How to Make RC Tires Sticky

Getting the best possible RC car is everyone’s dream. RC cars are way too much fun to use and the hobby can quickly turn into an obsession for some people! 

No matter what your age is, you will definitely enjoy some time off from your daily life with an RC cars. If you have kids, you can show them all your tricks and help them learn better and it will also help in making your bond with your family even stronger. 

One great thing about RC cars is all of the customizations that you can do to them to make them perform better in certain situations or conditions. It is one of those customizations that we will be discussing in this article. 

This customization is making your tires sticky.

To make your tires sticky (get better grip) you will often need to use a foreign substance such as bleach, silicone spray, or WD-40 on your tires to “rough them up” this will allow them to be “sticky” and have much more grip. 

Of course making your tires sticky isn’t as simple as dipping your tires in one of the substances mentioned above and then racing immediately. There is quite a bit more to it than that. 

If you prefer to use an actual product that is designed for making RC tires sticky you can find that product on Amazon by clicking here. 

We will discuss some additional important things to know and consider later in this article. You can also check out the video below for some additional tips on making your RC tires sticky. 

All about sticky RC tires

Virtually everyone loves RC racing and you will have a great time playing with these vehicles. Your child can have a great time racing with friends and this is a great way to say goodbye to boredom of being stuck inside or at home. 

It even helps in bonding with others better. 

However, not all RC cars can drive easily on all kinds of surfaces. It is important that you do something with the tires to make it easier to race or use your RC car on these surfaces to increase your fun and your chances of winning (if you are racing). 

Sticky tires are the ones which come with an ultra-soft rubber compound. This helps in getting a much better off-road grip. With sticky RC tires, you will surely have a great time racing as the chances of your RC getting damaged are reduced to a great extent. 

You can either buy an RC car with soft tires or you can also go for one with soft rubber as this will surely enhance performance. These tires work quite well with any kind of surface and will offer you great value. 

Even if you can’t find the right tires at your local store or hobby shop you don’t need to worry as you can easily make your tires sticky at home. 

Just keep reading and you’ll find how to make these in the comfort of your home.

Benefits of Sticky Tires

Before we get to exactly how to make your RC tires sticky I wanted to give a few of the benefits that you will get when you have sticky tires. 

You might be a little surprised to learn about this but yes, sticky tires have many benefits. You will have a great time using these and you can make your tires sticky quite easily too. 

Handling RC cars that have sticky tires is much easier as you can control them a lot better! You won’t have to panic in case you are using your Rc car off road or if it simply goes off the track. 

Sticky tires are also great in case you have to apply your brakes suddenly. The car will start and stop quite quickly and this may also help in preventing any kind of accidents.

How to make RC tires sticky?

After reading about sticky tires, you might wish to get these for yourself. The best thing is that you can get these easily and that too with ingredients already available in your home. Even if you aren’t such a fan of these tires or aren’t convinced,having one pair of sticky tires isat least worth a try. 

You’ll surely see the difference and you will likely  want to do it again whenever the results start to wear off. So let’s jump into how to get this done:-

Bleach 

To make your tires sticky, one of the easiest things to use to do it is bleach. Get some bleach and pour it into a spray bottle. Use it over all the tires and all of the surface to get the best results. You can also soak the tire in pure bleach but this won’t work well if the tires of your RC car are showing signs of wear. 

With this technique, the tires may wear out faster and it also doesn’t have long-lasting results. One thing to be noted is that only pure bleach must be used for this one.

Silicone spray

Spray your rubber tires with silicone spray as this is a great method to soften the tires along with making them sticky. You can make your work much easier if you start with tires which are hard from using them for a long time. It will show great results in such a case. 

After spraying, dip the tires in hot water and leave them in for a while. After this, dry them off and see the difference on your own. You’ll find the grip improves and they won’t slip as much as before.

WD-40

To get great results you can also use a water-displacing spray like WD-40. You can either keep the tires in the liquid for a few minutes or you can spread it all over the tires by using a brush. 

You will want to let it sit for a few hours or you can even leave it overnight for the best results. 

This will surely help you in getting a good grip with your tires. 

The results from this method aren’t long-lasting and you may have to repeat the process within 2-4 times of using your RC car.

Acetone, paint thinner, transmission fluid

Get your mask and gloves ready because, for this one, things may get a little messy. Also, you surely won’t want to get in contact with this mixture a lot as it is not so good for your skin! 

Take acetone, paint thinner and transmission fluid and mix them all together in equal parts. You can mix up the quantity according to your requirements but it is always better to make a little bit extra. 

Apply the mixture on the tires and leave it on for around 15-30 minutes. Once this is done, you’ll get much softer tires. Also, the grip will improve quite a lot, a clear sign of the tires being stickier.

These methods are quite reliable and can be used at home. Do make sure to use the necessary safety equipment while working with these chemicals as some of them can be harmful. 

If you prefer to get an actual product that is designed for making your RC tires sticky you can find one here. 

Conclusion

RC cars are great fun and if you can make them even better using homemade ingredients, it gets even better. 

Sticky tires are quite reliable and are great at improving grip and performance. So if you are someone who loves racing with RC cars then you must definitely at least try sticky tires once. 

You won’t regret your decision. 

These methods may not last a long time but are worth a try. You can go for these whenever you are about to race and can increase your chances of winning.