DIY tire foams, anyone tried?

[KnowAir]

So I have 2 complete sets of stock Xmaxx tires and 1 8s BF tire with bad foams in them. I have managed to get 3 xmaxx tires off the rims thus far in an acetone bath. Doesn't seem to harm the tires or wheels. I thought I would just buy some foam padding and make new foams. I have know idea what type to buy though. Anyone done this before? I thought about 3d printing some, I can find files on thingiverse and try and manipulate them to size but, I haven't used my printers in over 3 years and never had any success in CAD..
The Xmaxx tires and foams are different diameter at the inner and outer beads too, basically an oversized sct design..
I'm concerned that 3d printed will be too stiff for cold weather use? Anyone have any advice? Thanks.

 

[MrWednesday]

This sounds like something I would do out of sheer cheapness, then tell my friends i did it because I needed better foams than the market could produce
Amazon has all kinds of different foams, I’ll add screenshots, you could buy like a $30 (Canadian$) and have leftovers for other projects. In a perfect world you’d find something that’s mould resistant/ok to be wet. I would go with a nice thick dense foam.
The DBXLE 2.0 foams are top quality, really nice, light brown/yellow sort of heavier memory foam style. Then the stock Xmas are that grey elcheapo trash super lightweight foam. You can glue the foam together as well I just watched a video where the guy tried 3 different glues until he found the best one that didn’t leave hard seams. If you’re interested, I will find the video and send you the link or give you the name of the glue he used.

 

[Johnny b]

Wonder if a fun noodle would work? At least your rig could float on water.

 

[Just a hobby]

You could try buying a foam sheet the same thickness as the width as the tire. Pick up a electronic steak knife and shape the foam.

 

[KnowAir]

This sounds like something I would do out of sheer cheapness, then tell my friends i did it because I needed better foams than the market could produce

Yes! And no, LOL.. I admit that I have a hard time throwing away a perfectly good set of tires due to cheap foam inserts used by the manufacturer, much less 2 complete sets.. heck, even the Arrma foams don't hold up..
It's realy a combination of cheapness and frustration I suppose.. thing is, the stock Xmaxx tires have a great tread pattern and compound that works well for me. Even better than the 8s BF's..but, they don't work very well without support(foams)..
The frustrating part is no one sells inserts this big.. I've searched high and low.. 190x70mm is the biggest insert I've been able to come up with. The 8s TRX and Arrma inserts are around 200x100mm..give or take..

 

[KnowAir]

Wonder if a fun noodle would work? At least your rig could float on water.

Possibly.. kids might drown without them but, sacrifices must be made,LOL. JK..kiddies have flown the coop long ago.. pretty sure we learned them to swim?
But then, what will I clench my cheeks on to float while chunky-dunkin in the ool?

 

[Tex Koder]

Sounds like you need to have some sort of cutting "guide"/template created to help you cut the foam in the size/roundness that you're looking for..

 

[KnowAir]

Sounds like you need to have some sort of cutting "guide"/template created to help you cut the foam in the size/roundness that you're looking for..

Perhaps.. IDK what route to take, sheet cut into strips and glued or what.. I can imagine the glue letting go, or possibly the tire having a hard spot where the glue is..
A guide would be used to carve one from a block you're saying? Do they sell foam like that? Open cell I suppose?
Firmer than stock I would think? Not sure.. Stock foams went bad pretty quickly for me in the TRX tires, Arrma definitely lasted longer..

 

[Tex Koder]

Perhaps.. IDK what route to take, sheet cut into strips and glued or what.. I can imagine the glue letting go, or possibly the tire having a hard spot where the glue is..
A guide would be used to carve one from a block you're saying? Do they sell foam like that? Open cell I suppose?

I was referring to a template that's literally like a dunkin donut where you place it onto a thick piece of foam (of the thickness matching the width of your desired wheel.)
And you would slice around the guide to get the custom foam insert that you're wanting..

