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Spetz83

Hpi Rims + Tyres, Which Inserts To Use?

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Hey guys,

I got a TGX and I use HPI Super Nitro rims on it and I just bought some Super Nitro tyres.

They seem to be lower profile than the TGX tyres I use and wondering whether I should use the foam that came with the HPI's or th TGX inserts I bought?

The TGX inserts are harder than the foams

But I am also worried that due to the lower profile the TGX insert might balloon the tyre?

Any help is appreciated B)

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Hey guys,

I got a TGX and I use HPI Super Nitro rims on it and I just bought some Super Nitro tyres.

They seem to be lower profile than the TGX tyres I use and wondering whether I should use the foam that came with the HPI's or th TGX inserts I bought?

The TGX inserts are harder than the foams

But I am also worried that due to the lower profile the TGX insert might balloon the tyre?

Any help is appreciated B)

I think you may just have to try it and see. I tend to stick to manufacturers inserts supplied with tyres. I also tend to run soft inserts in most my tyres as I feel they offer better performance than firmer ones.

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tyre inserts are much like the air you put in your 1/1 scale tyres.

The denser the insert is = the firmer it is.

A slightly firmer insert helps with handling, and sensitivity. much like a higher tyre pressure would..

However, most of the time I use medium inserts.

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The TGX inserts, are they medium or hard??

Without knowing even that it becomes pretty difficult to decide

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The TGX inserts, are they medium or hard??

Without knowing even that it becomes pretty difficult to decide

if you're talking about the shaped/moulded inserts, then they should be colour coded.

if it's the kit box foam strips inserts, then they're likely to be medium density. how does it feel in your fingers?

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I wouldn't go with too low profile tires/wheels unless you run a 100% perfectly smooth surface. Lower tire profile means (if I remember right) more grip on smooth surfaces, but more snap under and oversteer. And that will happen quicker over bumps etc.

As for the tires... I haven't really looked deep into the world of RC tires, but for long lasting tires, Tamiya's stock tires are the right ones, for a lot of grip and a lot of tire wear you should look further than that.

As for the inserts... Soft will have less steering response, but I think would have more grip, especially over the rougher/bumpier surfaces. Harder inserts Probably will give you more steering response but a tendency to understeer (less grip) and will have less grip over bumpy surfaces.

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In what way better performance?

Maybe more grip but less control, stability etc??

First off - I don't run any nitro cars - all mine are electric !

Most of the tyres I use are competition grade such as Take Off, Sorex, Pit Shumizu, etc, and I find that generally, the insert supplied with whichever grade of tyres I have bought is the right one, or, I will go a little softer. As has already been mentioned, unless you are running on an almost glass like surface, you will find the car becomes "skittish" if your tyres are too hard.

Another thing I sometimes do is to put two different compounds on the car - often a slightly softer one on the back than I have on the front - this can help to reduce spinout and oversteer, and also improves traction when accelerating out of corners.

Another thing I do is to have the rear shocks slightly softer than the front - I normally run medium springs up front and med/soft or soft out back with a medium shock oil all round.

These are rough settings that work for my driving style - I change them to suit the venue, surface quality and weather conditions - I run much softer tyres in cold, damp weather than I would run in bright sunlight on a dry summers day, and all the venues I run at are asphalt which is reasonably smooth and clean, most being recently resurfaced. We also tend to sweep the track before we start to get rid of any loose debris.

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The tyre inserts I have are the Tamiya ones which are grey. I thought they only come in one stiffness as I never saw anything stated on them on how hard they are?

If the standard foams that come with tyres are medium then these are definitely hard.

They don't have much give in them, when you press the tyre it feels like the whole tyre is rubber and there isn't a pocket of air/foam inside.

However the slicks with hard inserts have more grip than the rally blocks with standard foams and even though with the slicks I can visibly see the car takes a lot more bumps it still doesn't skip which is good

I guess I will just use the standard foams that came in the HPI tyres

The tyres seem to be pretty grippy and I just noticed they went up to $20 USD per pair :P

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The tyre inserts I have are the Tamiya ones which are grey. I thought they only come in one stiffness as I never saw anything stated on them on how hard they are?

If the standard foams that come with tyres are medium then these are definitely hard.

They don't have much give in them, when you press the tyre it feels like the whole tyre is rubber and there isn't a pocket of air/foam inside.

However the slicks with hard inserts have more grip than the rally blocks with standard foams and even though with the slicks I can visibly see the car takes a lot more bumps it still doesn't skip which is good

I guess I will just use the standard foams that came in the HPI tyres

The tyres seem to be pretty grippy and I just noticed they went up to $20 USD per pair :)

20usd a pair with inserts isnt too bad - I pay closer to 50usd a pair with inserts of the brands I mentioned ! - I gotta start buying my tyres from the 'States ! ;)

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$50 a pair?

So you pay $100 to do a tyre change?

That's pretty excessive

I bought the tamiya slicks for $18 USD for 4

So when I paid $31 for 4 for the HPI slicks I wasn't happy

But they feel infinitely more grippy than the Tamiya slicks

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$50 a pair?

So you pay $100 to do a tyre change?

That's pretty excessive

I bought the tamiya slicks for $18 USD for 4

So when I paid $31 for 4 for the HPI slicks I wasn't happy

But they feel infinitely more grippy than the Tamiya slicks

HPI tyres are superb for the money ;) - far superior to the Tamiya ones, but, the Tamiya one will last longer :P

The tyres I use are high end competition ones, very, very grippy, but, also very short lived ! I can get through a set of tyres in four hours :P I have used the soft compound HPI ones, and still do at the height of the summer, when the track temperatures ( not air temp ! ) 50 deg C or more, but, we generally have track temps of 25 deg C or less here, so sticky rubber is almost essential ! In the winter, track temps of less than 5 deg C are common, and at those temps, you might as well be trying to drive on ice if you are using Tamiya tyres ! :D:(

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The good thing is that the Tamiya ones just don't wear

I haven't tried the the HPI ones but from feeling them they are much softer than the Tamiya ones

I am worried I will use them up in no time though which will be bad :D

Have you used HPI M Compound tyres?

If so, how do you rate them?

They are pretty cheap at $8 a pair for the TGX size

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