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Tyres and wheels: at championships the rule book often picks the tyre for you.

Tyre rules are among the most detailed in RC racing: colour, compound, width, diameter, additives, warmers and, at championships, a single controlled tyre. This guide sets out what EFRA, IFMAR and ROAR publish and names the categories. It gives no mounting, gluing, truing or preparation steps. See also tyres and bodies.

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How we recommend

We recommend gear by category and use, not by brand, and do not quote prices. We may earn a commission on purchases at no cost to you.

Race within the rules

This page explains what governing bodies, regulators, standards bodies and researchers publish. It is not a substitute for your class's rule book, a track's safety rules, the race director or the makers' instructions.

Control tyres: when the event chooses

At the top events the tyre is often not the driver's choice. Each body's rule below applies only to its own events.

  • EFRA 1/10 touring car, FWD and Formula One (Handbook 2026, Appendix 3, B 7.4.2): at European Championships a single control slick tyre for dry weather, with insert and pre-glued, is chosen at the AGM and bought from the organiser.
  • EFRA 1/10 off-road (D 3): at Grand Prix events any commercially available 1/10 wheels and tyres may be used; at European Championships the organiser proposes one controlled tyre, compound and insert for front and rear, ratified at the section AGM and bought at the event.
  • IFMAR electric off-road (2019, 4.2.11): controlled tyres and inserts in both classes, chosen by the IFMAR Electric Executive from three organiser recommendations eight months before the event, decided six months before, and commercially available in all four blocs. The previous Worlds' tyre supplier is not eligible for the next.
  • IFMAR 1/8 IC track (2023, 5.4 and 5.5): for dry racing a controlled rim and foam tyre of one brand is mandatory, handed out and fitted in a controlled area with no truing or modification.

Outside such events, the class's rule book, the organiser and the club decide what may be fitted.

Rules that most classes share

  • Colour. Black, except sidewall detailing (EFRA Appendix 3, A 12.12); all tyres black (IFMAR electric off-road 2019, 4.2.11); black with compound marking dots or lines allowed (IFMAR 1/8 IC off-road 2024, 2.4).
  • Additives. No additive other than water in EFRA 1/10 off-road (D 3) and IFMAR electric off-road (4.2.11). Applying any additive inside the event perimeter brings immediate disqualification in IFMAR 1/8 IC off-road (2.4). EFRA on-road (B 5) leaves tyre treatments to organisers and EFRA on health, nuisance and track-damage grounds, publishes a list of legal 1/12 additives at least a month before each event, and draws organisers' attention to the possible hazard of many competitors using treatments in a confined space.
  • Spikes and foam. EFRA 1/10 off-road bans metal or hard-plastic spikes and sponge or foam tyres except enclosed inserts (D 3); IFMAR electric off-road bans foam and foam-cap tyres but allows internal foam inserts (4.2.11); IFMAR 1/8 IC off-road bans spikes, traction items and "cut and glue" (2.4).
  • Warmers. Banned at all EFRA 1/10 off-road events (D 3) and in IFMAR electric off-road (4.2.11). In EFRA 1/10 touring car, heating controlled tyres other than with permitted tyre warmers is banned (B 7.4.3 to 7.5).

In North America, a 2015 LiveRC report on ROAR's Electric Off-Road Nationals said ROAR banned toxic substances such as kerosene and diesel and home-made traction compounds not commercially available. That report is unconfirmed as a current rule, since ROAR's rule book was not read.

