SPEAK UP! Tire companies weigh in on ROAR ruling

0 July 22, 2014, 3:09 p.m.

7/22/2014
By Aaron Waldron

LiveRC.com

After ROAR clarified its ruling on new-style 1/10-scale tires and wheels from Pro-Line and AKA, including outlawing AKA's Evo adapter kit, I contacted representatives from four major 1/10-scale tire manufacturers to get their opinions on ROAR's interpretation of the rule.

Jason Ruona, owner of JConcepts:

“It’s not new - they’ve never been legal. From that standpoint, they’re not banned or anything like that, they’ve just never been legal. I think the information they put out there is pretty accurate and helps for that particular race so that people will know what to expect. In the future they’ll probably make them legal according to manufacturer pressure. I think it’s mostly a clarification for people that are going to the race so that they’ll know what you can and can’t do. The conversion kit is a pretty significant change, and it’s against the rule that has been there all along.

We’ve had our own similar wheels since Cactus, and we’ve been testing the tires locally. I don’t think what ROAR is saying is a big deal, because that’s been the rule all along. It makes it easier on us, because now we won’t have to bring both to the race (ed note: both style tires and the AKA adapter kits) and see what we like better. It’s not ROAR’s fault, it’s the manufacturers’ fault for making something that’s not legal.”

Matt Wallace, Pro-Line designer:

“To be honest, when we started the project we knew it was not going to be legal. I’ve been in contact with the ROAR president the whole time so we’re not surprised. I’m glad they stuck to the rules and did now allow the adapters. It sounds like next year they’re going to work on making them legal, so all in all I’m fine with it.

I wish they would’ve announced the ruling sooner, it took them longer than I would’ve hoped. But I’m glad they released a statement and appreciate Steve Mruk for taking care of it. We’re going to have legal tires for the event.”

AKA’s Mark Pavidis:

“I think ROAR has left open a loophole, I feel, in the way that they explain their rules. [ROAR] is referring to where the rule is broken where it says “Internal locking rings may only be used to retain the tire. Rings cannot be used to increase wheel size or to stiffen the sidewall.” That’s where they’re saying we’re breaking the rule, not that we’ve adapted the tire to the wheel. When the adapters are mounted to the tire and then glued to the wheel, how is that any different than a standard bead?

In their rules, the wheel dimensions are made clear. In the tire rules, there’s a maximum overall diameter and a maximum overall width. There’s no dimension specific to the bead. When ROAR rule 7.2.4 says “internal locking rings may only be used to retain the tire,” they’re not clear to what that is. (The adapter kits) are not increasing the wheel size, and they’re not stiffening the sidewall, they just put a standard bead onto the tire.

ROAR has held plenty of events, in Florida and all over the country, and this assembly has been used with no problem up until four weeks before the [ROAR Electric Off-Road Nationals]. We have team drivers that have raced ROAR-sanctioned events in Florida and all over the country with the standard wheel and these adapter rings and it has been fine. We released all of this stuff in September of last year, at the Worlds. And we’re just now getting around to saying ‘this is a problem?’

Mark sent me these three photos, showing the outer diameter of the standard wheels fitted with Evo adapters, an Evo tire and an Evo tire with the adapter ring glued in place, and an Evo tire with the adapter ring glued in place next to a standard tire. For larger versions of these photos, scroll to the bottom.

I know all of the racers are making it - just last weekend we ran these tire adapter rings at the JConcepts Summer Indoor Nationals that uses ROAR rules. We’re not trying to break the rules, there’s just a loophole that allows us to use these rings to mount the Evo tires to standard wheels.”

Travis Amezcua, product development for Panther Products Inc.:

“It’s in the rules that the mounting bead area of the wheels are not legal, so we knew those were out for this year. All that [the AKA conversion kit] is, is a piece of rubber that you’re gluing to the tire, so I don’t see what the big deal is. I don’t think they should be banned from the race. And Panther doesn’t even have that style tire. As for making the new tires and wheels legal in the future, I can see both sides. On ROAR’s side, I understand they weren’t legal, but from a manufacturing side I think you have to push the rules to make new products to keep things fresh and keep people interested - we can’t keep running stuff from the 1970s. I think it’s good for the industry, but I understand where ROAR is coming from too.”