BagofSkill

Simple question. Does anyone know if there are any tyres that work on untreated or unprepared smooth polished concrete floors?

popsracer

Are you talking about the concrete being "Shiny" like the finish a indoor warehouse would have?
If so, good luck in finding a tire to work. Pro-Line S-3's usually work better than anything else on concrete, but that is on a brushed finish that is normally outdoors.
Second choice for concrete is Take-Off tires. Forget Foams. I've never seen anyone get foam to work on concrete.

TimPotter

iTrader: (15)

Would a schumacher mini-pin work ?

popsracer

spooky;

The "Pins" need something to bite into like Dirt to work. There is also less contact with a hard surface because the pins hold the rest of the rubber off the ground.

sosidge

Schumacher minipins are what we use in the UK on slippy floors - they're mostly tiled or wooden floors though, normally polished to some degree (lots of clubs run inside school/village halls) - I've never tried the pins on concrete floors.

PS The pins don't need the dirt to grip into - I think they create grip through a combination of small surface area (the rubber in contact with the ground is more loaded, increasing grip) and spike flex which creates the grip. You'd be surprised how much traction they create.

I think the minipins are worth a go - yellows give a bit more grip, narrows also seem to be faster around most tracks than wides, but they wear FAST.

If not, a very soft compound slick, or maybe treaded tyre might work.

Pit Crew

I would strongly suggest sweeping the floor of your track before running.

Pit 20's might work with a soft insert.

Anything with soft rubber, but I agree, have not had good luck with foams on smooth concrete.

popsracer

Sosidge;

You learn something new all the time. Never heard of using rally tires on a hard surface. It HAS to be brutal on the pins though. Even 1/10 scale Truck tires can remove the pins on Dirt in one days worth of racing.

JANTLE

iTrader: (1)

When I went with my dad to my first R/C car race they were running on a gym floor at a local school. They were using foam tires that they had trued and covered with silicone. You would not believe how much these tires would grip!!!! I do not remember what kind of silicone they were using but I remember it was clear.(That was 20+ years ago) They had soo much grip that it polished the floor in the turns and that was the reason that they were not allowed to race there anymore. Some poor kid whent down to make a basket durring a basketball game and slipped and fell right on his you know what. This may be old school R/C but it may be worth a try in your request.

Jeff Antle
Team Corally U.S.A.

popsracer

JANTLE;

It HAS to be Silicone RTV Glue/Sealer that you are talking about. I can see how it would work on something smooth like a GYM floor.

BagofSkill

Yeah, the floor is shiny concrete. Thanks for the help guys.

Jared Kirkwood

BagofSkill,

Surf your way over to www.bluegrasshobbies.com, click on the contacts page and email or call Todd Green. His shop sponsors a club in his area that they is running on smooth polished concrete as you described. I went once to run to run oval and they was running foams with silicon on them. That offered very good traction but I think now that they are running onroad courses in there they have went to a normal rubber tire but I don't have a clue on what that is. I think they are also spraying the surface with soda or sugar water to help out traction conditions.

Good luck.

Jared Kirkwood

PizzaDude

I ran a few years ago on a painted smooth concrete floor.
Tried a lot of tires.

F.i. the Pit D20 that were mentioned, normally a graeat tire, but...
In factory halls, or gym's it's often a think layer of dust wjhich keeps coming down on the track.
So the softer in compund I went the quicker they were coated with dust.
Ergo NO GRIP...

Soon I'll be running there again, and Im willing to try anything.
If anyone has more specific info on the tire compounds and the silicone please share this info.

Does anyone agree with my experience with the concrete floor?!

CU
Pizza

Simon K

HPI X pattern, "Pro compound", Super narrow fronts and med width rear(26mm?)
An old faithful that works well on dusty/shiny/unprepped surfaces.

Once the dust is off the racing line...
Yokomo 138G2 w/med insert
Kyosho 30's(?), Unknown insert.

All of these tyres have worked at one point or another during the indoor series I do on dusty, cold concrete.

popsracer

Polished Concrete like most Factories or Warehouses have (in the USA anyways) are about the worst surface to try and find a tire to race on. I think the Foams with the Silicone RTV coating might work the best. Some guys are claiming that soft compound Rally tires work, I would like to see that.

PizzaDude

GUOTE:
It HAS to be Silicone RTV Glue/Sealer

Whast does RTV stand for.
I live in Europ, so what kind of silicone kit am I looking for exactly.
How should I apply/use it?

What compound would be best underneath? (for TC)

Thanks,
Pizza