Molded Tyre inserts-yay or nay?
 

What are your opinions/experiences with these on your monster trucks.Is there a performance improvement and is it worth the considerable weight penalty?
are any pro drivers using them in truggy or MT racing?

reason i ask is i just got some for the first time,they definately feel like they'd improve consistency and even grip level but they're dang heavy.I measure 188 grams weight penalty for four maxx/MTR inserts compared to foams.These are the fastrax extra soft ones,they look the same as the proline ones to me(never handled the prolines though)exept they come in different colors,soft and extra soft.If you remember nerf toys,nerf balls and stuff,that's what they seem to be made of,it's not light.

Well, it depends.

I guess a pro would be they are pretty much a perfect fit and won't bunch up and throw the truck out of balance.

A con is that I heard when they baloon with the tire, they end up tearing and then they wreak havoc on your tire balance because they bunch up and stuff. They are also heavier than standard "air" foam.

I probably won't be using them because I haven't really had any trouble with standard inserts.

If you do decide to use them, however, I would strap them just like you strap the tire. By this I mean wrap tape around the outer circumference of the foam. This will prevent the foam from expanding and tearing. Its also a good idea to strap the inside as well, just to prevent any tears from starting.

This is what I would do.

I have been using them in my buggies and truggy. In the buggy they seem pretty good. They are supposed to tougher than the old foam style. The old style in the past I've had tear and then break down on me, kinda sucks when that happens. I never realized that the Monster size is heavier until you mentioned it. The one thing I have noticed is that I have the medium and they seem a little stiff not bad though. As far as ballooning goes, to me it seems like they balloon less.

I've never taped any of my tires but maybe I should if increases the foam insert's life.

If they are denser, it would make sense that the tires would balloon less. For a tire to expand outwards, the sides have to come in (tire gets narrower). So, if the foam helps the tire stay at its designed width, the tire can't expand since it can't get narrower. Of course, you'll still have some ballooning, just not as much. Those molded inserts would probably make it easier to put together a tire that is balanced better too since it's not as squishy as regular foam.

I can say that the molded inserts making tire/wheel working MUCH easier. I have hated and always will hate dealing with the regular foam inserts, whether it's fitting the foam inside the tire, or even gluing the tire to the wheel.

A couple days ago I was driving my Hyper 8 when one of the molded foams ripped out after tearing in half. The thing is, the tires (Road Rages) were so worn down that the sidewalls were almost gone. A tear in the sidewall allowed the molded foam to fly out.

well they definately hold the shape of the tyre miles better.you know with a MT tyre with foams you can end up with the tread pushed over to one side of the rim,well with the molded inserts they just spring right back,keeping the tyre in place and central on the rim.

If anyone's familiar with the concept of tyre slip angles,these must change the slip angle of the tyre dramatically(well,ok,slightly)compared to foams,so could require toe angle changes when switching over.

Yay..