Worn out tires

[panpan]

I took my EB4 for a drive on tarmac this afternoon and then I realised that the brakes weren't very effective. I had a close look at the buggy and noticed that the servo connecting rod for the rear brake had come off.

Then I noticed that the front tires were incredibly worn out probably due to only front wheel braking. I probably won't buy a new set of tires soon, so I am just wondering whether in the meantime I should have the worn out pair on the front wheels or the rear wheels?

They look like this

[Rolex]

That's a lot of wear. My guess is your front end was seriously out of alignment.

[olds97_lss]

I guess the question is more "do you want to steer and have good braking or do you want to get power to the ground?". If you want to steer, then newer tires on the front. If you want to have the most forward bite, then they go on the rear.

As with any vehicle that has 4 wheel brakes, 70% of the braking is done by the front tires.

[Plaidfish]

you will eat any pin type tread on road...do yourself a favor and buy some cheapo OFNA road wheels for just running around the streets....at 40-60 bucks a set for treads you'll maybe get a day of use before they look like that again.....you can use old tires too but the rubber is thinner and they won't last nearly as long on pavement.....

[panpan]

Originally Posted by olds97_lss

I guess the question is more "do you want to steer and have good braking or do you want to get power to the ground?". If you want to steer, then newer tires on the front. If you want to have the most forward bite, then they go on the rear.

As with any vehicle that has 4 wheel brakes, 70% of the braking is done by the front tires.

But the balance is surely adjustable no??

Anyway, I think the main cause was that the rear brake connecting rod came loose and so all the braking power was transferred to only the front tires. I don't think I will be going on tarmac again

[8ight]

Not just braking, when you throttle, the front end lifts, and spins the front tires. My buggy is the same was, no tread on the front, some on the back.

[johnperdeye]

i did the same thing bout some street tiress belted them a lot cheaper than use holeshots or bowties on the street

[panpan]

what do you guys think about sticking some truggy wheels onto a buggy?

[alien]

panpan I would advise heavily against it unless you just dont like your motor. truggys are geared alot different, like 12-28 teeth gear wise different to handle the larger tires. This will cause great strain on your motor. As for the tires for driving on the street if anyone is interested I found some street slicks for 10$ a set of 4 shipped on ebay that fit 1/8th buggy wheels. I figued what the heck and bought 2 sets, man these things kick ass, great for setting up your buggys because they are perfectly flat, also great for motor break ins or when you just want to have some fun. They have the perfect amount of bite to move around ok but do slide a little if you like to drift.

[panpan]

Oh thanks for the info alien. Have you got some pics of those tires?? I am quite interested however, i live in the uk so postage might be a bit akward.

[alien]

looks like he raised his prices a little but still a great deal for a set of 4 http://cgi.ebay.com/NIB-On-road-Slic...QQcmdZViewItem

[jon2]

Tarmac is pretty harsh. Not so forgiving as loose dirt so expect worn tires. If you drive on such a surface, I suggest onroad tires but thats me.

As far as balancing, You can need to do the Chad Bradley way of balancing tires. XRC did a write up on how. Cheap but still effective. Wish I could find the Issue number...

[Plaidfish]

Originally Posted by 8ight

Not just braking, when you throttle, the front end lifts, and spins the front tires. My buggy is the same was, no tread on the front, some on the back.

If your front is unloading like that you need to change your diff fluids.....run a slightly heavier fluid in the center next rebuild....it will help reduce the ballooning effect you're getting.....But even then you'll need a few different types of treads in your box to really tune your buggy to the track or whatever surface you're running on....
you should be able to get fairly close wear on your tires by adjusting the braking...I like slightly more front than rear brake so it tracks better.....if you equalize the brakes to 50/50 you will brake traction in a hard braking situation and spin......