McRC Tire MOD Options - Please post

[J.DUKE]

I have done a bunch of searches and folks are saying what they did to thier McRC tires, but no-one's really reporting on how its affected tire performance. So, please post what you've done to your tires, stock or otherwise; sipe, remove lugs, soak in simple green, remove foams, add wheel weight, whatever!

What did you do to your tires?
How did it affect the rigs performance?

We all need to know what worked and didn't work, and what had the biggest impact. So many folks are focused on what chassis to buy, but if the rubber is whats actually in contact with the rocks, then addressing the tires is also critical! Thanks.

Jared

 

[JeepinOR]

Something like this is tricky to specifically search for. It's one of those things that you just have to keep an eye out for while reading peoples' build threads and what-not.

In my DP build thread that I updated yesterday: I mention comparing a new set of stock tires (weighted, etc) to an older stock pair of tires with every-other lug cut out (the small lugs). In short, I like the uncut tires better.


What have you tried? :roll:

 

[DANALLY]

I used weights, foams, no foams, and even cutting every other lug. All of the gains were slight to good.

I have never been a fan of adding BB's. I tried it and WOW! on these rigs alone it works like gluing the rig to the rocks. I eventually filled each tire nearly all the way with no foams and no additional weight like washers and such. The big secret to this mod is that the rig works better with the extra power of a 7.4 lipo. In fact it's the only way to make a rig with a 7.4 lipo handle well (IMO).

I crawled side by side with other rigs with weighted and cut tires...mine handled EVERY line better and in some cases was the only one to make some lines. It just soaks up all the bounce and plants the rig solid.

 

[J.DUKE]

Thanks for the feedback.

I haven't cut lugs yet because I havent found anyone singing the praises of that mod. I did no foams, and lots of cleaning (wipe with a soapy rag) and tons of BBs up front,but not so many that the tire can't conform...

Whats puzzling is that the BWD weight system, though its lighter than my BB loaded set-up, performs just as well, probably due to the microwedge chassis' abilities im guessing.

But theres several lines where the rig is planted on coarse rock but just doesn't grip. Rather than add more weight, I'd like to make the tires more grippy... Thats what prompted me to start this thread.

 

[willy1106]

Check it the microtforum there's some threads there about softening tires on micro ts it maybe what your lookin to do and maybe helpful. I think some type of degreaser or cleaner to soften the rubber

 

[JeepinOR]

But theres several lines where the rig is planted on coarse rock but just doesn't grip. Rather than add more weight, I'd like to make the tires more grippy...

Indeed.
I haven't tried Simple Green but I kind of doubt it would do much. Someone recently suggested Goo Gone - brushing it on and leaving it for a few hours.
You could also try siping them with a razor blade - the thin/solid lugs, perhaps.

The BWD M'Wedge will certainly help overall performance. Of course, if you have two Micros you could swap tires to see how they perform with the different chassis.

Thinking Out Loud: I wonder how much resistance all those BB's add to your tires's folding ability. You said they still conform but could they be limiting it just enough to make a difference, versus your BWD weighted wheels (with or without foam?)?

 

[Dogbreath]

You should not have so many BBs in the tire that it doesn't conform, in fact it should only be 1/3 full at most so that the BB's roll to the bottom regardless of rotation or angle. I don't like BB's at all, they are too light (being copper) and too big. I prefer lead shot, it's heavier and smaller in diameter than BBs.
In my tires I use a combination of internal lead wraps (solder if thats all you have), lead shot, and external wheel weight and set my weights at 45-50g front and 30-35g rear

 

[getbent]

I agree with DANALLY and dogbreath, the lead shot made a HUGE difference on mine. I was also not a big fan of adding bb's to tires, but on the micro crawler it just works. I am also using the lead shot from shotgun shells, but I don't recommend cutting up shells if you dont know what you're doing.
My setup,
lead shot in tires front and rear
no foams
40gr front
30gr rear

My tires are siped and cut, helped alot with sidehilling and allowing the tires to conform to the rock better.

 

[J.DUKE]

THANKS for all the info!
I love soaking it up before I blindly dive into a mod...
As for the BBs, I shoe-goo'd them in carefully with a toothpick goo-applicator so they stay put tight to the rim. Having them loose really seemed to hurt performance. They'd flood the bottom of the tire and prevent any conforming.

