GET A
GRIP!
Tire cutting 101 BY BRADSHAW LIVINGSTON
When it comes to scale trail runs, mud bogging, competition crawl- ing and racing, tires are one of the most important aspects of your vehicle. Without proper traction it can be tough to hold your intended
line in the rocks or around the track. Having multiple sets of tires in your arsenal
is always a good idea in order to be prepared for any and all conditions. But, for
the budget crawler, basher and racer, having numerous sets of tires and wheels
isn’t always a feasible option. ;ere are ways to improve your existing tires and
wheels though, and all it requires is a little time at the workbench. I will show you
a few ways to get more traction out of your stock or existing tires, with little to
no money out of your pocket. ;ere are numerous ways to cut tires for better
performance. Siping and tread cutting tires is a technology used in the full-size
o;-road world for everything from rock crawling, Baja, mud bogging and even
monster trucks. Tire cutting can be used to get better forward bite, better lateral
bite, and even help to avoid mud from packing into certain tread patterns. You
can also cut the side wall lugs to soften up the overall tire carcass as well.
;ese tires from Axial have a great tread pattern with
aggressive lugs for hardcore o;-road terrain. But, the
compound on these is quite a bit harder than the softer
R35 Axial Ripsaw tires that are o;ered as an option.
Here are a few di;erent methods you can use to get the
most out of your stock wheels and tires.
TOOLS NEEDED:
■ Wire
cutters
■ Rotary tool
and cut-o;
wheel
;e first thing I wanted to improve upon was forward bite, and the ability
to clean sticky mud out of the tire lugs. ;e tires I am using for this article
will be bolted up to a 2.2 scaler/rock racer which will see a wide variety
of terrain. I started by cutting the smaller rows of lugs completely out of
the tires for a super aggressive tread pattern that will have the ability to
shed mud and wet dirt,
using a small pair of wire
cutters. ;is cut will also
soften the carcass up and
allow for more forward bite
in technical rock sections,
similar to airing down a
full-size tire for more grip
and better ride. If your wire
cutters are too small to
span the entire lug you are
trying to remove, you can
cut half of the lug and slide
the cutters along the base
of the lug for a second cut
as needed. I had to use this
method on the biggest lugs.
