As the 2.2 tire release frenzy continues, it's a win-win situation for our growing hobby. Why win-win? More design improvements, options for various terrains, and different rubber compounds all combine to offer us more performance. Enter Losi's "Rock Claws" tires!
Design:
You can see from the photos, the tire design looks almost identical to Losi's LST tires. The exception being the larger lugs are "hollow" allowing yet another edge on the tread to grasp for traction. Losi's "Blue" compound feels very similar to the well-know M2 compound. This brings up my only concern which is how long will these last? My guess would be not quite as long as the Moabs and Mashers. The side lugs will be the first to wear off I would assume. Not a big issue if you like the performance of the tires enough for competition use. The Rock Claws' beads are much beefier than the Moabs/Mashers. The closest comparison I can make is to the Imex beads.
Very much like the LST tread pattern except the large lugs are now hollow to offer more traction.
Dimensions:
I didn't take exact measurements but I can compare them to tires that you most likely own. The Rock Claws are about ¼" shorter than both the Moab and Masher 2K 2.2 tires, ¼" narrower than Mashers, and ¼" wider than Moabs. The photos and appearance of the lugs are deceiving. They are actually just barely shorter than the Pro-Line tread. The most interesting thing about these tires to me is the actual main carcass is very thin. This allows the tire to be much more pliable than what's available currently. They feel just like a 2.2 racing pin-type tire carcass to me.
Performance:
While I didn't have much time to get as thorough an impression as I wanted, I still feel I'm able to give a good idea of what to expect from the Rock Claws. I tested the tires on very loose and slick granite terrain. (I had forgotten my memory card at home when we did the testing so no photos of that....sorry!) The foam setup I have on these is full-width with about ½" of the outside diameter cut off. This allowed the treads to completely collapse around rocks and the soft stuff which really helped a lot. Being that the foam was full-width it offered the great side-hill support that the Mashers are known for. Off-camber grip was impressive and right on par if not better than what Moabs are capable of.
Cutting some diameter off the foams helps these very thin tires collapse nicely. I am not putting any pressure on the tire, only holding it.
Appearance:
It's not the most important factor but it's something I want to cover. I personally really like the rounded shape of the tire. A very "real" tire look always adds to the fun-factor to me. Narrowing and Sectioning for scale rigs should pose no problem and will be extremely easy to cut.
The Rock Claws look great mounted up to the Super Narrow Beadlocks. To me, the side-lugs look alot like BFG Krawlers!
Conclusion:
I'm definitely going to run these on my comp rig. They are extremely controllable and predictable which are both very important factors for tires. The look, form, and function are all in place to become a contender in the 2.2 Tire market. This article is my completely unbiased opinion on these tires. If I didn't like them you'd be reading my negative opinion about them instead. Congratulations to Losi for producing a fine product! Your R&D obviously did its homework.
Here are a couple size comparison pictures. (L-R Axial Rock Lizards, Proline Masher 2Ks, Proline Moabs, Losi Rock Claws)
