DIY tire foams, anyone tried?

[Just a hobby]

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..

With the change in size I would try cutting the foam for the bigger part the try and trim the smaller part down to size, maybe new razorblade. You should be able to find sheets of foam the right thickness? Using glue on foams won't hold up long. On my hpi baja 5b ss the front tire foams came one long 2"×2" length was long enough to fit in the tire and had to be glued. Tires were very stiff compared to Xmaxx tires. Not sure how long the layering and gluing will preform or hold up in a soft tire. One peice shape the best you can.

With the change in size I would try cutting the foam for the bigger part the try and trim the smaller part down to size, maybe new razorblade. You should be able to find sheets of foam the right thickness? Using glue on foams won't hold up long. On my hpi baja 5b ss the front tire foams came one long 2"×2" length was long enough to fit in the tire and had to be glued. Tires were very stiff compared to Xmaxx tires. Not sure how long the layering and gluing will preform or hold up in a soft tire. One peice shape the best you can.

If all you can get are blocks of foam big enough. A electric carving knife should help alot.
Try calling a foam distributor and explain what you need the foam for and the size. Probably the fast answers for that problem.

With the change in size I would try cutting the foam for the bigger part the try and trim the smaller part down to size, maybe new razorblade. You should be able to find sheets of foam the right thickness? Using glue on foams won't hold up long. On my hpi baja 5b ss the front tire foams came one long 2"×2" length was long enough to fit in the tire and had to be glued. Tires were very stiff compared to Xmaxx tires. Not sure how long the layering and gluing will preform or hold up in a soft tire. One peice shape the best you can.

If all you can get are blocks of foam big enough. A electric carving knife should help alot.
Try calling a foam distributor and explain what you need the foam for and the size. Probably the fast answers for that problem.

See if you can contact a auto motive apulster shop?
And if the foams come out good and last. You could start doing foam carving figures for weddings and barmitzvahs? Just a suggestion

 

[KnowAir]

With the change in size I would try cutting the foam for the bigger part the try and trim the smaller part down to size, maybe new razorblade. You should be able to find sheets of foam the right thickness? Using glue on foams won't hold up long. On my hpi baja 5b ss the front tire foams came one long 2"×2" length was long enough to fit in the tire and had to be glued. Tires were very stiff compared to Xmaxx tires. Not sure how long the layering and gluing will preform or hold up in a soft tire. One peice shape the best you can.

If all you can get are blocks of foam big enough. A electric carving knife should help alot.
Try calling a foam distributor and explain what you need the foam for and the size. Probably the fast answers for that problem.

See if you can contact a auto motive apulster shop?
And if the foams come out good and last. You could start doing foam carving figures for weddings and barmitzvahs? Just a suggestion

"The wedding carver"
Thanks for the suggestions and info. I'm still overanalyzing like I always do!!

 

[Just a hobby]

"The wedding carver"
Thanks for the suggestions and info. I'm still overanalyzing like I always do!!

Overanalyze away!!
I do the same thing. It hepls keep the mind feeling young and sharp or send us to the nut house

 

[KnowAir]

Hey! Maybe I should just strap some pool noodles on and we can rip em up and down the Hudson? Maybe get Sully in on the action?

 

[KnowAir]

So I finally have made some foams. Was a learning curve for sure.. probably spent as much on "stuff" to make them as a complete set of Xmaxx tires/foams in the process, LOL.
I picked up a piece of 24x24x4" high density polyurethane foam from amazon for $30. Electric carving knife for $25 and tried my best.i drew out the "donut" on the foam with a compass and pen. Turns out to be quite difficult to keep the knife perpendicular to the foam.. looked like Helen Keller cut them out!
Next up was some stove pipe. Thought I could sharpen the end and cut down through the foam that way..24x5" and 24x7" pieces ran me about $25 maybe, not sure as I had bought 4 and 8" as well. Took those back though, wrong sizes. After making a sloped, jagged donut with the stove pipe, and hours putting an edge to the pipe, no bueno.
Next up, cut some wooden templates from 1/2 plywood. Used a bench vice to clamp a template to each side of the foam. Electric carving knife worked a treat!! I also bought some 1/2" foam to "take up" the offset in the wheels since the Xmaxx wheels are different diameter inside and out. I just finished assembling them, waiting on the CA to dry.. should've gone slightly larger on OD of the foams I think as they feel a bit soft or undersized..next time..

 

[Just a hobby]

Not bad!! Definitely go bigger on OD next time(can always shave down with carving knive). I hope they preform as good as they look. The carving knife is due only way to cut and shape foam. Good to see that and foam the same width as the tire worked, with your wood skills!!

 

[KnowAir]

Not bad!! Definitely go bigger on OD next time(can always shave down with carving knive). I hope they preform as good as they look. The carving knife is due only way to cut and shape foam. Good to see that and foam the same width as the tire worked, with your wood skills!!

