Team Williams © 2003-2010 All Rights Reserved
Glue Tyres
Whether you just wore out your first set of tires or you seek the "ultimate traction" available, sooner or later, you will want to put a fresh set of tires on your car or truck. You can buy premounted tires and rims, or you can select your own and mount them yourself. Although premounts save you the hassle of breaking out a bottle of CA, there are benefits to doing it yourself. You can choose your own inserts to best suit your traction needs, and your own wheels to show off your sense of style. No matter what you decide, you’ll want to glue them properly; here’s how to do the job right.
PREPARATION
To prevent the tires and rims from sticking to the molds during manufacturing, a mold-release agent -usually a type of oil-is applied to them. This oil often leaves a glue-resistant residue that we need to clean off the mounting surfaces before we glue them. Use a paper towel soaked with rubbing alcohol or motor spray to wipe off the bead and sidewall of each tire. For the wheels, use a cotton ball or swab to thoroughly clean the mounting area of the tire. If the wheels you are using are chromed, use some fine sandpaper to remove the plating for a better bond.
LUBE THE DIFF BALLS
The wheels need ventilation holes to let air pass through the tires so they don’t "flat-spot" when they are compressed. If there aren't any vents in your wheels, now is the time to make them. Use a tapered reamer or a 1/8-inch drill bit to make two holes on opposite sides of the wheels.
MOUNT THE TYRES
Place rubber bands around each tire’s beads to hold them in place prior to gluing.
If you are using molded inserts, you can install them now. If your inserts are made from foam, take a look at the "Preparing foam inserts" sidebar before installing them. Carefully work the tire and inserts onto the wheel. Do not allow the insert to bunch up on either side.
Seat the bead of the tire firmly onto the wheel. Roll the tire and wheel between your hands a few times to get everything seated nicely. Next, wrap a few rubber bands around the tire just over the bead; wide, flat rubber bands usually work best. Make sure that the tension is even so that all parts of the tires make contact with the wheel. Place more rubber bands on the other side of the tire; now, you’re ready to glue.
GLUE GEAR
Besides your tires, wheels and inserts, you’ll need a few other things to do the job properly.
• Eye protection to keep glue out of your peepers.
• Rubber bands snug the tire bead against the wheel while the glue cures.
• Scissors to trim foam inserts (if you are using them), so they will sit properly in the tire.
• Plastic-safe electric motor spray or rubbing alcohol to remove the mold- release agent from the tires and wheels.
• Tire glue (thick or thin); Losi, Pro-Line, Trinity and others make excellent glues just for tires. Don’t use "super" or "crazy" glues.
• Paper towels, cotton swabs, or a shop rag to wipe up excess glue.
PREPARING FOAM INSERTS
Most foam inserts are stamped out of a sheet of foam material. In their "raw" state, they don’t fit into a tire all that well. For best fit (and best performance) they should be trimmed with sharp scissors. After you take them out of the package, give them approximately 10 minutes to expand to their full size. After they’ve expanded, trim the two outer edges at a 45-degree angle. The amount to cut depends on the tire, but start off with 1/8 inch for sedan tires and 1/4 inch for off-road tires.
Next, trim the inner edges so the insert won't be caught between the tire bead and the wheel. To do this, turn the insert inside out and carefully trim approximately the same amount from the inner edges that you cut off the outer edges. When the insert is turned right-side out, the area cut on the side will appear to have shrunk, which is what you want.
GLU 'EM UP
Use your thumb to gently pull a small section of the tire bead from the rim, and then apply a drop of tire glue to the bead. Quickly push the bead back into the rim, but don’t let it snap in place; that can cause the CA to splatter. If you use thin CA, you only have a second or so after you apply the glue to reseat the bead, but if you use thick CA, you have a good 7 to 10 seconds to get it "just right." Using the same method, apply a drop of CA to a point halfway around the rim to give the first section time to dry and set. When you are finished, return to the opposite side to allow that side to dry. Repeat this process until you work your way around the entire wheel.
For an extra-strong bond, run a thin line of glue around the entire wheel where the sidewall meets the rim. Give the wheel at least seven minutes to set before you glue the other side of the tire to the wheel.
Don’t be upset if your first glue job doesn’t come out perfect on every wheel. If glue has dripped onto the tire surface, or if you want to clean up the sidewall, a bit of acetone or CA de-bonder will spruce it up nicely. If you use de-bonder to unstick a section of the bead, be sure to give it plenty of time to evaporate before you reglue, or the bond won’t be very strong.
These steps should get you well on your way. Now, you’ll just have to hide your handiwork from your buddies so they won’t start bugging you to glue their tires for them.
