RCCrawler Forums

Grizzly4x4 · 03-01-2005, 12:09 AM

Previously the biggest tires for a 2.2” wheel have been 5” tall, but Imex has stepped up to the plate with the All-T: a tire that should help usher in a new era of small-scale crawlers. First of all these tires are BIG, measuring 5.5” tall and 2.75” wide mounted on a RPM Clawz 2.2 wheel, and there is a lot of sidewall there. These monsters seem tailor made for my 2.2 Clod-axle crawler, while still maintaining a semi-scale look under the big HPI ‘73 Bronco body. The Bronc body is approximately 1/8 scale (by my measurements) so the All-T’s are 44” inches tall in scale and have a very realistic tread pattern, something Imex excels at.

My first thought is that these tires will need some kind of foam to maintain good lateral stability in the sidewalls. I decided to not use the supplied foam but rather use a foam from a 5” tall tire. This should let the tread and sidewall flex nicely while supporting the sidewall and keeping the tires from getting wedged into small cracks. With these foams, diff clearance measured in at 1 5/8" with my shaved axles. My next plan is to use narrowed IMEX foams, narrowed foam has worked well in some of my other tires. The rubber compound feels very good, much like the Imex JumboMaxx Swamp Dawgs. When you drag them on the table they make that cool howling noise. I have always felt that the JSD rubber was top notch and those tires really kept my competition crawler on par with the rigs running the discontinued ProLine Giant Tracs.
The All-T tread is a non-directional pattern with nice size voids between the lugs. The lugs feel quite flexible but not so soft that they wont be able to hook onto the rocks and hold. There are a lot of lugs so that leaves lots of room for fine tuning the tread with some creative cutting, but don’t break out the Dremel and scissors just yet.

The first spot I found to test the tires was a jumbled section of landscaping rock in a drainage area. I picked out a line heading uphill, fired up The Duke and did my best to follow the line I had picked out. This type of rock has a pretty smooth surface but lots of pointy, jagged edges to use for traction. While the All-T’s fought for traction I fought to find lines that kept the diffs from getting hung up on the rocks, an impossible task. The All-T’s surprised me at their ability to hang on to the smooth surfaces and hold a line. They did what I asked of them with very little slipping. Those big ole sidewall’s molded themselves around the edges and corners of the rocks like licorice on hot summer day. Not to say that the tires didn’t slip at all or that I one-shoted every obstacle, but they did their job and The Duke quickly made it to the top of the hill.

My biggest concern was the sidewalls and how well these tires could hold a side-hill. So after I finished work, I headed over to another rock area for some night testing. These rocks are natural mountain rocks with a rough textured surface and rounder edges than the landscape rocks. I lined up The Duke do try a side-hill line that should really be difficult. The uphill tires had the mountain rock to hold onto but the downhill tires were running on smooth river rock. One slip and I would lose my line and have to start over. I rode high on the line to keep the tires on the uphill side of the river rock as I maneuvered to the crack that would take me up the rock face. The All-T’s held their ground, I could hear all the little lugs gripping as I worked my way to the crack, sounding like Velcro being ripped apart. I reached the crack with no problems and started up the face. This was a tough uphill, off-camber climb with only the edge of the crack offering much help from sliding off. As the front tires crested, the left rear hit a hole and The Duke pitched over to the downhill side, threatening to tumble. I eased the front tires to the left and kept steady power as the sidewalls did most of the work and The Duke slowly made it over the top. The last obstacle was a steep rock that would flip you over backward if you chose the wrong line. After a few attempts I found a line that allowed my front tires to crest and pull The Duke up. This spot was the first time I really noticed the front tires slipping but they got me over in the end.

Now a test does not mean a lot without a base line to compare to. How good is good if you don’t have something to judge against so I ran both trails with the All-T’s and a set of Masher2000’s, trying my best to take the exact same lines but always following the same basic trail. I plan to do a full blown test of the All-T against the Masher 2000 tire so I do not want to give too much away but let me say this. The All-T followed every line the Mashers did with one exception, the last rock face on the second trail. I do not feel that traction was to blame but rather the increased center of gravity from the taller tires. Whenever I tried to follow the Masher line up that rock, the rig would flip over backwards before the front tires had a chance to grab.