 

[KnowAir]

I was referring to a template that's literally like a dunkin donut where you place it onto a thick piece of foam (of the thickness matching the width of your desired wheel.)
And you would slice around the guide to get the custom foam insert that you're wanting..

Oh, gotcha. The TRX have different inner and outer diameters. 4.9" inner and something like 4" outer. I'm sure it can be done..

 

[Tex Koder]

Oh, gotcha. The TRX have different inner and outer diameters. 4.9" inner and something like 4" outer. I'm sure it can be done..

What I imagine in my mind is -something of a Two-Part cutting guide where one side is of one diameter and the other side is the smaller size..and it has alignment slots in the center**..

You would clamp the two halves together... smooshing the foam in between and making your cut ,down a certain depth -to achieve the two different diameters for your custom tire insert.

Something to that effect..






** That way the center hole will line up correctly.

 

[KnowAir]

This sounds like something I would do out of sheer cheapness, then tell my friends i did it because I needed better foams than the market could produce
Amazon has all kinds of different foams, I’ll add screenshots, you could buy like a $30 (Canadian$) and have leftovers for other projects. In a perfect world you’d find something that’s mould resistant/ok to be wet. I would go with a nice thick dense foam.
The DBXLE 2.0 foams are top quality, really nice, light brown/yellow sort of heavier memory foam style. Then the stock Xmas are that grey elcheapo trash super lightweight foam. You can glue the foam together as well I just watched a video where the guy tried 3 different glues until he found the best one that didn’t leave hard seams. If you’re interested, I will find the video and send you the link or give you the name of the glue he used.

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Please do share the info on the glue and video. I'll take any and all help. Thanks

 

[MrWednesday]

Please do share the info on the glue and video. I'll take any and all help. Thanks

Amazing Goop ll MAX, here’s the video link:

 

[Spidaso]

Read somewhere some guy took the valve out of re-fillable lights and glued into the wheels, sealed the vents and ran them with air. Sounded like too much work for me.

so came across a float mat that someone threw away cause a racoon chewed it up (one of those mats you tie behind your boat), cut off a big section and redid foams in 2 tires, so far so good (used zero science in making them fit, just cut a strip long enough to fit the circumference of the wheel and glued the ends together- didn't get the width right but was just testing.
So far so good... bad news wife threw away the rest, said it smelled like cat piss....Pffffft it was raccoon piss.....smelled like nature... women....Gave me an excuse to buy new tires, "babe I tried to save money".

 

[KnowAir]

Read somewhere some guy took the valve out of re-fillable lights and glued into the wheels, sealed the vents and ran them with air. Sounded like too much work for me.

so came across a float mat that someone threw away cause a racoon chewed it up (one of those mats you tie behind your boat), cut off a big section and redid foams in 2 tires, so far so good (used zero science in making them fit, just cut a strip long enough to fit the circumference of the wheel and glued the ends together- didn't get the width right but was just testing.
So far so good... bad news wife threw away the rest, said it smelled like cat piss....Pffffft it was raccoon piss.....smelled like nature... women....Gave me an excuse to buy new tires, "babe I tried to save money".

Awesome!! Made me laugh at the wifey comment. Mine would do the same.
I'm finding the acetone definitely works but does take several days to get em apart..
We have one of those mats for the pool but wife would definitely not be happy if I scarfed it for rc tires.. she's not a fan, too much time spent with rc's, LOL. I'll likely buy some upholstery foam to try since PU foam is quite pricey.
I have a set from both my and my brothers Xmaxx's I'm trying to salvage. I bash mine in the snow, all my wheels are cracked along the outside. Think the tires are what's keeping them together. I believe the wheels are pretty cheap to buy, tape is even cheaper though,LOL.

