OutlawPro3

Thank you Kevin

Kevin K

iTrader: (32)

The learning curve is the same no matter what tires you use when you first start out. The one nice thing about foams is that the car does not need to be set up 100% when getting started.....try to give a newbie a car thats 50% there with rubber tires and then give him a car that 50% there with foam tires....which one will he drive better and have more fun driving??? I would bet all the money on the Foam tire car.

RCGaryK

iTrader: (3)

That's not the point at all Kevin. Its not a matter of coming out of the door and dominating, but coming out of the door and being out spent so you are not competitive. As that kid who had to pay for everything and had to take months off when I didn't have the money to rebuild the car or buy new tires, I see foam as being something that has a place in the hobby, but should not be forced down people's throats. Scotty talked at this year's race that next year Brushless will be on foam. If that's the case, I won't run it. I still race on a very tight budget and I don't have the money to blow on testing and racing foam tires. I think premounted control rubber tires have been one of the best things for the sport. It takes the emphesis off equipment as much and puts more control into the driver's hands. I think that's one of the reason's the Tamiya series is so strong as well. Everyone runs rubber tires, and all the cars hook up extremely well. Plus, it harkens back to when sedan racing was more realistic and to a point, more fun.

pro3racer

i have always ran foams, not once ran rubber. I can't imagine switching over. I would always rather have all the traction available to me. I have kind of a weird history though. I have never chunked a tire. Never, throughout all the races i've raced, i've never chunked a tire. I never get into big crashes while on carpet. On asphalt, i wreck more, and break more stuff, but on carpet, i have more traction, and even though the track is more narrow, i never crash as much, it's kind of weird.
Asphalt=low grip, wide, big wreck, damage
Carpet=hgh grip, narrow, small wreck, no damage

Adam Hartzell

iTrader: (3)

When I ran rubber I never broke a arm or a c-hub. On foam they break all the time.

Neil

One of the things that I have noticed about foam tires is they can put one hell of a groove in new carpet! Helps me hook up better.

Brian Anthony

iTrader: (9)

Stop hitting stuff.

Rubber was made for one thing. Playin in the dirt. All kinds of dirt.

Kevin K

iTrader: (32)

Ok this is racing....and like any form of motorsports MONEY has an advantage over no money. With that being said there is 4 foam compounds that 95% of the people race with on carpet....and Im not talking full factory guys. With Rubber tires there is far more then 4 types of compounds to choose from not including the insert and the rim choice. Now if you are talking about a hand out spec tire....this is only relative at a bigger type event....I have yet to see a track that locally has a hand out tire week to week. And when it comes down to it spec racing is even more expensive then open racing. If everyone is on the same tire then the battery and motor play and even bigger part....then the spending comes into play. And I dont know any track other then Fernando's TFB raceway that is all FOAM only. If the guys want to race rubber tires I cant see the track owner telling them NO. If there is a national type event and its on foam tires well then you know what tires its on you can choose not to go so I dont see how Scotty or anyone for that matter is forcing them down anyones throat.

Adam Hartzell

iTrader: (3)

I hit more stuff running rubber and still never broke.

DHMOTORSPORTS

iTrader: (19)

I know I am in the same boat..I'll beat on my handout tires until the 2005 Novak race..lol Since everyone here goes outdoors for summer..Al though I think Foam is really trying to take over..Look at all the big TC races in the USA..The Snowbird,Cleveland,Now the Novak race,Triple Crown,ROAR Carpet Nats, They are all on foams..I know everytime I bring up foam at my local track the owner says NO..Look at the oval guys with there HUGE boxes of foam tires..Spend a month tring to find the right setup an over $500 in tires..And in 1 run you get hacked buy a not to talented driver and you missing half of the tire..Owell I'll keep tring I gues..Before long EVERY BIG race will be on foam unless your in California on the pavement..

Adam Hartzell

iTrader: (3)

Mabye I should move out west.

wyd

iTrader: (51)

I like running foams better and normally only run at tracks that use them. In my book rubber tires don't really last any longer. I have ruined sets in on run and have never don't that running foams. That counts for dirt ova, pan cars, and touring cars. Over 15 years of racing with foams.

It really comes down to each individual person and what you like to race. If you like rubber tires run at tracks that run them and if you like foams run at tracks that use them.

gcooper

Well before TC's I used to race carpet foam oval with pancars. It was sorta fun as a budget minded racer to try and streach the usefulness of the tire over hopefully a season. It was work to keep tires lastin the whole season. Every run you had to monitor tires, silicone rips, adjust the chassis height, lathe em, rotate, etc... I got tired of it and I got out when the tire of the month came along and could not justify the money others were spending to be competitive.

Luckily at my time of getting out of Pancars, TCs came on the scene with rubbers. With TCs I rarely break running rubbers, sometimes I do bend or break rims and usually find out it is the rim make quality vs it just being the rim. So I do have many types of rims I avoid. I have been succesful in fixing rims well enough to race on too. You still can race and do well with a bent rim. Although if I went to a Nats, I would want something new. Locally you can get away with it. I run and race tires till their threads pop through.

I don't own a set of TC foams nor do I plan on buying them anytime soon. The only way I would buy foams is if a smart company could release a spec set of 3 different compounds. To further complicate the process color the foam like HPI colors their inserts. That way its a level playing field you can actually see what others are running and it keeps the tire of the month down to 3 types especially if tracks enforced such a class.

Luckily tracks near me still believe in rubbers although they are slowly being corrupted by foam classes. If all my nearby tracks made the foam switch I probably would stick to my driveway and street racing.

Those that think they can be competitive rubber vs foam. Good luck, it takes a perfect setup, nerves of steel and no mistakes. Really a heart attack on a plate against clowns that cannot drive running foams. No Thanks!

I have no interest in dumbing down TC Tech, breaking more parts and wearing out more parts with foams. I guess my problem is I am not sponsored by Visa... LOL.

Coop

vtl1180ny

I just switched to on road this year... I always raced stadium trucks so I guess I'm an old newbie again... I am not used to having so much traction with foams on carpet... I'd much rather be running rubber on asphault but unfortunately it's winter and all the indoor tracks are carpet...

I downright refuse to pay the price the LHS wants for TRC or whatever foams... I'd rather pay $8 something a set and order them from HK...

fatdoggy

Ok to start with I think rubber tires suck! When I first started racing TC I bought some rubber tyres, the front were down to the belt in 3 weeks of racing and on my fourth week(armed with new front rubbers), the inserts in the rear overheated after 2 more runs and had completely disintergrated. That night I bought some foams and my car was dialed, I won the next heat I ran in. I have never looked back. I've since run on foams, which might I add you can buy from hk for $8 a pair . I run them from full height to the rim and they last 3-4 weeks, in general. That's around 20 - 28 runs. My rubbers were shot in 15-17 runs. People wine and bitch that they chunk there foams but with rubber there is ribbing, insert disintergration, overheating..... and the list goes on. A dab of silicone and 2 hours to dry and your chunked foam is ready to go again. I only get approximately 2-3 small chunks per set of foams through the sets life. Another think I might add is the insert wars, the right insert for the right time of day stuff that. When I put my car on the track with it's $18 set of foams I expect traction, and they havn't failed me once. Move with the times...