QUOTE Aftermarket tires are made to fit specific wheels
I have to partly disagree with this statement. It is not really any different to 1:1 cars.
With the exception of Scalextric and Carrera, in my experience any of the most common size 19 x 10 and say 18 x10 etc. aftermarket tires will fit any wheel that is say at least 8mm or 9mm wide of 16, 16.6 or 17mm dia etc.. That works for cars from most European manufacturers like Fly, Spirit, MSC, Sloter, Sideways, Avant Slot, Ninco, NSR et al..
To use Slot.it as an example because their website used to show it. For rear tires, any slot.it tire will fit any slot.it wheel. Because they stretch. So one can get lower profile by using smaller tires or wider tyres by swapping 19x10 for 20x12.
Like wise any manufacturer's tires stretch. This works for any tires from MBslot, Sloting Plus, HobbySlot, Ninco, Cartrix, and the list goes on. There is no magic. I use Ninco front tires on the rear of a Sloter car as an example. So they are not specific to Ninco nor are they specifically front tires.
Yes this doesn't work for F1 cars and/or say cars with "non standard" small wheels like say a Renault R5 Turbo. But that is obvious simply by comparing it next to another car.
The most important tool for slot cars as a hobby is a vernier or digital caliper so wheels can be measured. I saw a small 70mm one yesterday for less then $20 so they are not out of reach price wise. This will also help with axle lengths, pinions etc. Once one starts to measure wheels it all become clear.
The specific tires for specific cars/wheels is somewhat of a misnomer and propagated in part by the way by the DIY mould in a shed Urethane suppliers list their wares.. They don't necessarily mislead but also don't always cross reference. So one can buy tires for two different cars and end up with two sets of ties exactly the same. Slot Car Corner does cross reference and has useful info on its site.
It all comes down to how much effort one is willing to put in, whether one wishes to understand or not.