Make "German Slicks" for Surer Traction
By Chuck Hamill
as published in Car Model magazine - November, 1963
This article describes how to make slicks for drag cars, however both the rubber and the
construction technique work just as well for road cars.
If you look at the package pictured in the scanned Car Model page, you will see that these start out as model airplane wheels called "Record-Elastic" RADER. The name "Record Elastic" is almost certainly a trade name, but the word "RADER" is German and translates to "wheels". The product itself is made by Johannes Graupner in (West) Germany, so it is commonly called "German rubber" and tires made from this material are sometimes simply called "Graupners".
This type of foam rubber provided much better traction for road slot cars than solid molded rubber, and was very popular with serious racers until closed cell foam rubber replaced it in early 1966.
