by RichD » Wed Feb 11, 2015 8:03 am
Concerning the life of the tires there are two issues. The first issue is simply the possible degradition of the tires with exposure to air, UV light, solvents, lubricants, etc. Both silicone and urethane should last a very long time under normal conditions. I have silicone tires that are nearly 50 years old and they are still as good as when they were new. Avoid keeping your tires where they will be exposed to strong sunlight for long periods. UV light will degrade any organic compound. The second issue is simple wear and tear. Both types of tires wear slowly, the silicone tires that are on the market now wear more slowly than urethane tires. The results from the big endurance races can tell you something about tire wear. At the last Area 51 24 hour race the winning car went the whole distance on a single pair of tires. The tires had some measurable wear, but they never needed to be changed.
I don't have my own 1/32nd track, so I can only run my cars on race night. I have cars that have been on the same tires for years.
If you use Superglue to glue tires boiling them will make the glue debond as has already been noted. Soaking in acetone (not plastic wheels!) will remove any traces of glue. With plastic wheels you could use a Tire Razor to clean up. I have some tires that have been glued on with high temperature silicone gasket maker. I probably would have to destroy the tires to get them off. MEK (methylethylketone AKA ZipStrip) will gradually dissolve silicone, it is probably not a good thing to use with plastic wheels.