The speed that thing will go, you'd be better off following Thrust SSC's example = steel wheels with no tires.....

Well there's not a lot of friction between steel and pavement so it wouldn't go very fast. :na: There would be a sweet spark show, though.

But yeah I'll be sure I glue the foams well enough so they don't self destruct. Do you think I should put a parachute on the third channel? :rofl:

Thats really not a bad idea. That thing wont be able to stop very well.
Youre also going to need a wheelie bar if you increase the traction to much.
I personally would avoid foam tires on a vehicle like that just because it could probably go through a pair every battery charge. I dont have that kind of money. Its also going to be hard to get rubber tires to stay glued to rims at the speeds those rear tires will reach, so I would use beadlocks of some kind. If you want to deal with the gearing issues, panther maxx sized slicks on maximizer 1/2" off set beadlocks work pretty well. Theyve survived a lot of abuse so far, and they still give a lot of forward thrust when theyre spinning.

I like the Maxx slicks but is it possible to prevent them from balloon so much? I would need a much larger spur to run them. What are my options for spurs other than the Revo stock spurs (36, 38, 40T)? I think something around 46 would be the largest possible M1 gear that would fit. 32P would be acceptable, too.

Yep 46t is the largest that will fit without touching the diff output. You could try the jato spurs, 54, 56, 58t and 32p pinions. The spurs are .8 mod, but they work fine with 32p pinions.

The MGT spurs are supposedly easy to fit on the traxxas slipper, and are mod 1 and available in 46t.
My slicks are belted with duct tape, and really dont balloon at all. It was basically undrivable with unbelted tires.
Because of the maxx driveshafts Im running, the biggest spur I can use is a 44t. I run a 40t because the revo spurs are a direct fit, while the rs4 spurs take a lot of dremeling every time a rock gets in the teeth or a pinion comes loose and chews up a spur gear.

I think I'll go with the Jato 32P stuff. The 58T spur looks to be the same size as a 90T, 48P spur which is the largest that can fit. I'll pick up the 58T and the 56T spurs and a 24T pinion. The Maxx slicks will go on my list, too. I'd like to find some thick, adhesive foam tape to put inside them. Maybe weather stripping or the like.

Do you mean instead of an insert?

Ideally it would be a full size insert with an adhesive backing. But I mean a 1/4" thick hardish foam to really reinforce the tread area in addition to the foam insert in the tire.

That is a good idea, but I would worry about the strength of the tape. The adhesiveness of the tape and the tensile strength of the backing material. Duct tape is pretty strong stuff, so is the fiber reinforced packing tape some people use to belt tires. If you get beadlocks the foam tape is definitely worth a try, though.

I would definitely get beadlocks. Q for you though - what hex adapters did you use on your Rustler? I can't seem to find any 17mm OR 14mm adapters that have a 5mm center hole.

I was looking at the Maximizer 17mm 1/2" offset wheels which I think are the same wheels you use.

Actually that might be an issue for you, I hadnt thought about that. Im using maxx driveshafts with 6mm axles and maximizer 17mm hub adapters. I thought Ive seen 14mm adapters meant for the stampede though.
Those are the exact wheels Im using.
Or you could use these with the non offset wheels.

I saw those Integy adapters. That has to be the stupidest thing ever. Way too much stress on the axle. I can see them snapping off on the first run. You have 6mm axles huh? What do you use for rear bearing carriers? I'd like to keep the metal driveshafts if possible. How about some pics of your rear end? :lol:

Im using stock Jato hub carriers with 6x11 and 6x15 bearings, and some aluminum arms meant for a jato.
Heres some really old pics, but they show what Ive done pretty well:
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...s/S5000206.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...s/S5000208.jpg

Youre using RPM rear arms right? Youre probably going to want aluminum with the big rear tires. The arm flex will cause pretty bad wheel hop. The stock jato arms did anyway.
I wouldnt discount the integy adapters already, the maxx wheels will have a lot less offset than wheels meant for a rustler so the center of the contact patch wont be too much further out. It looks like the shorter 2 hubs with the zero off set wheels would be about perfect. With my 1/2" offset wheels and jato arms, the inside of the tires barely clears the outer edge of the body, and I had to trim the fender wells some to make it work. The body is a desert rat meant for a maxx, rustler bodies look stupid on this thing now. My rustler is longer and wider than my 1/8 buggy.

More Jato stuff huh? Are the Jato diff output shafts 5mm? I ask because I saw this MIP Jato CVD kit. Or do you think I can use the MIP Rustler drive cups I already have? I guess the ball on the end of the CVD would need to be the same diameter. If this would all work I'll get the RPM rear arms and the stock Traxxas stub axle carriers. I like the plastic for the weight savings. If it has issues I can upgrade to aluminum later. Did you use the stock length camber links?