Taping The Tires

While you want a nice soft tire to expand and grab the ground upon takeoff, there can be a drawback in most cases. This is tire-ballooning, and results when a tire spins so fast that the tire itself swells to double its normal size. While this may be interesting to see, it can greatly reduce the amount of traction the tire has with the ground. So, unless you just like putting on a show, it's in your best interest to limit this.

One of the tried and true methods to prevent this is to use tape on the inside of the tire. I'll use duct tape for this, but some other tapes will work as well. Another example is strapping tape that has the nylon fibers in it. You'll want to avoid masking tapes which will tear, and electrical tapes which will stretch.

First you'll want to turn the tire inside out as shown here with a set of Panther Pythons.

Then lay out a long section of tape and roll the tire over it. You should try to keep the tape spaced the same all the way around the circumference of the tire, as this will help keep a proper balance when the tire is in motion.

Allow the tape to overlap itself, and then make sure it's sealed well to the tire.

Flip the tire back to its normal shape.

Install the foam, and then glue it to the wheel.