Losi: Tires & Wheels

surface application type

Hard Packed Clay/Indoor

When a track has a lot of grip and not a lot of dust, a micro pin provides a larger overall contact patch with the surface. It is also common to use micro pin tires on both the front and rear end of the car or truck in these conditions. Pink compound tires tend to work best in this situation, although a Red compound front tire can mellow out the steering if its overly aggressive or twitchy. If the track begins to dry out or a loose layer of dust forms on the surface, a micro pin may not provide enough forward or side bite.

Blue Groove

A condition that forms primarily on outdoor tracks, a Blue Groove track has tremendous traction. A track becomes Blue Grooved when a bit of the tires rubber actually becomes embedded in the track surface. Essentially instead of running on dirt youre running on rubber. On outdoor tracks that Blue Groove youll want to use either Red or Silver compound tires with a Lug or Micro Pin carcass, depending on the amount of loose dirt that is off the racing line.Because of the excess of traction on a Blue Groove Track, a White compound tire may provide too much traction which could lead to traction rolling issues or scrubbing excessive speed off while cornering.

Sand or Loose Soil

This is a condition that is not often found on traditional racing surfaces in the US, but may be present on European or Asian tracks. A tread pattern with a large lug and wide spacing between each lug performs best in this type of environment. The large lug allows the tire to bite down into the soft surface and create traction. Silver or blue compound works well here because it gives pins the tire rigidity to claw through the loose soil. The softer Red compound may not provide the lug enough support and allow excessive flexing, which could make your vehicle feel inconsistent or unstable.

Wet & Loamy

This type of soil is most often found at outdoor tracks where the track surfaces are quite frequently very wet. These tracks tend to be very dynamic, meaning conditions change very quickly over a short period of time. The top layer of soil is generally light and fluffy, which creates an overall soft feel to the tracks surface. Red compound tires hook-up well in these types of conditions as tires can better conform to the changing features and ruts of the track. These characteristics make a Red compound tire relatively forgiving and easy to drive in these conditions. Silver compound will often feel very twitchy and difficult to control over the changing surface due to its overall harder rubber construction. In certain conditions experimenting with pink or blue compounds can also yield positive results if the track remains consistently damp without becoming muddy. Many different pin styles can be used to fine tune the handling and traction characteristics, but often a medium size pin is a good starting point.

Asphalt or Turf

This type of track is very common in Europe, but rarely if ever seen in the US. The exception would be if you plan to use your vehicle in a multi-surface environment such as around your house, in a driveway or in a parking lot. For the best combination of wear and performance, try tires molded out of the Silver compound. Another option would be Blue compound tires. Tires molded from the Blue compound work well overall but may have a shorter tread life due the softer compound. Red compound tires will wear very quickly and be fairly unstable due to its softer construction, while the Pink compound will have very little traction.