View Poll Results: what's your tire choice?
Protoform
46
30.67%
HPI
104
69.33%
Voters: 150. You may not vote on this poll
4318LikesU.S. Vintage Trans-Am Racing Part 2
02-22-2019, 10:57 AM
Tech Master
iTrader: (5)
sorry for the rant but you guys need to understand PF stepped up to "HELP" not to hurt... and not to really make much profit either, cause if they did the tire would be super soft and not last long...then we would all be complaining about that too...
Lets try and enjoy the class...help each other, and for all things good in RC, stop constantly complaining about every damn thing that's here to help the class and Onroad RC in general
My 10 years worth of Vintage TransAm
MEK Battman
Lets try and enjoy the class...help each other, and for all things good in RC, stop constantly complaining about every damn thing that's here to help the class and Onroad RC in general
My 10 years worth of Vintage TransAm
MEK Battman
02-22-2019, 11:07 AM
Tech Master
iTrader: (1)
I have been racing VTA on and off for many years. What I have to do to a new set of PF tires to get them up to competitive speed (on CRC black carpet) at our track is not a lot of fun and about two weeks of turing laps to get them prime. Then they have about a two week window of being competitive before the ballooning makes them head the other way. Yes you can adjust the car (which I do) as they grow but the growth isn't consistent. Fronts grow quicker that the rears and that is a whole other bag. I watched one racer have 3 sets at a major race, all just at the start of their prime point. He rotated through those tires just to keep the car as close to perfect as he could. That was excessive and I had to run against it.
I race at several major events throughout the year and planning my tire program has become a pain. Remember how we had to make sure racers had complete tread on the HPI tires. We ran them until they didn't. Not so with the PF's. Plenty of tread and round as a o-ring.
I race at several major events throughout the year and planning my tire program has become a pain. Remember how we had to make sure racers had complete tread on the HPI tires. We ran them until they didn't. Not so with the PF's. Plenty of tread and round as a o-ring.
02-22-2019, 11:08 AM
Interesting topic about the tires. I recently came back to racing after about a 5 yr break. I was surprised at how good the PF tires were vs the Hpi's we used to run. Even better that I can buy a pre mounted set. Running on black carpet the tires came in after about 10 laps with just sxt sauce. I've ran a couple club races and a couple weekend races, so far they're holding up fine. I'm at the # of laps where I feel the Hpi's would start to "balloon" and I'd be building another set, but the PFs are not falling off yet.
Sounds like it could be a works well on carpet, but no so much on asphalt issue?
Sounds like it could be a works well on carpet, but no so much on asphalt issue?
LMAO
HPI vta tires are consistent from the time you take them out of the bag to the time the ring of death explodes, they don't change size/shape and don't require any break in procedures, they work just as good on carpet as they do on asphalt.
02-22-2019, 11:08 AM
I think VTA is always going to be one of my favorite classes. But facts are facts. We have a spec tire that costs @50 per set, is not friendly to a new racer and may become a deterrent. Take USGT for instance, tires @25 and they work right out of the package.
And sure the rules do state that only the seam be sanded. Now you have some who go way further than that and they get them to work. I have actually had people say they take a open torch to them while in a rotisserie. Someone please explain how the answer of telling guys to just cheat before the race is "the spirit of VTA".
Its real simple, change the compound and set a price that is in line with other 1/10 scale on road tires.
Perhaps the point of a handout VTA tire is to put a stop to "special prep", and that's a good thing.
We keep getting the driver figure, paint design and numbers pushed down our throats, I guess everyone should cut out the side windows as well, if we are really going to model how the looked and ran?
And sure the rules do state that only the seam be sanded. Now you have some who go way further than that and they get them to work. I have actually had people say they take a open torch to them while in a rotisserie. Someone please explain how the answer of telling guys to just cheat before the race is "the spirit of VTA".
Its real simple, change the compound and set a price that is in line with other 1/10 scale on road tires.
Perhaps the point of a handout VTA tire is to put a stop to "special prep", and that's a good thing.
We keep getting the driver figure, paint design and numbers pushed down our throats, I guess everyone should cut out the side windows as well, if we are really going to model how the looked and ran?
02-22-2019, 11:08 AM
Ive been running VTA since I came back to onroad about 8 years.
These PF tires are hard to break in. some say sand them (illegal) run 500 laps with them (don"t have that kind of extra time) , chemically abuse them ( goes against the spirit of VTA) and to boot they're $50 bucks a set.
Saying that we should just put up with $50 a set tires that suck is not a solution.
These PF tires are hard to break in. some say sand them (illegal) run 500 laps with them (don"t have that kind of extra time) , chemically abuse them ( goes against the spirit of VTA) and to boot they're $50 bucks a set.
Saying that we should just put up with $50 a set tires that suck is not a solution.
02-22-2019, 11:21 AM
really guys?...are you really still complaining about "tires" ...tires that everyone else in the same class is running?...same tires that helped make VTA a class that is run with great results and attendance at every major carpet race in the country and Canada, not to mention many many regional events and local clubs with record breaking entries like Apex...where we average 20 VTA every week...?
