Tyre Refresh

For RC Drifters that run on smooth surfaces other than carpet, this maybe useful...

New Tyres always give the best grip when the surface is also clean.

For smooth concrete this is the most important for traction, braking, turn in without under-steer and controlled rear wheel-spin resulting in DRIFT.

Real race car drivers scrub the surface to prolong the compound life between qualify / race and this returns the tyre to as new.  Sacrificing tread depth for a clean contact patch

We can do this in RC...

Sometimes we think they will last forever because they are hard plastic but this depends on how you treat them.

Keep the tyres for the track ONLY.

The first pic resulted from a short spin on the car-park to prove a point. And thats just the front... the rears were thrown away.

Running the tyre on a rough surface doesn't improve traction from keeping the tyre clean.
It may remove some of the other dust or dirt on a tyre, but it embeds concrete grit and other things in the tyre.

Just like this ... a chunk of metal or stone can easily end up in the tyre, even from the off track pit area.

This then becomes a grinder on your track surface as the trye runs at 3000-5000 RPM. grinding the surface, creating dust etc.

If you drive OFF track and that area is not clean... then you can also pick up dirt and rubbish that has a lesser, but similar result. 

Inspect your tyres for these tiny stones and metal fragments and dig them out with a blade.

If the smooth plastic is rough. get the tyre warm in warm water, then scrape off the excess and dig the stones. 

The next step is to go through a series of sandpaper events. 250 / 500 / 1000 etc You could do it in a tyre truer or drill setup for more accuracy, but a hand refresh can work just as effectively.

 The final step is to polish up. you may need a cutting compound or a less abrasive polish depending on the damage to the tyre,

I had a few different tyre sets to refresh.

Some required just a wash,
Some required just a polish,
some required a sand and polish,
and some required the full scrape, sand, polish effect
and some I just threw out!

New sets purchased.

Summary.

1. KEEP THE TRACK CLEAN... Including the off track and pit areas
2. KEEP YOUR TYRES CLEAN...by not driving off track.
3. CLEAN and inspect your tyres between track visits.
3. REPAIR your TYRES for longer life.
4. REPLACE your TYRES for best performance.