I Tested 3D-Printed Airless RC Tires- Here's What Happened

Can you replace expensive RC tires with something you 3D print at home? That’s exactly what I wanted to find out.

I designed a set of fully 3D-printable airless tires made of TPU, inspired by the viral Michelin concept tires. Then I tested them head-to-head against the stock rubber tires on my Traxxas LaTrax Teton across speed, grip, and durability- and let’s just say... the results were not what I expected.

Traditionally, the whole experiment is filmed on video:

Why 3D-Printed RC Tires?

Stock RC tires can be expensive, wear out fast, and aren’t customizable. I thought: What if I could print my own?

So I created these tires:

Printed with flexible TPU filament, designed with an airless support structure for shock absorption.

Built with a 12mm hex hub, compatible with most 1/18-scale RC cars such as Traxxas LaTrax Teton or similar.

Here’s what they look like compared to the originals:

Test 1: Expansion at High Speeds

I suspended the car to run the wheels at full RPM (~3700) without load.

🔍 Results:

Stock rubber tires ballooned and wobbled more than expected.

3D-printed TPU tires stayed surprisingly stable.

✅ Point for the printed tires!

Test 2: Grip Comparison (Across 4 Surfaces)

Using a hook scale and a controlled setup, I measured how much force each tire type could exert across:

Indoor concrete

Asphalt

Outdoor concrete

Grass

⚖️ Measured Pull Force:

Surface Rubber Tires TPU Tires

Concrete (indoor) ~825g ~310g

Asphalt ~960g ~425g

Outdoor Concrete ~850g ~450g

Grass ~800g ~300–400g

🧠 Insight:

Rubber wins on every surface.

TPU tires struggled to gain traction, especially when operating at full throttle.

Test 3: Acceleration and Speed

To measure acceleration, I set up a 20-meter drag strip using fishing line and timed runs for both tire types.

🤕 What went wrong:

• Rubber tires held the road.
• TPU tires spun out of control- torque overload!

The car was almost undrivable at full throttle with TPU tires. Not because they failed mechanically… but because they lacked grip.

Bonus: I Broke My RC Car

During the outdoor test, the car’s front driveshaft snapped. Yep. Halfway through, the front wheels stopped turning.

Luckily, I had metal replacement shafts on hand, and the repair was simple.

Final Thoughts: Are 3D-Printed Tires Worth It?

❌ No… if you want peak grip, handling, or racing performance.

✅ Yes… if you want cheap, durable tires for:

• Practice
• Drifting
• Off-road bashing
• Experiments & mods

They're highly affordable- you could print a dozen sets for the price of one rubber tire kit.

💬 Let me know what you think:

Would you trust 3D-printed tires on your RC car?

🔗 Download the STL Files

https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/12mm-hex-rc-wheels-itkacher