Tires for TCS racing(tamiya tire help)

[Prelude14WRX]

Well, I will be going up to Wisconsin for a TCS race in march with my brother, my friend, and my dad.

The original plan was for my friend and I to race in the spec class, and my brother in mini cooper. But, after reading the rules again on tamiyausa.....i found out I can't race in spec. You have to be a novice(which my friend is, but I'm not because I do pretty well with my xray on sundays).

So.....the point to the story, I am going to have to race in the GT-3 class. I have a tt-01(great car, but is gonna be tough to keep up with the ta-05 and tb-02) and I'm not sure what tires/inserts to use. They have to be tamiya tires, and I'm not familiar with tamiya brand tires. The surface is ozite carpet.

Thanks for reading this and the help :D

[TEM]

Yes, it will be very difficult to keep up with the TA-05 and TB-02's, actually put TA04 on the list too!

As for tires, on ozite, you need Type-A tires with medium or hard inserts. If your car is absolutely dialed and you can drive a completely clean race, I suggest tire warmers too.

[Prelude14WRX]

Thanks a lot TEM. I figured I'd run GT-3 because all the cars run the silver can motor... set-up isn't really an issue as much as it is for stock and 19t class. Usually, my tt-01 stays on the street jumping curbs and playing tag with my friend and brother, but this will be a nice change. Running the silver can motor will also be a nice change from making sure my motor is cut and that the brushes are perfect on the xray :D

[Grizzbob]

Agreed, Type-A's should work well on Scotty's track, should be similar to the TakeOff CS-27's he uses for the Novak race every year(maybe just a tick more bite than CS-27's, though, but probably not as much as 22's). And I'd also agree that firm inserts would be best(grip should be good, so a firm insert would be ideal to prevent the tire from collapsing under cornering loads). And in GT-3, cornering speed will be the BIG factor, so I'd go as stiff as possible, should be best for transitional handling..... :cool:

[Prelude14WRX]

Well, after adding up all the stuff on tower that I need to be some-what competitive in GT-3, its to much for me. It was at $80 and climbing...forget that, my car is worth $100! So, I am going to enter in the rally class and spend a lot less dough for a one weekend thing. Thanks again for your help, though.

[TEM]

Although you are thinking of dropping out of that class theres more info that you can consider or others may be interested in.

A's sit somewhere between CS22's and 27's (as Grizzbob said). Same theory in the insert as well; you got enough grip so harder insert to reduce tire roll in cornering. But I want to go back on the Tire warmer bit. It will take a few laps to get the tire to temperature. If you can drive a clean 5 mins, then you can benefit from the tire's having full grip from beginning of the race. This goes for most rubber classes indoors or on cold surfaces. For those who think they might clip a wall somewhere, forget it; warmers are NOT going to save you.

As for comparing classes; silver can, stock, or 19t; you'd be surprised how well your car needs to be set-up in silver can class! Since the silver cans don't put out as much power, you will need an even BETTER setup and better driving skills to maintain speed, especially corner speed! Cause it's harder to get any power advantage. "Catching up" is very difficult in silver can, I find. It may sound politically incorrect to say this but it's slightly easier for me to have a small edge in stock and 19t by having the right batteries and motors to compensate for a few percent deficiency in tuning/driving skills as an opponent!

RC is not cheap, not even affordable if you intend on winning. How much don't you like your TT-01 now? Just go race and have fun!

[Prelude14WRX]

Well, I'm horrible at making decisions. Getting my car set-up for rally duty costs even more. Thanks TEM, again. You make a good point about batteries/motor advantage. I'm just gonna run my TT-01 with a gear ratio thats good for the track, Tamiya A tires, Firm inserts, and maybe a new body. I will be using the stock friction shocks because I'm not gonna drop a lot of money when the crap shocks work just fine for bashing. I think going down to WI will be more fun and memories kind of thing...not win the whole thing. I'll try to win on Sunday's with the xray :D

[Grizzbob]

Precisely, that's the whole point of those races, & Scotty's GREAT at the fun part(that's why whenever I can, I make the 800 mile trip up there from Oklahoma for the Novak race), & nobody runs a better race. Just get some stiff springs, see if you can use some really thick grease to add a bit of damping to those friction shocks & & have fun..... :cool:

[Prelude14WRX]

Actually, the springs on the TT-01 work great on ozite carpet with grippy tires. The car is actually easy and fun to drive.