"By The Racer, For The Racer"
Quick Slicks Silicone Tires



I would like to welcome all of you to the very latest in slot car silicone tire craftsmanship. I say that because that is exactly what these tires represent to me: Craftsmanship. It's been my pleasure to meet and get to know the folks at Slot Car Corner and Cloverleaf Racing over the years they have really impacted our hobby. From the excellent line of C.B. Design wheels to the customer service they deliver to the true racing enthusiast. They put all the knowledge they have from racing into the products they offer and it shows.

Clover Leaf Racing and Slot Car Corner have collaborated on a number of high-quality products aimed at 1:32 slot racing enthusiasts.  Most recently they have worked together to design and manufacture their own line of silicone slot car tires. These have been extensively tested by actual enthusiasts who know what they want in a silicone tire. Knowing the development was happening has been a hard secret to keep.

Today the first batch has arrived here and it's time to let the rubber meet the road.


QUICK SLICKS SILICONE TIRE NOTES
Silicone blended tires are the choice of many competitive racers. In the right environment nothing delivers the grip and performance a silicone tire can.
Quick Slick is a new blend that is easier to sand/contour than other silicone brands.
The ideal application for them is when they are mounted on the wheels they are designed for.
Quick Slicks provide excellent grip on all racing surfaces – plastic or wood (painted). 
Quick Slicks designed for a specific wheel are the same width regardless of outer diameter.

TRACK TESTING

The testing will be performed on both of my personal home tracks.
MIDMO SPEEDWAY -Road Course- Since 2008 *Timing Records Posted*
SHOW-ME SPEEDWAY -Oval- Since 2007
 
One road course that has seen mostly stock rubber and urethane use. It is not heavily rubbered in. The original paint surface is satin latex.
One oval that has seen every tire blend in our hobby. It is heavily rubbered in. The original paint was flat latex.

PART #  Outside Diameter (MM)
Width (MM) Wheel Size Designed For Fast Lap Average Time Model
CB28 20.45 7.300 15x7 C.B. Design
Penelope Pitlane CL
4.325 4.383 Carrera Cobra
MT-1 Classic Motor
CB33 19.45 9.15 15x8 & 17x8 C.B. Design
Slot.it, NSR, Sloting Plus, etc, 15x8 & 17x8
3.624 3.682 Slot.it GT40
Stock Motor
CB34 19.95 9.15 15x8 & 17x8 C.B. Design
Slot.it, NSR, Sloting Plus, etc, 15x8 & 17x8
3.636 3.700 Slot.it GT40
Stock Motor
CB35 20.45 9.15 15x8 & 17x8 C.B. Design
Slot.it, NSR, Sloting Plus, etc, 15x8 & 17x8
3.622 3.695 Slot.it Porsche
HAWK Motor
CB58 20.55 10.30 C.B. Design 17x10
Slot.it. NSR, Sloting Plus, etc, 17x10
3.743 3.785 Racer 512
MT-5 Motor



This is the selection of cars I tested on. Swapping sizes and giving each one a full run. 
These lap times are very impressive for my track. The grip of the tires is very good and what I expected with a silicone. I liked the performance and feel most of you will as well.
But what REALLY impressed me was how the tire seem to act after a long set of running. In a word you basically skin these off a little and they actually seem to handle better. Little less chatter and the action smooths out.

Being Objective

When I was asked to test these tires I happily accepted. Except the problem was that I do NOT run silicone. I am a Paul Gage urethane user. This is what they wanted. My views are based on how the product worked for me. How they compare to other silicones I have no idea. I do not own many silicone tires and the ones I have may not be the current blend enthusiasts are using today. Tires change blends/shore ratings all the time. Since I do not follow or use silicone, I cannot fairly compare these to other brands.

And the advanced enthusiasts will test on their own and come to their own conclusions. Telling you what tire is "best" is impossible. Too many variables exist for me to pick a perfect tire. However, I do know a good tire when I use it and these are exceptional quality.

How do they compare side by side against urethane on my track? Very well. My testing showed they are so close that I cannot call one better than the other. It will come down to driving/personal preference & application. Application meaning track conditions.

APPEARANCE/FITMENT

Here are the following sizes I tested. Each one fits the wheel very well. I was VERY pleased how the tires stretched slightly to fit a 17 sized wheel.


Your basic classic tire. Although not designed for it, it fits a NINCO classic wheel nicely with only a hint of crowning. Sanding the inner rib down a few thousandths had it sitting flush.




These are the hot ticket for the racers. As you noticed in my testing grid, they also fit the Slot.it wheels perfectly.



This tire also fit the 17x8 nicely on the Racer 512. Just a slight overhang but it fit the wheel and the car with no rubbing.

Since they are designed to stretch a little to fit both wheels, the fitments on the smaller 15 sized wheel is not as tight as you might be used to. They still fit, and worked fine for me during testing. I do have to suggest gluing them for competition. Of course I am preaching to the choir on this, but need to mention it. If you are going to glue them, use the CORRECT ADHESIVE. For these tires it is the same for other silicones: IC-2000.

Quick Slicks Difference

Although these are a silicone based tire, they are actually easier to sand/contour than any other silicone tire I have used. They are still very strong and sanding them takes more time than urethane, just slightly easier than you might be used to.


I used a regular emery board to contour the inside sidewall. This was much easier to do than I expected. If you have been performing the "bic shaver" method, be CAREFUL. It will take off more than you are used to.

Final Thoughts
Please take the time to watch the video. It speaks volumes on how well these tires grip and perform.

So what we have is an excellent quality silicone based tire for the enthusiast. I expected nothing less from the advanced racing teams of Cloverleaf Racing & Slot Car Corner.

The price will also please you. The retail on these tires are $4.99 a pair. This is more than fair for a quality set of tires. 

I feel each racer out there should try a set for themselves and conduct their own testing. The quality, price, and performance present a real value and I think you will be pleased.

- Harry

As always, feel free to contact me about this article or the hobby in general.

Many Thanks To The Staff At Slot Car Corner & Cloverleaf Racing


Copyright © 2014 HomeRacingWorld.com  All Rights Reserved