So what’s the bottom line you ask? That’s what you read all this for right? Well I have to say that I was extremely happy with the Imex All-T’s performance. The extra diff clearance was a welcome addition from what I was used to with the Masher 2000’s, the sidewalls proved to be stable with the foam I ran in them, and the rubber seemed to grip well in the situations that were available for this test. I have run the Masher 2000’s for a long time, and they work well, but the All-T’s appear to be right there with traction, plus they give some extra diff clearance and width. Bottom line: Imex has made an excellent tire with the 2.2 All-T that should be able to hang with the best on the rocks and blow them away with their great looks.

Grizzly4x4 · 03-01-2005, 12:10 AM

more pics

Grizzly4x4 · 03-01-2005, 12:11 AM

couple more

Thanks for reading guys.

BENDER · 03-01-2005, 12:22 AM

Nice, they look sweet on The Duke. The sidewall flex looks perfect.

Grizzly4x4 · 03-01-2005, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slbks5

Great write up. My All 2.2" All T's are on the way to me. Do you think it is possible to cut the foams that cam with the all t's, instead of buying smaller foams?

You bet slbks5, mark out a 5" diameter circle and cut them with a sharp knife. I have narrowed the foams that came with them by about 0.6". I will try that next because I narrowed the foam that came with my Masher 2000's and those flex real well too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bender

Nice, they look sweet on The Duke. The sidewall flex looks perfect.

Thanks Fred...uh..... bender,

I really love the looks and yes, the flex seems just right.

Thanks guys

Plays_with_Toys · 03-01-2005, 12:36 AM

Your duke doesn't look scale anymore... It looks like the super duke from before

Nice write up.

Grizzly4x4 · 03-01-2005, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plays_with_Toys

Your duke doesn't look scale anymore... It looks like the super duke from before

Nice write up.

Imagine 49" IROKS on a crawler, then they look scale.

Yea, it is starting to wander from scale but some people wold say it aint scale anyway cuz it dont have driveshafts.

Imagine how hard it is to put the smaller tires back on though.

Thanks Plays.

jason · 03-01-2005, 01:00 AM

Very awsome tech, as soon as I get a chance I wanna put this up in the review section!

Plays_with_Toys · 03-01-2005, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizzly4x4

some people wold say it aint scale anyway cuz it dont have driveshafts.

Won't stop me from whooping up on it with my scaler...

utbeamer · 03-01-2005, 07:53 AM

Thanks Griz, but how am I going to convince my wife that I need to spend another 50 bucks on my crawler?!

Grizzly4x4 · 03-01-2005, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by utbeamer

Thanks Griz, but how am I going to convince my wife that I need to spend another 50 bucks on my crawler?!

Don't tell her. When she sees the tires, tell her they are the same ones. Really, it werks.

Sorry, crawler advice I'm glad to give; woman advice yer on yer own.

Plays_with_Toys · 03-01-2005, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizzly4x4

Don't tell her. When she sees the tires, tell her they are the same ones. Really, it werks.

Sorry, crawler advice I'm glad to give; woman advice yer on yer own.

Actually it usually does work. My dad got away with a set of new wheels on his tacoma for two weeks before his wife noticed they were different.

DirkDigler · 03-01-2005, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizzly4x4

Don't tell her. When she sees the tires, tell her they are the same ones. Really, it werks.

Sorry, crawler advice I'm glad to give; woman advice yer on yer own.

Right!
I also like to use: "What the hell are you talking about? I got these tires in trade for some old tires I had!!!!"

or

"What the hell......." then start running.

Grizzly4x4 · 03-01-2005, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WannaBeDigler

"What the hell......." then start running.

F'in LOL!

My wife once said "If you made $X.XX per year I would'nt tell you how to spend it like some wives do."
So I got that goin for me since I make more than $X.XX per year.

True story.

utbeamer · 03-01-2005, 12:28 PM

I would, but my wife does the budget. Shes got me by the hoevos.

Grizzly4x4 · 03-01-2005, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plays_with_Toys

Actually it usually does work. My dad got away with a set of new wheels on his tacoma for two weeks before his wife noticed they were different.

Yea, if they find out weeks later it seems to be easier to talk yer way out of than if they find out that day.

Grizzly4x4 · 03-01-2005, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by utbeamer

I would, but my wife does the budget. Shes got me by the hoevos.

F'in LOL!

