Originally Posted by
irvinew
I am a new racer to 1/12; a class that is very quick and I like it alot. My question is this:
Considering my race experience in this class (< 1 year) and considering the fact that I do race in a smaller club should I even consider a tire truer?
I ask this question since none of the racers own one; not that they would like one but none of us have a truer and I question the value of one at this point in my racing experience.
I see that in our bigger WCICS races the drivers either have access to one or they are a factory driver and have one at their pit. I realize at their level; the need for a lower roll center and better control pretty much mandates a good truer for them
I on the other hand are buying pre-trued tires and seem to do well all things considered maintaining ride height with spacers etc. I have my 13.5 system (Blinky) and I race a 12r5.2
I'm not saying I don't need one necessarily just inquiring perhaps when I should consider one. If the answer is yes then should I just get a manual ofna one or do I shell out a small fortune for a HUDY.
A tyre truer represents a fairly significant investment for a 1/12 scale racer. They're not cheap! However, in order to get the best you can out of the car and maximise the potential of your package, having access to a truer will quickly become quite vital.
Going from tyres that are 47mm rear and 45mm front (rough out of the packet sizes), even to something like 45/43 will see a noticeable improvement in the car, even for an inexperienced club racer. Smaller tyres are better, especially in high grip conditions! I can't remember the last time I ran a tyre that was bigger than about 43.5mm on the rear at any race in the UK - even club races in low to medium grip. My normal sizes for big races are about 42.5/41.
I raced for several years without a truer, but only thanks to the goodwill of fellow racers who were happy to lend me theirs at race meetings. In my opinion it is impossible to race 1/12th scale competitively without access to a truer. Eventually I managed to save up and buy my own truer. To start with I had a Hudy manual one. Eventually I was cutting so many tyres I got sore hands from twisting the cutter wheel! I then bought a fully automatic Hudy one and to this day it remains one of my best ever purchases from a cost/use ratio point of view. I true a lot of tyres though - maybe 150-200 pairs a year at least.
A few drivers at my local club found themselves in the same position as you. The club ended up buying a tyre truer using club funds and it now resides at the track (permanent facility) for members to use.