Pro Series HO Supertires

[RichD]

Is anyone out there racing on Supertires? I understand that they worked well at the January 20th ECHORR race at Pine Creek Raceway. I have won a couple of races on Pro Series Supertires, one of those was on my own track however. I regretted not running them in the Eastern States Mini Enduro, but I did not get a chance to do any testing there. I expect to run Supertires in the Big Dog Shootout JL SS race later this month.

[RichD]

I just completed a round of testing with some new prototype tires. I tried several different silicone formulations that are all softer than the classic black Supertires. 0.352 Black tires on 0.170 inch wheels for a 0.338 inch diameter got me a best time of 5.963 seconds on my MaxTrax. After 32 laps the tires will still good for 6.013 seconds. With the same size the best of the new tires caused the crown gear to hit the rails, so I went up to 0.356 inch tires for a 0.342 inch diameter. The best lap time was 5.754 seconds and the tires were still good for 5.924 seconds after 32 laps.
I would expect since these tires are softer that they would be even better on a regular sectional track.
These tires can be available in a couple of weeks, they will cost a bit more than the regular tires because they are more difficult to make.

[RichD]

I am busy getting ready for a big race this coming weekend, after that I want to see how the new tires work on standard sized 0.188 inch wheels. My experience with the firm black tires is that they work better on the 0.170 wheels. The difference may not be as dramatic with the softer tires. So far I have found that going up or down a size or two can make a difference. Different tracks have different rail heights for one thing. If you order some tires be sure to get a few different sizes. the great thing about slip on tires (beside the much lower price!) is that it is easy to change tires when you are practicing before a race. You don't have to go pack to the pits and fuss around with a wheel puller and wheel press and you don't have to remember to check the track width.

If you do not race and you do not have a lap timer these tires will not seem to be faster. When you are racing a 0.2 second improvment is huge, another four laps for a twelve minute race.

The new tires should be in production right now, the usual suppliers ought to have them on hand in a few weeks.

[RichD]

The folks at Supertires have done some housecleaning and uncovered nearly five thousand pairs of odd lot tires to fit Tyco, Lifelike, T-Jet, Tuff Ones, Tomy Turbo, AFX and Aurora Hot Rods. A and B silicone tires are included, they are tires that do not fit in the current catalog, including day glo, pearl and glitter colors. The tires are being sold for fifty cents a pair. I have a spread sheet with the entire inventory of clearance priced tires that I can send to anyone that is interested, just drop me a PM. The sale is for US customers only.
If you want to buy some of these tires go to the Supertires site for contact information. You can e-mail Nick for the latest information on availability, etc.
With respect to the new softer Tuff Ones type tires, those have been on hold pending more feedback from various testers.

[RichD]

I have just been informed that all of the tires have been sold.

[RichD]

I have been testing a new prototype tire from Supertires. The tires are a bit softer than the regular rounded sidewall silicone tires. I tried three sizes that are 0.358, 0.352 and 0.348 inches in diameter on 0.188 inch wheels and 0.348, 0.342 and 0.338 inches in diameter on 0.170 inch wheels.
The testing was done with a Johnny Lightning Thunderjet 500 car in SS trim with a Model Motoring '70 Mustang body. With the regular 0.352 firm black silicone tires on 0.170 wheels for a mounted diameter of 0.338 inches my best lap time was 5.929 seconds. With the 0.188 wheels my best times were similar with all three sizes, the best time was 5.763 seconds. With the Mustang body there might have actually been a little too much grip. With the 0.170 wheels the smallest tires caused the crown gear to hit the rails, but the next size up (0.342) was perfect for my track with a fast lap of 5.646 seconds. I ran the tires for an extended period and got a 5.819 second time after 107 laps, that was about 10 minutes of running.
Just for kicks I put a Fray style Ferrari 355 body on the car and the lap time dropped to 5.584 seconds. I never thought that I would see such a low time with a pancake car.
Nick at Supertires has been busy lately making thousands of 1/32nd tires, when he gets caught up with that and he gets more feedback from his testers he hopes to get these tires in production.

[RichD]

Some time in early September two new sizes of the Pro Series tires should be available. New part number .344R, which will give you .368 on a .188" wheel and a .354 on a .170" wheel. New part number .348R, which will give you a .372 on a .188" wheel and a .358 on a .170" wheel. You should also be aware that there are four sizes of tires with rounded sidewalls made to fit Tyco cars.

[Ralphthe3rd]

Hey Rich, where can I buy the "Pro Series" -Super Tires, as none of my regular slot vendors carries the Pro Series yet. If you would be so kind as to post a list of Suppliers or how I could buy Direct, I'd appreciate it. TIA ~Ralph

[Ralphthe3rd]

[Ralphthe3rd]

PS- I'm really looking forward to the Up-coming .344R and .348R, as I NEED the Taller tires because of the TALL rail height on my Sectional Tracks....

[RichD]

Some time in early September two new sizes of the Pro Series tires should be available. New part number 344R, which will give you .368 on a .188" wheel and a .354 on a .170" wheel. New part number 348R, which will give you a .372 on a .188" wheel and a .358 on a .170" wheel.

[RichD]

It has been a while since I updated this thread. New wheels made just for the Pro Series Super Tires are now available. The wheels are from JW's HO Speed Parts and could shave another tenth of a second or more from your lap times. The dimentions of these wheels are critical and they must be used with full length 0.063 inch axles to get the best results.
The new wheel is in the left and a Zoomin 0.170 inch double flanged wheel is on the right.