Question: What Are RC Tires Made Of?
RC vehicle tires are usually foam, rubber compound, or plastic. Foam tires are treadless -- they get their traction from heat and friction. Rubber tires may have treads similiar to the family car, knobby tires, or racing slicks. You'll want to choose tires for performance but looks can be important too.
Answer: RC tires are solid or hollow. The hollow tires use
foam tire inserts in place of air to give the tire shape and provide cushioning. Foam tires glue directly to the rim and don't require the tire inserts used with many rubber compound tires.
Foam RC Tires
There are several types of foam tires. These are solid, treadless tires for
on-road use. Foam tires are often a hybrid mix of foam and rubber or silicone. The more foam in the tire, the softer and less durable it is. Foam tires with more rubber or silicone content are a little heavier, tougher, and can handle rougher surfaces such as asphalt but aren't as good on carpet. Pieces of foam can break off and some foam tires tend to pick up bits of carpet fiber or asphalt or other trash. You can clean up some foam tires using a piece of tape (much like you might use tape to clean lint off of a jacket).
Rubber Compound RC Tires
Typically used in
off-road RC sports, rubber compound tires can be hard, medium, or soft. Most compound tires are used with foam tire inserts and tires for off-road often have larger
tire walls to help absorb bumps and landings from jumps. They come in a variety of tread patterns. Use softer compound tires on hard surfaces such as cement or packed dirt. Use harder compound tires on softer surfaces such as grass, mud, or loose dirt.
Plastic RC Tires
Some
toy RCs and models use solid plastic tires. These are usually not very durable. However, some hard (and durable) plastics such as PVC or ABS pipe are often used for making RC
drifting tires.
