Foam Tyres RCP Track
I have heard people saying foam tyres are usually not allowed to be used on RCP tracks, reason being that they will reduce traction in time for rubber tyres to run on. Is this true and why?
I have been using foam tyres on carpet track and foam tyres do suck up rubber residue from the track and thus reduce traction for rubber tyres. |
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if foams work on your track, which they do on the RCP surface and they are allowed than I would say use them. I would make sure that they are "OK" to run with the track owner. |
I believe the big reason is that foam tires dry out a little faster than "modern" rubber and silicone tires, and to refresh foam tires you have to use solvents and oils (e.g. traction compound or WD-40), both of which are absolutely terrible for the RCP foam. To avoid the risk of anybody bringing these chemicals to the track, foams are not allowed in general.
In my own opinion, foams are great but hard to live with. They take forever to wear out, grip well, don't "catch" on the RCP (one reason for traction roll) and are less temperature sensitive than rubbers, which makes them great performing tires. But they will dry out before the next race, and you CANNOT use refreshing compounds if you want to keep the RCP intact, so eventually you end up throwing away more sets of foams than rubber/silicone tires. How new is your track? Has the dust been vacuumed out yet? I like the newer PN tires (X15 front, Radial 6 rear), I have three sets that have at least 20+ packs each run through and they're definitely still gripping... well, the front tires are down to the rim so it's not great for steering anymore. :) |
Thanks for your reply, briankstan. I was wondering why "Mixed compounds can be bad for traction"? I happen to know the owner of the new track and he's fine with any parts and components. In fact, none of the racers there have any experience with RCP as we're all so used to carpet. The track is the only RCP track in Hong Kong now. The owner hopes to bring something "new" to the community here. Before this track, there were only 2 tracks in HK and they both run carpets.
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I happen to have tried exactly the PN RCP tyres as you mentioned and my experience is that my rear tyres worn out (became groove-less) in 5-6 packs while front tyres in about 8 packs. Not sure if it's the new track conditions or my red chilli motor, or both. I'll try slower motors (50T and stock) in the next set of tyres. What motor do you use? |
I can assure you it's not a big motor difference, I'm running a PN 33t with a gear diff and there's quite a bit of power sliding going on. :) I bet it's the new track, let the rubber "sink" into the RCP and your wear rate will decrease just like it has been doing on the foams.
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I see. Thanks again, Brian.
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