Tires

[Marc101885]

Are there other tires out there that will swap right onto the monster trucks wheels. I would like to get a different set of tires to run on the concrete so i don't chew up the mt ones. I've seen how fast the mt tires chew up on my friends mcd on the concrete.

 

[Sprint 77]

You can change but you need to change the entire wheel. If you wrap a couple wraps of black tape on your hubs the 5 b wheels will fit they are 24 mm hex rampage is 23 mm hex. Cen wheels for the 7 mt will fit but they won't hold up to any abuse or wieght. Baja rears are more than likely your best bet but the initial cost of 4 + tires is high. If you do that though get the hostile slicks the quality is WAY better than the HPI tarmacs.

 

[Robertm235]

Have you done this? I would spend the $$ but am afraid I would strip the hexs?? What do you think?

 

[kun114]

Have you done this? I would spend the $$ but am afraid I would strip the hexs?? What do you think?

If you got the cash, put Hpi hexes on while you're at it. You could also put some axle extenders on it. One or the other...


http://www.rampagehopups.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=342


or


http://www.rampagehopups.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=11

 

[MOfroggy]

I run HPI hubs and Hostile tires on the rear and baja rear knobbies on the front. With these tires I think it is as good at manuvering as a Baja ever thought about being.

 

[Robertm235]

OK..........just so i got this, The dark soul entenders for the 5b will work on all 4 corners of the rampage? therefor allowing me to use virtually any tire wheel combination that I could use on the 5b on my rampage???? My thing is the wheels and tires on the rampage MT are SOOOO heavy that its killing the performance of the truck. Tires/wheels that weighed half as much would not only make it handle better but would allow it to take off MUCH faster!!! right????

 

[Sprint 77]

You got it all right especially the rotating weight deal

 

[Robertm235]

I just got this truck today! what are the first things I should get? At this point I think im more worried about reliability over performance????

 

[MOfroggy]

I just got this truck today! what are the first things I should get? At this point I think im more worried about reliability over performance????

To insure long runs over 15 minutes get the steel C and D gears. The gears that come stock are crap and will strip on you in a nano second unless you are just jumping mouse turds.


Swap the stock filter for the HPI Baja Filter, change the tires to Baja tires and get a roll cage like Sprint77 has designed to protect yourself from major damage in the event of a roll over.

 

[Garrett]

For reliability, change gears to metal or MCD plastic (cheaper). Stock gears may be fine for a while but will go eventually. Also change throttle servo to Hitec HS645MG or similar. If stock throttle fails, you may have a run away truck. Green locktite on the dogbone pins or put heat shrink tubing over the drive cups to stop pins from falling out of dogbones. My plastic cage has held up well as have my wheels tires.

 

[RampageHopUps]

There is a stick on first run things to do.

 

[deathrowtoll]

Guys,


I agree with what most of you have said, but I want to suggest one more option that althougth somewhat pricey it is still another way to make your truck/buggy outperform almost anything in Tarmac (Asphalt or Concrete)


The alternative is to buy the "A-M-S adapters - Rampage to FG" sold by Rampagehpopups = http://www.rampagehopups.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=329 (55.00 for set of 4)


If you combine these adapters with Kronos tires/rims for 1/5 scale touring cars, using 27 shore in front, 20 shore in back for up to 100 degrees F on the tarmac or 35 shore in front, 27 shore in back for over 125 degrees F on the tarmac (mounted 1/5 tires and rims cost about 70 dollars/pair), change the gearing to 31/29 and 25/25 and change the diff oils to 30,000/6,000 front/back, change the shock oils to 125/85 front/back, move the shock collars all the way up, so the suspension sags a little, you get yourself an asphalt hot rod.


This option and its combinations work well for both truck and buggy because the tires equalize to a large extent their size difference. This option does make your truck/buggy look odd as the tires are really small compared to both the truck or buggy tires, but I was not looking for looks, but rather for performance. I have run this combination for over 25 tanks of gas for a combined time of 20 hrs, and 10 minutes (I keep a log) without changing my 27/20 tire combo in my buggy. This combination has outlasted all of my expectations. These tires are very hard and completelly flat and they do not balloon out at all. They start sort of slippery for the first minute or so, but after they get warm, they are the stickiest tires I have ever run, they make me look as if I am a good driver, which I am sorry to say I am not.


I normally race trucks and touring cars in an outdoor asphalt 1/10 scale track, but practice in between qualifying heats with the buggy in the same track, and many very good drivers have come up and asked me how is it that I am running so fast with a buggy so big. They are surprised about the handling and the fact that I am making laps only a few seconds off of the stock classes. I am sure if they would make the track wider and longer (more like and 1/8 scale track) so I could gear up, I could easily compete with the fast gas touring cars...... well not really, but I can dream.