Yer screwed.

j/k

WRMorrison · 03-02-2005, 08:52 PM

Or, do like I do and get it delivered to your workplace. When you write it down in the checkbook, instead of entering "Joe Schmoe's LHS", just enter "Joe Schmoe". That way, when she asks why you paid this guy, tell her that you owed him some money from a long time ago or something and you just now remembered to pay him back.

Or, another little trick of mine:

Only sweep up the shop about once every two months so the floor is almost always covered in aluminum shavings and the like. Then, put all your crawler stuff out there. She won't dare enter for fear of getting all that crap stuck in her shoes, or feet if she's barefoot. Works for me.

Something thread related: Just ordered 4 of these tires off eBay (maybe six, not sure if punched the right buttons or not...

)

Burban · 03-02-2005, 09:42 PM

I figure its easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.

ronbeck · 03-03-2005, 09:40 AM

thanks for the write up and pics of the new all-ts. i have mine coming next week throught the lhs. wondering how my jr z590 servo will handle them, and the inet wideners.

03-01-2005, 12:09 AM	#1
Grizzly4x4 PapaGriz Yo Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: In the garage building the wife a crawler Posts: 13,137	Tire Test: Imex 2.2 All-T Previously the biggest tires for a 2.2” wheel have been 5” tall, but Imex has stepped up to the plate with the All-T: a tire that should help usher in a new era of small-scale crawlers. First of all these tires are BIG, measuring 5.5” tall and 2.75” wide mounted on a RPM Clawz 2.2 wheel, and there is a lot of sidewall there. These monsters seem tailor made for my 2.2 Clod-axle crawler, while still maintaining a semi-scale look under the big HPI ‘73 Bronco body. The Bronc body is approximately 1/8 scale (by my measurements) so the All-T’s are 44” inches tall in scale and have a very realistic tread pattern, something Imex excels at. My first thought is that these tires will need some kind of foam to maintain good lateral stability in the sidewalls. I decided to not use the supplied foam but rather use a foam from a 5” tall tire. This should let the tread and sidewall flex nicely while supporting the sidewall and keeping the tires from getting wedged into small cracks. With these foams, diff clearance measured in at 1 5/8" with my shaved axles. My next plan is to use narrowed IMEX foams, narrowed foam has worked well in some of my other tires. The rubber compound feels very good, much like the Imex JumboMaxx Swamp Dawgs. When you drag them on the table they make that cool howling noise. I have always felt that the JSD rubber was top notch and those tires really kept my competition crawler on par with the rigs running the discontinued ProLine Giant Tracs. The All-T tread is a non-directional pattern with nice size voids between the lugs. The lugs feel quite flexible but not so soft that they wont be able to hook onto the rocks and hold. There are a lot of lugs so that leaves lots of room for fine tuning the tread with some creative cutting, but don’t break out the Dremel and scissors just yet. The first spot I found to test the tires was a jumbled section of landscaping rock in a drainage area. I picked out a line heading uphill, fired up The Duke and did my best to follow the line I had picked out. This type of rock has a pretty smooth surface but lots of pointy, jagged edges to use for traction. While the All-T’s fought for traction I fought to find lines that kept the diffs from getting hung up on the rocks, an impossible task. The All-T’s surprised me at their ability to hang on to the smooth surfaces and hold a line. They did what I asked of them with very little slipping. Those big ole sidewall’s molded themselves around the edges and corners of the rocks like licorice on hot summer day. Not to say that the tires didn’t slip at all or that I one-shoted every obstacle, but they did their job and The Duke quickly made it to the top of the hill. My biggest concern was the sidewalls and how well these tires could hold a side-hill. So after I finished work, I headed over to another rock area for some night testing. These rocks are natural mountain rocks with a rough textured surface and rounder edges than the landscape rocks. I lined up The Duke do try a side-hill line that should really be difficult. The uphill tires had the mountain rock to hold onto but the downhill tires were running on smooth river rock. One slip and I would lose my line and have to start over. I rode high on the line to keep the tires on the uphill side of the river rock as I maneuvered to the crack that would take me up the rock face. The All-T’s held their ground, I could hear all the little lugs gripping as I worked my way to the crack, sounding like Velcro being ripped apart. I reached the crack with no problems and started up the face. This was a tough uphill, off-camber climb with only the edge of the crack offering much help from sliding off. As the front tires crested, the left rear hit a hole and The Duke pitched over to the downhill side, threatening to tumble. I eased the front tires to the left and kept steady power as the sidewalls did most of the work and The Duke slowly made it over the top. The last obstacle was a steep rock that would flip you over backward if you chose the wrong line. After a few attempts I found a line that allowed my front tires to crest and pull The Duke up. This spot was the first time I really noticed the front tires slipping but they got me over in the end. Now a test does not mean a lot without a base line to compare to. How good is good if you don’t have something to judge against so I ran both trails with the All-T’s and a set of Masher2000’s, trying my best to take the exact same lines but always following the same basic trail. I plan to do a full blown test of the All-T against the Masher 2000 tire so I do not want to give too much away but let me say this. The All-T followed every line the Mashers did with one exception, the last rock face on the second trail. I do not feel that traction was to blame but rather the increased center of gravity from the taller tires. Whenever I tried to follow the Masher line up that rock, the rig would flip over backwards before the front tires had a chance to grab. So what’s the bottom line you ask? That’s what you read all this for right? Well I have to say that I was extremely happy with the Imex All-T’s performance. The extra diff clearance was a welcome addition from what I was used to with the Masher 2000’s, the sidewalls proved to be stable with the foam I ran in them, and the rubber seemed to grip well in the situations that were available for this test. I have run the Masher 2000’s for a long time, and they work well, but the All-T’s appear to be right there with traction, plus they give some extra diff clearance and width. Bottom line: Imex has made an excellent tire with the 2.2 All-T that should be able to hang with the best on the rocks and blow them away with their great looks. Attached Images Last edited by Grizzly4x4; 03-01-2005 at 12:42 AM.

