Taping tires with fiberglass

I spent the last couple days trying different tapes and adhesives and so far i believe this is the best combination I found.

Supplies:
Fiberglass tape (found in the paint section of walmart)
Contact cement ( found near same section with all the other adhesives)
Scissors
Paint brush a little smaller than the width of the inside tire

First off, my tires were already glued onto my rims, so I put my tires in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 mins. After that I gave my tires a bath 3 times in acetone. My tires were curved on the inside, so i couldn't just wrap the tape around it. I cut the tape 3.5 inches long which is the width of the inside and just taped the inside of it. I never flipped my tires inside out when I did this. Every time I put another tape inside the tire, I overlap it a little with the other tape already on the tire. I do this until I went all the way around. Then I got a brush and started to spread a layer of contact cement inside. Make sure you get the edges of the tape on the side of the tires cause this will be your weakest point. You put enough until you can see it turn glossy. After that you wait 30 mins for it to dry. You will notice some of the corners of the tape starts to curl up. Just press it them down after 30 mins and they will stick. Then you put another layer of fiberglass on it. The contact cement says to wait 7 days for full strength, so don't glue your tires until then. I really liked the way it turned out. I tested contact cement and shoe goo on a scrap piece of rubber and pretty much I tore the piece of rubber when I tried to take the fiberglass off of it so this thing has the same strength as shoe goo but with better work time. Here's some pics I took:

http://maxcapacitor.oplink.net/blunten/tire1.JPG
http://maxcapacitor.oplink.net/blunten/tire2.JPG
http://maxcapacitor.oplink.net/blunten/tire3.JPG
http://maxcapacitor.oplink.net/blunten/tire4.JPG
http://maxcapacitor.oplink.net/blunten/tire5.JPG
http://maxcapacitor.oplink.net/blunten/tire6.JPG
http://maxcapacitor.oplink.net/blunten/tire7.JPG

[JThiessen]

That's drywall patch material. When you first said fiberglass tape, I was a little concerned - "real" fiberglass tape is much different than what you used.

I'd like to hear what your long term thoughts are with this.

How much weight do you think it added? After they cure, I'd be interested to know what they look like on the inside after a few runs (maybe you should skip the tire glue on one wheel, so you can inspect it later.).

[lutach]

Strapping tape, reinforced fiberglass tape, 100mph tape all works good. Some of the tapes will have industrial strength adhesive and make sure the inside of your tires are really clean. It's good to scrub them with fine sand paper to get better contact with the adhesive.

[aqwut]

wouldn't the tires be a little off balance if you have more cement on one side?... How could you control an even application of the adhesive?...

The tape feels like it weighs less than duct tape and the cement is pretty thin when you spread it on any surface. The cement actually weighs less after it dries cause the solvent in the cement evaporates. Aqwut, you have about 5 mins before the cement becomes tacky, so you have enough time to spread a layer of cement. You can always balance the tires after you glue them. Next Sat, I'll test out the tires for couple hrs and post pictures of them.

[aqwut]

Originally Posted by Blunten

The tape feels like it weighs less than duct tape and the cement is pretty thin when you spread it on any surface. The cement actually weighs less after it dries cause the solvent in the cement evaporates. Aqwut, you have about 5 mins before the cement becomes tacky, so you have enough time to spread a layer of cement. You can always balance the tires after you glue them. Next Sat, I'll test out the tires for couple hrs and post pictures of them.

Awesome dude.... If it works out, it'll be a d*mn good idea....

Update: It didnt work as planned. Before I glued my tires to the rims, I tried to take off the 2nd layer of tape and it was pretty easy, so I just took off the 2nd layer off from all the tires. Here is one of the speed pass I video tapped. It doesnt look like it worked at all :/

http://maxcapacitor.oplink.net/blunten/PICT0006.MOV

[JThiessen]

sweet!

[lutach]

Originally Posted by Blunten

Update: It didnt work as planned. Before I glued my tires to the rims, I tried to take off the 2nd layer of tape and it was pretty easy, so I just took off the 2nd layer off from all the tires. Here is one of the speed pass I video tapped. It doesnt look like it worked at all :/

http://maxcapacitor.oplink.net/blunten/PICT0006.MOV

Tape is the best way. I remember talking to Steve Pond after he went 104mph with his Super RS4 and he actually filled the rubber tire with contact cement.

[team3six]

Or you could of just just purchased the new set of GRP wheels. They are designed for contorled donut effect. I believe Losi owns GRP now and Proline and JConcepts are making the same types of wheels.

More than one mag has published how-tos on taping wheels. 3M packaging tape, aka strapping tape is the best to use. Its stronger than the centrifugal force the tire is exposed too, comes in 2" wide rolls and the self adhesive is strong enough to keep it planted in a clean tire. Need to clean the inside with denat alcohol (scrub) - if you want to scuff inside, its up to you. Use a 1" overlap, any more is detrimental to balance.

Duct tape is the worst stuff to use - it will eventually eat foam liners if that's what you're using. Duct tape will eventually turn sticky and bunch foam liner up.