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Old 08-07-2014, 08:37 AM   #1
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Default Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

Got a lot of TSL's around here....taking a look at the 2 offerings from Vaterra. Both were priced very competitively and well worth a look imo.

Left to right: Slick Rock TSL's, PL 1.9, Vaterra TH TSL's, and PL 1.9XL. The Bigger Vaterra's are right in between the PL's as far as height.



Both of them are very nicely molded with crisp lettering, though the larger TH set has a distinct mold line down the center.

The Slick Rock TSL's are not exactly a soft compound, and come with standard foams that seem to be on the stiff side. The outer lugs are a little further apart than the others for some reason. At 95mm exactly, they are perfect for smaller CC01 size rigs. Plan to bolt them up to a CC01 this weekend and give them a whirl. I've been running 1.55 mudthrashers so we'll see how they do in comparison.

I do not have these mounted on rims yet per-se, I had some issues getting them to seat on a beadlock, though it was a while ago and I don't quite remember what it was. Will give it a whirl with a few sets I have here and see how it goes

The larger Twin Hammers tires are the same compound as the race claws and come with very nice dual stage foams that feel very similar to a CI set-up. Stiff sidewalls and a soft outer tread section. Feels like a harder foam, though with some running time I think they'll soften up. Out of the bag, the tires are not "gummy" like some of the others I've received, but the compound feels pretty good. After some foam tuning and a break in session, my Race Claws have been performing surprisingly well, so I expect the same with these.

I find it odd that the center lugs are not interleaved like all the others, there is a distinct line running down the center (with the aforementioned mold flashing) - not in a bad way per-se, just odd. And annoying.

These have a somewhat thick bead, so mounting on certain wheels might be tricky. I took the easy way out and I've got these mounted on standard TH wheels with 3oz of weight per wheel added. The wheels were $24 shipped, easy to add weight to, and seem to work fine (plus, I like their looks..) They'll be running on my mid-weight G6 rig this weekend for break-in.

More updates after some dirt has been applied.
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Old 08-07-2014, 07:26 PM   #2
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

The Vaterra is quite skinny compared to the P-L How's the Vaterra compound compare to the P-L?
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Old 08-08-2014, 08:44 AM   #3
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

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Originally Posted by Johnnysplits View Post
The Vaterra is quite skinny compared to the P-L How's the Vaterra compound compare to the P-L?
Feels good, certainly not as sticky out of the bag, but plenty supple. Real test will be in the dirt this weekend. They are wider than the smaller PL 1.9's but not nearly as wide as the XL. I'll get a pic up of them mounted eventually. They look good to my eyes, not too skinny. About the same as the Falken Wild Peaks.


Got the little TSL's mounted up. Took an hour and tried various rims...

Same issues as the bigger TSL's and the Race Claws. Very thick bead makes it all but impossible to seat on most rims. I unmounted my Race Claws and installed these instead - they drop right on the Vaterra rims of course. I tried 2 kinds of steelies (RC4WD and HR), a set of Integy's, and good old 8 hole Axial's - they were close, but didn't push it.

Only wheel I can think of offhand they might bolt to (without some dremel work) is the Proline Titus. They have a bigger bead opening and might fit. Possibly some RC4WD steelies with the PL ring too.

Note to Vaterra: if you are going to make some proprietary tires, please give us some wheels options. They do mount fine on non beadlocks, but WE WANT BEADLOCKS!!

Anyway...


Bolted on my CC01 FJ and ready to go this weekend. Now to find a rig for the bigger TSL's.
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Old 08-08-2014, 01:29 PM   #4
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

I've heard this issue about the beads before but to be dead honest i've never had an issue (yes I know it sounds like i'm saying that just because i work for the company) but honestly i have not. Granted I have mainly used Vanquish wheels, Proline and a set of RC4wd (don't recall right now which versions).

I'll check more into this.
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Old 08-08-2014, 02:02 PM   #5
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

Thank you Rich for chiming in, it's very much appreciated! I'm sure I have rims that will fit (I'd be willing to bet on the Prolines) it's just a matter of finding them. If you have pictures of the mounted wheels/tires, feel free to post them up so we know which ones work. Beadlocks are always a bit tricky among various manufacturers and it's always good to verify when possible before dropping $$.

Thanks again for your support of the scaler community!
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Old 08-08-2014, 02:26 PM   #6
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

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Originally Posted by OSRC View Post
Thank you Rich for chiming in, it's very much appreciated! I'm sure I have rims that will fit (I'd be willing to bet on the Prolines) it's just a matter of finding them. If you have pictures of the mounted wheels/tires, feel free to post them up so we know which ones work. Beadlocks are always a bit tricky among various manufacturers and it's always good to verify when possible before dropping $$.

