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TIRE SELECTION
Tire selection should be based on track conditions and will greatly affect your car’s performance. In
general, tires with large spikes should be chosen for tracks with loamy, fluffy, or wet dirt. Soft compound
tires with small pins should be used for hard-packed, dusty, or slick tracks. Hard-packed, high-bite,
abrasive (blue groove) tracks require tires with small pins and a slightly harder compound. Front tire
selection and wear can dramatically affect steering and performance on hard-packed tracks.
Check driver setup sheets for recommended tires before attending large events. Always be prepared for
changing surfaces and conditions with your tires. Typically, most handling problems can be tracked to
worn-out or the wrong tires.
Although it is impossible to classify every track type and surface, the following guide can be used to give
you some direction and help in tire selection. Most tracks have either hard or soft surfaces and one or
more of the various conditions noted.
Soft Surfaces:
Sand/Soil:
Loose sand or topsoil covers part of the surface.
Loamy:
Wet, loose dirt covers most of the surface.
Ruts:
Potholes and wavy sections develop.
Wet:
Condition where the surface has moisture in it.
Dry:
Dry, loose dirt covers most of the surface.
Hard Surfaces:
Wet:
Condition where the surface has moisture on it or in it.
Hard Slick:
Surface packs but does not take rubber. Usually dry looking.
Abrasive:
Natural abrasion also accelerates wear.
Blue Groove: Rubber has been laid down creating a dark groove. Usually has some dust on it.
Black Groove: Heavy amounts of rubber have been laid down. Usually has minimal dust.
Broken:
Holes, ridges, or scaling of the track.
Tire Construction:
The combination of the tread/carcass design and the rubber compound strongly affect how well tires work
on different track conditions. The construction/tread affects the way the tire reacts to directional loading
and how it presents the compound to the track surface. The compound affects the way a tire handles
surface irregularities, as well as the friction or bite as it contacts the surface.
Losi Tire Compounds:
Silver (S): The most common and reliable Team Losi compound. This compound works well under
varying conditions and on soft surfaces.
Red (R): The Team Losi soft compound that picks up where Silver stops. This soft/sticky compound
works well on dry, hard, slick surfaces and is exceptional on blue-groove surfaces.
Pink (P): The newest Team Losi soft compound. This compound offers traction similar to Red with
handling characteristics similar to Silver. It works well on indoor, wet groove track surfaces.
Pro-Line Tire Compounds:
M2:
Pro-Line’s harder compound. It works well under varying conditions but excels on soft surfaces.
M3:
Pro-Line’s soft compound that picks up where M2 stops. This soft/sticky compound works well on
dry, hard, slick surfaces.
R3:
Pro-Line’s newest soft compound. This compound offers traction similar to M3 but with less wear
and longer life on hard surfaces.
Summary of Contents for BJ4
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