Often times we see guys struggle with gluing tires.  Whether it is stock tires that you’re gluing up, or a set of softer aftermarket tires, you will find the following tips helpful in keeping the tires on your wheels.

To start off, the most important part of a well glue set of tires is the glue that you use.  Make sure the bottle of glue is not too old and haven’t been sitting in your pit bag for a long time.  Glue once opened and exposed to air, change in temperature (remember that 100+ deg. out door race you were at last week?) can begin to change in properties and begin to loose its adhesiveness.  If you have a big race coming up and you’re gluing up several sets of tires, it’s always a good idea to open up a fresh bottle of glue.  So far in our experience, AKA, Proline (thin) and Losi (thin) have worked the best and last the longest

The next step is actually prepping your tires for gluing.  Check of excess rubber from the mold  and trim these off with a small scissors.

These can sometimes prevent the tires from sitting in the wheel bead properly.  Next you want to take a towel, or a shop rag, and spray some motor spray (nitro cleaner) or some rubbing alchohol, and clean the bead of the tires thoroughly.  You’ll notice a streak of brownish oil.

This is the release mold oil which allows the manufacture to remove the tires from the mold easier during the manufacturing process.  Oil can sometimes act as a barrier for the glue to adhere the wheels and tires together.

The final step in prepping are the wheels.  Taking a small piece sand paper (100 grit or smiliar is fine) and gently rough up the edges of the bead.  You don’t have to apply a lot of pressure, just enough to rough it up and be sure not to change the curvature of the wheel.

If you’re using chrome style rims, be sure not to rough up/scratch up the outter edge.  This process will allow a glue with a better surface to bond with the tires.  Once you finish roughing up the edge, spray some motor spray (or similar cleaners) to clean up the dust from the sanding.

Insert probably have the biggest impact on how your particular set of tire will perform.  In Short Course truck racing, 1/8th scale buggy off-road insert seems to be popular choise as they are similar in diameter as short course truck which offers a tremendous amount of choices in compound/density.  Most 1/8th buggy inserts will fit inside short course truck tires with out modifications.

Once the inserts are properly seated in the tires, stretch the tires over the rims.  Be sure to have the tire bead sit properly in the wheel beads lift gently and let the bead seat itself.  When using foam type insert, make sure sections of foam insert does not sit along with the tire in the beads.  Push back and work the insert a bit for the tire to seat properly.  When the tires are properly seated, then it is time to apply the glue.

Most glue comes with thin nozzles/tube for easier application.  Cut about 10mm (1cm) worth of tubing and place it through the opening of the glue bottle.  Insert about 3-4mm in and let it sit for about a minute or two so the tube is secure in place by the glue around the opening.  When applying the glue to the tire, lift up the bead slightly to allow the glue to drip in (picture) usually just a drop will allow you to work the glue around a good section of the tire.  Continue to apply and have a shop towel handy to wipe any excess.  Because some rubber tires are so soft in compound, it is often times a good idea to use tire gluing rubber band (like the J-Concepts one) after you apply the glue to hold the tire to the contour of the rim.

It is always a good idea to check the tire after each run and make sure the glue is not coming apart anywhere on the tire/rim.  If need to reapply glue, be sure to clean the tire first around where it needs to be glued (an old tooth brush works well).

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