Tires are the single biggest performance upgrade on an SCX24. Bigger than motors, bigger than ESCs, bigger than brass. Stock tires are a hard compound that slides off rock. Real rubber transforms how the truck drives. After 20+ builds, here's the shortlist I keep coming back to, broken out by what you're trying to do.
The first tire you should buy
INJORA S5 Rock Terrain (56×22mm, T1005). Around $14 a pair. Sometimes bundled with wheels for $24. Drop-in fit on stock SCX24 wheels, super-soft S5 compound, and the cheapest sticky tire on the market. There's no rational reason to stay on stock rubber once you've felt the difference. This is what I put on every new build before anything else.
Compound consistency varies batch to batch. Lifespan isn't as long as RC4WD. Neither matters at $14.
The trail durability pick
RC4WD Mickey Thompson Baja Pro X 1.0" (56×22mm). Around $11 a pair. Licensed scale tread, RC4WD's X2S³ medium-soft compound. Less grippy than Alien Kompound, more durable. If you trail-crawl every weekend and don't want to replace tires every two months, this is the move. Looks great on JLU and Bronco bodies.
The comp pick
Pit Bull Growler 1.0" (Alien Kompound). Around $17 for two with foams. Directional tread, the stickiest production micro compound on the market. Forward bite that the other tires can't match on rock and dust-free surfaces. Mount them left and right correctly or you give back the directional advantage.
Runner-up: Pit Bull Braven Berserker 1.0" (Alien), same compound, classic 4-lug tread that hooks well on ledges. Pick by tread preference.
Note: Pit Bull Aliens are below stock OD (50mm vs. 52mm), so you lose about 2mm of ground clearance. Pair with portal axles or brass to recover stance.
The scale look
JConcepts Landmines 1.0" (Green compound). Photo-realistic tread, mid-soft compound, available pre-mounted. The pick for builds where the camera matters more than the climb. JConcepts also makes some genuinely nice 1.0" wheel options worth pairing.
The indoor pick
Pit Bull Mad Dog 1.0" (Alien Kompound). Around $16. Soft alien rubber grips carpet and foam mats. Small footprint accelerates well in tight indoor courses. The tire I run on my indoor practice rig.
Wheels worth pairing
Stock plastic SCX24 wheels work fine. If you're upgrading anyway:
- INJORA aluminum or brass beadlock wheels. Cheapest decent upgrade. Brass beadlocks add 24g per wheel as ballast.
- Little Guy Racing Parts (LGRP) wheels. Premium machining, excellent finishes, several scale-correct patterns.
- JConcepts micro wheels. Best looking on scale builds.
- Samix SCX24 brass beadlocks. Comp-grade, around $35 a pair, 24g of ballast at the rotating mass (which is where you want it).
Foams matter more than you think
The foam inside the tire controls how the sidewall behaves on rock. Three tiers:
- Single-stage closed-cell (firm). Holds tire shape, less ground compliance. Stock-class.
- Single-stage open-cell (soft). Lots of ground compliance, sidewall can fold on hard side-hills.
- Dual-stage (closed inner, open outer). Best of both. What comp builders run.
Pro-Line Dual Stage 1.0" Rock Crawling Foam (PRO616900) is the default upgrade, around $8 for four. Crawler Innovations Lil' Nova Micro machined foams are the boutique pick at $10 for two.
Sizes that won't fit (don't learn this the hard way)
- 1.9" tires will physically mount with adapters but they kill ground clearance and stress the driveshafts. 1.9" needs portal axles plus a body lift.
- Tires over 62mm OD rub on most stock bodies. The C10 sits lowest and is the worst offender. Hex extenders or fender trimming required.
- Narrower than 19mm tires (like the Pit Bull PBX A/T at 14.9mm) look wrong on most SCX24 bodies and give up a lot of contact patch. Buy for scale realism only.
Mistakes I see beginners make
- Supergluing tires to stock wheels. SCX24 wheels are beadlock. Tires unscrew off. Don't glue.
- Running Alien on dusty trails. Alien rubber picks up dirt like a lint roller. Save it for clean rock, or wipe down between runs.
- Forgetting brass adds weight at the wheels. Brass wheels plus Alien tires plus dual-stage foams add around 40g per corner. Good for traction, hard on the stock motor. Plan for a motor upgrade if you're running all three.
- Buying tires without checking compound. The tread is mostly aesthetic. The compound is the upgrade. INJORA S5, Pit Bull Komp or Alien, RC4WD X2S³. Anything labeled “hard” or compound-unspecified is stock-class.
Where to put tires in your overall plan: see the first upgrades guide. Tires are Stage 2 in the staged path for a reason.