Pro-line 2.8” Trencher HP All-terrain Belted Tires
FEATURES
RC monster trucks and basher vehicles are continuously raising the bar for performance and pushing the limits of power. While pushing the limits can be great, it can also take its toll on RC tires, often making them balloon up under full throttle. Tire ballooning can yield some major downsides on grip and handling. To combat this pesky problem Pro-line has designed a solution with their new line of Trencher HP belted tires.
The Pro-line Trencher HP tires feature a molded-in herringbone weave pattern belt inside the tire carcass, eliminating the ballooning effect of the tire while under throttle and at high speeds. The Trencher HP belted tires come with a tall, reinforced horizontal H-tread pattern that gives great traction and stability. What’s more is that these tires are rated for speeds of up to 75 MPH or around 5,000 RPM. Although Proline does warn they aren’t meant for ludicrous extreme speed runs, they’re certainly designed for the highperformance bashers we’ve become accustomed to.
The 2.8” Trencher HP belted tires come factory pre-mounted on Pro-line’s aggressive 2.8” Raid wheels that feature their innovative removable hex wheel adapters, with two of the most popular 12mm hex
offsets included in the bag. Pro-line offers a wide range of 12mm, 14mm, and 17mm adapters in various offsets allowing you to easily install these wheels on your RC bashing vehicle of choice. I opted for the plastic 17mm hex adapters, which allowed me to bolt these up to our beloved Redcat Kaiju.
TESTING
The first thing I noticed was just how aggressive the Trencher HP tires and those slick Raid wheels made our truck look. Tires and wheels can go a long way with making any vehicle look cooler, and these certainly did the trick. Beyond looks the real benefit of the Trencher HP tires is their performance.
I took the test truck out for some bashing in the desert to see how well they grip in the sand, on big rocks, and on loose gravel. Overall, the chunky H-pattern tread design of the Trencher HP tires dig right into the loose stuff and really help you get a grip on the surface. High-speed runs on pavement are a blast as well. Our test truck wasn’t quite near Pro-line’s quoted top-speed of 75MPH, but the tires felt nice and stable at wide-open throttle. What’s even better is that these tires really truly do not balloon at high speeds, which helped to further that feeling of stability while bashing.
Pro-line’s Raid wheels felt extremely sturdy, with no noticeable negative flex or unnecessary give. Their modular adapter design is ingenious, further extending the use and life of this set of tires, making for almost endless possibilities for those of us that have a garage full of bashers.
One thing to note is that my 1/8 scale buggy/truggy wheel hex tool didn’t fit inside the 2.8” Raid wheel opening, so I ended up grabbing a slightly smaller outer diameter 17mm socket instead. Not a deal-breaker by any means, just something to look out for. Whether you’re bashing on dirt or pavement, high speeds or low, lots of traction or loose and slippery, Pro-line’s Trencher HP belted tires make for an amazing combo.
Pro-line 2.8” Trencher HP All-terrain Belted Tires MSRP: $53.95 / pair SKU: 10168-10 prolineracing.com