Thanks! I did shave about a quarter inch off the width too. The sidewalls bulged too much at 4 inches wide. I'm just glad to finally have something usable for all the effort, LOL.

 

[KnowAir]

Testing them today, forgot how bad the stock tires balloon!! Wow! I did a pinion swap, now I'm back to the pinion falling off every 5 minutes or less,LOL..patience, not a virtue of mine!!

 

[Just a hobby]

Testing them today, forgot how bad the stock tires balloon!! Wow! I did a pinion swap, now I'm back to the pinion falling off every 5 minutes or less,LOL..patience, not a virtue of mine!!

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Looks good!! SrC might have some boxes of Patience. I bought a box and it worked now I'm out

 

[KnowAir]

Looks good!! SrC might have some boxes of Patience. I bought a box and it worked now I'm out

LOL!! So I did the acceleration process on the loctite..soldering iron to the grub screw. Just ripped about 10 minutes worth. Sweet!! The stock tires really hook up on the clay very well. Pinion held, Pretty stoked!! Still got motor temp issues though. 190 after 10 minutes is a bit much considering ambient is in the 50's.. I stripped out my 18t pinion the other day, was stock. Pretty good for a truck that's coming up on 2 years old. I have run a 20t also, but temps are off the charts at 20/50.. now on 17/50 and still hot..truck rolls pretty freely without the motor so, IDK.

 

[SrC]

I messed with modding foams with My Crawlers. I feel that for faster heavier MT wheels you need to "Punch out" or cut out the foam, like an OE one is done. And not glue them with any seams at all.
The foams need to be quite oversized compared to the Actual Tire itself. Foams compress to the shape of the inner tire to work best. I would stay away from any type of "Memory" Foams. In Crawlers they suck for sure.

>>>Ideally a "Closed Cell" foam is always better. Absolutley. If going through all the effort, which BTW I wouldn't anymore, Definitely source Closed cell foam if you can. It is water resistant, way more consistent and lasts way longer. Outliving the tire itself 99% of the time. It wont rot away and fall apart if it does get wet.
99% of 1/8 Track use Buggy and Truggy foams are Closed cell foams. And for these reasons.

 

[KnowAir]

I messed with modding foams with My Crawlers. I feel that for faster heavier MT wheels you need to "Punch out" or cut out the foam, like an OE one is done. And not glue them with any seams at all.
The foams need to be quite oversized compared to the Actual Tire itself. Foams compress to the shape of the inner tire to work best. I would stay away from any type of "Memory" Foams. In Crawlers they suck for sure.

>>>Ideally a "Closed Cell" foam is always better. Absolutley. If going through all the effort, which BTW I wouldn't anymore, Definitely source Closed cell foam if you can. It is water resistant, way more consistent and lasts way longer. Outliving the tire itself 99% of the time. It wont rot away and fall apart if it does get wet.
99% of 1/8 Track use Buggy and Truggy foams are Closed cell foams. And for these reasons.

I hear ya. Trying to find a 4" thick block of closed cell is the problem IIRC.. by using a block and carving it out, there is no seam to fail. I'm still experimenting with it.. sure beats throwing away an otherwise perfect set of tires/wheels that cost a buck fifty a set.
I'll likely be buying more foam and try again. I'll definitely go bigger on OD. I have 2 full sets of Xmaxx and 1 set of 8s BF's to play with.. better grab another gallon of acetone and ALL the $1 4-packs of CA glue Dollar General has!!

 

[SrC]

Closed Cell foam is way easier to deal with. Cutting and trimming etc. And is usually much denser at that. Finding the best density/ firmness is important also.
Sourcing it will be the issue, I am sure. It's out there. I think Closed cell foam is not as universal as a type of foam. I know it costs more to produce. It is way more durable.

 

[Jerold]

There are 3D printed foams that people use for crawlers. They use the rubbery stuff like PLA. I've never done it but I've heard that it takes for ever and it's likely to be screwed up.

This is one example.
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/1-9-tire-insert-foam

As other have indicated, a simpler, faster and cheaper method might be using some foam. I used this stuff (https://a.co/d/cjfLaR6) in a case and it' pretty firm.

I was thinking about cutting some out as foams for my crawler. By doing that I could make it asymetrical, or add layers and patterns to change the firmness.

 

[KnowAir]

There are 3D printed foams that people use for crawlers. They use the rubbery stuff like PLA. I've never done it but I've heard that it takes for ever and it's likely to be screwed up.

This is one example.
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/1-9-tire-insert-foam

As other have indicated, a simpler, faster and cheaper method might be using some foam. I used this stuff (https://a.co/d/cjfLaR6) in a case and it' pretty firm.

I was thinking about cutting some out as foams for my crawler. By doing that I could make it asymetrical, or add layers and patterns to change the firmness.

