[fouldsc]

After chatting to Julian(Slik) last night about tyres it got me thinking , what
is best for running on routed wooden tracks ?

Most things I have read say use treated rubber , yet others have mentioned
that silicon is best.

I intend to run a back to back trial this Wednesday but in the mean time
out of interest I put the question out to you guys - what is best on Wooden
tracks , rubber or silicon ??????

Chris

 

[alfetta]

Sponge! with Goop
Alfetta

 

[Mr.M]

I prefer mine with buttercream and jam!

But thats probably just me!

Mr.M

P.S. Or custard in the winter.

 

[fouldsc]

ahh Sponge , sponge is not allowed where I race - so can't use them
thought I am told they are fantastic.

Oh on a side note just won last months Getslotted Comp - ROCK ON !

 

[Dick Smith]

It does depend on the paint surface.

If the track is painted with a smooth gloss polyuranthane paint, as most tend to be, there will be no grip at all with either until a layer of rubber/silcone goes down. The important thing is for everybody to use the same thing as rubber to rubber is good, silicon to silicon is good but silicon to rubber is bad.

If the track is painted with sandtex all you tend to get is a layer of dust. Generally speaking grip is better with a smooth surface to a smooth surface, rather than a smooth surface on top of a lot of sharp points. There is a greater contact area.

 

[fouldsc]

ah that may explain it - the track is covered in rubber deposits from the other
tyres - so thats why when I run silicon its like driving on glass.

So basically cause everyone else runs rubber I've got to as well ?

Chris

 

[RichD]

The wood track that I run on is painted with flat latex and silicone tires work better than rubber on it. 1/24th commercial track racers use nothing but sponge tires and they are only good if you use tire dressing on them. Sponge tires will wear out more quickly than solid rubber or silicone tires and they also dry out and become useless after a few months unless you take heroic measures. Sponge rubber dust and tire dressing will leave a heavy deposit of gunk on a track after a month or two of use, which is why home racers tend to avoid it. Another problem with sponge is that it just doesn't look right from a scale point of view. If a track is not very clean silicone tires will go off and need cleaning. You can never get a track perfectly clean by vacuuming it or wiping it down. To get the last of the dust you just have to run cars around for a hundred laps or so. In any case it is worth getting silicones the same size as the rubber tires that a car comes with to make a direct comparison under your conditions. Indy Grips, for example, come in many sizes.

 

[GRAH1]

Dick has hit the nail on the head dont mix and match rubber and silicon ,silicon and neoprene tend to have a cleaning action on the track and will be the best if thats what every one else is using .so if the general oppinion at a track is use silicon ,then use it you wont gain anything by being the only rubber runner like wise with ortmans .if the majority use ortmans then you will be best on them .However it is when every one is using rubber tyres that knowledge of traction aids and compounds comes into its own and can give an advantage in grip that your competitors cant find,

 

[RussGB]

I think this varies a lot from track to track.

All of the HSARC tracks are wood. The road course is balckboard paint, very smooth but porous. With two leagues of true scale 1/32 cars running, one with stock rubber, and the other using all kinds, the kinds of tire and tire treatment used is very broad. We use stock rubber, aftermarket rubber, silicone, neoprene and foam! (There are quite a few kinds of foam for our axle size that look scale, and either the wheel is acceptable looking or can take inserts).

Everyone in every class in the league that allows tire upgrades uses the best possible tire. Diffrent classes allow different tires. All work well. Foam without magnets requires the use of quite a hard compound otherwise they bite too hard. We raerly clean the track and there is a distinct area where tires run (you can see this in the pictures on Track pix. I think it is a big mix of the various tire types. It can be cleaned with alcohol or lighter fluid and can be scraped up with a finger nail. When we do clean the track all tires perform less well.

On our oval which is gloss latex, Foam rules without a doubt. Others work ok, but without magnets, the smoothness of the track shows every imperfection in the tire. Cars that rumble will handle badly. Even a stock Scaley tire when trued properly will go quite well on this track.

BTW say hi to julian for me! Met him at Sandown last year...