Tires.......#1 most expensive item for racing
01-09-2012, 01:14 AM
#31
Here's what you do
Find a company that will give you a 50% deal. Then you buy all the tires you want for X amount of dollars. After that, you run your tires once, maybe twice and then sell them to the local racer for what you paid for them. You get brand new tires at 50% off, run them a couple times, then Joe Localracer gets a great pair of tires cheap also. its a win win!
So basically you are getting exactly what you paid for them back, and can buy brand new tires for the same price.
You arent selling them to make a profit, just getting your money back so you can use your discount and buy new ones.
Find a company that will give you a 50% deal. Then you buy all the tires you want for X amount of dollars. After that, you run your tires once, maybe twice and then sell them to the local racer for what you paid for them. You get brand new tires at 50% off, run them a couple times, then Joe Localracer gets a great pair of tires cheap also. its a win win!
So basically you are getting exactly what you paid for them back, and can buy brand new tires for the same price.
You arent selling them to make a profit, just getting your money back so you can use your discount and buy new ones.
01-09-2012, 01:26 AM
#32
Great idea,,, i think it will work : )
01-09-2012, 05:37 AM
#33
Tires are just not cheap period. If you saw what us dealers pay for the tires compared to what they sell for you would see that there is not a whole lot of room for discounts. The "landed" cost to me is significantly higher than my dealer cost once you figure in shipping to me, PayPal or credit card fees, checking the order, packing the order which may include costs for materials, labeling the order and then scheduling the pick up or dropping it off at the shipping depot. More times than not I wind up breaking my hump and spending an hour of labor to make a $2-3 profit. Don't think tires are expensive because the place you buy them from is making 30-50% profit. That's just not the case. The prices from our factories and vendors is where all the profit goes.
Couldn't agree more.
If people knew how little profit dealers made.....
I am in the business for the love of the hobby, and to try and grow our hobby.
01-09-2012, 06:27 AM
#34
i've done some research, obviously the tire manufactuers are in the biz to make money. but after speaking to some higher up guys at a full size tire plant here in KS, they made it clear that we're being raped. a full set of tires and wheels that will last just one or two races.. they couldn't believe it. they're looking at a new business venture now
oh and R&D costs.. lol these are a few guys sitting at a computer. obviously there are other cost that go into production, i'm in business too, but after seeing what goes into a real tire, the the actual cost, there's no way.
just my 2c
oh and R&D costs.. lol these are a few guys sitting at a computer. obviously there are other cost that go into production, i'm in business too, but after seeing what goes into a real tire, the the actual cost, there's no way.
just my 2c
01-09-2012, 07:11 AM
#36
Tech Initiate
Neither does Louise. I tried on several occasions to get them in my shop and for the last 16 months Louise has been telling me that a USa distributor is coming soon 
if I had an extra $50,000 laying around I would become the distributor myself. I friend of mine was sponsored by them when they first started production and they make lots of cool stuff, not just tires.
if I had an extra $50,000 laying around I would become the distributor myself. I friend of mine was sponsored by them when they first started production and they make lots of cool stuff, not just tires.http://www.duratrax.com/tires/index.html
01-09-2012, 08:06 AM
#38
Mark, send me a pm
01-09-2012, 08:24 AM
#39
Worst analogy I've ever seen. ZR6 is a touch over 100k and out performs $250k exotics with ease. Sure, a ZR6 doesn't have the nostalgic value of a 430 or a Superleggera, but it wins more races and out performs them at every level. It's also built on a platform that's reliable and can go 75,000 miles without anything more than oil changes.
Last edited by mcion; 01-09-2012 at 08:41 AM.
01-09-2012, 08:35 AM
#40
A lot of people complain about how expensive tires are, but you have to think about the top manufacturer's expenses. Sponsoring races, giving away tires to all racers at some races, R&D costs, supporting top racers to represent, and tires that are made in the US at their facility (Proline/AKA).
That is why smaller name tires companies can sell tires cheaper than bigger names. Personally, I would much rather support US based/made tire companies than save a few bucks and buy overseas.
That is why smaller name tires companies can sell tires cheaper than bigger names. Personally, I would much rather support US based/made tire companies than save a few bucks and buy overseas.
01-09-2012, 08:37 AM
#41
We pay $15+ for a measly pair of control arms... which is nothing but molded piece of plastic. That is it. How in the world does a one-piece mold of plastic cost that much is beyond me... or maybe "it's all the R+D, tooling costs, shipping/packaging, etc". What a joke.
