Control tyres: a step forward for the LMS
Grip and Rubber are some of the most important factors in a slotcar competition.
As of round 3 the championship takes an other step forward in the fairness of the competition by equalising the possibilities of tyre preparation in the LMS races.

The Kamp Linfort race will see the introduction of marked Rear wheels with Control tyres to ensure that all teams will be on the same rubber and compound specifications.
The Rear wheels will have GP speedtyre 20 shore Rubber glued on 21x16 mm SSH aluminium rims.

Preparation
There still remains some work to be done for the teams. With a standard diameter of ± 30mm, Teams must sand these down to their desired diameter.
The softer compound makes this a much easier job than with the "old" 25 shore tyres.
Grip additives and cleaning fluids will still be controlled and supplied by the LMS organisation.

Controlled costs
The wheels will be available at the T.C for ±3,50 euro a pair, with an deposit of ± 5 euro for the rims.
An exchange program will be started for used rims, the Neoprene glue that is used makes them easy to clean and recycle for use in future races.
Teams that return clean rims at the T.C can recieve their deposit back or exchange them for new sets with out paying a new deposit.

Tamar's Tyre test report.
Four months of extensive testing with several compounds, on different tracks and surfaces.
No special preparations and no grip additives, the tyres were tested straight out of the box.
On all occasions the 20shore GP tyre offered the best grip.

Weight balance.
With the improved grip I did have to change the weight balance on the car to keep it safe. On tracks with more grip the car would tilt in the corners.
An additional 5-6 grams to the front of the chassis seemed to do the trick, wich was easilly acheived with a bolt on Plafit Pro handling kit and some extra lead. (Click on the link for more details or check out the Chasis tech page)

Durability and preparation.
As the tyre spins less than the harder 25 shore rubber, the 20 shore tends to last longer.
The average Tyre wear during all the tests was approximately 0,15 mm p/h.
Make sure that when you sand them down that the profile remains absolutely flat and level.
If you push to hard the tyre will "bend " sideways at the edges. On close inspection you wil see that the tyre has slightly hollow profile. On the track this will cause the cars to run on the edges of the tyres...and that they don't like.
I think that in the races you can make the tyres last for ± 2 hrs, depending on how easy you are on them.