 

[Spidaso]

Awesome!! Made me laugh at the wifey comment. Mine would do the same.
I'm finding the acetone definitely works but does take several days to get em apart..
We have one of those mats for the pool but wife would definitely not be happy if I scarfed it for rc tires.. she's not a fan, too much time spent with rc's, LOL. I'll likely buy some upholstery foam to try since PU foam is quite pricey.
I have a set from both my and my brothers Xmaxx's I'm trying to salvage. I bash mine in the snow, all my wheels are cracked along the outside. Think the tires are what's keeping them together. I believe the wheels are pretty cheap to buy, tape is even cheaper though,LOL.

Would she really miss a 6" wide section?
Hell I took a half of the basement that was unused, kids wouldn't even go into due to spiders, clown closet and zombie door...spent several days cleaning it, installed a show case with lights, work table tv etc etc for rc man cave, inside of a day she's got curtains and pretty stuff hanging up in .
I used a heat gun and gloves, 5 minutes per tire...easy peasy

 

[KnowAir]

Would she really miss a 6" wide section?
Hell I took a half of the basement that was unused, kids wouldn't even go into due to spiders, clown closet and zombie door...spent several days cleaning it, installed a show case with lights, work table tv etc etc for rc man cave, inside of a day she's got curtains and pretty stuff hanging up in .
I used a heat gun and gloves, 5 minutes per tire...easy peasy

Guess you shoulda left the cobwebs and spiders, that would keep my wife out
Good to know about the heat gun. Maybe I'll give that a go after my $40 worth of acetone disappears into thin air..
BTW, if you leave the wheels/tires submerged for a few days, they do literally fall off the wheels. Which is pretty satisfying IMO.

 

[Just a hobby]

Yes! And no, LOL.. I admit that I have a hard time throwing away a perfectly good set of tires due to cheap foam inserts used by the manufacturer, much less 2 complete sets.. heck, even the Arrma foams don't hold up..
It's realy a combination of cheapness and frustration I suppose.. thing is, the stock Xmaxx tires have a great tread pattern and compound that works well for me. Even better than the 8s BF's..but, they don't work very well without support(foams)..
The frustrating part is no one sells inserts this big.. I've searched high and low.. 190x70mm is the biggest insert I've been able to come up with. The 8s TRX and Arrma inserts are around 200x100mm..give or take..

Just a suggestion. A foam sheet same width as tire or max 1/2inch wider. Lay the tire on the foam a inch away from the edge. Now trace around the tire with a sharpie marker. With a electric carving knife cut 1 inch bigger than the line you traced on the foam. The inside hole might be a little trickier? You can always trim the foam down and see what works best for fit and firmness. If I remember correctly foams are usually bigger than the tire. The reason for tire near the edge just a cleaner start for cutting a circle. Hope this helps or you make this idea better than it is!!

 

[KnowAir]

Just a suggestion. A foam sheet same width as tire or max 1/2inch wider. Lay the tire on the foam a inch away from the edge. Now trace around the tire with a sharpie marker. With a electric carving knife cut 1 inch bigger than the line you traced on the foam. The inside hole might be a little trickier? You can always trim the foam down and see what works best for fit and firmness. If I remember correctly foams are usually bigger than the tire. The reason for tire near the edge just a cleaner start for cutting a circle. Hope this helps or you make this idea better than it is!!

I think I understand what you're saying but, I haven't found any foam available that large. Are you talking about carving a foam from a block? The foams are indeed larger than the tire itself, or should be I'd say. Tricky part with the Xmaxx is the inner and outer diameter of the wheel are different. I've been looking at some 1/2" thick closed cell neoprene rubber foam on amazon. Was thinking I could layer it to acheive the thickness needed. Not sure how the layers will interact with each other though. Might be abrasive to itself, especially if some dirt gets in like I know it will..
I'm thinking the majority of the width needed for foam is 1 inch, then the outer bead is near 2 inches. I can see after taking the stock foams out that the "step" is likely were the stock foams failed. Like it seperated there and continued to disintegrate from that seam inward..

 

[King blitz]

Wonder if a fun noodle would work? At least your rig could float on water.

Amphibian