AMT FIretruck Vinyl Tires not fitting the rims

[Stryker3285]

Greetings distinguished group of experts,

I have an AMT American LaFrance Pumper on my workbench.  The current problem is that the vinyl tires are not fitting correctly to the rim.  One half sits flush with the rim as it is supposed to, but the other half only goes halfway to the edge of the rim as it should.  Worst case is that I can hide the misshaped tires on the dual wheels at the rear of the truck, but as someone who paints parts that can't be seen, I'd like them to fit right.

One thought I had was to fill the interior of the tires with Milliputt putty to ensure the tires keep their shape over time. 

Has anyone else had this problem and found a better solution?

 

Thanks!

 

Doug

[GLMFAA1]

Easy fix, use packing peanuts inside the tire,

greg

[Ace-Garageguy]

I've used strips of upholstery foam like you can get at fabric stores on some large-scale models with similar tire problems, much like the RC-car guys use.

Other possible materials would include polyester fiberfill, like's in pillows and quilted jackets etc., or even rolled fabrics like discarded pantyhose.

 

[peteski]

You could also glue couple of rings on the rim, slightly inwards of the rim's edge (the distance of the tire's sidewall thickness). Those rings will hold the sidewalls at the edge of the rim, preventing them from pulling inwards.  The rings can be made from some strip styrene wrapped around the rim.  Probably around 0.030" or 0.040" thick strip.  Or maybe you just need one ring in the inboard side of the rim?

[Stryker3285]

Thanks all, I went with the packing peanuts and they worked a lot better than I expected.  I like the way I can manipulate them to reshape the tires.

 

Thanks!
 

Doug

[FredRPG]

There's also foam backer rod used to stuff in cracks too large to fill with caulk or other fillers.  You can find it at most hardware stores in several different diameters. Works great for a lot of things.