PREPARATION
To prevent the tires and rims from sticking to the molds during manufacturing, a mold-release agent -usually a type of oil-is applied to them. This oil often leaves a glue-resistant residue that we need to clean off the mounting surfaces before we glue them. Use a paper towel soaked with rubbing alcohol or motor spray to wipe off the bead and sidewall of each tire. For the wheels, use a cotton ball or swab to thoroughly clean the mounting area of the tire. If the wheels you are using are chromed, use some fine sandpaper to remove the plating for a better bond.
LUBE THE DIFF BALLS
The wheels need ventilation holes to let air pass through the tires so they don’t "flat-spot" when they are compressed. If there aren't any vents in your wheels, now is the time to make them. Use a tapered reamer or a 1/8-inch drill bit to make two holes on opposite sides of the wheels.
MOUNT THE TYRES
Place rubber bands around each tire’s beads to hold them in place prior to gluing.
If you are using molded inserts, you can install them now. If your inserts are made from foam, take a look at the "Preparing foam inserts" sidebar before installing them. Carefully work the tire and inserts onto the wheel. Do not allow the insert to bunch up on either side.
Seat the bead of the tire firmly onto the wheel. Roll the tire and wheel between your hands a few times to get everything seated nicely. Next, wrap a few rubber bands around the tire just over the bead; wide, flat rubber bands usually work best. Make sure that the tension is even so that all parts of the tires make contact with the wheel. Place more rubber bands on the other side of the tire; now, you’re ready to glue.
GLUE GEAR
Besides your tires, wheels and inserts, you’ll need a few other things to do the job properly.
• Eye protection to keep glue out of your peepers.
• Rubber bands snug the tire bead against the wheel while the glue cures.
• Scissors to trim foam inserts (if you are using them), so they will sit properly in the tire.
• Plastic-safe electric motor spray or rubbing alcohol to remove the mold- release agent from the tires and wheels.
• Tire glue (thick or thin); Losi, Pro-Line, Trinity and others make excellent glues just for tires. Don’t use "super" or "crazy" glues.
• Paper towels, cotton swabs, or a shop rag to wipe up excess glue.
PREPARING FOAM INSERTS
Most foam inserts are stamped out of a sheet of foam material. In their "raw" state, they don’t fit into a tire all that well. For best fit (and best performance) they should be trimmed with sharp scissors. After you take them out of the package, give them approximately 10 minutes to expand to their full size. After they’ve expanded, trim the two outer edges at a 45-degree angle. The amount to cut depends on the tire, but start off with 1/8 inch for sedan tires and 1/4 inch for off-road tires.
Next, trim the inner edges so the insert won't be caught between the tire bead and the wheel. To do this, turn the insert inside out and carefully trim approximately the same amount from the inner edges that you cut off the outer edges. When the insert is turned right-side out, the area cut on the side will appear to have shrunk, which is what you want.
GLU 'EM UP
Use your thumb to gently pull a small section of the tire bead from the rim, and then apply a drop of tire glue to the bead. Quickly push the bead back into the rim, but don’t let it snap in place; that can cause the CA to splatter. If you use thin CA, you only have a second or so after you apply the glue to reseat the bead, but if you use thick CA, you have a good 7 to 10 seconds to get it "just right." Using the same method, apply a drop of CA to a point halfway around the rim to give the first section time to dry and set. When you are finished, return to the opposite side to allow that side to dry. Repeat this process until you work your way around the entire wheel.
For an extra-strong bond, run a thin line of glue around the entire wheel where the sidewall meets the rim. Give the wheel at least seven minutes to set before you glue the other side of the tire to the wheel.
Don’t be upset if your first glue job doesn’t come out perfect on every wheel. If glue has dripped onto the tire surface, or if you want to clean up the sidewall, a bit of acetone or CA de-bonder will spruce it up nicely. If you use de-bonder to unstick a section of the bead, be sure to give it plenty of time to evaporate before you reglue, or the bond won’t be very strong.
These steps should get you well on your way. Now, you’ll just have to hide your handiwork from your buddies so they won’t start bugging you to glue their tires for them.
Right:
Clean the inside of the tire bead to remove any residual mold- release agent.
Clean the inside of the tire bead to remove any residual mold- release agent.
Right:
If your wheels don’t have a hole in them, you’ll need to drill an 1/8-inch hole in them for the tire to vent properly.
If your wheels don’t have a hole in them, you’ll need to drill an 1/8-inch hole in them for the tire to vent properly.
Place rubber bands around each tyres beads to hold them in place prior to gluing.
That wasn't too bad, was it?
Now the inserts are ready to go into the tyres.
Above: give your foam inserts time to "breathe" when you take them out of the bag. In the photo, the insert on the right has had time to expand property. You should give them at least 10 minutes to do so.
When you glue a tyre to a wheel, slightly peel up a small section of tire and place a drop of glue between the tire and wheel.
Don’t go crazy with the glue apply only a little at a time.
Don’t go crazy with the glue apply only a little at a time.