When it comes to mounting up and gluing your tires, glue is glue…right? WRONG. There are hundreds of different types and brands of tire glue on the market today, none of which are exactly the same. Some are thick, some are thin. Some dry slow, some dry fast. Some make a mess, some keep it clean. More than anything…some work, and some don’t. We are VERY picky when it comes to gluing tires, as a poor glue job can result in big money lost when your tires and foams blow off the rims midway through the first round of qualifying. We have certain glues and rubber bands we most often prefer, however, we decided to venture out of our comfort zone and try out the Pro-Line Racing “Pro-Bond” Tire Glue and Rubber Tire Mounting Bands.
Let’s start by talking about the Pro-Line tire mounting bands. These guys are sold in sets of four, and are designed to fit both 1:10 scale and 1:8 off-road wheels and tires. Often times when you have a “universal” tire band, they are either too tight for 1:8 scale and/or too loose for 1:10 scale. The Pro-Line tire bands are a good fit for both. How is this possible, you ask? We aren’t really sure how that is possible, but Pro-Line made it work. When gluing 1:8 truggy or monster truck tires they are a little tight, but then again, anything smaller than an adult male’s belt is too tight for the monstrous size of truggy tires.
Moving on now to the Pro-Line “Pro-Bond” tire glue. Honestly, going into this product test our mind was SO set on another brand glue being our favorite, this glue didn’t stand a chance…or so we thought. Right out of the box it is apparent that Pro-Line understands that, as R/C racers, we need something more secure and sealing than just a thumb tack stuck in the end of our glue bottle to keep it all in. The “Pro-Bond” features a very handy twist cap that makes it easy to use and re-use your glue without the worry of losing a thumb tack and gluing your tools to the inside of your toolbox. Next is the consistency of the glue. It’s not too thin, and not too thick, it’s…well…perfect for our taste. The glue applies very easily without spilling like water (the problem with thin glues), yet dries relatively quickly unlike most thicker glues. If you wish to do so, Pro-Line also includes three handy “straws” that are more durable and re-usable than most, in which makes gluing tires very simple. These straws are also sold separately if you use them all up.
Enough blabber, let’s get to the point. Does the glue hold tight? We experimented by allowing a competitve arm-wrestler do his best to rip the tire off the wheel, and he failed. We then gave it the “blow out” test in which we held our throttle WIDE OPEN allowing the tires to balloon up in attempt to blow them off the rims, but once again failed. Last, we equipped our Traxxas Slash 2wd with a 7100kV motor and 3S LiPo pack, strapped on a set of “Pro-Bond” glued tires and hit the asphalt streets. Did the tires come off the rims? Yes. Did the glue fail? No. The enormous power of the truck eventually RIPPED the super soft compound tires, however, the glue held strong and kept what was left of the tire stuck tight on the rim.
Pros:
- Tire bands fit nicely on both 1:10 scale and 1:8 scale offroad tires.
- Tire bands feature easy to grip “handles”.
- “Pro-Bond” glue features a secure and safe twist on/off lid, as opposed to a thumb tack.
- “Pro-Bond” includes durable and reusable glue straws which allow for easy gluing.
- Consistency of the “Pro-Bond” glue formula is a nice mixture of thick and thin.
- Tires rip off the wheel before breaking the “Pro-Bond” between the wheel and tire.
- The tire bands aren’t quite as flashy and stylish as some on the market, but still work very well.
Conclusion:
Pro-Line has done a great job with these products. The tire bands are nothing too fancy, and nothing wildly different from others on the market, however, they work good. The “Pro-Bond” Tire Glue is phenomenal. Pro-Line has taken the best traits (in our opinion) and characteristics of tire glue over the years, created a mutant like bonding formula, and combined it all to release one of the best tire glues we have used to date. “Pro-Bond” may not fit everyone, but for the average user this glue applies easily, dries relatively quickly, isn’t messy, and holds strong…VERY strong.
