Grip
Some notes on the grip of the Gecko closed cell foam rubber RC car tyres
Due to the 'constant hardness contact patch' and use of our own foam rubber formulations and quite different moulding processes we know our Gecko tyres have generally produced outstanding grip on low to medium grip tracks, whether circuit racing or oval racing, and that includes Electric Gecko on Carpet and Nitro Gecko on asphalt.
However the Gecko foam rubber can often start to generate too much grip on high grip tracks in circuit racing and so often produce cornering problems e.g. where high levels of rubber are put down or where a lot of additive is used (i.e. that you would find at National/international meetings and other high participation events - Geckos are often very good, sometimes outstanding, at the start of these events and then become increasingly difficult to drive!.
The thing is the Gecko foam rubber already has at least as good grip, if not better, as most other foam rubber tyres (and often better wear resistance) and so it does not need enhancement via additives for carpet racing or high grip asphalt tracks.
Most tyre additives work by softening the rubber and so improving the grip artificially however if Gecko tyres are used on the same track where additive is being used heavily, even if the additive is not applied to the Gecko tyres, then the Gecko rubber will also pick up the additive from the carpet and then generate too much grip.
For normal club circuit racing (whether on carpet where additive is allowed or outdoors on asphalt) then Gecko tyres will probably be among the front runners, probably leading.
Also, whether oval or circuit racing, we know that in electric RC car racing on carpet where additives are not permitted then Gecko tyres will usually be at the front of the pack if not winning by some margin!.
On the low to medium grip tracks the Geckos will slide a little (although probably far less than other foam brands) and so keep heat in the rubber and therefore highest levels of grip. Unfortunately, on high grip tracks the Geckos will basically not slide at all where other foam brands will slide a little, therefore the Geckos will lose temperature compared to the other brands and there may be balance point between holding a tight line which helps lap times to having less grip coming out of the corners which will lose lap time (due to lower relative temperatures as the rubber is not quite as warm as it could be as it is not moving that much in the contact patch). In circuit racing on high grip tracks this 'cross over' point can be reached and Geckos lose their advantage and also become difficult to drive around the corners.
In summary, in big circuit events where additive is used, don't use Gecko tyres. However, in all forms of oval racing, normal circuit racing on low to medium grip tracks or where additive is banned then Gecko tyres will probably give you a clear advantage over the competition and also give very good wear rates (as the rubber will not slide as much as the other brands).
Thank you for using Gecko Tyres.