Thanks again for your support of the scaler community!
Here is a set of the Preproduction (left) and production versions on the right. I don't have the proline set anymore as I borrowed those.



LIke I said, i'll dig deeper into this. We/I don't want a proprietary fit, we really want these to work on as many 1.9 wheel offerings out there so rest assured i'll check into this.
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Old 08-08-2014, 06:50 PM   #7
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

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Originally Posted by OSRC View Post
Feels good, certainly not as sticky out of the bag, but plenty supple. Real test will be in the dirt this weekend. They are wider than the smaller PL 1.9's but not nearly as wide as the XL. I'll get a pic up of them mounted eventually. They look good to my eyes, not too skinny. About the same as the Falken Wild Peaks.


Got the little TSL's mounted up. Took an hour and tried various rims...

Same issues as the bigger TSL's and the Race Claws. Very thick bead makes it all but impossible to seat on most rims. I unmounted my Race Claws and installed these instead - they drop right on the Vaterra rims of course. I tried 2 kinds of steelies (RC4WD and HR), a set of Integy's, and good old 8 hole Axial's - they were close, but didn't push it.

Only wheel I can think of offhand they might bolt to (without some dremel work) is the Proline Titus. They have a bigger bead opening and might fit. Possibly some RC4WD steelies with the PL ring too.

Note to Vaterra: if you are going to make some proprietary tires, please give us some wheels options. They do mount fine on non beadlocks, but WE WANT BEADLOCKS!!

Anyway...


Bolted on my CC01 FJ and ready to go this weekend. Now to find a rig for the bigger TSL's.
Thanks for the good review.

Yes the problem with these tires is the proprietary bead that is big and fat and only fits Vaterra's plastic beadlocks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Trujillo View Post
I've heard this issue about the beads before but to be dead honest i've never had an issue (yes I know it sounds like i'm saying that just because i work for the company) but honestly i have not. Granted I have mainly used Vanquish wheels, Proline and a set of RC4wd (don't recall right now which versions).

I'll check more into this.
Please produce tires that have beads like most other RC crawler tires these days, not proprietary stuff.

EDIT: I've had great luck with the Vaterra TSLs mounting easily, very durable tread, beads, and sidewalls, love the size and compound is pretty good, CI foams help too.

Last edited by Natedog; 02-04-2016 at 11:36 AM.
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Old 08-08-2014, 08:28 PM   #8
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

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Originally Posted by Natedog View Post
Thanks for the good review.

Yes the problem with these tires is the proprietary bead that is big and fat and only fits Vaterra's plastic beadlocks.



Produce tires that have beads like most other RC crawler tires these days, proprietary stuff is for the birds.
Must have missed the post right above yours
" We/I don't want a proprietary fit, we really want these to work on as many 1.9 wheel offerings out there"
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Old 08-11-2014, 07:31 AM   #9
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

Nothing more fun that getting out on the trail for 4 hours for "tire testing" (which is really just and excuse for 4 hours of playing in the woods!)

Mounted up the Slick Rock tires on my lightly modded CC01 Land Cruiser, and the larger tires to my SCX10 test truck and headed out in the woods driving the LC first. Our usual playground, St. Peters Village in Warwick, PA was the location - an awesome mix of loose dirt, rocks, trees, streams, trails galore and lots of elevation changes. Basically scaler nirvana.

I had just run this truck last week with a set of 1.55 Mudthrashers, so I had a good baseline for comparison. These tires are slightly taller, and had a bit less weight. At first, the tires were stiff as I expected. Any tire takes a bit to break in and these were no exception. Of course, the first thing we hit was a large hill climb. Actually made it to the top - no mean feat for a CC rig. Used lots of wheel speed to bump up and over, and I noticed right away that these tires can move some dirt based on the somewhat open tread pattern. Did far better than last week.

EDIT: Note that where the tires do not grip per-se or I'm at a bad angle, and I'm using wheelspeed to get up and over, there was no hop at all - just smooth spin for the most part until it clawed over. None needed below, walked right up and over.


After some break in time, the tires were feeling good, though the foams did not break in quite as I would like. Felt a bit on the firm side from the get go, and continued to feel that way. Made from some great sidehill action, but would have liked just a bit more flex. Would be much better on an ABS bodied CC rig due to the weight I think, but my LC is somewhat light and could have used a softer foam for sure. Just an observation. While it lacked a bit on climbs, it made up for while sidehilling - this truck was like a cat. I considered it a decent tradeoff.

