3 replies to this topic

[scooter_trasher]

What's up with these old orange foam tires? I bought about 10 pair for like a buck a pair on ebay over four maybe or five years ago for practice tires, they seem to wear like iron, grab good and after taking a hiatus since the summer of 2019 they are the only tires on any of my cars that weren't  dried out this summer.

[Bill Seitz]

I had some gray tires like that from the 60's well into the 80's. Those had been treated with wintergreen oil which not only cleans and softens but swells the foam rubber with each application. The time they lasted was almost miraculous, and I haven't had others do as well since. There could be something unique about that particular batch of rubber, or whatever they might've come in contact with in the environment. It does help if the rubber is sealed from air exposure by some type of sealing layer. Traction glue helps, and I know racers that wrap their tires in plastic wrap between races or store tires in the refrigerator. Usually unused tires will last a long time if stored in air-tight vials. I also apply rubber lubricant regularly to help keep tires soft, but have found this treatment has better results on some brands more than others. Certain brands seem to be extra-sensitive to drying out and losing grip.

[scooter_trasher]

Thanks for the reply , I seem to remember hearing that they're cut from a rubber they used to get years ago, I use Bengay to clean and restore tires if they haven't gotten too bad, it's 30% wintergreen oil with lanolin, doesn't work as good as boiling them in wintergreen oil , but it softens them back up and they don't swell. 

[stoo23]

Another Great product for Resurrecting Older Dry tyres exposed to the air for too long (within limits),.. , is one I tried just recently, called "TWEAK" by Trinity.

 

It is designed for Foam tyres either RC or Slots etc and after testing it on 2 x pairs of Plafit tyres that had been sitting on my car for over 3 x years, I managed to get them back to the point where their on track performance, was good enough to race, or at least Practice with etc.

 

No Nasty chemicals or odours etc, (it seems to be some kind of Oil with some other additives).

 

Definitely worth a look or further investigation