Tire sanding

[proxieken]

I have a few sets of tires that have gone bad. They seem to develop a hardened glaze over them. I noticed that the front tires seem fine. So I was wondering if maybe sanding the tires is in some way shortening the life of them. I know that sanding the tires helps a lot, but if it then ruins the tires maybe I will skip that step.

Also, I have tried a couple of things to soften the rubber up, like WD40. What is the best material to use to bring the tires back to a like new softness without ruining them?

I have been in to this for about 3-4 years now and have been mostly just buying Carrera and taking them out of the box to run. The extreme difference is performance is starting to make me think I am going to have to learn to tune the cars also. I am building some cars from scratch and some of them are just horrible on the track.


Thanks in advance for any advice from veteran tuners.

[HomeRacingWorld]

Most times there is not much you can do to extend the life of the tires. They only last so long and when they are dried out it is time to change them. Some folks have all sorts of concoctions and methods to extend the life of a stock slot car tire, but in the end they simply will only last so long.

Given the low cost and variety of after-market tire today, I personally don't waste time trying to squeeze out a few more months. I just change them.

Sanding tires isn't going to effect the life of the tire that much. I have "new" Fly tires in the bag and inside the cases that were never removed, stored in temp controlled environment, and away from direct sunlight that are harder than Chinese algebra. Again tires will only last so long.

The glaze comes from racing for the most part. Your rear tires will spin under load, especially if they are dirty, while your front tires are just "along for the ride". After awhile of this spinning you will "glaze" them as you mention.

Once you have sanded and trued them, just try rolling them across masking tape to clean them. Sometimes though, stock rubber tires need a light scuffing to bring them back to full potential. Try using some finer grit/wet sanding sandpaper as well.

[ElSecundo]

I've been suspicious for a long time that heavy sanding (heating) leads to tires turning to goo prematurely. But if a tire is going to go goo, it'll go goo no matter what. Not sanding might delay the inevitable, but that's it.

I'm especially suspicious of Fly tires, that deep heating causes long-term problems for them. Keep the sanding light, give the tires a break during the sanding process. I don't know for a fact if this helps or not, but it seems to.

[JML]

I've used Caig RBR cleaner to remove glaze or build-up from tires. http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.5/category.179/.f "Precision cleaner for rubber rollers and platens. Ideal for computers, printers, copiers, fax machines and other office and industrial equipment. Use on all rubber rollers, parts and platens. Rejuvenates rubber and reduces misfeeds and jams! "

It used to be naphtha and paraffin oil; the new formula is citrus solvent and mineral oil. It doesn't dry out the tire. I use the needle applicator to run a thread of it on the tire and clean it off with a cotton rag.