Paul Gage Tire Information

Paul Gage urethane tires are available for a wide range of 1:32 and 1:24 slot cars. Please take a few minutes to review the following information - it will make finding the Paul Gage tires you need easier.

General

** Important - Please read carefully **

Most Paul Gage tires will only require mounting and away you go. However, some tires will require some "tuning". Examples of "tuning" that may be required include:

Sanding the tire to reduce the OD when mounted. This might be done to obtain a desired ride height, chassis clearance with the track, or to eliminate interference with the body and/or chassis.
Sanding the tire sidewalls (one or both) to reduce the width when mounted. This might be done to eliminate interference with the chassis, body/wheel well, etc..
Raising the body to eliminate interference with the tire. For example, placing some axle spacers between the chassis and body to eliminate interference.
Removing material from the chassis to provide more clearance for the inner sidewall of the tire. Sanding the inside sidewall of the tire is generally a better alternative.

Note that for many cars and/or wheels, there are multiple Paul Gage tires available. In general, there will be less interference with the narrower tire choices. Smaller OD tires are less likely to interfere with the wheel wells/body; however, you run the risk of the underside of the chassis interfering with the track surface (particular if the track has banked turns and/or cars have stronger/multiple magnets).

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Compounds

Paul Gage tires are available in two (2) compounds - "XPG" (softer - approx. Shore 20 A) and "PGT" (firmer - approx. Shore 40 A). When choosing a compound, keep the following points in mind.

If you plan to replace stock magnets with stronger aftermarket magnets or run multiple magnets, use the PGT compound.
Some tire sizes can be stretched over much larger (OD) wheels than the wheels the tires were originally designed for. In these cases, use the PGT compound - it is more tolerant of stretching than the XPG compound.
The softer XPG compound will generally have more grip on most racing surfaces; however, the XPG compound will wear faster than the firmer PGT compound.
The XPG compound has a shelf life of 12 to 18 months. This will not be an issue if you run a given car with XPG tires regularly as you will probably wear out the tires within the 12 to 18 month period ("Race them and replace them."). If you run a given car infrequently or store it for extended periods of time, the PGT tires have a much longer shelf life.

Paul Gage Tire Selector

Whenever possible, use our exclusive Paul Gage Tire Selector to help you find the Paul Gage tires you are looking for. With just a few clicks of your mouse, The Paul Gage Tire Selector makes it easy to search an extensive database of known applications. We've put together a short video to show you how easy it is to use.

Understanding Paul Gage Tire Part Numbers

Most (but not all) Paul Gage tire part numbers follow a standard structure. Understanding the part number structure can be very useful - particularly when you have an application that is not in the Paul Gage Tire Selector database. We've put together a quick reference to make it easier to understand the basics of Paul Gage part numbers. Click on the thumbnail below to view or download the quick reference.

How to Measure Wheels and Tires

When a car or wheel you need tires for can't be located in the Paul Gage Tire Selector (see above), there is still a good chance one or more tires are available that will fit. To determine this, you'll need a pair of digital calipers to take measurements of your wheel and tire. For consistency, we've put together a worksheet to record each of the measurements required. Here is a link to download the worksheet.

Paul Gage Wheel and Tire Data Worksheet

Once you have completed the worksheet for a given wheel and tire, please at 888.SLOT.132 and we will do our best to find a tire for your application.