How To Star Cut Tire Foams

[ForkliftJeff]

I was cuttin up some foams so I thought I'd make a "How to". I like to star-cut my foams to give my tires the low pressure look and function. It's a great free way to get more traction.

Items needed:
- sharp utility knife (box cutter)
- fresh or kinda new "Sharpie" felt pen
- a beer, a smoke... whatever keeps you sane (you'll understand after the second or third foam).

Grap a foam and a sharpie and draw a circle on your foam and a matching circle on the other side. Where you want to put the circle is up to you. Closer to the outside is more "air pressure" in your tires, and closer to the inside is less "air pressure". (Don't go too close to the inside or your foam will fall apart.)
Then draw a horizontal and a vertical line so it looks like a crosshair.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/ForkliftJeff/How%20To%20Star%20Cut%20Tire%20Foams/IMG_1374.jpg

Then draw some lines between the lines you just drew....
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/ForkliftJeff/How%20To%20Star%20Cut%20Tire%20Foams/IMG_1375.jpg

then again.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/ForkliftJeff/How%20To%20Star%20Cut%20Tire%20Foams/IMG_1376.jpg

Now draw a bunch of V's in the spaces.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/ForkliftJeff/How%20To%20Star%20Cut%20Tire%20Foams/IMG_1377.jpg

Now you get to start cutting. Line up the blade nice and straight on the outside of the foam and cut one half of a V, then the other...
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/ForkliftJeff/How%20To%20Star%20Cut%20Tire%20Foams/IMG_1380.jpg

use the circle on the other side so you know when to stop cutting....
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/ForkliftJeff/How%20To%20Star%20Cut%20Tire%20Foams/IMG_1379.jpg

then remove.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/ForkliftJeff/How%20To%20Star%20Cut%20Tire%20Foams/IMG_1381.jpg

Do that a bunch of times and you'll have this.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/ForkliftJeff/How%20To%20Star%20Cut%20Tire%20Foams/IMG_1384.jpg

And then after the fourth it should look something like this.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/ForkliftJeff/How%20To%20Star%20Cut%20Tire%20Foams/IMG_1387-1.jpg
Foam wedges anybody? A little salt and they're great!

[true-scalecrawler]

thanks for takin the time to do this!......should be a great help to many people.........like me:haha:

[treeafodo]

When I did my foam I cut them super narrow and way to short, using the worlds biggest scissors.:blink: Nice write up.

[madhatter]

Maybe a noob question, but does it really help that much?
I'm just used to trailing and mudding more than rock crawling and just wondering if it might be worth trying on one of mine.:biggthumpup:

[Copious]

It will help f you have stiff foams, Most Crawler guys just use memory foams now tho.

[madhatter]

It will help f you have stiff foams, Most Crawler guys just use memory foams now tho.

Ahh.:biggthumpup:

[zignzag]

Great tutorial. It will come in handy.

[AluminumRcBodies]

Those foams remind me of the old Stomper 4x4 tires, except much bigger!