Not much sidewall deformation..and sidehilling like a champ.



Couple of randoms...can you tell which was taken towards the beginning of the run, and which came last? lol.



After 4 hours of running.....hmm....wear might be an issue. Yikes. (Crappy iphone pic....dropped 1 too many times maybe.)


All in all, I was impressed - they performed much better than I expected - I definitely noticed an increase in overall traction vs. the Mudthrashers I ran last week. However, not quite to the level of the Rock Creepers I run my other CC, but they certainly held their own. I thought for sure they'd be too hard, but after break-in I cannot say I was lacking traction anywhere at all - just like a 1:1 TSL, just seemed to perform well all around. I was a bit shocked at the wear though - less than 2 packs though and they're very noticeably worn. Not quite shredding, but darn close.

The hard foams were a bit of a trade-off, if I were running a hardbody I'd leave them in. With a lighter lexan body, looking for something a bit softer. Really like the looks too, nice to have a TSL in a smaller size. In fact, I had so much fun with the CC, the SCX stayed strapped to my back for the entire day. I'll run those next weekend.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.

Last edited by OSRC; 08-11-2014 at 10:56 AM.
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Old 08-11-2014, 09:09 AM   #10
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

Just in case someone misses it, the Slick Rock tire compound is completely different from the Swampers that are included with the Twin Hammers kit and Ascender kit. I't been noted in this great write up, but some of us tend to skip info from time to time

Thanks,
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Old 08-11-2014, 10:55 AM   #11
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

Thanks for clarifying, they are indeed quite different. Very excited to try out their big brothers as well - feels like they'll do great. Perfect size on my G6 rig as well.

Both sets were fondled heavily and very well received at this week's GTG. Lots of positive comments on the wheels as well.
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Old 08-11-2014, 01:12 PM   #12
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

Do you have mounted measurements on the Vaterra tires?
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Old 08-11-2014, 04:27 PM   #13
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

I have been using the Slickrock TSL's on my 1/14th chevy. It's an MRC based rig and pretty light weight. I too found the foams too stiff and tried going no foam and 2 small vent holes in the tire. On this little rig it worked out pretty good.

Although I did see the bad wear that has been already shown.

Here is a video of a beach trip that has some rocks too. The little black chevy has the TSL's. Video starts at like .10 for some reason....



Easter Beach Safari 2014 - YouTube



I have since also weighted the tires with BB's. It is working out good for what it is.
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Old 08-11-2014, 05:01 PM   #14
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

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Do you have mounted measurements on the Vaterra tires?
Assuming you are interested in the SX tires, they measure 1.5" wide and just a hair under 4.5" tall by my ruler.
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Old 09-09-2014, 08:03 AM   #15
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

Finally got a chance to get out and get the big TSL SX's tested.

First off, apologies in advance - apparently, if you drop an iphone too many times, the camera no longer focuses. Mine no longer focuses on the right, and sometimes not at all :( These 3 pics are the only semi-presentable ones of the lot. :( Next time bringing a regular camera as well.

I wrapped them on the Standard Vaterra beadlock wheel for the same reasons described above. I do like this wheel as it has nice deep channels inside for adding some weight if you desire, and it works well with that Vaterra tire - no slippage all day. I added about 2oz front and 1.5 rear using lead fishing line to keep my rig at about a 60/40 split. Used the stock dual-stage foams as well, which are very nice - I see no need to replace them.

Mounted up on my G6 test rig, mostly stock with beef tubes and metal bits here and there - a light to medium weight truck. (one of these days I'll actually measure it) the slightly smaller diameter of the tires (compared to my PL TSL XL's) and narrower width seemed to look better to my eyes, and allowed me to drop the body a notch up front.

We went out to Green Lane park (PA) on Sunday after some torrential rain the night before. Trails were muddy, and the terrain was mostly tree roots, slick mud, and lots of rocks! Things were drying out by afternoon, so I got quite a bit of dry dirt time as well.

As far as the mud, they are super swampers - do I really have to explain? Did very well, even packed up with some of the stickier mud. Our terrain included muddy spots, and then crawling over some rocks to get to the next area, and even packed up they still gave good enough traction to get up and over.

As we got to the rockier section, the trail started drying out. By this time, we had been wheeling for an hour and the tires were starting to break in a bit. Treads were cleared out, and dry grip on the rocks was stellar. Did notice they seemed to grip and catch at times which caused the truck to hop a bit, but just an observation - never caused any issues. Might have been the different rock surfaces too - I don't know.