Sorry about the long post, but I just wanted to share.


I am in Houston right now, but when I get back to Denver this weekend I will post some pictures and video, so you can see how odd the buggy looks, but once again, if you want amazing performance in Asphalt/concrete with a somewhat moderate cost tag this is a good option.


DRT.

 

[MOfroggy]

Deathrowtoll,


All I can say is WOW! You sure seem to have done your homework! If you wanted to run the Rampage on tarmac could you get about the same performance by doing all of the other mods you suggested and using the HPI Tarmac tires or are the Kronos tires/rims essential to make the truck run right?


Where can we get the Kronos tires/rims?


MOfroggy

 

[deathrowtoll]

MOfroggy,


Excellent question! I actually started with the HPI Tarmac tires as it took a little while to get the AMS adapters. I also did quite a bit of testing and my impressions are as follow:


The handling was decent, but after just two tanks I started to see quite a bit of wear in the center of the tire which indicated the tires were balooing out some, not much but some, that forced me to have to mess with camber after every tank in order to make the tires last. I am used to doing the same for my other racing cars so not a big deal at first, but after just 6 tanks of gas I was running out of places to move the tire contact area.


I setup my cars to have quite a bit of forward bite with little bit of steering push which in turn forces my style of driving to be aggresive as I normally brake very late which means I kept on making the tires fold under the rims during heavy turning which caused a blow out in one of my rear tires in just 7 tanks of gas.


A set of tires lasting 7 tanks of gas in a heavy car like the buggy seemed reasonable and I was happy enough. I was getting ready to buy another set and continue testing, but then the AMS adapters became available and decided to just try the 1/5 scale touring car tires instead.


So in a single sentence 'YES, the HPI Tarmac tires will work', but you have to make some other changes to the setup, and have to deal with revisiting the camber and toe-in, toe-out in the tires quite often to make them last a few more tanks.


The changes needed are :


- 10,000/5,000 diff oil front/back (less forward bite, but easier on the tires)


- 55/45 shock oil front/back (To allow the chasis more roll to have more tire traction, but you have to be careful with an oversteer condition)


- use about 2 degrees of toe-out in front (to keep it tracking straight with tires that have less traction due to the small contact area on the tires)


- goto 29/31 and 25/25 if stock motor or 27/33 if using a motor bigger than a 26 (bigger radius tires)


- start with zero degrees of camber up front and 2 negative on back to see where your tire contact patch is and then change it as needed to avoid premature tire wear. (to correct for balloning effect)


As far as where you can get the 1/5 touring tires? You have several choices, but I like getting them from the Pro 5th scale site, they do not have as good customer support as Rob at RampageHopUps, but they seem to have the tires at a reasonable price (I imagine with the dollar being down this will change soon). You also have three good tire choices as PMT makes several kinds of tires for the 1/5 scale touring cars.


My recommendation depends on what you want to do:


All out racing: Eclipse http://www.pro5thscale.com/inc/sdetail/244


Semi-Pro : Kronos http://www.pro5thscale.com/inc/sdetail/243


New technology, cheaper, lighter and I hear better than the kronos : Icaro http://www.pro5thscale.com/inc/sdetail/245


One note: the track where I practice has a smooth to semi smooth surface and it barely got to 125 degrees during the summer; that is how I got away with the 27/20 shore combo. Depending on you asphalt surface and temperature you might have to choose another shore. Sometimes when you choose the wrong shore you can half or double the life of the tire.


In thinking about it, you really can't go wrong with either the HPI or PMT tires , is just a matter of preference, whether is easier to get one tire or the other and setup know-how; you exchange cost and ease of use depending on your point of view. It just so happened that I had a few Kronos/Eclipse tires laying around the house and they seemed to fit my driving style.


DRT.

 

[MOfroggy]

I put my Baja Tarmac's on my Rampage front and rear and you are right. It handles way better than a Baja on the parking lot I run on. My times were probably 10 seconds faster than my Baja's on the exact same circuit. With the 4WD it turns a LOT better than my Baja's. I am going to do some of the other mods and see what happens. Running on concrete is way different than grass...there is a whole lot less grass to clean up! I do suspect though that the cost of tires is going to go way up!

 

[DON 44]

deathrowtoll .excellent post.theres no such thing as to much info when it comes to these things.i'm with you,durabilty is my #1 thing