Some slash questions for a newbie...

[Karpouzian]

I just bought a used slash for general havoc and mischief making, and want to know what will make it easier to run on packed snow/ice. I know paddle tires for light packed snow, but this will be more hard packed, with more ice..

A little more oomf in the fluffy stuff, but mainly I want to be able to drive in a straight line without spinning out every two feet. Is this purely a tire issue, or a suspension issue, too?

[Diamond Dave]

I am going to say tire issue. I put some paddle tires on mine a month ago or so.

Does well in really light to quite heavy snow. Avoid any pavement, the paddles wear quite easy. Steering is an issue, I have the wrong front tires on for this.

I might have to stud some front tires and try that.

I would take a set of old rear tires and put some studs in them. Drywall screws? Stainless steel? something with a very low profile on the inside.

Just an idea.

[Karpouzian]

I will have to buy a new set of new tires to try this, as I don't want to ruin my only set, but it seems worth a try, especially if I can buy a cheap set on eBay... I also rcvd. The video link you pm'ed me. I'll ave to watchit after work and see if I is something I'm capable of, even

[Diamond Dave]

I bought a second set of tires and rims as well. I am thinking of a third set to be able to try something a little more obscene.

I glue them up, so being able to take them apart or mix and match wheels and tires is not an option.

Do some experimenting, and post some pics. Any tire with some metal sticking out of it will be better than a stock rubber tire rolling on snow or ice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iqCgFCJsTI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

This from a guy here in Calgary, works pretty good.

DAVE

[klavy69]

. Any tire with some metal sticking out of it will be better than a stock rubber tire rolling on snow or ice.

I've done this with some traxxas tires/rims and works great...if you don't like skin on your hands

I put some 1/4" hex head gutter screws on my slayer a couple years ago. After some running mine got really sharp. It had dumped upside down and when I picked it up to right it, it did a typical lean scream from running outta fuel...tore the crap outta my hand after it tore up my gloves .

Todd

[Karpouzian]

I've been doing some research on some of these mods, and though the tire chains seem like a safe bet, I have a 3 yr old who loves chasing my cars around, and I don't think I'm going to go the studded tire route. Snow chains aside, what tires would people say would be a good bet for me? The snow I've got is mostly ice, so paddles really aren't appropriate... I'm getting a little lost in the massive choice of tires. Help

[Diamond Dave]

You are going to be hard pressed to get any aggressive tread to hook up on hard pack or ice.

Anything short of paddles or studs and you might as well just go ice skating. Maybe run something that resembles a chevron style tread or a huge rubber spike?

I can see how running a studded tire would be an issue with the little guy around, so....

Why not have a spare set of tires and wheels for the rear, and swap them out when he is not chasing it around?

Todd, You are talkin sheet metal screws right?? Got any pics of your hand?

If anyone were to suggest the best type of screw/bolt, what would it be made out of and what size?

[klavy69]

Todd, You are talkin sheet metal screws right?? Got any pics of your hand?

If anyone were to suggest the best type of screw/bolt, what would it be made out of and what size?

You know I actually might...along with one of the times I cut the tip of my thumb off with a utility knife. The good ole' days of polaroids . I'll have to see if I can find them around somewhere.

What I used was an aluminum 1/4" long gutter screw with a 1/4"hex head. Ran out of them towards the end and slipped a few stainless steel ones in and wowser...talk about out of balance .

Todd

[Karpouzian]

http://prolineracing.com/tires/trencher-2.8-traxxas-style-bead-all-terrain-truck-tires/

What about something like these? They were suggested to me on another board...

You are going to be hard pressed to get any aggressive tread to hook up on hard pack or ice.

Anything short of paddles or studs and you might as well just go ice skating. Maybe run something that resembles a chevron style tread or a huge rubber spike?

I can see how running a studded tire would be an issue with the little guy around, so....

Why not have a spare set of tires and wheels for the rear, and swap them out when he is not chasing it around?

Todd, You are talkin sheet metal screws right?? Got any pics of your hand?

If anyone were to suggest the best type of screw/bolt, what would it be made out of and what size?

[Coelacanth]

http://prolineracing.com/tires/trencher-2.8-traxxas-style-bead-all-terrain-truck-tires/

What about something like these? They were suggested to me on another board...

I think those tires were my suggestion on RCTech.net in response to a guy who was planning to set up a Slash as a snow-plow. To get traction on snow & ice with a vehicle that is RWD, there are many challenges.

Most RC cars these days--except the crawlers--have way too much power. That's why you don't see Ferraris and Lambos driving around in winter, all they'll do is spin the tires. But all else being equal, the following will be important to improving traction on snow/ice:

-Tires with paddles will be required for loose/deep snow; tires that have thick, beefy tread pattern, narrow width and larger diameter will help provide some bite on packed snow & ice, and help to reduce side-to-side slipping. Think of the kind of tires used by snow-plows & graders, that's what would work best--in conjuction with slow speeds--to get traction.

-Increased weight to reduce wheel-spin.

-Other ideas would include installing some kind of chains or studs, as mentioned previously and in that other thread.

[Karpouzian]

Well, the fortunate thing is that a string of nice days may resolve this issue for me, but it is still something I may want to address for the future, or if we get more snow/ice.

What type of weight will people add to a car to get better traction?