eds24

iTrader: (56)

I'm going to start racing indoor carpet soon. I used the search function and found a few threads on this topic but not many.

I'm going to be racing 17.5 Touring Car and 13.5 1/12th. I obviously will have to use foam on the 1/12th and have heard I will need to get a truer. So if I get truer... then that sort of makes it hard to decided on if I should run rubber or foam on the touring car.

I'm a college student so money is definatly an issue. The carpet track is only a couple minutes from campus... so I will be at the track practicing all the time. So which ever tires I use will get used a lot.
Please let me know what your guys opinions on the topic of Foam vs. rubber and which you think I should decide to use.

Thanks,
Ethan

Double D Donuts

iTrader: (15)

if youre tight on money then you'll probably want to run rubber. they will last a lot longer, but if its a mixed class of foam/rubber you could try and ask others for their chunked tires they dont use anymore since you'll have a truer anyways!

Timbulb

iTrader: (2)

Foam is for seat cushions and insoles.

Danny-b23

iTrader: (3)

And 1/12 scales.

Tire Chunker

iTrader: (16)

And rubber is for rubbers!

Shawn68z

iTrader: (6)

I dont know if you should even bother getting a tire truer. I have had one for acouple of years now, and have only used it when I mount donuts. If you are buying tire/wheel combos that are ready to run (like CRC's), then you shouldnt need to true them.

Before everyone jumps on me for this one though, I do know that smaller diameter wheels/tires work better then full size, but for club racing it should not make a difference.

Besides, your local club may already have a truer members can use, or just ask another racer.

Shawn.

CypressMidWest

iTrader: (1)

Run rubber on the TC. They will last longer, and it takes some of the variables out of running a class that's already WAY TOO COMPLICATED. Plus if you run rubber there's a wealth of set-up info available for virtually every chassis on the market.

I still prefer TC's on FOAMS, but I'm definitely in the minority at this point.

Danny-b23

iTrader: (3)

+1.

Foam is 10 times easier to drive than rubber, but rubber is 10 times easier to get a consistent setup on than foam.

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

I doubt your club even allows foam in TC. Very few do these days. So if you think you want to run foam, better make sure it's allowed first.

eds24

iTrader: (56)

The class I would be running in is foam/rubber.

syndr0me

iTrader: (32)

If you plan to run at CORRC, we don't disallow foams on sedans, but I haven't seen anybody run them at our track in years. Rubber tires (Solaris Medium, available at the track) have been the choice for a long while now.

That said, a rubber tire sedan can be a finicky thing to setup and drive since there's limited grip. If you wanted to throw foams on to practice, or just get the hang of things, I don't think anybody would mind. Like others said, though, foams won't last nearly as long. For practice, you can pretty much run the rubber tires until they fall apart.

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

Well in that case, the right foam tire on a properly set-up car is usually going to be faster.

eds24

iTrader: (56)

sydrome: Thanks for the info.. I'm actually going to be mostly running up at the hobbyplex up in fort collins since I'm going to CSU next year.

ammdrew

iTrader: (25)

Foam tc is a much better race then rubber.. Cars are closer less penalty for a rub, nudge or push... Even less on a wall touch... Money game is the same run what your local track runs. And from what I can see foam is on the rise across the board at club level.

malkiy

iTrader: (10)

Maybe in the mid west, where foam got started, every where else it's dead.

Those rubs, nudges, wall touches or pushes usually resulted in a chunked tire.