I was fortunite enough to be given the opportunity by HPISF to review the HPI Dirt Claws tires and HPI Warlock wheels (black).
Here is what was recieved:
Out of the packaging:
And mounted:
First impressions:
The combinations looks like it was ment to be together, at the very least they satisfy the looks requirement. The rims are the same dimensions as the stock X SS rims at 83x56mm and the tires are close in size at 145x84mm (compared to 150x83mm for Dirt Bonz). The side walls have some designs on them which seem to helps the strength of them. The treads of the tires are fairly aggressive but leave enough space between so they don't fill up with dirt. According to HPI's website the tires have what is called B compound, which is supposed to be a stickier type of rubber. The Warlock wheels I can say take a beating as I have been running the chrome version that came stock with my truck. I do like the black version better though as they do not have to be shined nor do they get scraped and flake easily since they do not have a chrome coating.
Shot of tires/wheels on my savage:
First time out:
The conditions were 70 degrees, lots of wind and the ground still a bit wet from rain the previous day. I took several high speed passes watching the flex of the wheels and noticed that they did not balloon out very much at high RPM. On the other hand in turns the tires moved inward towards the TVPs instead of staying centered above the wheels. This is something that most likely can be solved by getting better foam inserts. The truck was driven both on grass/dirt and pavement and the grip was great on both. No issue hooking up for wheelies at all! I also found another small side effect of having grippier tires, I had to tone down my brakes some. Since the grip was better, the truck was having an easier time digging in when I hit the brakes. The savage was driven for a couple hours at high speed and low and over many jumps. In the end the only issue I had was that one of the tires was coming off partially from the rim, just glued it back on.
When different conditions are tried this will be updated (ie: mud, rain, gravel).
Now for the ratings:
Warlock wheels (black)
Quality: 9/10 Some minor defects can be seen along edges of the rims.
Price: 10/10 At $11.00 for a set of two you can't complain much.
Installation: 10/10
Performance 10/10 great all around wheel.
Dirt Claws tires
Quality: 9/10 Minor distortions in the rubber most likely due to being in the package.
Price: 9/10 $30.00 for a set of two is starting to be a little much.
Installation: 10/10
Performance: 10/10 I really like these tires, they do everthing well.
I would like to thank the HPISF staff for giving me the opportunity to review these parts for the site
X
Here is what was recieved:
Out of the packaging:
And mounted:
First impressions:
The combinations looks like it was ment to be together, at the very least they satisfy the looks requirement. The rims are the same dimensions as the stock X SS rims at 83x56mm and the tires are close in size at 145x84mm (compared to 150x83mm for Dirt Bonz). The side walls have some designs on them which seem to helps the strength of them. The treads of the tires are fairly aggressive but leave enough space between so they don't fill up with dirt. According to HPI's website the tires have what is called B compound, which is supposed to be a stickier type of rubber. The Warlock wheels I can say take a beating as I have been running the chrome version that came stock with my truck. I do like the black version better though as they do not have to be shined nor do they get scraped and flake easily since they do not have a chrome coating.
Shot of tires/wheels on my savage:
First time out:
The conditions were 70 degrees, lots of wind and the ground still a bit wet from rain the previous day. I took several high speed passes watching the flex of the wheels and noticed that they did not balloon out very much at high RPM. On the other hand in turns the tires moved inward towards the TVPs instead of staying centered above the wheels. This is something that most likely can be solved by getting better foam inserts. The truck was driven both on grass/dirt and pavement and the grip was great on both. No issue hooking up for wheelies at all! I also found another small side effect of having grippier tires, I had to tone down my brakes some. Since the grip was better, the truck was having an easier time digging in when I hit the brakes. The savage was driven for a couple hours at high speed and low and over many jumps. In the end the only issue I had was that one of the tires was coming off partially from the rim, just glued it back on.
When different conditions are tried this will be updated (ie: mud, rain, gravel).
Now for the ratings:
Warlock wheels (black)
Quality: 9/10 Some minor defects can be seen along edges of the rims.
Price: 10/10 At $11.00 for a set of two you can't complain much.
Installation: 10/10
Performance 10/10 great all around wheel.
Dirt Claws tires
Quality: 9/10 Minor distortions in the rubber most likely due to being in the package.
Price: 9/10 $30.00 for a set of two is starting to be a little much.
Installation: 10/10
Performance: 10/10 I really like these tires, they do everthing well.
I would like to thank the HPISF staff for giving me the opportunity to review these parts for the site
X
