Badland Tires: Sometimes a Badland is the Perfect LAND!

Introduction

One of the things I noticed about the Slash is that driving it can be unpredictable. Sometimes the truck will break loose, and you can do a sweet drift. Other times, the truck will bite into the terrain and then flip. Driving the truck was like playing russian roulette… but without a gun…. without bullets… and without it ending in potential death. Well, other than those things, it was the same. Well, taking a chance on whether the truck will drift, corner, or flip is more of the game rather than the drama of death and the like. Thankfully, death has not been involved in the game to date. My frustration driving it is the challenge of how much throttle to give it in a turn. I monkeyed with the suspension a bit, but it never radically helped. My tire wore out (remember this video here), and so I took the opportunity to find new tires. I have always had good luck with Proline tires, and so I went with what has worked for me in the past.

Proline Highlights (their site)

• 1982-83: The beginning of the company with official founding in Beaumont, California by 1983.

• 1993, Pro-Line-equipped cars dominated both 2WD and 4WD classes at the IFMAR Off-Road World Championships. They claim their 2nd and 3rd world titles. By 1995, they secured two more IFMAR titles at Japan’s Yabate Arena.

• 1995: they branched out into bodies joining with PROTOform.  Personally, the bodies have been hit and miss for me, but the tires have consistently been the bomb for me. 

• 2020: Joining the Horizon Family, expanding their resources and distribution while continuing to develop high-quality RC tires and accessories. These acquisitions always scare me because you never know if the company will be free to do what it has been doing.

My Experience

Yes, Proline is owned by a new company, but I decided to buy a set of Proline Badlands. It does concern me when a company is acquired, but I also know that sometimes that provides funds for the company to do better. I will be honest that I mostly wanted these tires because I just think that name is cool. Despite having a really cool name, they also have a really sweet tread. The tires have great knobs that are stiff, but also have a supple touch.  Wow, that almost sounded like the Song of Solomon right there....!  Must resist Song of Solomon-like jokes. Back on point.  

I ran the tires on mixed terrain and got decent results.  This is a great tire for a mixed outdoor track.  The knobs are spaced out wide enough that mud would clear out. I ran the truck in grass that was taller than I thought…. I know… thought had a fart, then he crapped his pants. Yup, I pretty much did that. Well, not literally crapped my pants, but when the Slash sunk into a mudhole I was a little concerned. However, the truck did power through the grass. I managed to drive the truck up to the shorter grass and get the truck to build some speed. The tires hookup in a very predictable manner.

The tires were really fun in the loose parking lot. When I drove the Slash with the stock tires, it could be a bit of a handful to control. However, now you can pull the brakes, turn the wheel, and you've got some Gymkhana Ken Block (May he rest in peace) Hoonigan action happening. I didn’t want to stay in the dirt lot too long because it is in a neighborhood and the neighbors could get annoyed. Although, it could be pretty epic to get a ticket for driving an RC car. I would tell everyone because it was just too fash. It might not be true, but what a cool story!

Now, if you were running inside on a really hard-packed track, I am not sure that these would get warm enough to get sticky.  I think they would do well, but you would not be at the same advantage as someone with softer rubber…. don’t say it…. Song of Solomon joke…. must resist…. Back on topic…. If was going to run indoor on Proline tires I would go with the Gladiators (Amazon if you want to get me some clams on my affiliate link).  Remember, as the tire’s number goes up then the compound gets softer. M2 is the lowest number, which is a middle to hard compound. Then you go to M3 and M4 with M4 recommended for indoor use. You can read Proline’s tire chart here. (I uploaded a copy here in case Proline takes it down for some reason.)

The different hexes for the hex adapters are written on the hubs.  That is pretty handy, but you better have young eyes to read them. This is a cool feater that Proline built into the wheels. It is really nice that you don’t have to fiddle with a caliper, rough eyeball them, or keep pushing the adapters on the hexes.  Man, I want to make a Song of Solomon joke again.... Must resist the teenage urge.... 

You will line up the Hex Adapter/Hub with the correct wheel. So, they are designated front/rear. Once you have them lined up then you put the screws in from the front, or the side of the wheel that will be facing out. I think it is a 2 allen key or hex key.

The video below is the video that captures my love for tires on the truck. The slash broke, I was going to repair it and do a conclusion, but it was time to post the video. The video will show you how to put the adapters in the wheels.

Developing thoughts on the Nitro Slash

I think that this truck could be a winner with some more upgrades. I plan to upgrade the throttle servo pretty soon. I have read so much about these servos failing and Traxxas electronics not being great.  I still wonder if the servo never reacted, and that is why the truck ran away from me one time.  Anyhoo, that servo upgrade is coming.  Right now, the truck has new skins, and that is a significant upgrade for this truck.  The truck is back on the bench waiting for me to repair the steering. Eventually, this truck will be dialed, then I will be sick of working on it, and someone will get the 100K Rover with all the bugs gone.

The servo is going to have to wait. I need to upgrade the steering linkage. Unfortunately, it broke while jumping a curb. The stock linkage is only 4 bucks, but it does not seem to be the most durable. I really don’t want to take the truck out to bash only to have the steering break again. I guess I could fix it in the field, but that does not seem so fun. So, I ordered the aluminum setup. Hopefully, that will come in time for next week.

Conclusion

The Proline Badlands are totally a Paulie’s Pick. They Rock, or I guess they would roll. Whatever the case, they Rock and Roll! So, if you are looking for an upgrade to make your short-course truck more predictable, they did the trick for my slash.

Unfortunately, my Nitro Slash will really depend on the day, regarding how much I love it. There are still some upgrades I want to do, and I NEED to do before I say that the truck is 100% a Paulie’s pick.  I would not say that this truck, right out of the box, is a great runner. It is fun, it is decent, but it needs upgrades to really perform. It is like my Range Rover friends telling me not to buy a Rover before 100K. It seems to take that long to work out all the bugs in the truck. However, once the previous owner works out the bugs, you have one sweet rig! I think this is what the Slash is right. It arrives at about 80-90% awesome. However, with some patience, insanity, and perseverance, the truck can get to 95%. I say 95% because you will always be fiddling with the carb.

Thanks again for reading! Remember to get outside and do something fun! Until we meet again, may the Lord’s blessing and peace be upon you!