage foams and they work great without the weights but trying to put them over the axial weight rings and it is ruff. I can get them on and mounted but it ballons the tire and makes them run funny. Ideally I want my small tsl's to feel like my tsl xl's do with the stock foams. I have run the weights in them and they work great. But im looking for something that fits the honcho body better. Any input would be appreciated. Also if it matters all this is for 1.9 wheels and a basically stock deadbolt/honcho
Thanks

[allanon1965]

take out the wheel weights, you can put in beef tubes to get some unsprung weight on the axles. I used to run weighted wheels, but found that by using beef tubes and aluminum wheels I had just as good of performance as with the weights, sometimes it was even better...

[Spazzx]

That is an option but not my top pick only because I uust spent about 80 $ on weight rings and weights for all 4 wheels.

[Stormin2u]

Have you tried Crawler Innovation's 1.9 Closed Cell Foam its works well with heavier rigs?

[Spazzx]

Thats what the inner of the two stage foam is and it just doesnt seem to sit on the ring very well. But im toying with the idea of cutting a grove inside the foam for it to sit over the ring .

[allanon1965]

a groove is probably going to be the easiest solution....next time you want to weight some wheels, just get the stick on ones, the kind that are in 1/4 ounces segments used to balance automotive aluminum wheels. They are what i used and cost me less than 10 bucks for 4 wheels...

[Spazzx]

I was so close to going with the stick on wheel weights but when I went to the parts store they would only sell me a case of them. And I just figured axial came up with these for a reason. Oh well live and learn.
So I just tried something and it worked surprisingly well. I loosened the back side of my bead locks so all the screws were started about 1/4 and put the tires in the freezer. Apparently the proline foams swell when frozen. I left them in for about 1/2 an hour and upon removal I tightened the back side of the bead lock and when everything came back to ambient temperature there was just a small amount of positive pressure inside and now they are perfect. Getting ready to test them out now and see how long they will stay like this. I would assume as long as I leave them assembled with the exception of running them in sub freezing temps but then they will swell on there own again. My next test will be grooving the closed cell foam of my lil novas to make room for the weight rings and see how that works. Let me know what you think of the freezer idea. Thanks

[TacoCrawler]

I emailed CI regarding similar interest...
and asked if the closed cell foam could be grooved or slotted
to better fit the weight rings.

I was disappointed with their response:

"Lose the internal wheel weight rings...
and utilize knuckle weights instead."

^ not the answer I was looking for...
So I decided to spend my money elsewhere.
And did my own thing with left over foam inserts
I had laying around.

Using some proline ccf inserts... plus
I wrapped another ocf insert over that.
Then I cut another ocf in half...
and used those as sidewall supports.

Sandwiching all that together was a little challenging initially...
But was not too difficult IMO.

Granted... my rig is nearly 9lbs...
so the inserts needed to offer more support.
Lighter weight rigs would likely need less stiffness.

I do not vent my tires/wheels...
and have no issue with ambient temps that I notice.
And it's purdy dang hot here in the SW.

Though my plastic Axial bead locks seem to seal purdy good.
I never stow my rig resting on it's tires or suspension.
This can deflate the tires and flat spot them if a slight leak might occur.
Gravity and weight will do that...
so simply placing the chassis on a support alleviates that issue.

I used a similar method for my Trep's as well.

I really do want to know if grooving the ID of the CI ccf's is possible.
So give it a shot and let us know how that goes...
and before I spend my money on CI's products

btw... CI also sells sidewall tuning rings...
I think they will help keep the primary foams centered.
Otherwise the center mounted inserts tend to walk off center...
to either left or right when flexing out the tires.
IMO the sidewall tuning rings help keep the center line foam inserts...
in the center where they need be.

^ I used ocf inserts cut in half for my sidewall support/tuning.
but I believe CI's side wall tuning rings are ccf instead.

[Spazzx]

Thanks taco appreciate all the Info. I also store my tuck on a stand for the same reasons. It is possible to groove the inside of the closed cell foam. Im still trying to find the best cutter to use but so far the dremel works pretty good and if you use the small router head you can set a consistant depth but I dont recomend anyone to do this without realizing there is a pretty big risk. If the cutter bites in it will rip the foam out of your hand and shoot it across the room. Im sure there is a better way to do this just havnt found it yet. On a side note today was day two of testing my freezer tires and there still working great and have the perfect amount of pressure for what I was looking for.

[TacoCrawler]

^ I don't really get your freezer method...
are you higher up in elevation or something ?

The ambient air temps here in SoCal
range from 60* to 105* in a single day.

I never noticed any critical tire pressure change in that temp range.
So I'm somewhat curious as to why you do ?

