Is RC Tire Glue The Same As Super Glue?

RC glue or RC tire glue is used to join splintered tires and joints that can prevent you from racing your RC car and can also be used to simply attach the RC tires to the rim. Since most RC tires have foam inside and not air then they are held onto the rim differently than tires on cars or other vehicles. 

RC tire glue and super glue can technically be considered the same thing. Super glue, Cyanoacrylate, and RC glue are all different adaptations of the same adhesive- cyanoacrylate, which sponsors speed-based glues. Some cheaper superglues won’t hold as well as RC tire glues will but in general they are about the same thing. 

If you need to glue your RC tires then you can certainly use super glue to do so but don’t expect the cheapest superglue to hold near as well as the glue that is designed for RC tires. If you purchase a bit more expensive super glue then the hold will be much more similar to RC tire glue. 

Cyanoacrylate has many benefits to its use: 

• It can form strong and fast bonds
• Its products are cost-effective
• It will work with and on many materials.

There are, of course, some differences among the different products that come from the same adhesive. However, most can perform the functions of the other type.  Super glue is the same as RC tire glue and can be used to fix broken tires as well glue the tires to the rim. 

If you need some tips on how to glue your RC tires you can check out the video below. You can also find our favorite RC tire glue on Amazon by clicking here. 

How to Fix An Rc Tire

With RC vehicles, a situation that comes up quite often is for your RC tire to get damaged or to come unglued halfway through a race and completely ruin the driver’s fun. 

Why does this happen? 

Why do tires come undone so often?

Tires, and most often rear tires, carry extremely high side-load pressure. This high pressure pushes against weak glue bonds that might exist between the tires and rims. The force exerted against these bonds makes them come undone and consequently gives you a “flat”. Flat is in quotation marks since RC tires don’t technically go flat because of the foam in them but when they come loose from the rim they will act very much like a flat tire on a normal vehicle. 

In such events, what can you do to successfully put together your RC car and tire in a way that it never faces a “flat tire” again?

For one, you can learn to glue your tires properly. For the first time gluers, this process may take some time but watching the video above will help a lot.  However, once you make a habit out of it, you can fix a “flat” tire anywhere with an easy fix.

How to glue your RC tires

Step 1: Use a paper towel and rubbing alcohol to prep your tire for gluing.

Preparing your RC tire is essential for a more successful gluing process. Tires and rims may have some mold-release residue agents on them left over from the manufacturing process. Your tires and rims must be cleaned of this residue to make sure the glue sticks efficiently. 

To prepare the tire to be glued, you need to use some isopropyl or rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is quite easy to find and it is priced low as well. You can also use cleaners like brake or grease cleaners which are used to remove mold residue as well as any tire grease. However, cleaners like this are not preferred because they may still leave a residue behind. 

Using a paper towel dabbed in a cleaner, wipe the tires down until there is no more residue visible. You can also clean the rims’ mounting channels to smooth your car’s ride out. Remember that cleaning the rims also plays an important role in this process.

You can further arrange for a tighter bond by sanding the mounting rims slightly before the cleaning process. This helps the car run smoother, especially on a high-traction surface.

Step 2: Test the foam.

Now it is time to place your foam insert into the tire. There are many types of foam inserts, regular foam inserts, molded foam inserts, etc. Some inserts may be bigger than the tires as well so to make them fit in the tire, they could require a trim until they’re about 1-4 mm wider than the tire. 

Usually, the outer and inner foam edges are trimmed in this pattern. You can make shallow, small cuts to get the desired outcome. However, recently, people have been using full, untrimmed inserts because the foam texture prevents this, i.e, the foam texture is so soft that cutting does nothing.

The important part is to make sure that the foam is seated well in the tire. You can do this by carefully placing the insert in the tire and rolling it in your hands to ensure that the foam is centered.

You should also make sure that your tire doesn’t wobble or bulge when you spin it. You can test this by mounting the off-road tire on a balancer. In case of the tire not adjusting well, you can trim away any excess foam that you find on the rim and tire. After a successful test fit, use a rubber band to tighten the edges against the rim.

Step 3: Glue the tires.

It is now time to glue the tires. You can start this process by pulling the tire sidewall away from the rim until you can see the tire-mounting channel at the bottom. You have to allow the glue to reach into the entire end of the channel. Let the tire sit back in its original position while the glue does its work. Then repeat the process on the four tires of a RC car and similarly apply the glue evenly on both sides of the tire. Press the tire back into place as required and wait for the glue to dry. 

In this case, the glue used for RC tires is usually thick, so you don’t need to use more than a few drops on each side . If you use too much glue, the tires can break out of form again.

Ensure that you’re using a compatible glue type for the RC tire. Runny glue types are popularly used because they flow easily between the rim and the tire but you don’t want something that is too runny as it will all go to one spot and the tires won’t be glued all the way around. 

Don’t forget to flip the tire over and glue the other side of the tire as well. 

Step 4: Recheck the bond.

After drying, recheck the tires for any loose spots. If you are using rubber bands to hold the tire in place, leave the tire to dry for 5-10 minutes. After drying, you can lightly pull along the edges of the tire to make sure nothing comes off. You should also check if the tire is seated properly on the rim.

You might end up finding some spots that are not glued properly. You can re-glue these spots to ensure that the tire doesn’t come loose when you are using your RC car. 

While applying the glue for the second time, make sure that you don’t use it too generously. Simply place a drop of glue between the tire and the rim, and spread the glue around. This will make sure that your tire sticks to the rim and it also prevents substances like grease and dirt from getting into this space. 

Similarly, check the other side of the tire for any unevenness and correct it using the same procedure if needed. It is a good idea for you not to try and run your RC car with freshly glued tires. You should let the glue cure for a day or so before running it on them. 

You can avoid having issues while racing by using this process to glue your tires properly. Quickly refer to these tips in case of any accidents that have caused your RC tires to come loose from the rim, and get your vehicle right back into operating condition again. 

Conclusion

If you have a good super glue or don’t want to spend the money on a good RC tire glue then you can use them interchangeably. It is important to know that just because super glue can be used on RC tires does not mean that it will work as well or hold as long. 

Ultimately it is a good idea to test out a few different types and brands of glues to see what works best with your RC tires and rims and which glue will last you the longest. In some environments super glue might actually hold better than some of the more expensive glues but the only way for you to know that is to test it out.