***voodoo compounds***

[crawl-o-matic]

OK, I've been BOMBARDED with a concern that I was very surprised to get:

"hey man, too many compounds to choose from!"

So, I'm willing to cut it down, but both team compounds stay no matter what. I'll give you a choice here:

1. Three compounds (two team compounds and one standard)

2. Two compounds (team compounds only)

Feel free to continue to email or PM me with your thoughts and concerns on this matter...I'M LISTENING AND I'LL DO WHATEVER THE MAJORITY WANTS!

[ittybitty]

Maybe after the tires are available and people can report back on which compounds work (out of 2 or 3 AT MOST initial compounds) for them and which ones don't you might have a better idea which compounds are needed. At this point we're shooting in the dark on the whole deal.

I look at it this way. 2.2 Rovers are typically only used in the white dot compound (soft) and people have made them work well on just about every type of terrain. The blue dots have some areas where they help out, but that's very limited. The same goes for the pink compound kind of...but bascially unless you're running on rocks covered in pig snot at every comp then you probably won't get much use out of them. So here's a GREAT tire that has 3 options and only one of those is widely trusted. We've been trying to get HB to produce them in the red dot compound, but without any luck. The reason behind this is simply that crawling has changed dramatically over the last year or so from heavy rigs to lightweight rigs that need a slightly softer compound.

I believe that if you produced these VOODOO tires in 2 compounds that are targeted at competing with the HB white dot compound and the Losi red compound that you'll have great success. You "might" find a handful of people that want something slightly softer than the Losi red, but we won't know that until we get the VOODOO's in our hands and can see how the tread lugs and carcass hold up compared to the Losi's.

I'm also curious why theres a need to call them "team compounds" instead of just "extra soft" or "soft". I guess I'm use to "team" products being similar to what the public has access to, but with a slight twist which is usually an improvement isolated to use for the team drivers. I guess where I'm going with this is that when I see "team" attached to a set of tires I would hope they'd be the same compound as what is available to the general public, but maybe the tread is siped, or the tires are lighter, or something else that's a slight improvement other than the actual rubber compound.

Sorry to be "that guy" but I really want to see you succeed with these tires and am looking forward to getting a set when they're available

[ninja turtle]

Originally Posted by ittybitty

Maybe after the tires are available and people can report back on which compounds work for them and which ones don't you might have a better idea which compounds are needed. At this point we're shooting in the dark on the whole deal.

I'm also curious why theres a need to call them "team compounds" instead of just "extra soft" or "soft". I guess I'm use to "team" products being similar to what the public has access to, but with a slight twist which is usually an improvement isolated to use for the team drivers. I guess where I'm going with this is that when I see "team" attached to a set of tires I would hope they'd be the same compound as what is available to the general public, but maybe the tread is siped, or the tires are lighter, or something else that's a slight improvement other than the actual rubber compound.

agreed. i dont think the concern is too many compounds, but where to start. im for sure getting a set just not sure which ones yet.

[crawl-o-matic]

Originally Posted by ittybitty

Maybe after the tires are available and people can report back on which compounds work (out of 2 or 3 AT MOST initial compounds) for them and which ones don't you might have a better idea which compounds are needed. At this point we're shooting in the dark on the whole deal.

I'm also curious why theres a need to call them "team compounds" instead of just "extra soft" or "soft". I guess I'm use to "team" products being similar to what the public has access to, but with a slight twist which is usually an improvement isolated to use for the team drivers. I guess where I'm going with this is that when I see "team" attached to a set of tires I would hope they'd be the same compound as what is available to the general public, but maybe the tread is siped, or the tires are lighter, or something else that's a slight improvement other than the actual rubber compound.

Thank you for the input, I've had many drivers come to me with similar thoughts.

Because of the high tech nature of this compound and the relatively high price, the original thought was to isolate these compounds for our team drivers, hence the name...but as word got out about them, I received so many inquires that I decided to open them up to all drivers...but the name stuck.


The "team compounds" where made from the ground up, they're chemically different from any crawler compound made by any company. The standard compounds are quite similar to other compounds you will find on the market from other manufacturers.

And YES, I absolutely had the new breed of ultra light rigs, AND the driving style used with them, in mind when thinking about the overall design of the tire and the compounds we would use.

Speaking of weight...

[RcBro]

I don't think multiple compound choices is a bad thing, but being able to accurately describe them for the purchaser is something that will be challenging.

My NW rock is entirely different then that of say Arizona. My 4lb rig also needs something different then a 5lb rig. Soft foams in on compound versus medium foam on the same will also produce different results. Wet rock vs dry rock etc... I can go on for days as
we have tried so many different tires and foam setups it makes my head spin. Then after that we started cutting tires like there was no tomorrow. Several different cuts on the same tire till we found something we liked.

With all that said, once the best solution for my rig was found I don't change it. Wether it's raining here in Oregon, or dry in Utah I don't change what I run. I've found it's best to run what I know and adjust to the terrain then to change things last minute.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, with 5 options it may be beneficial, but if there somewhat closely related your sales will suffer. If you have 3 very different sets those of us who spend the money tuning will be able to quickly identify what fits our needs assuming your tires do the trick.

I look forward to checking some out

[crawl-o-matic]

Originally Posted by RcBro

I don't think multiple compound choices is a bad thing, but being able to accurately describe them for the purchaser is something that will be challenging.

My NW rock is entirely different then that of say Arizona. My 4lb rig also needs something different then a 5lb rig. Soft foams in on compound versus medium foam on the same will also produce different results. Wet rock vs dry rock etc... I can go on for days as
we have tried so many different tires and foam setups it makes my head spin. Then after that we started cutting tires like there was no tomorrow. Several different cuts on the same tire till we found something we liked.

With all that said, once the best solution for my rig was found I don't change it. Wether it's raining here in Oregon, or dry in Utah I don't change what I run. I've found it's best to run what I know and adjust to the terrain then to change things last minute.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, with 5 options it may be beneficial, but if there somewhat closely related your sales will suffer. If you have 3 very different sets those of us who spend the money tuning will be able to quickly identify what fits our needs assuming your tires do the trick.

I look forward to checking some out

100% AGREE, Thank You

[ittybitty]

Originally Posted by RcBro

I guess what I'm trying to say is, with 5 options it may be beneficial, but if there somewhat closely related your sales will suffer. If you have 3 very different sets those of us who spend the money tuning will be able to quickly identify what fits our needs assuming your tires do the trick.

Exactly...well put!

[crawl-o-matic]

Here's what I'll do:

I have a third team compound that was designed to bridge the gap between the original two team compounds and the standard compounds.

What's nice about it is the fact that the price point will be the same as the standard rubber.

So, there won't be any standard compounds at all and I'll do away with the "team compound" name...I'll use a color dot system.

[RcBro]

Winner winner chicken dinner!