They've been around for almost 10 years, and they've been popular for 12th scale racers all around the world, on all types of surfaces. Here's the most common questions that I receive about the Hotrace Tyres Factory Foam 12th scale tires:

What's the difference between the Hagberg Edition and Red Dot foam types?

  • The Hagberg Edition is a pink family foam, which is a very good all-around foam. It will give a neutral handling with good cornering speed for most conditions.
  • The Red Dot is a more closed cell foam that was specifically developed for ETS carpet. This foam will give you more grip (side bite) and will make the car more stable. You will have less steering than with Hagberg Edition.

What's the shore rating of the Hagberg Edition and Red Dot foam types?
  • Hagberg Edition: The fronts are a 31/32 shore, the rears are a 30 shore.
  • The Red Dot is a bit harder than the Hagberg Edition (closer to 35 shore).

Which tires are recommended for which surface?
  • CRC Black Carpet: Hagberg Edition
  • ETS Carpet: Red Dot
  • Primafelt: Red Dot
  • Lindau: Hagberg Edition
  • Outdoor asphalt: Red Dot
  • Indoor asphalt: Hagberg Edition

What are the recommended tire sizes?
Keep in mind that for stock racing, you can usually get away with a smaller stagger (split in size between front and rear) than in modified, because you have less front tire wear in stock.
  • CRC Black Carpet: 40.0 F, 40.5 R
  • ETS Carpet: 40.5 F, 41.5 R
  • Primafelt: 40.5 F, 41.5 R
  • Lindau: 40.5 F, 41.5 R
  • Outdoor asphalt: 43.0 F, 44.0 R
  • Indoor asphalt: 42.5 F, 43.0 R

What tire additives do you recommend as a starting point (if the choice is free)?
  • CRC Black Carpet: SXT 3.0 or SXT 3.0 Max
  • ETS Carpet: Speedtech, H-Speed HSPT003 or CS High Grip
  • Primafelt: Spider Grip Blue
  • Lindau: Spider Grip Blue
  • Outdoor asphalt: Spider Grip Green or Paragon FXII
  • Indoor asphalt: Spider Grip Green or Paragon FXII

Is it necessary to add CA glue to the front tires?
Only if you're traction rolling! I recommend doing this for racing on CRC Black Carpet, and there's a video in which I explain how to do it:


What do you use for cutting the tires?
I use a HUDY fully automatic tire truer, part number 102003, I use a BSR Racing Tires A1400 3-pin rear tire adapter (to make sure that the tires true straight), and a CRC Calandra Racing Concepts Final Cut truing bit (CLN5008).

Do you recommend using a vacuum pump for the rear tires?
Yes! For "European" style of carpet as well as asphalt, it will help to improve the longevity of the grip for the rear tires. There's many different devices on the market that sufficiently do this job.
There's an extensive tire truing instruction video available in the Invisible Speed RC On-Road Course: https://courses.invisiblespeed.net/a4563f74-3354-4130-93c3-688a431f167b

Source:

A. Hagberg