Stiffening for soft rubber tires

[sjordan2]

This 1/16 Rolls-Royce Phantom II kit has very soft rubber tires that can compress easily and slip off the wheel rims. Does anyone have any suggestions for some sort of stiffening agent that could be brushed on the inside of the tires?

[Marc @ MPC Motorsports]

Are they hollow? Perhaps you could fill them with something like clay.

[Scalper]

You can fill them with tissue paper as well.

[sjordan2]

Yes, the tires are hollow. My concern about putting in paper or foam rubber, etc., is that I fear that they won't maintain the proper circular shape over time and may distort the tire.

I'm sitting here staring at my 1970-era 1/12 blower Bentley, which has beautiful hollow tires that haven't changed in all this time, because they have a thicker rubber.

[Harry P.]

Go to a home improvement store and find O rings that will fit inside the tires. Big stores like Home Depot and Lowes have huge plumbing aisles... you'll probably be able to find either O rings or rubber washers sized to do the trick. If you need to "shim" the kit wheels a bit for the O rings to fit concentrically, wrap a narrow strip of masking tape around the kit wheel to build up the circumference as needed, narrow enough to leave the wheel rims exposed, so the kit tires will seat properly on the wheels.

[highway]

Yes, the tires are hollow. My concern about putting in paper or foam rubber, etc., is that I fear that they won't maintain the proper circular shape over time and may distort the tire.

Trumpeter supplied a stiff foam with their American LaFrance fire truck to help the tires maintain their shape. The foam is just pliable enough to fit in the tire, and are shaped like a donut to fit around the wheels. If you would like me to post a pic of these so you can see exactly what I'm talking about, just let me know.

[Pete J.]

R/C'rs have a sponge insert for their tires and I have used it quite sucessfully, and the great part is that it is just abount the perfect size for 1:12 scale tires.

[Harry P.]

R/C'rs have a sponge insert for their tires and I have used it quite sucessfully, and the great part is that it is just abount the perfect size for 1:12 scale tires.

Only problem is the model he's talking about is 1/16...

[Harry P.]

BTW Skip... regarding your ADD avatar-a-rama, this new one is definitely the scariest one yet!

[Pete J.]

Only problem is the model he's talking about is 1/16...

That is why they invented scissors.

[sjordan2]

BTW Skip... regarding your ADD avatar-a-rama, this new one is definitely the scariest one yet!

...until they see yours

[Cato]

All of the above solutions are really excellent. My favorite method which has worked well for decades (and I used in that Bentley as an 'in-case') is cotton batting-the kind in your medicine cabinet. Just pull off a thickness to fill the tire width and guess at the length. Pack in and trim as needed. Also works great in bendable hoses that won't stay-like the Trump GT's brake duct hoses.