Thanks for the tips.
I have 2 Ender3's I haven't used in like 3 years. I might give it a go at some point. I would think TPU might work okay? Warm weather should be decent, that stuff gets quite stiff in the cold I've found. I've printed some paddle tires and wheels before. Usually the wheels break on me. Snow bashing on 3d printed wheels hasn't gone well for me thus far.

 

[MrWednesday]

So I finally have made some foams. Was a learning curve for sure.. probably spent as much on "stuff" to make them as a complete set of Xmaxx tires/foams in the process, LOL.
I picked up a piece of 24x24x4" high density polyurethane foam from amazon for $30. Electric carving knife for $25 and tried my best.i drew out the "donut" on the foam with a compass and pen. Turns out to be quite difficult to keep the knife perpendicular to the foam.. looked like Helen Keller cut them out!
Next up was some stove pipe. Thought I could sharpen the end and cut down through the foam that way..24x5" and 24x7" pieces ran me about $25 maybe, not sure as I had bought 4 and 8" as well. Took those back though, wrong sizes. After making a sloped, jagged donut with the stove pipe, and hours putting an edge to the pipe, no bueno.
Next up, cut some wooden templates from 1/2 plywood. Used a bench vice to clamp a template to each side of the foam. Electric carving knife worked a treat!! I also bought some 1/2" foam to "take up" the offset in the wheels since the Xmaxx wheels are different diameter inside and out. I just finished assembling them, waiting on the CA to dry.. should've gone slightly larger on OD of the foams I think as they feel a bit soft or undersized..next time..

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Bravo

 

[KnowAir]

Bravo

Thanks I know most folks would just buy new and move on, and I get that. Between cheap, broke and ignorant comes me,LOL!! Ya know, it feels good to save some cash, er, I mean the planet
Apparently some tires are negatively affected by acetone..
Actually I should have said too positively affected by acetone!!

 

[MrWednesday]

Dude you’re a legend, a hero we don’t deserve. I absolutely love anything that can be done by myself at home, and the fact that you were willing to share the details on how you accomplished this and light the path for the rest of us was a gentleman’s maneuver. By doing that you also open the door for other brilliant minds to chime in and offer further good advice, ideas, tweaks, alternatives… which is why, and I’ve said this before several times,

ARRMA FORUM
the all time most important URL

lol but seriously, imagine the entire www environment was as it always is here? Willing helpfulness, I dumping on newbs, constant encouragement…
So proud of us
Ahem… right then… back to my manly stoic posture.

 

[SrC]

There are 3D printed foams that people use for crawlers. They use the rubbery stuff like PLA. I've never done it but I've heard that it takes for ever and it's likely to be screwed up.

This is one example.
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/1-9-tire-insert-foam

As other have indicated, a simpler, faster and cheaper method might be using some foam. I used this stuff (https://a.co/d/cjfLaR6) in a case and it' pretty firm.

I was thinking about cutting some out as foams for my crawler. By doing that I could make it asymetrical, or add layers and patterns to change the firmness.

Appears to be Closed cell foam there.
Might be a tad bit too firm? IDK. Try it for sure.

 

[KnowAir]

Dude you’re a legend, a hero we don’t deserve. I absolutely love anything that can be done by myself at home, and the fact that you were willing to share the details on how you accomplished this and light the path for the rest of us was a gentleman’s maneuver. By doing that you also open the door for other brilliant minds to chime in and offer further good advice, ideas, tweaks, alternatives… which is why, and I’ve said this before several times,

ARRMA FORUM
the all time most important URL

lol but seriously, imagine the entire www environment was as it always is here? Willing helpfulness, I dumping on newbs, constant encouragement…
So proud of us
Ahem… right then… back to my manly stoic posture.

Well thank you for the kind words! "Necessity ", the mother of invention right? I just simply couldn't find what I was looking for, so gotta make it. LOL. I will no doubt be revisiting this process in the near future..for now, even though a tad soft, the foams I've made are working great! I've impressed myself!!
FWIW, I did find foams available for purchase, but not until I was well under way with my mission of DIY foams.. "no turning back" LOL.
Now, these foams I found are advertised as being replacements for the Imex J-7 MT tires, which measure in at 8.5" x 4" roughly..what I find interesting is the OD of the foams are only 7.75"? How's that gonna work? Not well I'd guess.. anyways here's the link for anyone interested.
https://www.imexrc.com/products/jumbo-foam?variant=39594531094702

Appears to be Closed cell foam there.
Might be a tad bit too firm? IDK. Try it for sure.

Pretty sure those are 3d printed, likely from Ninja Flex filament or similar? That's an option I need to explore as well at some point.. winter is coming, might as well barricade myself in a closed room and huff some 3d printer fumes, right?!

ARRMA FORUM
the all time most important URL

I concur!! Greatest gathering place since MySpace!! Only better!! TBH, I've never been on Myspace, but it sounded good!