Bryan K.
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 268
- Location
- Richmond Hill, Ontario
Hey guys, I've had a lot of opportunity to try a lot of different brands of clone tires. I just thought I'd start a thread to share our experiences with what works, what doesn't and what's good or bad value. Even though they may all look the same, I can tell you from experience, they are all different.
So, the worst of the bunch but still not terrible is a brand called XMAXX Racing. They are pretty much the cheapest clone brand I've seen on ebay. They are slightly cheaper than Rovan's but not much. I've tried the Baja 5B sized Proline Bow tie copies and they are pretty decent. Good hook up on grass, but the compound is just way too soft. It gives amazing bite on tarmac but because of the soft compound, the treads get chewed up quickly. I've also used the original Proline bowties, and the thread compound is much harder and there is more bite on grass. The tread life was also significantly better. Also worth mentioning, the foams they make are really nicely molded, but tare apart easily on the bajas.
Next brand I've used and still used is the Rovan Tires and King motor tires. I've used the Hostile A/T tire clones. The Rovan's and KM's believe it or not are different. Both are decent for the price, but KM's last longer. They have a stiffer compound than the Rovan's, but the Rovan's have better bite on Tarmac due to the softer compound. Because of the better thread life, I'd have to go with the KM's. Both brands work great on grass and offroad. This is a great all round tire and really good on tarmac. I also use the Proline Trencher clones from Rovan and they are really nice on grass. They get chewed up instantly on tarmac and I wouldn't recommend it. Even the original Proline Trenchers are really only meant to be run offroad. I noticed the Rovan version has a very soft tread compound. If you run on anything aside from grass, you may get tares in the tread. I've had this happen a couple times. The prolines suffered no such failures. In general KM seems to have a better quality rubber. They are well suited for long tread life and offroad driving. I like the softer rubber compound that the rovan offers as it grips better on tarmac. Unfortunately, I've never tried the hostile A/T's. I assume they are great!
I've had Hostile slicks and love them. None of the other brands even come close. Rovan's/KM's slicks or even the street tires are just horrible. Skip all of these. They don't grip, and they will literally wear out completely after 1 bash session. My favorite tire for tarmac is still the A/T Hostile tread design. For offroad, any of the brands Trenchers or bowtie copies will do. I found bowtie tread design actually bites in too hard into grass. I broke a lot of drive pins and blew up servos running these tires. I prefer the skinny trencher tires for grass.
Please share your experiences and recommendations on other tires. I'm interested to know what else I could run on tarmac. I see a lot of Madmax, Area RC, FID tires that have interesting street treads. I also like that I'm starting to see more 190-195mm taller street tread designs for the 5T/DBXL sized tires. IMO, small and wide looks odd on a desert buggy. It gives is a monster truck look, which I absolutely hate.
So, the worst of the bunch but still not terrible is a brand called XMAXX Racing. They are pretty much the cheapest clone brand I've seen on ebay. They are slightly cheaper than Rovan's but not much. I've tried the Baja 5B sized Proline Bow tie copies and they are pretty decent. Good hook up on grass, but the compound is just way too soft. It gives amazing bite on tarmac but because of the soft compound, the treads get chewed up quickly. I've also used the original Proline bowties, and the thread compound is much harder and there is more bite on grass. The tread life was also significantly better. Also worth mentioning, the foams they make are really nicely molded, but tare apart easily on the bajas.
Next brand I've used and still used is the Rovan Tires and King motor tires. I've used the Hostile A/T tire clones. The Rovan's and KM's believe it or not are different. Both are decent for the price, but KM's last longer. They have a stiffer compound than the Rovan's, but the Rovan's have better bite on Tarmac due to the softer compound. Because of the better thread life, I'd have to go with the KM's. Both brands work great on grass and offroad. This is a great all round tire and really good on tarmac. I also use the Proline Trencher clones from Rovan and they are really nice on grass. They get chewed up instantly on tarmac and I wouldn't recommend it. Even the original Proline Trenchers are really only meant to be run offroad. I noticed the Rovan version has a very soft tread compound. If you run on anything aside from grass, you may get tares in the tread. I've had this happen a couple times. The prolines suffered no such failures. In general KM seems to have a better quality rubber. They are well suited for long tread life and offroad driving. I like the softer rubber compound that the rovan offers as it grips better on tarmac. Unfortunately, I've never tried the hostile A/T's. I assume they are great!
I've had Hostile slicks and love them. None of the other brands even come close. Rovan's/KM's slicks or even the street tires are just horrible. Skip all of these. They don't grip, and they will literally wear out completely after 1 bash session. My favorite tire for tarmac is still the A/T Hostile tread design. For offroad, any of the brands Trenchers or bowtie copies will do. I found bowtie tread design actually bites in too hard into grass. I broke a lot of drive pins and blew up servos running these tires. I prefer the skinny trencher tires for grass.
Please share your experiences and recommendations on other tires. I'm interested to know what else I could run on tarmac. I see a lot of Madmax, Area RC, FID tires that have interesting street treads. I also like that I'm starting to see more 190-195mm taller street tread designs for the 5T/DBXL sized tires. IMO, small and wide looks odd on a desert buggy. It gives is a monster truck look, which I absolutely hate.
Last edited:
