AKA Moto 8th Scale Buggy Tire Review
THE AKA Moto 8th Scale Buggy Tire Review
Since their introduction AKA has made a big splash in the rc racing scene. Thankfully they have just released a new tire with us bashers in mind, their new Moto tires for 8th scale buggy. The Moto’s have large, widely spaced lugs that look much like a dirt bike tire, which in theory should be perfect for driving on loose surfaces and on gnarly terrain. Are the new AKA Moto tires worth a try? Read on…
From: AKA Products
Direct Link: Moto 8th Scale Tires, Green Compound
Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Cubby
Specs:
Part #: 14010SR
Fits- Most 8th scale off-road buggies
Street Price: $25 per pair
What’s Needed To Complete Install: Wheels and some Bob Smith thin CA glue
Build Quality: Knobbies had sharp edges, we didn’t notice any unwanted flash, and the red closed cell inserts were excellent in quality.
Test Drivers: Cubby, Brian, Tim, Iron Mike
Test Venues: St Louis Dirtburners off-road track, a gravel parking lot, and a large grassy field
Set-up Notes: We installed the AKA Moto’s on our resident pro drivers Hot Bodies VE8 4wd 8th scale electric buggy. Speedo was a Castle Monster, motor was a Castle 2200, radio system was the uber Futaba 4PK Super-R, Hitec handled the steering duties, and we used 6S worth of MaxAmps to turn the tires over with authority.
Performance:
Street: We did a minimal amount of driving on pavement with the Moto’s. The Moto’s were certainly not designed with pavement in mind, if the majority of your driving is on the paved stuff I’d highly recommend you look elsewhere for tires (like some Pro-Line Road Rages).
Dirt: On hard packed dirt with a layer of light fluff on top the soft compound of the AKA’s yielded good mechanical grip, more than we expected from such a large lug tire. However, that came at the price of tire wear, the knobs were noticeably worn after just a couple of runs.
On loose loamy soil (and small gravel) the Moto’s penetrated and shoveled out a huge roost. If you are driving in loamy conditions and looking to accelerate to warp speed in a hurry, the Moto’s will get you there.
The Moto’s gave a reasonable amount of side-bite, perhaps more than you’d expect could be had loamy dirt. They won’t dig in and traction roll your buggy, but they offer enough side bite to get you turned around a whole lot better than any small pin tire could in the loam.
Overall- The Moto’s shine in loamy conditions.
Summary:
Time To Bash – 8/10 – There is no need to trim off any flash, just glue them up.
Car Show Rating – 9/10 – It’s hard to get flashy with tires, but our testing crew liked the look of the dirt bike tread on the tires.
Bash-A-Bility – 7/10 – Wear was a little higher than expected and we ended up ripping a pair of them under a full 6S assault.
Fun Factor – 8.5/10 – How could we not have fun throwing 30 foot long gravel roosts off a 6S buggy with big lug tires on it?
Value – 8/10 – The AKA’s come in at $25 a pair, pretty much a normal price for 8th scale buggy tires. For that cash you get some trick looking tires that give good traction in the loose stuff.
BigSquid Rating – 8.1/10 – Tentacles. Are the AKA Moto’s the best bashing tire on the market for an 8th scale buggy? Unfortunately we didn’t compare the Moto’s back to back against the class leader the Pro-Line Badlands. Do I smell a tire shootout? What we can say for sure is the Moto’s gave us good traction and put up with a lot of abuse. If you bash your 8th scaler in loamy conditions the Moto’s are certainly worth a look.