Why?...if tires make you or break you to run this class that the guy on the stand and pits is using the same tires.....RC racing in general isn't for you period. If I run Mod TC...and we all using Jaco blues...should I quit cause Paul or Keven know how to get the tires working faster or better than me?....or Bill got his Gravity USGT tires hooked up better than me and that's why he won?....
come on guys...stop picking the class apart cause you don't agree or dislike something, or you just cant figure it out.... I love this class and all the USVTA classes...but the negative crap that is spread here is getting crazy....
and FYI...I break my tires in by just putting in laps...nothing more or less... once they get tippy , I go ahead and glue the sidewall...done... and that's what Ive done from start to finish.... run the tires sauce, run the tire sauce...repeat till they feel good... I promise I run more VTA than any of you here and I have never had an issue with tires from PF or HPI... Ive seen defects in production but never a set I couldn't get to work.
sorry for the rant but you guys need to understand PF stepped up to "HELP" not to hurt... and not to really make much profit either, cause if they did the tire would be super soft and not last long...then we would all be complaining about that too...
Lets try and enjoy the class...help each other, and for all things good in RC, stop constantly complaining about every damn thing that's here to help the class and Onroad RC in general
My 10 years worth of Vintage TransAm
MEK Battman
Why?...if tires make you or break you to run this class that the guy on the stand and pits is using the same tires.....RC racing in general isn't for you period. If I run Mod TC...and we all using Jaco blues...should I quit cause Paul or Keven know how to get the tires working faster or better than me?....or Bill got his Gravity USGT tires hooked up better than me and that's why he won?....
come on guys...stop picking the class apart cause you don't agree or dislike something, or you just cant figure it out.... I love this class and all the USVTA classes...but the negative crap that is spread here is getting crazy....
and FYI...I break my tires in by just putting in laps...nothing more or less... once they get tippy , I go ahead and glue the sidewall...done... and that's what Ive done from start to finish.... run the tires sauce, run the tire sauce...repeat till they feel good... I promise I run more VTA than any of you here and I have never had an issue with tires from PF or HPI... Ive seen defects in production but never a set I couldn't get to work.
sorry for the rant but you guys need to understand PF stepped up to "HELP" not to hurt... and not to really make much profit either, cause if they did the tire would be super soft and not last long...then we would all be complaining about that too...
Lets try and enjoy the class...help each other, and for all things good in RC, stop constantly complaining about every damn thing that's here to help the class and Onroad RC in general
My 10 years worth of Vintage TransAm
MEK Battman
Dont think its bad to ask the USVTA tires be on par with USGT or TC tires. Is it?
02-22-2019, 11:25 AM
One last thing...regarding balloning....once the PF set of tires ballon....its so extreme that I run out of thread adjustment on my shocks. So they are no longer usable because I cannot "effectively" adjust for ride height and tweak.
02-22-2019, 11:33 AM
One last thing...regarding balloning....once the PF set of tires ballon....its so extreme that I run out of thread adjustment on my shocks. So they are no longer usable because I cannot "effectively" adjust for ride height and tweak.
02-22-2019, 11:42 AM
Couldn't get my ride height bellow 6.5mm at the snowbirds ... only with Protoform, no other tire will do this LMAO
02-22-2019, 11:52 AM
To all aftermarket part makers, time to come out with "VTA spec" shock towers for various TC chassis. Or maybe PF will make some, hahaha.
Xray guys may use SLP towers with ULP shocks!
Xray guys may use SLP towers with ULP shocks!
Last edited by rcguyfpr; 02-22-2019 at 01:20 PM.
02-22-2019, 12:35 PM
Don't forget to add a window net on the driver's side too. Haha.
02-22-2019, 12:47 PM
How about running Protoform tires on even numbered race days and HPI tires on odd numbered racedays. Just a thought. Lol.
02-22-2019, 12:53 PM
Here's my reasonable take on the PF VTA tires:
RE: They are expensive (relative to other tires) ; Yes they are...but they last a long time and this hobby by nature is expensive. So, I dont really mind the cost.
RE: We should run them out of bag; I don't think this would promote the racing that everyone wants. The natural break in occurs over a few (maybe more) runs, with sauce. It seem reasonable that the driver preps his/hers tires (with in the rules) so they are race ready tires for the event.
RE: Balloning; My experience is that the balloned tires work great! Ride height and tweak become an issue but its a reasonable trade off for tires that grip the track.
RE: They are expensive (relative to other tires) ; Yes they are...but they last a long time and this hobby by nature is expensive. So, I dont really mind the cost.
RE: We should run them out of bag; I don't think this would promote the racing that everyone wants. The natural break in occurs over a few (maybe more) runs, with sauce. It seem reasonable that the driver preps his/hers tires (with in the rules) so they are race ready tires for the event.
RE: Balloning; My experience is that the balloned tires work great! Ride height and tweak become an issue but its a reasonable trade off for tires that grip the track.
02-22-2019, 01:20 PM
The tires will shrink down a bit of you let them sit for a month or so. I know it's a huge investment for two sets of tires though... (scarcasm)
02-22-2019, 01:25 PM
Someone that I race with finds it difficult to have two sets of tires at a time. Same for bodies and parts. He's an excellent driver and a great asset to the hobby sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm. No sarcasm.