Restoring old tyres

[violetmind]

I posted a question on someone else's thread but haven't got a response yet. So I thought I'd try asking it here instead.

I'm at wit's end when it comes to restoring old tamiya and kyosho tyres. I have a few sets of tyres that are in generally good shape (no cracks) but they seem to be "drying" up and turning whitish. I was wondering if any of you restoration experts can help shed some light on how to bring these tyres back to life and more importantly, retard the aging process moving forward. I hate to see them dry up and crack.

I'm not sure if the different brands of tyres actually require different sort of treatment. But in as a rough guide, I'm looking to restore the tyres of the following cars/trucks/buggies:

hilux
mountaineer/bruiser
optima
ultima
boomerang
wild one


Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[4wdmt]

I haven't tried this yet. But since they are rubber...MAYBE, the same tire polish/treatment you use for 1:1 tire can be used for our RC tires (?).

Sorry if that is a dumb and stupid suggestion. Hope real "restorer" will pitch in.

[violetmind]

I haven't tried this yet. But since they are rubber...MAYBE, the same tire polish/treatment you use for 1:1 tire can be used for our RC tires (?).

Sorry if that is a dumb and stupid suggestion. Hope real "restorer" will pitch in.

No, no....no dumb nor stupid suggestions. Like I mentioned, any help would be appreciated.

I was hesitant to use the same polish products (e.g. armour all) as I wasn't sure if the 1:1 tyres were made of the same material as our RC tyres. Don't know if it would be too harsh.

I even thought of baby oil, or olive oil....in light dabs of course. But I'm sure there are some out there that have already tried something that works. Just hope they come across this thread and offer some help.

Thanks again

[chazell]

When I raced R/C Off Road, we used a Simple Green and water solution to clean and condition our tires. I'm sure the same solution would work to restore your tires as well.

[violetmind]

When I raced R/C Off Road, we used a Simple Green and water solution to clean and condition our tires. I'm sure the same solution would work to restore your tires as well.

Thanks Chazell,
I guess that works fine when the tyres are brand new and you're maintaining them from the start. But if they have aged somewhat (well, not to the extent that it is about to die! :LOL:), and we want to put some life back into them (like making them more shiny or less dry), is there something we can do?

Thanks again

[Mouton]

I use glycerol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerol) for restoring old tires.

[violetmind]

I use glycerol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerol) for restoring old tires.

Hi mate, any brand in particular? would be lovely if you had pics to share with us. thanks!

[Mouton]

GGlycerol need not be of a specific brand as it is a chemical (same goes for gasoline since you rarely talk of Exxon regular or Shell regular but settle for calling it regular gasolene). What brand I get from my local p.harmac.y (our spam filter censored the word) here in Sweden is of little help to you. Any good pharmacist should carry glycerol as it has a laxative effect if imbibed.

Having said that, the procedure for use is very simple. I simply pour some on the tire and massage it with my hands for a few minutes. Glycerol will not harm your skin so I do this without protective glowes. It bears slight resemblance to olive oil in the feel and how thick it is. After I am done I let the tires sit for a few hours/over night and wipe them with a paper towel/tissue. I use washing up liquid for rinsing the glycerol from my hands.

Depending on how dry the tire is I repeat this after a few hours if necessary. I do this with all my old rubber tires once a year so they do not dry out totally. It helps keep them in good condition and has worked for many years. I got this tip from a guy restoring old loudspeakers as glycerol has a revitalizing effect on rubber.

Glycerol is good because it is very cheap, very high grade with no additives and no fancy marketing campaigns behind it forcing you to pay for a particular brand.

Best of luck with restoring your tires!

[violetmind]

Sounds like a great way to do it. I'll take your advice. Thanks very much!

[quick5pnt0]

I have heard of people restoring dried out tires by spraying them with WD40 and putting them in a zip lock back over night. Personally I've never had to actually restore old tires but I can attest to the fact that the solvent in WD40 does soften dry or hard tires. Maybe somebody else can chime in on whether there are any adverse long term effects.

[violetmind]

I have heard of people restoring dried out tires by spraying them with WD40 and putting them in a zip lock back over night. Personally I've never had to actually restore old tires but I can attest to the fact that the solvent in WD40 does soften dry or hard tires. Maybe somebody else can chime in on whether there are any adverse long term effects.

I've heard several people advise against using WD40 but haven't dared tried it myself. Apparently, it looks good initially but turns really bad after a while. After a while, the cracking and dryness accelerates. Again, I can't vouch that this is true but with several warnings from different sources, I'd stay away from WD40.