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I was looking for some glue for tires on one of the slot car online stores and saw that the glue they sold for tires is permanent, in that the tires could not be removed in the future. I guess one would have to buy new wheels if they chose to change tires later. As long as the tires hold up over time, I guess it wouldn't matter if they could be removed.

My question is how long do tires last? Specifically I'm talking about Paul Gage tires. I've seen posts about problems with Carrera tires over time. Does this also apply to aftermarket tires?

Thanks for any insight.

I've heard that PG tires last 10-15 years. I don't have any that old, and I didn't get that from PG himself, but rather from someone who had asked him that very question.

The useful lifespan of a tyre varies a bit depending on the track surface, the weight of the car, torque of the motor and the amount of use it gets. Obviously a tyre with a taller sidewall has more 'meat' in it.

Abrasive track surfaces like that of Ninco or Carrera will wear tyres faster than the less textured Scalex surface. Similarly a smooth gloss surface will cause less wear on a tyre than something textured like 'river rock' or even blackboard/chalkboard paint.

I use cheap superglue on my tyres. Never had any issues getting them off alloy rims. And very rarely problems on plastic rims. But, I don't often need to change my tyres.

Never thought of Carrera surface as being anywhere NEAR Ninco in being abrasive. The 2 tracks are miles apart on surface difference. Carrera is much smoother.

SCX/Classic Scalextric is closely matched to NINCO in abrasiveness.

On alloy wheels I use clear nail polish. It secures them but can be easily peeled off.

I have some of Paul's tires from his first pours that have been in my possession for 4 or 5 years now. Wear is minimal and they still hook up today with a quick cleaning.

We get tire glue off rims normally just by putting the wheels in boiling water. Never tried it with plastic wheels., we normally only use aluminum wheels here.
Mike

Worst case scenerio - after getting as much of the tire off via chunks, you can always flame up a Tire Razor and grind the remaining bits off. :)
(Yes - I have done that on some plastic scaley wheels ;) )

I have some cars with over 10 years of use on them & they all have the same tires on them.
... J Y D ...

Concerning the life of the tires there are two issues. The first issue is simply the possible degradition of the tires with exposure to air, UV light, solvents, lubricants, etc. Both silicone and urethane should last a very long time under normal conditions. I have silicone tires that are nearly 50 years old and they are still as good as when they were new. Avoid keeping your tires where they will be exposed to strong sunlight for long periods. UV light will degrade any organic compound. The second issue is simple wear and tear. Both types of tires wear slowly, the silicone tires that are on the market now wear more slowly than urethane tires. The results from the big endurance races can tell you something about tire wear. At the last Area 51 24 hour race the winning car went the whole distance on a single pair of tires. The tires had some measurable wear, but they never needed to be changed.
I don't have my own 1/32nd track, so I can only run my cars on race night. I have cars that have been on the same tires for years.
If you use Superglue to glue tires boiling them will make the glue debond as has already been noted. Soaking in acetone (not plastic wheels!) will remove any traces of glue. With plastic wheels you could use a Tire Razor to clean up. I have some tires that have been glued on with high temperature silicone gasket maker. I probably would have to destroy the tires to get them off. MEK (methylethylketone AKA ZipStrip) will gradually dissolve silicone, it is probably not a good thing to use with plastic wheels.