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Gravel Wolf

Gluing tyres, alternatives to CA/Superglue?

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Having just ruined £30 worth of wheels/tyres trying to glue the tyres to the rims with superglue I'm not awfully fond of the idea of attempting this again. I did look up all the tutorials and try to follow the instructions but I'm a klutz and me and messy things don't get on well.

So is there any other way of preventing big offroad tyres from slipping from the rims other than buying wider rims so they are more stretched over them? Or any other glue that is more forgiving to use and can be removed from plastic/rubber if it goes awry?

I got the neo scorcher in may and still haven't had a successful run with it. The plan was to run it with the suspension as high as possible and with big off road tyres and a smaller pinion. Many setbacks later I have everything sorted but the wheels.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

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I hate gluing tyres on. Have you considered trying beadlock wheels? Clamp the tyres in place but can easily be changed should when you need to. Most crawler sized wheels and tyres (1.9-2.2 size) use these.

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With off road it is possible to glue in spots around the rim bead rather than a continuous glue line, which is more important on a road car where the lateral loads can unseat the tyre bead and damage the rim.

Elastic bands also work bur I've always found it too fiddly to be of benefit with tightly fitting tyres.

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Problem is the tyres I want to use (KRT crawler tyres) are a very loose fit on the wheels which are I believe standard touring car size. They are a lovely tight fit on Tamiya rear 2wd wheels but those don't quite fit the neo scorcher (foul on the rear wishbones)

I tried to glue in spots on the front of the wheels but the glue just ran everywhere and parts of the tyre didn't seat properly. Big nasty expensive mess.

What is the elastic band method? Is it just a gluing aid or a way to keep the tyres on?

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Soft rubber crawler tires are going to work best with beadlocks or a continuous bead of superglue. They're too soft and stretchy to hold with just a couple of dots of glue.

I've had better luck with thicker CA glue that sets slower, or the black rubberized "tire glue" made for the purpose. The thin watery CA gets everywhere, sets too fast, and stains the tires white. I've also heard of people using hot glue or silicone/RTV type glue, but I haven't tried it myself.

I'm with you, though: gluing tires and painting lexan are my two least favorite aspects of this hobby. Followed closely by waiting for batteries to charge.

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Use silicone sealant, not superglue - it holds the tyres in place and easy to clean off the wheels when its time to fit a new set of tyres.

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You might also want to consider bigger wheels if the tyres are a loose fit on the stock ones. The Star Dish wheels supplied with the Neo Scorcher are bigger than standard 1.9 touring wheels, but a tad smaller than standard 2.2 buggy wheels. However most standard buggy wheels are a direct fit on the Neo Scorcher, so this might be an option to explore?

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I did try the rear wheels from a DT-01 fighter buggy as a test but they fouled on the lower wishbones somewhat. Otherwise they would have been perfect as they were big enough to "grip" onto the tyres. The original wheels that came with the neo scorcher were narrower at the front but if I was to get two sets of rears that would work I suppose.

I like the silicone sealant idea, will have to look into that if I get the touring car wheels again. Are there any tutorials relating to it? Also I have not encountered the rubberised "tire glue" before - I read that tyre glue was the same CA glue as comes branded superglue but more expensive.

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Thanks for the link, so any 2.2 will fit nicely? Thinking of going for a set of avante or vanquish wheels as I believe they are also 2.2? Would look fantastic on the neo scorcher :)

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Yellow Avante & lightweight teardrop (aka Egress) wheels are 2" afaik, same as Hotshot sizewise

They use DF03 wheels for 2.2".

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Aye, and with the recent release of the white Dark Impact, you have a choice of black or white ones.

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I use Fernox LS-X clear plumbing silicone , I use it in my work and it cures but is easily broken again , well , easier than traditional silicone. I've used it on my Nitro cars

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Gmade make some plastic beadlock wheels which shouldn't break the bank - I ran them with my KRT tyres.

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That's odd, this wheel database lists them as 56mm wide http://tamiyabase.com/index.php?option=com_joodb&view=catalog&Itemid=778 which is around 2.2 inches. I looked up the dark impact wheels for comparison and they are 62mm or around 2.4 inches.

So I guess it's the 62mm wheels I am after? Dark impact ones would look okay but might see if I can find the yellow version from the Avante MkII :)

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I used to use standard super glue but it can be really messy. Now I just use Loctite No Fog Superglue Gel, so much less hassle.

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Despite being first time and having two left hands, I did a more than decent job with thin CA (generic, not rc-priced, but decent quality). Yes you have to first clean rim and tire of mold oils (nothing fancy, I used sanitary alcohol).

Yes I left a little glue ring on the tires, that is visible from up close. A rc-specific CA bottle with application tip may come handy here, if you want shelf queen grade artwork.

It went too well, when I had to take tires down (offroad 4wd + rim vent holes = BIG NO NO for rear wheels), despite boiling double time, I managed to damage one tire.

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Aye, and with the recent release of the white Dark Impact, you have a choice of black or white ones.

huh? you could always buy DF03 wheels in both white or black since day dot... had both since my first batch Dark Impact.

They also came in orangey yellow as freebie with the Avante re-re... don't recall seeing them sold separately.

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(offroad 4wd + rim vent holes = BIG NO NO for rear wheels)

should vent in the tyre not the rim

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I use a extra fine ca tire glue its a large bottle wasnt that expensive... I use it on all my cars its thin enougn that you simply roll the tire around to fill the rim edge... I have had a few teething issues but the stuff is great. I will check the brand later and share...

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huh? you could always buy DF03 wheels in both white or black since day dot... had both since my first batch Dark Impact.

They also came in orangey yellow as freebie with the Avante re-re... don't recall seeing them sold separately.

Yup, white DF-03 wheels came with the Keen Hawk and were release spares. RC Champ sometimes carry the Avante orange / yellow ones.

Dorvack.

My humble apologies. I only noticed the white wheels listed on Modelsport subsequent to the release of the "Light Impact", so assumed incorrectly that they were released with it. I am sorry for any confusion I may have caused, and will go and cycle my NiMHs as penance.

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should vent in the tyre not the rim

Can you please tell that to companies like Axial, they did not seem to have read that memo

Unfortunately neither did I, not before my rear wheels became unbalanced dirt bags

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DF-03 wheels do not fit the TT02B chassis, they bind on the steering linkage and front arms. Both sets of parts damaged pretty bad from just running the car for a while. Doesn't look like they are available as spares individually.

Anyone after a mostly complete neo scorcher? Just getting frustrated with it and want to move on, can't afford to keep throwing money at a project that never works.

Starting to wish I had just bought a mad bull and not bothered with this project now.

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Had 4 of the same size, the front ones on that photo are narrower. The buggy rear wheels were narrow enough to fit and not bind :(

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Can anyone please tell me where to get (cheap) replacements for the steering rods and knuckles? On eBay I can only find the steering rods as part of a pack and expensive.

The ones on the car have been worn down considerably and the steering rod ends have gaps in them so likely to come off if used much.

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