sticky liquid that you put on tires

[blueb8llz]

whats up, has anyone in here used that sticky liquid you put on your tires for more traction...i think its called niftech or paragon..or somthing like that. reason for me asking was becuase im planning to get a 8 turn motor on my hpi pro 3 and run it on my street with sum standard redial street tires..ones with tread. some people on the board say the 8 turn will have so much punch that it will maybe spin the tires and lose time or it will just make my car go wild where itll be hard to control the car to go straight. so i was thinking if i put that sticky stuff....would that work for my case? i pretty much just want to be able to go straight without losing control and being able to punch the throttle at the line and not have it go crazy.
if this stuff does work, can anyone suggest me their brand they are using or heard good things about.

thanks

[losiguy1090]

Paragon and Niftech work pretty well, but THE BEST traction compound I've tried is paint thinner. You just dap it on the tires w/ a cotton ball or whatever. Gives insane ammounts of traction. Works great for offroad too.

[cheerwhiner]

really? Hmm i will try that- it would be cheap

[NotWalkinBlind]

Do all these products/ideas work well on non-foams?

Also, on the street, unless you get a leafblower out there, you're gonna find out that not much anything is gonna help (overall).

[TC3Racer]

Those tire compounds are mainly used for on-road carpet racing. I doubt its gonna do anything for pavement.

Yes it works on non-foam tires. I race my TC3 in both a foam and rubber tire class and use Paragon tire compound on both tires.

[blueb8llz]

oh really. none of these compounds are for street use...aw that sucks then. i only wanted it for the street. hay losi guy, would that paint thinner work for asphalt? so all i do is dab it all over the tires, or just parts of it? does it hurt the tires in anyway?

[losiguy1090]

The paint thinner works on foams, rubber, carpter, asphalt, and dirt.[I have friends who use it for onroad and carpet]. I was a lil unsure of how well it'd work at first, but when I tried it, WOW! :eek:

[ZenMoto]

You guys want a cheap liquid that works great? Go to your local drugstore and pick upa bottle of "oil of wintergreen". Wipe it onto your tires a few minutes before a race and just before your heat wipe it off and then do a quick burnout.

The stuff works amazing! ...smells good too! :) This will eat at your tire over time, but if you're racing hard enough to need a traction modifier, your tires aren't going to last that long anyway! ;)

It's an old slot-car trick my Dad tought me back when I was racing on gym floor tracks. ...waaay back in the 80s! lol Seriously though, it works really well.

[blueb8llz]

yea..i dunno if i want something that eats up my tire...im not gonna be racing . i just need it for my street outside. hay losi...does that rubbing alc. eat up the tire after time as well?

[Grizzbob]

You guys want a cheap liquid that works great? Go to your local drugstore and pick upa bottle of "oil of wintergreen". Wipe it onto your tires a few minutes before a race and just before your heat wipe it off and then do a quick burnout.

The stuff works amazing! ...smells good too! :) This will eat at your tire over time, but if you're racing hard enough to need a traction modifier, your tires aren't going to last that long anyway! ;)

It's an old slot-car trick my Dad tought me back when I was racing on gym floor tracks. ...waaay back in the 80s! lol Seriously though, it works really well.
True, that stuff does work, & that's why it's also a key ingredient of a number of traction compound formulas(especially Paragon's Ground Effects). But for using those on non-foam rubber, I personally prefer Racer's Choice TQ Blue, I think it works better than Paragon on natural rubber tires(though Paragon works better on foam rubber), & while it does tend to accelerate wear on those tires, it should help get you more of the grip you want(& the amount of increased wear shouldn't be too bad). Just use the dauber that comes in each can & coat the tire with it & let it soak for awhile(maybe 15-30 minutes) & then wipe them down with a rag & let 'em dry. Then they should grip better on most any surface(though how much so depends on the surface)..... :cool:

[losiguy1090]

Blue, the paint thinner does not accelerate tire wear.

[NotWalkinBlind]

Blue, if you have access to a leafblower, just blow the area you plan to run on, and then any of these compounds will work fine.

We used to use sunblock. No kidding... we just squirted a little on the rear tires, massaged it in a bit, let it sit while we wrenched/prepared for the next heat, the wiped 'em off with a rag, then massaged 'em a bit more. You could feel them softening up and getting grippy.

If you needed less grip on the fronts, you just did the inner or outer edge.

[blueb8llz]

thanks everyone for their input. i personally will prolly use the paint thinner or sunblock trick since these are two products i own already.

[losiguy1090]

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[xrayracer]

thanks everyone for their input. i personally will prolly use the paint thinner or sunblock trick since these are two products i own already.

Sunblock works the best at high spf numbers don't use too much as that will get flung inside your car body and the dirt on the road will stick to the car shell.

never used paint thinner but other thinners will attack the plastic and glue of the tires and could mess with you paint scheme on the body shell, even cause it to crack. do not recommend.

Lastly the guy talking about the leaf blower is very correct. the dust and dirt of were you run is the real reason for no traction.

[xrayracer]

Just reread your initial post. Are you NUTS! 8 turn motor with worn out tires on the street.