Nearly vertical ledge...hooked the front tire and it walked right up and over.


I did notice the tires seemed to struggle exactly once: Going up the hillclimb, there was a lot of leaves with loose, loamy dirt underneath. The truck was moving lots of dirt out the back, but wasn't going anywhere. I thought I'd get more dig out of the tires with the bigger lugs, but here they seemed to struggle a bit. I got up there with blunt wheel speed, but seemed like it was struggling more than some of the other trucks. This was the only place I noticed it all morning though - didn't have any issues anywhere else as far as loose stuff.

Sidehilling was a non-issue. In fact, one of the newer guys remarked "how the fawk did you do that!?" after sneaking around a rock ledge that should have tumbled the truck into oblivion...the dual stages foams really do their job, and there was enough stick from the tires to make it work. (Plus, I got lucky - probably will never make that line again!) Quick pic of the sidewalls while on a decent angle.


After 5000mah and 3 hours through the truck, wear was negligible. In fact, I question whether these have broken in fully yet. Feel like they have a bit more stick to go. After another pack this weekend, we'll see how they feel.

Quick shot of the tire deflection/wear rate:


All in all I like these tires. Good foams out of the box, a nice mid-size option, and good to great traction - Very nice job! If i had 1 beef, it was that the foam outers were a little hard for my liking - I prefer a little more flex on the tread pattern - should be spot on for a heavier rig however. I think the tread compound could be a touch softer as well - but as it stands it was pretty darn good.

In any case, cannot wait to put them to work on the Ascender.

Last edited by OSRC; 09-09-2014 at 08:09 AM.
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Old 09-09-2014, 09:07 AM   #16
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Great write-up, OSRC. Keep the info coming. I'm looking forward to reading about performance (of the 4.5") after a few more runs, and to seeing the wear too.

I am a TSL FANantic, and it's great to see more licensed TSL size options available.
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Old 09-09-2014, 09:36 AM   #17
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Default Re: Vaterra TSL pics and impressions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Trujillo View Post
Just in case someone misses it, the Slick Rock tire compound is completely different from the Swampers that are included with the Twin Hammers kit and Ascender kit. I't been noted in this great write up, but some of us tend to skip info from time to time

Thanks,
Can we get some part #'s for those looking at the different versions?

The newer version looks like perfect dimensions imo. Right in between the different proline versions and a lil skinnier sounds damn perfect...
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Old 09-11-2014, 09:10 AM   #18
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Well, I tried to submit a post but the site is acting screwy today.....

I agree with the OP, they are not bad at all. I have and like these tires. (Vaterra #VTR4301 I use these tires for Trail Comp Class style comp trailing/crawling. Slightly built G6. Brood motor, chassis mount battery(low), OD front gears, universals and Aluminum c-hubs...thats the gest of my rig.

Tires setup - Axial 1.9 beadlocks, 3oz per front tire, CI dual stage 4.5" soft front, med rear.
Terrain - Loamy rock formations and occasional granite (dry)
Comparison tires - Rippers R35 and Pitbull Growlers

Stock foams are dual stage with a rather firm inner (not as hard as CI) but were oversized to "pack" the tire. The inner isn't large enough to give great sidewall support, but its there....a little. I did not run the stock foams in this tire so I will refrain from commenting about the but I think they will work great for my wife's Treppador tires, we'll see.

These tires smelled like automotive floor mats - I had little hope. I was wrong. They work great. Perfect size, great looking, standard great design. My Ripsax R335 tires were my favorite until I found these....but, I'm still not 100% convinced. Ripsaw tires just work but are too short for my G6. Growlers obviously work but are WAY TOO BIG! These tires are a great fit in between the two. They fit great and work as well as the Ripsaws. I have yet to break them in (about 1.5 hours so far) so I am hopeful they will start to perform better each time I take them out.

There is no data about the compound or how to compare it to any other tire compound but its not bad. It is not as soft as the R35 or the SSx2 but so far, it has not disappointed.

Last edited by redsawacs; 09-11-2014 at 09:15 AM.
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Old 09-15-2014, 05:55 AM   #19
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I just got mine mounted yesterday. I went with these over the pro lne version simply because the new xl pro lines are a little too wide and tall for my liking. But I love the swamper look. I had the small original pro lines and loved them, just wished they were a bit bigger...here's some pics, I haven't ran them yet but I think they will work great for the terrains we drive on..

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Old 09-15-2014, 06:18 AM   #20
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I was pretty impressed with these tires. Maybe not as sticky as the prolines but it was definitely a good fit and call on including them with the twin hammers kit.
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