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I'm having a terrible time finding a set of street tires - foams or radials - that'd be a direct fit on a Turbo Optima re-release. Ideally I'd be able to find a set of pre-mounted tires/rims all ready to go, but all I can seem to find are really expensive vintage/old stock for the original kits. There has to be someone making these, no?

One shortcut you may try is mini e-revo tires and wheels. The wheels are the correct offset and they are a 2.2 buggy size wheel. I’m not sure what tires you will find mounted but I bet there are some cool options.

For example...

If it's not for anything fancy like racing or shelf display I'd go for any cheapo's from an eBay seller. I got 12mm hex fitted for about £10 for my beagle Optima copy and they're fine for street use, also I didn't cry when I hit the kerb and took a chunk out of the wheel rim...if it'd been an expensive "original" I'd have needed PTSD counselling

For bashing with my Javelin re-re I use Kyosho 2.2" Dirt Hog wheels along with the now-discontinued Proline Dirt Hawg tires.

I've used the Dirt Hawgs for bashing for years & they last very well even on coarse surfaces like asphalt. It's a shame they are discontinued but they still pop up on ebay some.

I painted the wheels b/c they only come in black.
I keep these on it for the shelf.
On my Turbo Optima I think it will be ran using the kit tires & wheels. I ordered some OT-66 repros from Marwan for the shelf.

Thanks for the info! Those 'shelf' rims are great looking - are they the real aluminum ones from Pargu or the "chrome" plastic ones from Kyosho?

ahenderl wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:23 pm I keep these on it for the shelf.

20201102_204428_resize_62.jpg

On my Turbo Optima I think it will be ran using the kit tires & wheels. I ordered some OT-66 repros from Marwan for the shelf.

sundevil67 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 05, 2020 10:21 pm Thanks for the info! Those 'shelf' rims are great looking - are they the real aluminum ones from Pargu or the "chrome" plastic ones from Kyosho?

The shelf wheels are the current Kyosho wheels. I have used aluminum parts from Pargu before and his stuff is top-notch in my opinion...very pretty. You can't quite see, but the RC10 next to the Javelin on the shelf has Pargu's rear aluminum wheels & front inserts. I also have one of his aluminum spoilers for the rear of the RC10 but haven't mounted it yet. Here's the RC10:
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I got my repro-tires from Marwan last night. I ordered several sets of both the Optima/Javelin style as well os the Turbo Optima style. I think maybe a set of the Turbo Optima repros on satin Kyosho Turbo Optima wheels will have to go on the black re-re Javelin. I'll put the same tires on the rear of my Ultima for shelf duties & the Optima/Javelin repros are for my original Javelin that I'm about to re-restore and my re-re Optima while it sites on the shelf. I suppose all of the current-style Kyosho tires that come with the re-re's will be used for bashing while the more original looking tires will make them prettier to look at on the shelf.

Pargu indeed makes some really nice aluminum wheel sets and parts. I bought this set a while ago, I had them temporarily mounted on my RWD mid-motor resto-mod of a Turbo Optima Mid SE, but now they're in a baggie for future use. I like them more than modern 2.2" wheels because they're 2" diameter and look more to-scale than 2.2" wheels & tires. He makes several designs, I liked this variation on the classic 5-spoke design.

Coelacanth wrote: ↑Fri Nov 06, 2020 4:56 pm He makes several designs, I liked this variation on the classic 5-spoke design.

Those are some darn good looking wheels. They would look good on a ton of different cars...modern or vintage.

What tires are those on the front?

I wish Pargu still had his website back up and running. As far as I know, all his stuff is on ebay only now & it doesn't always give enough information. I wish I knew for sure the diameter & width of all his wheel choices. For example, some look vintage but are for modern tire sizes but it isn't really clear. I suppose I could write him & ask. Regardless, his stuff is definitely eye candy!

Very nice examples..I also sent a note to Kyosho America to see if they had any to recommend and they actually sent me an example that's real close to exactly what I was looking for - FATH701BKM Premounted TC Tire FZ02 (M/2pcs)

They look a little narrow in the photo, and there's no actual measurements..but I guess I can trust that they'll fit without modification if Kyosho says they will. I also really like the idea of NOT having to glue the tires, because that's another one of those tasks, kinda like trimming lexan bodies & cutting decals, that I will just always suck at & prefer to avoid if I can.
Thanks again for all of the info!

Those are touring car tires. They will fit the 12mm hex but they will be really small in diameter and width.

Yes, those wheels will fit, however it might not be the look you're after.

Hmm...in this case I think I care most about how it handles & grips the asphalt. If these give me some more control than the stock tires & allow comfort at high speed, then I don't mind so much if they look a little too narrow. Maybe the best option is to see how the stock tires handle on the street & the dirt 1st. I haven't even run the thing yet!

ahenderl wrote: ↑Fri Nov 06, 2020 6:38 pm

Coelacanth wrote: ↑Fri Nov 06, 2020 4:56 pm He makes several designs, I liked this variation on the classic 5-spoke design.

Those are some darn good looking wheels. They would look good on a ton of different cars...modern or vintage.

What tires are those on the front?

I wish Pargu still had his website back up and running. As far as I know, all his stuff is on ebay only now & it doesn't always give enough information. I wish I knew for sure the diameter & width of all his wheel choices. For example, some look vintage but are for modern tire sizes but it isn't really clear. I suppose I could write him & ask. Regardless, his stuff is definitely eye candy!

I believe I did that test-fit with Kyosho Raider front tires. It's unfortunate that Pargu's site is such a mess. He had a lot of nice wheels reproduced for several Kyosho models, and since most of the wheels were 12mm hex, even if they were listed for one model, they'd work for several others. This particular wheel set I believe was for the Scorpion.

I think those touring car wheels linked above are for the Fantom. The diameter with tires mounted is significantly smaller than Optima tires are, and would definitely affect performance and driveability...you'd probably need to upsize your pinion gear 25 - 30% to keep the original Optima's rollout ratio. If you kept everything as-is except for changing to those wheels, you might find you'll be spinning out all the time when accelerating; the car might have too much torque for tires that small and with that little footprint touching the asphalt.

I know I'm dragging this up from a year or so ago but I had the same issue and ended up buying a set of 2.2 wheels from JC Racing Products in the UK as that Gove much more flexibility of tyre choice. The design is the same as the TO wheels but I ordered mine in pink just to stand out a bit! They're still in post (Christmas mail is horribly slow) to the USA so I don't have pictures yet but once I've got everything together I'll post some pics!

Cheers, Paul

USAPaulo wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2021 7:21 pm I know I'm dragging this up from a year or so ago but I had the same issue and ended up buying a set of 2.2 wheels from JC Racing Products in the UK as that Gove much more flexibility of tyre choice. The design is the same as the TO wheels but I ordered mine in pink just to stand out a bit! They're still in post (Christmas mail is horribly slow) to the USA so I don't have pictures yet but once I've got everything together I'll post some pics!

Cheers, Paul

How did this work out for you?