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Jan. 17, 2013, 5:24 a.m.
1/17/2013
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
When it comes to short course racing setup is important, but tire choice is CRITICAL. The wrong tires in short course racing will having you slipping and sliding out of control or flipping and flopping in every corner. Any form of short course racing whether it be buggies or trucks, 2wd or 4wd, it's all fun. For this test we decided to go with the 4wd short course.
With 4wd short course, one of the most often problems in tire choices is finding a "happy-medium" of traction to keep the truck handling good, but not so much traction that the truck flips over in every turn. With the short course racing scene continuing to grow by the day, more and more manufacturers are releasing a wide variety of race-inspired tires, compounds, and treads to choose from.
We had the opportunity to equip our TLR/Losi TEN-SCTE with the new JConcepts Pressure Points in Green Compound (super soft), mounted on the JConcepts Hazard wheels, for a little test session.
First Impressions
As with any fresh set of tires we were anxious to get these out of the package and take a closer look. The first thing we noticed, and greatly appreciated, is the fact that the tires include the latest JConcepts closed cell SC foams. While some racers prefer to equip their tires with the foams of their choice, for convenience purposes we appreciate that the tires include foam in the package. Upon opening up the Hazard SCTE wheels, we once again were very appreciative of the extra step taken by JConcepts to pre-punch holes in the wheels. There is nothing worse than mounting up an entire set of tires and forgetting to punch holes in the wheels. The re-sealable bags are a nice addition to help keep tires organized and safely in storage as well.
Setup and Build
When mounting up tires we punch holes in the tires to allow air, debris, and water (from washing) to escape easily. Using a leather punch, we punched two holes on opposite sides in the tires and then began mounting them up. Just to be safe we always use motor spray and a clean rag to thoroughly clean the bead of the tires to ensure a good glue job. Surprisingly our rag was virtually spotless after wiping down the tires, meaning there was no mold-release or debris from the factory that would cause the tires to not glue properly to the wheels. The tires mounted up with a good fit on the Hazard wheels and made gluing as easy and painless as gluing tires can get.
The Test
Our testing grounds were Fastlane Raceway in Blue Springs, Missouri. This facility features both indoor and outdoor offroad tracks, however, since we would prefer not to lose our trigger finger to wintertime frostbite, we tested indoors. The indoor testing grounds offered a good variety of sweeping turns, tight switchbacks, and a off-cambers.
First test was set out on a dry slick track. For all cars on the track it was slick, regardless of tires. Running the 4wd short course with the Green Pressure Points front and rear, the truck still had good forward traction and considerably good side bite with the conditions. On such a dry slick surface the Pressure Points pushed in the corners slightly more than a larger bar tread.
After a little break the track crew soaked the track down and it was packed with traction. This was the true test for the Pressure Points on a 4wd short course. High traction surfaces are many times a short course truck's worst enemy as it results in constant traction rolling which keeps the driver from being able to push hard in and out of the corners. With a larger bar tread on similar surfaces our truck has a tendency to get a little "tippy" and feel as though it is going to roll over in almost every corner. The JC Pressure Points in the high traction conditions offered an excellent combination of forward bite, while still cornering good without traction rolling. The smaller pin and smaller bar design allowed the truck to rotate smoothly in the corners, but not traction roll.
Despite the extended run-time on both dry and wet track surfaces, the Pressure Points show minimal wear. The foam inserts kept the tires from ballooning up, and also held up without getting "squishy" or torn.
Conclusion
In conclusion of the test, the new JConcepts Pressure Points SC tire is definitely (in our opinion) a "go to" tire in high traction conditions. As the track begins drying out a larger bar tread seemed to suit our truck, however, with a tacky, wet track we were all smiles running the Pressure Points. Majority of the time any indoor offroad racing is going to be held on a high traction surface, in which the JConcepts Pressure Points help to provide a consistent, fast, and easy to drive short course without the frustration of constant traction rolling.
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