Sizes by class

Body and class (section)Wheel and tyre limits
EFRA 1/12 LMP (B 6.3)Tyre width 13 to 40 mm, any diameter; not wet or greasy from additive at the start
EFRA 1/10 touring car and FWD (B 7.4.1)Moulded tyres only, no sponge, 24 to 28 mm wide; Formula One may use moulded rubber or foam
EFRA GT12 (C 1.3 to 1.6)Rims at most 40 mm diameter and 26 mm wide, commercially available and unmodified; tyres 20 to 26 mm wide
EFRA 1/10 off-road (D 2)Wheel and tyre at most 90 mm overall diameter; bead mounting diameter 41.28 to 55.88 mm; wheel at most 61.47 mm diameter and 38.10 mm wide; up to two 6.0 mm vent holes
IFMAR electric off-road (2019, 4.2.11)Tyre at most 44.45 mm wide and 90.00 mm in diameter; the same bead and wheel limits as EFRA; 12 mm hex mounting; maximum offsets 11.00 mm rear and 4.00 mm for 4WD front
IFMAR 1/8 IC off-road (2024, 2.4)Wheel and tyre 109.00 to 120.00 mm in diameter, 47.00 mm wide; no rim specification
IFMAR 1/8 IC track (2023, 5.4 and 5.5)Rims at most 54 mm in diameter; controlled foam tyre for dry racing
ROAR GT12 (rule 1.8.1, update of 18 October 2024)Pre-mounted rubber tyres allowed at asphalt tracks; the race director decides whether rubber or foam is specified at each event

How many sets

EFRA limits sets at its 1/10 touring car events (B 7.4.3 to 7.5): Spec 3 sets for qualifying and 1 more for the finals, with 3 additional sets allowed only for A-main drivers; Modified 3 sets for qualifying and 3 for the finals; Formula One 1 set plus 1 rear set; FWD 1 set plus 1 set. Tyres are marked by technical inspection and impounded at the end of each qualifying day. In 1/10 off-road, from the 2027 European Championship each driver may use 3 sets for training, 3 for qualifying and 1 new set for the finals (D 3).

Our picks by category

PICK 1

Tyres

Tyres for on-road and off-road classes. At EFRA European Championships and IFMAR Worlds the tyre is often a controlled one supplied or named by the event, so the event's own tyre rule comes first; at EFRA 1/10 off-road Grand Prix events, by contrast, any commercially available 1/10 tyre may be used. Colour, foam and spike rules differ by body, as above.

Best for: Drivers matching tyres to their class's width, diameter, colour and control-tyre rules

Check current price →
PICK 2

Wheels

Wheels and rims. EFRA GT12 rims must be commercially available, unmodified and at most 40 mm by 26 mm (C 1.3 to 1.6); EFRA and IFMAR 1/10 off-road share bead and wheel-size limits, and IFMAR adds 12 mm hex mounting and offset limits (2019, 4.2.11). IFMAR's 1/8 IC off-road book sets no rim specification.

Best for: Drivers fitting wheels within their class's diameter, width and mounting limits

Check current price →

Sources

  1. EFRA Handbook 2026, Appendix 3, Electric Cars (v4, June 2026)
  2. IFMAR Electric Off Road Racing and Technical Rules, version 13 November 2019
  3. IFMAR 1/8th I.C. Off-Road Racing and Technical Rules, World Championship 2024
  4. IFMAR 1/8th I.C. Track Racing and Technical Rules, World Championship 2023
  5. ROAR, rule book update (18 October 2024)
  6. LiveRC, ROAR Nationals technical inspection report (2015)

Keep reading

Tyres and bodies

Tyre colour, size, additive, warmer and allowance rules from EFRA's 2026 appendix and IFMAR's books, controlled tyres at championships, and body-shell rules: EFRA homologation, IFMAR wing and marshal-safety rules, and ROAR's 2026 off-road body list.

Approved equipment lists

Every approved list the research found, body by body: EFRA's motor, battery, blinky ESC, bodyshell and muffler lists with their deadlines, IFMAR's yearly World Championship lists, ROAR's Approved List and who is responsible for it, and what was seen only by title.

Choosing a class

Electric or nitro, on-road or off-road, the scales, Spec against Modified motors and 2WD against 4WD, with IFMAR's, EFRA's, ROAR's and the BRCA's classes kept apart, then kit categories by class.

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