Okay you want to run it without spending any money turn down the top speed limiter til you learn you can't weld the throttle and expect it to do nothing but spin in circles wearing out what is left of the rocks you call tires.

When you save up some money to buy stuff. take out the 8 turn and put in a 19 turn. It will haul real good and the batteries will last more than a few minutes. 2nd get some new tires. the cheap treaded tires that came with the kit are great for doing donuts and power slides but will not do anything for you traction wise.

Life will be so much more fun with those changes. cause traction compound is the least of your worries. BTW I'm suprized you have burned up the com on 8 turn. In competition, they have to machine the engine almost every run so they dont lose power.

[blueb8llz]

thanks xray racer..maybe i wont use paint thinner..ahhah
i might try the oil of wintergreen. does anybody know what the stuff is really used for?

[blueb8llz]

how can u tell if the comms are burnt or not..would the motor still work?

[xrayracer]

how can u tell if the comms are burnt or not..would the motor still work?
It will rob you of power, not that you need it. to tell look at the brushes, they are probably discolored from heat. the com will also look very worn.

If I was you, seriously, I would cut the com and keep that motor for special occasions (ie. bets on whos fastest) then work with a 13 to 19 turn can for playing around. Also a set of slicks will have amazing traction compared to any treaded tire you pick, Unless you are running on dirt.

[NotWalkinBlind]

i might try the oil of wintergreen. does anybody know what the stuff is really used for?Sore muscles, I think... look for it near products like HEET, IcyHot, and ThermaCare. If you have Eckerds and CVS, they will probably both have it. Smells real cool.

[xrayracer]

Sore muscles, I think... look for it near products like HEET, IcyHot, and ThermaCare. If you have Eckerds and CVS, they will probably both have it. Smells real cool.

About 15 years ago racing oval pan cars I made my own traction compounds, that were based on oil of wintergreen. The difference was I cut mine with regular turpentine. 1 part oil of wintergreen 2-3 parts turpentine. used an old tire sauce can (since it had a built in cotton swab to lather it on) to keep it in as that wintergreen would stink up everything. By cutting it, I got great traction but did not pickup as much dirt from the street. I kept the tires and the sauce in a double ziplocks to not stink up the garage too much.

[blueb8llz]

hay xray..slicks would give me better traction on my street? really, how is slicks gonna give me traction tho....there is no grip...wont it just spin when i gun it from the line?

[xrayracer]

the rubber itself is has the traction because it deforms around asphalt. look at nascar, they run slicks. most full size racing is on slicks as they provide the most traction on dry conditions

[blueb8llz]

oh ok ...i got it..thanks..maybe illl just run my tires untill they are slicks..then i should be coo..would u still put them grip oil>?

[Hockeekidd98]

I guess you aren't familiar with tires....

Now lets take some time and think.. slicks have more surface area touching the ground... That means they grip better then a tread... unless they are you on surfaces such as unswept roads...

On a street a treaded tire will get more traction.

[xrayracer]

not always. also newer tires will have more traction. proline are consistant for longer use. some of the race only tires will be great for 25 runs and they are done. worn out tires work just like real worn out tires. lousy.

[xrayracer]

I guess you aren't familiar with tires....

Now lets take some time and think.. slicks have more surface area touching the ground... That means they grip better then a tread... unless they are you on surfaces such as unswept roads...

On a street a treaded tire will get more traction.
not if they are some of the rock hard junk that come with some of the older cars.

[highroller]

Wish I seen your post earlier. Traction compounds like Paragon, NIftech, Trinity and others were made for foam tires racing on carpet, then there are compounds made for radial tires when racing on concrete and asphalt tracks (surfaces that are prepared). For street use the best thing to do is use a soft or medium compound tire, brakes cleaners (other things people mentioned) all softens the rubber to a certain degree that is what helps. But when ever you select (modified) motors be sure it's in a turn and wind that doesn't overpower the vehicle for the amount of traction available. The number of turns/winds doesn't dictate the overal speed but the bottom and top end power. In conditions where traction is poor use a higher turn or use a motor with more winds, something that smoothes the acceleration or bottom end punch. Tailor the motor power to surface conditions is key in racing, and can also be used in recreational use. You end up with a vehicle that will be more controllable, little less maintenance and longer runtime. Also changing pinion size to suit the motor estimated power range is another key factor, you may need to drop 4-6 teeth or more from the pinion used in stock and another tooth when switching between a 10turn and 8 turn motor.

[Sean Patterson]

Racer's Choice TQ Max all the way! Everyone at my track(indoor carpet) uses Paragon. I think TQ works better and doesn't smell like Bengay.

[stormperson]

For this application, go and buy a 19t, ie C2, Reedy Quad Spec, etc... You will only get 1-3 runs on your 8 turn before the brushes wear out and the comm needs cutting. Also the orion v2's are great motors, espically since you can get alot of runs out of them before they need to be recutt, brushed...

As far as tires and compound, I wouldnt bother, your street probably has alot of dust dirt and debris that would just get stuck on the tire and make it worse. Get some HPI x patterns or if you want to try a slick Take Off sells preglued tires for around $25, get like the 27 compound is a good all around, and they have alot of meat on them, so they should last...