My scale only does ounces. But according to Google (everthing on google is true)... 1 ounce = 28.3495231 grams
So I'm way to light in the back wheels.

Heres my plan. Optimize wheels weight. Sipe the lugs. I won't be removing any completely for now. Give them an overnight soak in simple green. If I do remove lugs, it'll be an alternating gap concept kinda like Proline Badlands...

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[JeepinOR]

As for the BBs, I shoe-goo'd them in carefully with a toothpick goo-applicator so they stay put tight to the rim. Having them loose really seemed to hurt performance. They'd flood the bottom of the tire and prevent any conforming.

So are these larger balls of some sort or do you have quite a bit of them in there so the tire can't fold/conform?


Short Version: Goo Gone brushed on the tire(s) and left for a few hours definitely softens them.

Long Version: I applied some Goo Gone with an old toothbrush on one of the lug-cut McRC tires I have. I placed the tire in a plastic lid (ie: disposable) for a few hours, revisiting the tire every 30 minutes or so to rebrush it with the Goo Gone that settled back into the lid. I only used enough to coat the tire, so when the fluid settled down the tire was not sitting in a pool of Goo Gone. After a few hours I washed the tire with hot water and soap to get rid of the slick Goo'. :ror:

The tire is noticeably softer. A few tiny bits of tire rubbed off during the brushing but the tire seems fully intact. I don't think the Goo Gone was eating away at the tire as much as I was simply rubbing off bits from the lugs that were already torn/tearing away from normal use. It also seems as though the CA glue held and I won't have to re-glue the tires...we'll see.

I tried another tire this morning with the same [good] results so I decided to do the last two...I'll get 'em on the rocks this afternoon/evening, I hope. They don't feel any stickier, but like I said - softer. Maybe they'll fold a little better and we'll get some more hook up. If it seems to be worthwhile, I'll try this on the new, uncut set.


If I had a set that I hadn't already weighted and re-glued, I think I would try soaking, rather than just coating, the tire for a while longer than the 2-3 hours I initially tried. It could help a bit more or, of course, do more harm than good!

FYI: the $1 Store often has Goo Gone (the real stuff even). "thumbsup"

 

[JeepinOR]

Using Goo Gone to soften these little tires works. It's not groundbreaking. It won't replace weights or the need for a micro tire made from a good compound. But it works.

The softer tires simply seem to work a little better than they did before the Goo Gone treatment. They didn't feel stickier to the touch but they immediately started picking up more dust and organic debris - they were definitely dirtier than the tires usually are after running them.
They found traction on smooth river rocks more-so than they did before, helping the rig pull itself up at places it would only spin. I don't mean to say she's making every line on the smooth rocks now, but in places where I often had to let her spin while rocking the servo back and forth looking for a hook up, she pulled herself right up.
And, the softness also seems to help these tires fold just a little more easily.

As suggested, this isn't to a groundbreaking, jump up and down, every Micro owner needs Goo Gone now degree, but it is noticeable. I wouldn't go out of my way and spend lots of money on this stuff but if you happen to have a bit of Goo Gone or wander by a $1 Store or other inexpensive source, try it. "thumbsup"

 

[LowCrawl]

Match the tire to the terrain

I've tried weights and I've tried BBs, but what works best is having different sets of tires for different types of terrain. I love the stock tires, they are great, but for someone that runs their rig on compacted "moon dust" like I do you need to match the tire to the terrain.
For the first mod, I simply cut off every other lug. Then I stuffed the tire with paper towel soaked in CLP or a light, low viscosity lubricant and then wrapped the outside in the same. I let sit over night and the result is and even swelling of the tire at about .5 a millimeter in diameter and width. I use this tire with reshaped foams on rock, rubble, and hard packed moon dust.

For the second mod its the same as the first but I took a soldering iron and "siped" the remaining lugs in half long ways. I also cut the CLP treatment timee to 3 hours. This leaves the tires looking almost like the pin type ones you see on buggies. This is ideal for terrain that is dusty or crumbly. The shorter soak time makes them less moshy and thus less prone to loosing traction due to accumulated dust.

Hope some of these help out.

 

[krono7s]

i used bb's and i must say, it was a big help... i put 30 in the front and 18 in the rear. probably the best thing i have done for traction so far