The only notable tire pressure changes that I see...
are when I go from sea level to 6000' plus in elevation.

granted, I'm not running CI's Lil' Nova's ccf inserts tho'

So... you grooved the ID on those CI ccf inserts...
How deep was the groove cut into the foam ?
Does it fit flush over the weight ring and down to the wheels ID surface ?
and how much material (thickness) is remaining with the ccf insert grooved ?

[DowntownScience]

Originally Posted by Spazzx

I was so close to going with the stick on wheel weights but when I went to the parts store they would only sell me a case of them. And I just figured axial came up with these for a reason. Oh well live and learn.
So I just tried something and it worked surprisingly well. I loosened the back side of my bead locks so all the screws were started about 1/4 and put the tires in the freezer. Apparently the proline foams swell when frozen. I left them in for about 1/2 an hour and upon removal I tightened the back side of the bead lock and when everything came back to ambient temperature there was just a small amount of positive pressure inside and now they are perfect. Getting ready to test them out now and see how long they will stay like this. I would assume as long as I leave them assembled with the exception of running them in sub freezing temps but then they will swell on there own again. My next test will be grooving the closed cell foam of my lil novas to make room for the weight rings and see how that works. Let me know what you think of the freezer idea. Thanks

Are your tires retaining pressure? If so, drill a couple holes on each side of the inner rim wall so that they breath.

[Toykid]

I had the same issue with mine, I had to use a sharp craft blade to remove a small section of the inside of the CI foams.

I hope that helps?

James.

[TacoCrawler]

Originally Posted by Toykid

I had the same issue with mine, I had to use a sharp craft blade to remove a small section of the inside of the CI foams.

I hope that helps?

James.

...not really

that's like saying... " I had to use a sharp knife to cut my steak "

[Toykid]

I'll see if I can find a pic - my bad.

[Toykid]

Here you go, pic courtesy of RcMart. I cut the center rib, inside the red line. This allowed the inner foam to fit flush with the axial wheel weights.

James.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TacoCrawler]

^ but that does little to keep the insert centered on the weight ring...
shifting L-R could cause premature insert wear and possibly an irregular tire stance.

tho' utilizing sidewall tuning rings could minimize that insert shift somewhat, maybe

I'd think those denser inner foams would work better if fitment was a more precision fit to the weight ring.

Guess I hoped to see if someone had grooved/slotted (cut)
on the inside circumference of the cc insert and no wider then the weight ring's width,
so that the insert's material resides on both L/R sides of the weight ring (centered)
and the depth settles flush to the wheel's ID mounting surface, not the weight ring's OD.

^ better to see if someone else tried...
before throwing my $ at an attempt.

[Spazzx]

Taco
My freezer method
Putting the tires in the freezer assembled but with one beadlock loose and stock proline foams caused the foams to expand a little so as soon as I took them out of the freezer I tightened the beadlock, trapping a little extra air inside. So when it came back to normal temp and the foam was no longer swollen it made a slightly posative pressure inside. And coincidentally it was exactly what I was looking for as far as firmness and sidewall flex were concerned. Truck doesnt have that flat tire look but tires still flex over rocks . Hope that helps. If you have any questions feel free to message me.

[Spazzx]

Also with the closed cell foam. There is enough to grove out the center of the foam and still leave enought to straddle or hug the edges of the weight ring holding it centered. And if you make the groove deep enough the edges will still be in contact with the wheel between the tire and weight ring.

[TacoCrawler]

Originally Posted by Spazzx

Taco
My freezer method
Putting the tires in the freezer assembled but with one beadlock loose and stock proline foams caused the foams to expand a little so as soon as I took them out of the freezer I tightened the beadlock, trapping a little extra air inside. So when it came back to normal temp and the foam was no longer swollen it made a slightly posative pressure inside. And coincidentally it was exactly what I was looking for as far as firmness and sidewall flex were concerned. Truck doesnt have that flat tire look but tires still flex over rocks . Hope that helps. If you have any questions feel free to message me.

Freezing does not expand anything that I know...
generally it's the opposite and causes contraction.

It's more likely the tire's rubber material contracts
and makes you believe the insert has expanded.
Contracting the tire's rubber by freezing will make it's interior volume
smaller (denser air molecules), thus reducing the air pressure inside.

If the bead locks seal well...
then the internal pressure could remain constant... for awhile...
But eventually the air will leak thru the tire's molecular cell walls
of the rubber compound or the bead as the tire is flexed/torqued on the wheel.

Re-freezing/re-assembly just to maintain a certain air pressure
seems like a hassle IMO.
I do not believe doing this is advantageous of the time consumed.

CCF inserts could become affected by ambient temperature
but it would only be in accord with deflection/rebound rates/speeds.
Not really contraction or expansion.

believe what you wish...
but science might disagree with your thinking.

[Spazzx]

I would normally agree with you but I took measurements and they definitely expanded trapping more air I side when resealed. I agree it may not be a longterm resolution to my problem but so far it has not cost me any money and its fun experimenting with things And the results aaccomplished what I was trying to do.