Originally Posted by
mikel33
I'll be honest, after watching the race this weekend with Rick and the others I think the foams are the way to go, at least on carpet. Perhaps outlaw truing them down past some meaningful diameter.
Minimum diameter is another thing to tech and argue about when someone thinks their caliper is more accurate than someone else's. Also the complaints about having to toss tires no longer large enough to be legal but still completely useful.
Originally Posted by
Kevin K
I agree keep it with foams for Carpet IMO.
You keep quiet mister!
Originally Posted by
topdrag
X2 That's why I bought one.
Glad to see you're joining the fun.
Originally Posted by
Grenade10
I can't believe I have not seen this thread since it started. I have an older Tamiya with a Castrol Jag GTP mounted and gold / chrome basket weave wheels with rubber tires .. Not that it will ever leave the display case.
But, I'm looking at doing a 200mm Darkside WGT car. Would the old ProtoForm GT1 body that was re-issued as the Mulsane be acceptable? I think I still have a few if these.
Howard / Rick pm me with what you are thinking for wheels / tires for foam and rubber. Still have many Road Wizards and parts.
Mark
Mulsanne, if you have one, is OK. I know Dale is excited about this class and is thinking of body/bodies he could do.
Originally Posted by
howardcano
We should add the Mulsanne to the list. It's not currently in production, but Protoform might be tempted to do another run if it were. It's very pretty!
The tires might be a tight fit under it, as it seemed to be designed for cut-down foams on the front, and narrow rears (narrower than WGT, anyway).
There's an unpainted Mulsanne buried in my closet if you need/want it.
I also would prefer foam tires, and the Speed Passion tires would be a good choice for spec at $30 for a pair. As far as I know, proper (read belted) rubber tires don't currently exist. But the decision is Rick's, and I'll support whatever that is.
We had talked about minimum foam tire diameters in the previous threads, but that still doesn't prevent someone from cutting a new set down to whatever the minimum is. I wouldn't do that myself, as I won't be running for the win. But I understand Rick's reasoning to try and prevent it. FYI, LMP2 cars have tires of about 23" O.D., so 2.3" minimum might be a good number.
See above answer about minimum legal diameter. Just means more sets cut down to close to the limit, just like WGT is now.
Originally Posted by
Pro10noob
Just don't permit cutting the tires at all.
The one thing you may do them is rounding off the side walls and apply tire saucing.
If some one has to true the tires because of damage to them, then let some one of the tech inspectors overview it so no one will cut them to a minimum.
Regards Roy
Not cutting tires won't work over here on most of our carpet tracks. The traction is too high and the cars flip. I spent the better part of my day trying to keep the car on the ground until I took some height out of the tires. I didn't go crazy and cut them super short but I did cut them down some. I also glued the outer sidewalls on both the front and rear tires. If you watch the videos in the SP LM1 thread that Howard posted, that's the biggest difference between my car and some of the others.
Originally Posted by
scootr117
I'm building one of my WGT cars like the guys have above. I understand the thinking for the rubber tires... I disagree it will solve the tire cost. I see TC guys going to fresh tires every other run at big races to get that 0.2 sec a lap they lose after three runs. Add to that the hassle of glueing and re-glueing the tires (even pre-mounts) . I can get a weekend out of a set at the Indoor Champs and 3 weeks from a set at normal club races and practice days by rotation and starting them at 2.08"... When those get to 2.02" ...I put them in a bag to use at big races.
I do hope the class takes off and turns into something cool. I believe it would be fun to watch.
We were thinking of a rubber tire similar to the kind used currently for F1. Pits seem to last a long time with almost no discernible performance loss. One run or limited run tires (rubber or foam) is what we are trying to avoid.
Originally Posted by
Pro10noob
@Howard.....Correct me if i am wrong but isn't the side to side dampening(springs also) to soft if you keep lifting the inside wheel??
When running the 235MM pro10 cars, we don't get it.
Not even the mod guys from what i have seen and those cars are beasts with there 4.5 motors
Regards Roy
Again, traction here is much higher on carpet and even sprayed asphalt. I've seen 235 cars flip before on carpet when the traction is through the roof.
Originally Posted by
nrtv20
In my opinion the only problem with foam tires is if there is a drastic speed/handling difference between a fresh set and a set that has been run down close to the rim. I know the rules mandate a minimum but with a local club respect that? Probably not, I've never seen my local club tech/inspect anything. So in that respect I would welcome in rubber tires.
Sure I am honorable
but I wouldn't trust anyone else!
As for the WGT comment; I think the new body from Team Muso LM-P is pretty great for those guys that want to convert. The question being; can they run the Speed Passion tires under that body? If not, how different is a car running the Speed Passion tires vs running the Spec WGT tires (with color band)?
[
I]Testing will be conducted to determine if this is a viable avenue. We are trying to stick to the single nut attachment though to avoid standard 4 bolt pan car wheels. Too easy to slip exotic foam on a wheel with colored band still present. I personally have seen this done and know it happens.[/I]I think the best thing for this class is the rules of USLMP and having a spec rubber tire. I think a rubber tire evens out the chassis way more then a spec foam tire does due to the lower grip levels.
If there becomes too much disparity in speeds between a converted WGT and LM-1's whether due to allowing 1S 13.5 vs 2S 21.5 or tire choice then run it as a break out class at a time that is attainable by both cars.
We also wanted to limit the power to one requirement (2S 21.5) to eliminate any disparity real or perceived. 2S 21.5 is readily available, especially if someone is already running F1, USGT, etc.
2S also allows any ESC in blinky mode to be used. Until recently 1S meant boosters or rx packs. I know there are 1S compatible ESCs now but that's another item to purchase if you don't already have one.