Question:
Hey Doc-
I have a Team Durango DEX410v3 and having some issues with it turning. Our track is on a gymnasium floor that has carpet patches in the corners. On the straights its fine, but the moment I hit the corners it doesn’t want to turn. Everyone uses a mini pin tire (which is what I have) but mine are a little bald. Does that make a difference? Need some help!
Ross M.
Answer:
Hi Ross,
I’ve recently come back from a trip where I got a chance to run offroad on a high-bite carpet track. I can tell you right off the bat that tires are everything – I showed up with the ‘preferred’ tire for that track but ended up switching to a more aggressive front tire and it made a HUGE difference. My initial suggestion would be to put on a fresh set of front tires and that will help a ton.
On second thought, though, is that you said it’s a gymnasium floor with carpet corners; so, two different surfaces. A pin tire will be great on the carpet but will probably be slippery on the wood floor. Switching to a slick tire would be great on the wood floor but, as you’re seeing with your worn-out pins, not so good on the carpet.
You’re going to have to compromise here if you want something that will work on both surfaces equally. You could work with the suspension a little but, in all reality, it’s going to come down to a tire choice.
I would check to see what the fast guys are running and give that a try. You might even take a set of pin tires and snip off some of the nubs to make a custom tread pattern – that might help out some as well.
Good luck!
The Doc