03-01-2005, 12:10 AM	#2
Grizzly4x4 PapaGriz Yo Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: In the garage building the wife a crawler Posts: 13,137	more pics Attached Images Last edited by Grizzly4x4; 03-01-2005 at 12:13 AM.

03-01-2005, 12:11 AM	#3
Grizzly4x4 PapaGriz Yo Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: In the garage building the wife a crawler Posts: 13,137	couple more Thanks for reading guys. Attached Images Last edited by Grizzly4x4; 03-01-2005 at 12:18 AM.

03-01-2005, 12:22 AM	#4
BENDER 2006 2.2 National Champ Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Big Bear Lake Posts: 8,328	Nice, they look sweet on The Duke. The sidewall flex looks perfect.

03-01-2005, 12:36 AM	#6
Plays_with_Toys I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Centennial, CO Posts: 2,129	Your duke doesn't look scale anymore... It looks like the super duke from before Nice write up.

03-01-2005, 01:00 AM	#8
jason R.I.P. Chip Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: The Crawler State Posts: 13,938	Very awsome tech, as soon as I get a chance I wanna put this up in the review section!

03-01-2005, 07:53 AM	#10
utbeamer Quarry Creeper Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Orem, UT Posts: 239	Thanks Griz, but how am I going to convince my wife that I need to spend another 50 bucks on my crawler?!

03-01-2005, 12:28 PM	#15
utbeamer Quarry Creeper Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Orem, UT Posts: 239	I would, but my wife does the budget. Shes got me by the hoevos.

03-02-2005, 08:52 PM	#18
WRMorrison Rock Crawler Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Land of the Free, because of the Brave Posts: 891	Or, do like I do and get it delivered to your workplace. When you write it down in the checkbook, instead of entering "Joe Schmoe's LHS", just enter "Joe Schmoe". That way, when she asks why you paid this guy, tell her that you owed him some money from a long time ago or something and you just now remembered to pay him back. Or, another little trick of mine: Only sweep up the shop about once every two months so the floor is almost always covered in aluminum shavings and the like. Then, put all your crawler stuff out there. She won't dare enter for fear of getting all that crap stuck in her shoes, or feet if she's barefoot. Works for me. Something thread related: Just ordered 4 of these tires off eBay (maybe six, not sure if punched the right buttons or not... )

03-02-2005, 09:42 PM	#19
Burban Rock Stacker Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Kingston Ontario Canada Posts: 68	I figure its easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.

03-03-2005, 09:40 AM	#20
ronbeck Quarry Creeper Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 347	thanks for the write up and pics of the new all-ts. i have mine coming next week throught the lhs. wondering how my jr z590 servo will handle them, and the inet wideners.

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Thread: Tire Test: Imex 2.2 All-T