looking for a source in the USA for Smoothies / Slick Tires.

the cheaper the better, since I go through one set at NABX per year.

4-ply, please.

delivery to the playa would be great too. :wee:

thx in advance

Hey Sailors,
Once again I will have both ribbed and smoothie 4-ply tires available.
Mention nabx and receive a 10% discount.
nabx is in California so there is no sales tax nor shipping charge.
They will be no sales on the playa.
Only pre-purchase.

This is a vacation for me too.
Order before you come out.

www.windpowersports.com
Use the box labeled "Special Instructions" on the Order Page for any oddities.

(Deadline probably 25 March)
Pre-event delivery (to Elmers also available.
I will run your card and deliver the tires to Buggytown on Tuesday, 30 March.

Safen Up! Buggy On!

"Often wrong... Never in doubt"

the coreylama

Corey,

The tires i currently have on my bug are 480 - 8. I see yours are listed as 480 x 400 x 8. Can you tell me what the difference is.

Thanks

No diff.

480 I think is the side wall height, 8 is wheel diameter, 4 is wheel width. The 4.80 seems to be kind of a standard height side wall for this tire size.

I've been thinking about this too for quite some time. I've heard all kinds of stories about burning through tires out there. My tires are nearly new (have midis and regular - both ribbed). Am I gonna need to buy a new set to take home assuming I ride the pants off these ones? Bear in mind the bonus of the 10 cents off and the fact that shipping is free.....

There's no way to know. I've gone through a whole set and still blown out a tire in one week. I've also used the same tires a couple years in a row.

We only know what our condition will be, not the playa, or the weather.

If you like a lot of seat time, you for sure will put lots of wear on your tires.

Use your own judgement about that, and yes, supporting our sponsors is good for the event!

Quote:

Originally posted by macboy I've been thinking about this too for quite some time. I've heard all kinds of stories about burning through tires out there. My tires are nearly new (have midis and regular - both ribbed). Am I gonna need to buy a new set to take home assuming I ride the pants off these ones? Bear in mind the bonus of the 10 cents off and the fact that shipping is free.....

following along with what others have said - it really depends on tire pressure and how aggressive you ride. I've worn through a brand new set of ribbed tires in a day and half a couple years back, have worn through smoothies in a few days and then I've had them last a week.
Just because of weight and flying in we usually fly down without tires, pick them up from one of our good friends in Vegas (Corey and Kent) and then depending on how things go for wind etc either ride easy for part of the week and then like a madman the last day to burn them right out. Or when it's really windy I'll go through a set quicker because I ride all day and then grab an unused tire of a buddy that doesn't like to ride in high wind so his tires are always nice to steal.
Just make sure you have some spare tubes, it's easier getting tires but not as nice if you wear them right down and blow through the tube before switching.

Okay, I gotta get this order in STAT! Do the regular tires (ribbed and smooth) use the same wheel as the midis? I think so but want to confirm. Haven't found a solution to get my "bling" chromeys mounted so think I'll have to roll the PL plastics (the chromeys have 12mm bearings - won't fit the axle bolts I have for the big bearings).

OR do I capitalize on the 10% disc and order up midis to roll on the playa (16 X 6.5)?

the midis use the same as the regulars, I have all types and they all fit the pl wheels.
Has anyone found an outlet for getting Carlise smooth tires?
I can get the smooth, 480 x 400 x 8, 4ply Nanco"s for $13.00

Quote:

Originally posted by bigkid the midis use the same as the regulars, I have all types and they all fit the pl wheels. Has anyone found an outlet for getting Carlise smooth tires? I can get the smooth, 480 x 400 x 8, 4ply Nanco"s for $13.00

That's a great price for 4 plys. I'm going to run my midis on my buggy at Nabx, but have a set of smoothies and a fresh set of tubes as backup/reserve. I don't know where I'll be on the tire wear graph. Some melt through a set of tires in hours and others use the same set for years. The std 4" wheels are used to mount barrows, midis, or even bigfoots to make bigfoot lights. The midis and barrows apparently use the same tube.

Mac, I run 12mm bearings. What do your chromeys look like and are you interested in parting with them?

We have tires, tubes and wheels in stock as well. Just let me know what you will be needing and we can take care of you.

The Playa can be murder on your tires but as it has been said, it all depends on how you ride. We ride on the playa all year long and I usually go through a set of tires in about 6-8 months if I ride aggressively, about a year if I ride casually. Having the right kite for the conditions is a huge factor on tire wear. If you ride way overpowered then you will be doing a ton of side-sliding and your tires can be showing ribs in a matter of hours. Overpowered won't give you the speed and usually cause more problems than good. Because of the lack of resistance on the Playa, you can buggy in 12-15 mph winds with a 2-3 meter kite and still get some very decent speeds (near 30ish mph depending on skills and kite performance) and with very little work / effort needed. Going out in those winds with a 5 or 6 meter will only drag you sideways and burn your tread off - and won't really get you that much more speed.

For most people that just want to cruise across the playa and lay down some awesome passes, your tires will last the entire weekend no problem. For freestylers who are constantly throwing down 360's, powerslides, rockfords, 180's and two wheelin' (See Brian's video on the NABX.net site!!) then you could go through a set of tires in a weekend. For people who ride way overpowered and put down some speeds, you could go through a set in a day. All of this is of course depending on the weather conditions.

So, if you are super aggressive and love to ride sideways then you will probably need to get a set of tires as a backup (or maybe even two). If you are like most people and just want to ride on the best surface in the world then you probably won't even burn through the set you have. On a side note - 2 ply tires will burn up super quick, even if you are not that aggressive in your riding style. 4 ply (or heavier) is the only way to go.

Hope that helps the newbies that are coming to better understand the tire issues (or non-issues). Either way, there will surely be some extra tires available somewhere if you look/ask around. So if you do find that you need some, don't worry to much about it. Your buggy family will take care of ya.

Now.....if the lake bed dries out we're good to go.

Kent, can i get a price???

if you have some when we pick up my buggy + de dutch stuff ... ill grab it there. thx.

BB - stay tuned. I'm gonna get everything set tonight and it looks like the net result might be TWO sets of fatboys. I'll get pics and put 'em up for sale if there appears to be a value in them otherwise I'll keep 'em kicking around for the "buggy build" days in the future.

On a related note I managed to find some bearings that will fit the older hubs but have a 15mm ID for the newer PL axle bolts. $13 per bearing X 4 = $50 for the rears...fronts use the same 12mm bearings.

tiresunlimited.com has 4.8 x8 carlisle smoothies 4 ply for $18 each free shipping over $70 ship to most states in 5 days.

Please support our sponsors!

Please buy from one of the guys on here, and do not send your money to non kiters.

Everyone on this board, supports our sport, and some will deliver right to where you will be!

The lowest price is not always the best price!

aoxomoxoa

Yeah, that's why I bought my GoPro HD from Corey. Amazon would have been cheaper, but I'm always willing to buy from a kite shop if possible.

That's the spirit we have here!

Go team kite, kite team go!

Keep it in the family, and keep Corey working in kites, you wouldn't want him showing up at your doorstep looking for work, now would you!?

Quote:

Originally posted by Maven454 Yeah, that's why I bought my GoPro HD from Corey. Amazon would have been cheaper, but I'm always willing to buy from a kite shop if possible.

Hey Sailors,

I'm a bit worried by that mis-spelling - "woring"
Is what I do considered "whoring"?
Or perhaps did you mean "working"?

I mean, it could go either way.


Safen Up! Buggy On!

"Often wrong... Never in doubt"

the coreylama
Mayor of Buggytown