Cutting Tires for Stock Rim

[GeekSpeed]

Just a quick question. Has anyone tried to cut down 2.2 tires to fit on 1.6/1.9 wheels? I am assuming there would be issues with balance, coming apart, and sidewall size, but I figured I would ask.

[501sRC10]

I'm a noob but trying to fit 2.2 tires on 1.9/1.6 wheels would mean the hole in the tire is .3/.5 inches larger than the wheel so you would have to add an adaptor ring to the wheel. If you have access to a lathe you might be able to make them.

[matt1ptkn]

JK Racing did it for a Jrx-2 build here: http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=33445&hilit=cut+and+shut. Look at page 2 for the photos. Good luck!

[jwscab]

yes, you can section a tire. from 2.2 to 1.6 might be a little extreme. 2.2 to 2.0 wouldn't be bad.

any reason you wouldn't just update the wheels?

[GeekSpeed]

I just like the look of the originals on my short-arm 6 gear. lol.

Well, that and I am too lazy to change everything out to run 2.2s. I checked the sidewall thickness and I think it would work ok for the fronts, but the rears maybe not so much. Even so, the diameter of the fronts would be quite a bit less than the kit tires. I really wish we had more of a selection for the 1.9/1.6 rims.

[jwscab]

yep, i hear ya.

I believe you can get the re-re scorpion tires to fit, plus there are always NOS tires on ebay from various manufacturers. Tamiya Hornet rear ones work well. the front ribbed tires, unless you want something completely different, there is always the front knobby NOS or the new re-re prolines.

you can get drop on 2.2" wheels for the 1/4" axle, though they are a star wheel, from jcracing in UK dirt cheap(NOT jconcepts). or even keep your eyes peeled for b2/b3 sport wheels/worlds wheels, they pop up fairly often if you know what you are looking for.

[GeekSpeed]

Thanks, I may just bite the bullet and do the JK racing wheels.

However, looking at JK's Losi rebuild, I am wondering if SC tires would work for cutting down to the 1.6 rim. Does anyone know how tall the sidewall of an SC tire is compared to a kit tire?

[501sRC10]

Never would have thought of doing that, hence the "I'm a noob" statement. If you end up trying I would suggest trying rubber cement rather than CA and possible lining the inside of the seam with some sort of thin rubber or maybe line the complete inside of the tire to avoid an out of balance issue.

[terry.sc]

If you end up trying I would suggest trying rubber cement rather than CA and possible lining the inside of the seam with some sort of thin rubber.

Cutting and gluing tyres is something that's been done for years, originally in buggies to narrow rear tyres to fit 4wd fronts. In crawling it allows you to custom modify tyres, in fact my competition crawler has tyres made from 3 completely different tyres to create a custom tread pattern. Flexible rubber toughened cyano is used to glue them together, keep the edges straight with no gaps in the join and you have a glue joint that is easily as tough as the rest of the tyre.

[JK Racing]

Thanks Matt for linking that

You can try to find some 2.0 3 piece CE wheels, then cut down the 2.2s to fit. Same for the 2.1 3 piece CE fronts. Keep the original look but with modern tires.

I want to say someone cut down some hole shots from 2.2 to jelly beans and the overall diameter dropped really bad.

[JK Racing]

Found it...

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=33117&hilit=cut+down+tire

[terry.sc]

I want to say someone cut down some hole shots from 2.2 to jelly beans and the overall diameter dropped really bad.

The sidewall height means it would be better cutting a pair of rear truck tyres down and narrowing them, so keeping the bigger profile to the tyre.