[KensRedZed]

Hi Kev,

Mr. Woodcote was kind enough to sponsor my first race with a pair of silicone Super Tires. I have bought several pair since, and haven't looked back. Thank you very kindly again, Andy!

I buy Super Tires because I can get them locally. I might consider Hornet Tires if I lived anywhere near Germany, and had a Facebook account.

   

[Nico]

Hornet Silicone Tires has just sent 1500 tires to the US to be sold there.

Available on FB.

Or send Axel a PM here via the Forum as he is a member here to follow my/our Proxy Drag races.

Nico

P.S: he has decals available as well now as you can see in the pic

[OXO cube]

thanks guys 
Andy originally sent me a link for a local supplier which i still have  
my problem is that i have no idea which tires fit which wheel / chassis ( totally new to this HO stuff)
is there a spread sheet somewhere that would help with part numbers etc ?

Kev

[KensRedZed]

Hi Kev,

Welcome to my world. I just started racing proxy HO here this year.

There is no spread sheet formula. Everyone thinks a little differently. I already deviated from the recommended path. Oops.

I used the tire rule as a guide. Then used the spread sheets the suppliers offer. Picked a few different sizes to test based on the wheels I had in stock. Then placed a larger order for the ones I liked. I came in dead last 3-times in a row before making a dent in the results (twice here and once in the USA). Testing stuff is half the fun.

It would be a boring race if everyone did the exact same thing and followed only one formula. The wheels and tires on the T-jet finalists couldn't be more different from each other. But they both ran well.

Ken

[$Bill]

Kev,  

Looks like a pair of Carrera Go cars in the background of your photo.  Are you into them too?

Bill

[OXO cube]

yes well spotted bill 

the Monster car was an entry for the German Carrera 'GO' Porsche GT3 Proxy ( seems i have a lot to learn here also )
i do dabble in all scales except 1/24
so you could say 'a jack of all scales' 

but currently not a master of any 

Kev

[woodcote]

Kev - sorry for the delay in replying, but some good answers already

HO tyre sizes are a complex labyrinth that is fun/frustrating/challenging to enter.

Because most HO circuit racing involves traction magnets, the dozens of different tyre sizes are for tuning magnetic downforce. Believe it or not, a difference of 0.002" (two thousands of an inch = 0.05mm) can be noticeable. That's why some tyre ranges go up in those tiny increments.

For drag racing it's a bit different. A balance of acceleration, top speed, some magnet for the start, not too much magnet for the top speed all combine over the length of the strip. We do have maximum wheel/tyre heights in all the classes. And - to be honest - using as tall a tyre as possible does seem to work for the Micro cars.

A good place to start are with SuperTires (even if you end up with other brands). FranktheRacer is the US is a great guy and his website is the most easy to understand: https://www.franktheracer.com/about.html

The Tyco series has the most choice - and SuperTires kindly send us two sizes to fit a standard Micro Scalextric wheel (0.275" ish diameter) to get near to the maximum height for Street Stock (Tyco .452R) and Super Stock (Tyco .464R). Oh, and the R just means rounded edges - not such a big deal for going in a straight line! The softer A compound tyres are best for what we race. The B compound is harder and prevents compression when using stronger traction magnets.

In terms of sourcing SuperTires, Barry at Slot Cars Direct in the UK stocks some sizes. Or go direct to FranktheRacer - his shipping to the UK is the best. Frank also stocks the whole range, so is ideal if you want to experiment.

   

You also asked about T-Jets. Yes, these are the ancient 1960s (and early 70s) chassis that sold in the tens of millions - and have never gone away. Various companies have revived them for collectors (ModelMotoring, Johnny Lightning, AutoWorld etc) and for serious T-Jet racers (Dash, Wizzard, OS3). I'd say the AutoWorld cars are a good place to start with drag racing - they work well in a straight line, have a single traction magnets which gets the car off the line nicely - and the wide 'Tuff 1' wheels take the wide 'Tuff Ones' tyres from SuperTires etc. They also make some nice classic cars, some with drag racing liveries.

We got sent some Tuff 1 .378 and Tuff 1 .400 SuperTires - which I may (or may not) have sent you in your starter pack. Just shout if you'd like me to send you some.

If you want to get a T-Jet - or any of the other 'pancake cars' like the 4-Gears, Magnatractions or Top Fuelers - ask here, as someone may have surplus cars. Or some of us order from Lucky Bobs in Milwaukee and JAGS Hobbies in Ohio and can easily add something to the list.

[BAracer]

On World Wide Chat #74 this week, there was a section on the new OS3 TFX pancake chassis that had the reviewer in raptures. It's a modern take on the T-Jet but with new design touches and tweaks that make it easily maintainable.

[$Bill]

On World Wide Chat #74 this week, there was a section on the new OS3 TFX pancake chassis that had the reviewer in raptures. It's a modern take on the T-Jet but with new design touches and tweaks that make it easily maintainable.

TFX looks pretty interesting.  Think I’ll give it a try.

[$Bill]

So, next race is in November?