TRX4 Tires and rims

• Tires
• Rims
• Tires / Rims combination (Offset)
• Rims weight tuning
• Inserts

The tire / rim combination that Traxxas® includes with the TRX4 models are really really good and is used by many drivers. However, the rim is made of plastic (the tires are glued on), are therefore quite light and have holes in the rim bed. What is indifferent in dry driving can become a nuisance when crossing bodies of water. Water collects in the tires.
The alternative are beadlock rims made of aluminum or steel. The tire is clamped here in the rim, which consists of several parts.
Advantage: The inserts in the tires stay dry and you get more weight on the ground.
Disadvantage: Rims in steel cost between 50 - 60 euros, the aluminum from about 100 euros.

TRX4 Tires

The original Traxxas® tire with a diameter of 118 mm is popular with many drivers. Good grip on most terrains and universal profile make it a welcome companion. Who does not change the original rims / tires makes with certainty no mistake.
The only drawback, the original Traxxas® tire is not scalig, so it is not modeled after any real existing tire. For many drivers, however, the absolutely scalig is very important.

Up to 120 mm tire diameter can be installed in the TRX4 well, sometimes minor rework is required. In the accessories there are then the tires that are true to scale of the original 1:10 replicated. The lettering is then according to the large role models. In addition, there are also tires that meet special requirements. The company RC4WD has a wide range of tires. Which here but the best tire is also on personal wishes and expectations.

Tires for rocky terrain:
Interco Super Swamper 1.9" TSL/Blogger 121 mm from RC4WD
Interco IROK 1.9" 118mm from RC4WD.
LOUISE CR-CHAMP 1.9 supersoft 120mm from Louise.

Tires for loose ground:
Mickey Thompson 1.9" Baja Claw TTC 120mm von RC4WD
Goodyear Wrangler MT/R 1.9" 4.75" 120 mm von RC4WD
LOUISE CR-GRIFFIN 1.9 supersoft 120mm von Louise.

Of course, there are many more varieties and companies, the range here is very large.

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TRX4 Rims

The TRX4 rim is made of plastic on which the tires are glued. If you want to remove the tires from the rims you have to "boil" them.
The rim serves its purpose, but already has the mentioned disadvantages that water can get inside. The inserts in the rim get wet, the water must then be removed from the tire again after the trip. In addition, the tire change is associated with a little more effort. But the real problem is the weight, the plastic rims are really quite light. When crawling, the contact pressure to the ground is not insignificant.

The solution for more weight are rims made of metal. These can be made of aluminum or steel. The weight here is around 70 grams and thus about 55 grams above that of the plastic pedants. Since we drive 4 pieces on the car we have 200 grams more mass below.

Also, you can clearly see that rims made of aluminum or steel look a lot better.
Attention! With aluminum rims, it is usually necessary to adjust the track somewhat, by the portal housing and the screw connection of the beadlock rims no longer fit. The dealer of confidence advises here gladly.

Who chooses aluminum rims where the rim is bolted from the inside must very often widen the track, otherwise the portal housing in the rim drag or even block completely. If wheel spacers are mounted it can be that I changed the steering of the vehicle (dragging on the body or the bumper). A modified bumper can really pose real problems here.

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TRX4 Tires - Rims Combination

Especially with the TRX Defender there is always the problem that the wheel / tire combination does not really fit into the wheel housing.
This is of course once the offset of the rims, these are already far out there will also be problems with a grinding tire in the wheel housing.
The next thing is the tire width. Here too the same problem, who mounts extremely wide tires should be clear, the tire will grind when turning on the check.

So if you want it a little scalier and want the rims including tires are nice in the Radksten, yes the should look for a slightly narrower tire and a rim that goes further inward in the offset. Below a few example pictures. Here is a RC4WD rim with zero offset and an Interoc SuperSwamper with a width of 39.5 and a height of 121 mm installed. The rim used is a RC4WD Pro10 1.9 Steel with Traxxas® driver. The necessary stability of the very narrow tire and the weight of the vehicle is achieved with the A.L.T. Foams. Due to the narrow width, the tire fits perfectly into the wheel housings of the Defender.

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Weighting the wheels

Especially popular is the "Weighting the wheels" of the rim. Here, a layer of weights is glued around the ring of the beadlock rims. The weight is increased here, for example: by 6o grams per wheel (12x5 grams). The contact pressure on the ground is thus significantly increased.
You should also consider that the required steering forces are increased, so replace the steering servo with this conversion (see steering servo). Also, the inserts in the tires are somewhat compressed by this step which makes them a little harder.

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TRX4 Inserts

You have to think of the tire inserts as air pressure. What is regulated by the air pressure in real tires is done here by a foam insert.
This means that the harder the insert, the harder the tire is "inflated". These inserts are available in different hardnesses from different manufacturers.
If strong pressure is exerted on a tire the air is compressed, inevitably the tire becomes harder. On the market, there are in addition to the normal foam rings that are included with the vehicles or already installed, others that either consist of different foams or but by their special shape of the tire below a particularly large bearing surface offer, or but by a special kind of shaping this effect erziehlen.

The A.L.T. Foams inserts from RC-HP are new on the market. These are made of a single-layer special foam with blind holes in the sidewall. The inserts offer extreme contact pressure on the ground and since here the closed side comes outwards, the manufacturer promises an extremely good lateral support against the unpleasant rolling of the tires. These inserts are adapted for most tires available on the market. The A.L.T. Foams do not absorb water!

From Proline there are the Dualstage which are quite well known. Here the rings that come into the tire are made of two different solid layers. The inner which rests on the rim is hard to control the rolling, the outer soft to ensure an ideal ground position. The Dualstage are currently used by a large number of drivers. They are available in two sizes, 1.9 and 2.2 inches but no adjustment to different tire widths which can lead to problems from time to time.

CrazyCrawler offers the Laserfoams. Anyone who has ever dealt with crawling has probably stumbled across the name.
The inserts resemble a gear wheel and thus create, through their profile, the mix of good fit on the rim and optimal grip on the ground. The inserts are available for different vehicle weights and tire sizes and are very common in the crawler scene because they respond to the different weights of the vehicles.

Please note:
If the rim was weighted, the foam is also harder because it is already somewhat pre-compressed.

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