Parts markup is the biggest joke in the R/C industry... try and build an O.S. Speed by just buying spares. It would be more than DOUBLE the price of just buying a whole unit. Try and build a 1/8th scale kit by just buying parts... even more ridiculous. Parts are the bread-and-butter of profit.
What a joke. Parts markup is the biggest joke in the R/C industry... try and build an O.S. Speed by just buying spares. It would be more than DOUBLE the price of just buying a whole unit. Try and build a 1/8th scale kit by just buying parts... even more ridiculous. Parts are the bread-and-butter of profit.
Tires do cost a lot, especially for what they are (a single compound piece of molded rubber) but back in the late 80's guess what a pair of decent 1/10 tires cost? $10.50. 20 years later they cost pretty close to the same. I can tell you without a doubt that the cost of doing business has gone up a great deal in that 20 years.
I don't think we should take cost increases in the shorts any more than anyone else does but on the whole, this hobby has gotten far less expensive against huge quality improvements over the years. Not many other technically oriented sports/hobbies can make that claim.
01-09-2012, 08:38 AM
#42
Tech Apprentice
Has anyone ever tried these?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wheel-Tire...item43abd8e8a0
They have tonnes of patterns and treads... and for $8 shipped per pair MOUNTED, they can't go wrong if they only last a heat, surely?!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wheel-Tire...item43abd8e8a0
They have tonnes of patterns and treads... and for $8 shipped per pair MOUNTED, they can't go wrong if they only last a heat, surely?!
01-09-2012, 08:47 AM
#43
Retail Tire prices right now are pretty good! When I first got into 1/8 buggy; Pro-Line didn't make tires that big yet; only option was Kyosho tires. They cost $37.50 CAD per pair! Add another $25 for rims...
What I generally do now is buy rubber only and cut out my old inserts. That being said; this really only works with the AKA red insert; I wasn't able to get my pro-line inserts to survive much longer than a long main; 45 mins or so.
Later,
What I generally do now is buy rubber only and cut out my old inserts. That being said; this really only works with the AKA red insert; I wasn't able to get my pro-line inserts to survive much longer than a long main; 45 mins or so.
Later,
01-09-2012, 09:00 AM
#44
Ebay jem of the week;
Brand new Proline LRP/VTR tires for $5/pair (Calibers, Revolvers, Holeshots) in various compounds. If you've still got some LRP wheels around great deal!
Got 12 tires shipped for $45.
Brand new Proline LRP/VTR tires for $5/pair (Calibers, Revolvers, Holeshots) in various compounds. If you've still got some LRP wheels around great deal!
Got 12 tires shipped for $45.
01-09-2012, 09:05 AM
#45
hahahaha. You guys are funny. Has no one taking into account the cost of making tires or engines? Have you seen some of the factories this stuff is made in? Do you think that each company is owned and operated by ONE person? How about the engineers that actually design this stuff? Do they do it for free? Do you think that a mold to produce tires is cheap? Are the owners not entitled to make a living. How about paying all the employees that actually run the factories. This is why other tires, such as Louise, Beta and a few others get to charge 3 dollar less per set, they dont have to do the R&D and probably produced in some other country Where I believe Proline is and has been made here in the US since hum 82. The ideas have to come from someone. We cry and moan for the most technological advanced products but dont want to pay for them. I have worked and managed LHS's and have seen the prices. LHS don't make money on tires and engines. ha... I totally understand that tires are the most expensive part of racing.
Have you wonder why this hobby don't grow much? This is not a very big hobby despite what many would think. It just look like its huge because of technology like Live RC and Neo Buggy. I've been apart of this site for a few years now, and its ALWAYS the same people one here.... Hell yeah this hobby is expensive. Its always been and always will be.
A few years ago I was working in the LHS and all the big manufacturer came in Horizion, Great Planes ect, as we were talking one dude said, for every 100 RC surface cars sold, only one person actually takes up racing.
Perhaps, if we could get more people in the hobby, maybe units sold would increase, decreasing the price we pay.. Sell more, pay less -- Sell less, pay more... Do the math.
Have you wonder why this hobby don't grow much? This is not a very big hobby despite what many would think. It just look like its huge because of technology like Live RC and Neo Buggy. I've been apart of this site for a few years now, and its ALWAYS the same people one here.... Hell yeah this hobby is expensive. Its always been and always will be.
A few years ago I was working in the LHS and all the big manufacturer came in Horizion, Great Planes ect, as we were talking one dude said, for every 100 RC surface cars sold, only one person actually takes up racing.
Perhaps, if we could get more people in the hobby, maybe units sold would increase, decreasing the price we pay.. Sell more, pay less -- Sell less, pay more... Do the math.