One of the upsides of rc drifting is that it is relatively inexpensive. Unlike rc racing where rubber or foam tires are constantly changed and have short life spans, rc drifting can be done with just replacing your foams or rubbers with ABS. ABS can be purchased pre-cut from many different rc drifting websites. Many are well finished and made to resemble real tires Or, if you really want to save money, you can cut your own by using the tutorial below.
ABS tires last for hours and are much more enjoyable to use than PVC (white) piping. But for real rc drift action where you can achieve very good speeds and controllability with your drifts, one of the many manufactured drift tires will suffice depending on what type of motor you are using.
According to testing by many of the rc drift experts on DRCCentral.com HPI T-Drift Tires and Yokomo Single Ring drift tires seem to be the tires of choice. But in this ever growing and hobby, we may see another type of rubber compound tire in the near future that surpasses the performance of these two tires.
A surprise drift tire that is affordable and provides better performance than ABS are the tires from Odyssey Garage. Unlike regular ABS, these tires are softer, thus providing better grip and control. Currently, these are the tires of choice for South Africans as getting manufactured rc drift tires are expensive to import and OG Tires still provide good performance You ever wonder what tires they are using in the Team D10 videos? Now you have your answer.
What size ABS do I need?
Two inch ABS should fit on almost any rim with no problems at all. I have seen on some rims you might have to put some electrical tape taped around the inside of the rim to get it to fit on snug. Add a little glue if needed. Also check the tutorial section to see pictures of what i am talking about. Make sure you don't put on too much glue because you will need to change the pvc from time to time from wear.
What size should I cut the pipe?
All rims are 26mm wide. So you can either measure it or you can just put a rim up to the pipe and just cut it to size.
What is the Schedule of the pipe?
That is the thickness of the pipe. For example, all pvc comes in 40 schedule and 80 schedule. So make sure you get the 40 Schedule piping when you go out and buy your pipe. 80 schedule is too thick and will not work. The way I have seen it listed on the pipe is it will say SCH 40 on the side of the pipe.
What should I use to cut the ABS pipe?
Let me just warn everyone right now. DO NOT BUY THE SCISSOR TYPE PVC CUTTERS. Even if your retailer insist that it is the best thing to cut pipe I made that big mistake myself already. When you go to cut the pipe the scissors will make the pipe bend at first so you will never get a straight cut. The best tool for cutting ABS pipe would have to be the type that looks like a clamp with a round blade at one end (see picture below). Be warned, the cutters from Home Depot don't seem to fit the pipe exactly so it does not always cut straight. You can get these at your local DIY or Plumbing store for about $20.
This cutter is from Sears. Click Here.
FAQ Written by Evanstewy
Update:HowTo Make Cool Round Edged ABS Drift Tires
28 June 06 : panda86 has posted his tutorial on the forums.
This is my tutorial on how to make round edge drift tires. I've posted it on other sites and I was requested to post it here, so here you go. Enjoy, hope it's helpful!
Step 1: Buy some 2" inner diameter ABS (don't use PVC, it's more slippery). Cut it into 1 1/8" sections. I use a cheap mitre box and a hacksaw. Take your time and make straight cuts. If you have a mitre power saw, you can use that too. i just take my time and they come out very straight. make 4 of them.
Step 2: Some people just slap these on their wheels at this point. I like to make them more functional (and pimp!). The first thing I do is sand the wheels to take off the rough edges. once with 150 grit, once with 600grit. I use a sanding wheel to keep the wheels flat and true.
Check the difference! It looks alot cleaner if you sand out the edge.
Step 3: routing the edges. Sometimes when you get sideways, the tires will catch on the concrete, rounding the edges ensures a smooth kick and good angle. I use a Dremel with a round corner bit, mounted on a table. i just use some clamped blocks of wood as a guide.
I made a jig to hold the "tires" when routing. This way i have some extra grip and can rotate the wheel smoothly.
The tire is then mounted and secured on the jig. You may now proceed to route the edges. You can see the bit here. Two passes are completed, one rough cut - one smooth final cut. Rotate the wheel 360 degrees in 1 shot to get an even cut.
Check the difference between routed and raw. The rounded edge makes for better drifting as the flat adge tends to catch and keeps you from performing longer and better controllable drifts.
Now do this to all 4 wheels on each side (8 routes)
Step 4: mounting the tires
Some people just slide the tires on and let the rims grip the tire, I like things more secure. It depends on the wheels you use, some are a tighter fit than others. I'm just showing everything just in case.
Here's the parts you need:
- 4 rims (demonstrated on TE37's here)
- 4 ABS tires
- weather stripping
- electrical tape
- CA glue
Apply a strip of weather stripping inside the wheel. This helps hold the wheel in place.
Step 5: Wrap some electrical tape around the foam, this prevents it from tearing.
Step 6: Mount the tires
Press the tires onto the rims and center them. You want a snug fit so that the ABS tire won't fly off the rim while you are drifting. If the fit is very tight, you can align the ABS over the rim lip evenly, place it on the ground with the ABS tire side up, then stomp the ABS tire onto the rim.
Here's your finished product! Alot cheaper than buying those manufactured rc drift tires but also much more time consuming.
Don't want to take the time to make your own tires? Check out these tires from Odyssey Garage!!! They're softer than ABS for better control!
