Drive Tyre Mods

[MikeG8]

I thought I saw this idea on this forum, but I can't find it now! Anyway, somewhere or other I saw that a guy had used a scroll-saw to cut a blocky tread pattern into the drive tyres and it looked quite good. I don't have a scroll-saw (well I don't think I have: don't really know what one is!!!) but I do have a Dremel. I tried out the mod on a single tyre I had, but instead of running from one side groove perpendicular across the tyre, I went from side-groove to side-groove to give a slightly slanted cut which I think looks a bit better. I used a slitting disc in the Dremel. Mine is 2 speed: fast and mentally fast. I tried both but the mentally fast gave too wide a cut and I think was burning the tyre rather than cutting it. Each tyre took about 6 or 7 minutes, all hand held and judged by eye. I'd recommend a dust mask of some sort and definitely safety glasses and whatever you are wearing will become covered in a very fine black soot like substance (=powdered rubber compound). Pictures show before and after (also after starting to weather up my King Hauler).

Mike

[jagsxr]

yer looks good

[aid232]

Looks like a neat idea - certainly cheaper than the Carson knobbly ones.

I reckon I'll have a practice with a spare trye first though!

[MikeG8]

Looks like a neat idea - certainly cheaper than the Carson knobbly ones.

I reckon I'll have a practice with a spare trye first though!

That's exactly what I did, liked the result so bit the bullet and went for it! I prefer my scalers to look 'lived in' as it were. As a result, I should probably not have done all the tyres, leaving 1 or 2 as before, like they had been changed and swapped imperfectly! I haven't actually tried them out yet, but they can't be any less grippy than the straight treads they 'replace'!