Rory

one of my friends has been running a set of rubbers for about 10 months flat out every meet, every practice day and came 2nd last meet to a driver who is about to move up a class. his tires still haven't even started ribbing.

I on the other hand probably don't take as good care of my tires, and my driving style is definitely harder on my tires, so i only get about 4-5 months of usable life out of them...

however i'm not slamming foams, i think people should be given a choice to run whatever they like. i myself prefer rubbers but i realize everyone has a different opinion.

on a side note, (some) people are saying rubbers are better for a beginner and encourage them to stay in the hobby, while for Mr Moneybags Top Mod Driver foams are faster. so while running foams only might discourage newbies from staying in the hobby, running rubbers exclusively could also severely piss off some off the more experienced drivers, and they might leave the track

futureal

...and to think I've been tossing my rubbers after one use.

Wait, what are we talking about?

RCGaryK

iTrader: (3)

Good Night Everybody!

Adam Hartzell

iTrader: (3)

Cute

Nexus

iTrader: (42)

futureal - you're supposed to turn them inside out after the first use

CRASH

iTrader: (26)

Our local track has classes for foam and rubber tires. We have Expert Stock with Foam Tires, Stock with Rubber Tires and 19 Turn with Foam Tires. Everyone has a choice so no complaints just a lot of good racing. By the way foam tires do lay down some serious grooves for the rubber tire cars.

I think there is and needs to be a place for both. You will always have people that dislike one or the other for one of a million reasons and that is just life.

Later,

vtl1180ny

Oh my virgin eyes have been scarred....

gotpez

We started on rubber so we should stay on rubber? That is just nuts!!!! An argument like that is just like saying we started with wiper-arm speed controls, so we shouldn't be using electronic speed controls. Technologies change and so do we.

I have NEVER seen a car on rubber beat a car on foam with drivers of equal talent. That doesn't mean it can't be done, I've just never seen it. I am almost willing to agree that TC on asphalt should be rubber, but our local club still runs foams. I may try some rubber this summer, but if I can not be as competetive as I was, I will be back to foam.

As for carpet, I have been a carpet racer for about 12 years now. It has always been on foam. Foam tires and carpet just go together. 1/12th scale, oval and now TC. Yes, foam chunks, but there are ways to minimize the risk of that. As far as a spec foam tire, there really already is one. Plaid fronts and Purple rears. 99% of all racers use these compounds on both carpet and asphalt. You do not need a box full of tires to have the right set for the track and environment. That argument about foams is completely false.

When it comes to spending money, that is a part of our hobby that will never go away. Motors, batteries, tires and many other parts have a short optimal life. Why do you think everybody brings their newest best stuff to the big races? Some racers will do this even at club races. Rubber tires may last a long time, but they are at their best for only a few runs. If a racer wants to buy a new set of tires for each week of racing, there is nothing to stop them.

I know that when I first got my son racing at 5 years old, I started him on rubber tires. I also slowed him down a LOT. At the speed his car would go, rubber was fine. As he improved and I sped him up, rubber just didn't have the grip. I have since moved him onto foam. He does chunk his tires some, but not as much as you would expect from the number of boards he hits. Even then, those missing bits of foam do not cause his car to handle badly.

Many new racers show up and immediately want to be as fast as they can be. They have not learned car control or setup yet, but they know about going fast. They don't have a dad there controlling their speed and helping them learn. That is when you have problems with tires chunking and cars breaking. Very few racers are willing to go through the extended period of learning to get to the top. Many look for that fast-track to the 'A' main in their wallet. As racers, we need to support this group and give them the information they need to get race ready. This is why they leave the sport, not because they chunked a tire, that is only the symptom.

Ozwald Bates

The only way I see rubber being a better solution is when it's a premounted handout tire race i.e. the USTC and the Reedy Race. I know two years ago we ran rubber only at our local regional race (outdoor), I won 19 turn and TQ'd stock....I went through at least 8 different sets (32 tires in total) due to changing temps and track conditions, whereas if we had been running foams I would have probably needed one set for stock and one set for 19 turn. To be honest it almost seems as though it's the insert that causes the problem, since there are so many possible combinations nowadays.

My biggest complaint about rubber tires is there are just too many combinations that are need to be competitive. Bottom line is even at the club level if one or two people are willing to buy massive sets of rubber tires with different combinations of compounds and inserts then anyone not willing to do this is at a serious disadvantage.

fatdoggy

It really depends on the track. On ozite, plaid is the staple front tire but you may have to run purple, double purple or double pink(for mod) on the rear depending on the tracks grip. Every ozite track is a little different grip wise due to the compound allowed and how old the rug is. On asphult I run purple/purple, generally traction isn't as high as ozite, so there is little chance of you traction rolling(unless the track has been syrup'd).

GoFaster

iTrader: (4)

I think the conditions make a real big difference. I have run rubbers on asphalt and carpet and foams only on carpet. The foams definately have more traction on carpet. (Damn the traction rolling)

I have run the same set of rubber tires for the entire season. I recently won the local stock TC class with rubber tires. I was the only person out of 40 that ran rubber tires in touring cars. I am not saying the rubber tires were better, but I am just saying that you may be able to get by with rubber tires in stock and still be competitive.

As for the faster cars, like with 19-turns and modifieds, the rubber tires just don't have enough traction. The foams have really stupid traction. I am new to foams, but I will be using them for the 19-turn classes this coming season.

The fact is that on carpet and stock touring, the rubber tires are more economical.

As far as asphalt, the rubber tires lost performance after every single run. I could get about 2-3 competitive weeks from them. Buying a new set would gain you about 1 sec per lap ??

BTW, there are lots of guys starting to use rubber tires up here. lol

GoFaster

robk

iTrader: (22)

Simply put, foams will be faster for far longer than rubber period. If you go to a high competition area, you will experience this. Just watch the fast guys put new tires on their car every week or 2 ON CARPET, let alone asphalt.

StephenSobottka

iTrader: (8)

I like both tires, foam and rubber. I am competitive in both because I have applied the track time to figure out setups for both cars, and they both work very well. I just ran rubber this past week and had a blast just for a break of foam racing because of the Novak race. I still put it 2nd in the A, and I hadn't raced the class in over 4 months. The cost is going to be the same, you have to spend money to go fast in both classes or any type of racing. If you want to go fast or do well in any class, it doesnt start with equipment, it starts with track time, and basic knowledge and concepts. Everyone must learn sometime, but you have to want to learn to do well. But just because you heard or did something from a book doesnt mean you will understand why it happened or how. There is a quote " A man can know a million facts, and still be entirely uneducated" So when someone new starts on foam tires or rubber tires, they still have to learn. it's not going to matter what they start on, they can break just as many parts in both. its up to the racer to decide what he wants. Everyone can race their own class of racing and be done with it.

ottoman

iTrader: (13)

Ya... what he said

Turbonium

iTrader: (27)

i have only been racing about 2 years, and i have run exclusively rubber in touring. what little i have run 1/12 was on foam, of course! im not sure i would want to run foam on asphalt, but if we had a carpet track nearby, i would like to try it. although, someone would need to invest in a community truer! our track is like asphalt, and run Take-Off 22s for at least 3 months, racing every weekend...