Powell Racing

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  • GripGuide v3.0 Is Live

    The biggest update since launch just went live on gripguide.net.

    Driving Style Filter

    Not everyone drives the same line. Some of you stay glued to the groove every lap. Others end up in the marbles more than you’d like to admit. Both are valid, but both need different tires.

    Every tire in GripGuide now has a driving style rating, and it shifts based on what track conditions you select. Three categories:

    On the groove — Tires that reward precision. Bar tires, micro-pins, dense patterns that maximize contact patch on a prepared surface. If you go off-line on these, they pack up with debris, and you lose grip fast.

    Versatile — Tires that perform well whether you’re on the line or off it. Medium square-pin all-arounders that give you speed on the groove without punishing you when you miss it.

    All over the track — Tires designed for drivers who frequently end up off the racing line. Big spaced lugs that self-clean, dig through loose material, and keep working even when you’re not on the prepared surface.

    Here’s what makes this different from a simple label: the rating changes based on track conditions. A TZO 501 is a groove tire on a clean blue groove, but once that track gets dusty, the spaced outer lugs make it versatile. A JConcepts Reflex is versatile on hard-packed, but becomes forgiving on wet surfaces. Expand any tire, and you’ll see a full per-condition breakdown showing how it rates on every surface it supports.

    Pick your driving style, pick your track conditions, and the results actually match YOUR reality on the track.

    Tire Bag

    The old favorites heart now opens a compound picker. Tap the heart, check which compounds you own, set quantities, add notes. The “My Bag” button shows everything you’re carrying to the track, grouped by brand. If you had tires favorited before, they’re already in your bag.

    Race Events

    When you log a session, you can now tag it with a race or event name. View a track and filter by event to see what everyone ran at a specific race. Event names auto-suggest from previous entries.

    Quick Add Track

    You can now add a track inline while filling out a log entry. Tap “Track not listed? + Add one” right from the New Entry form. No more switching tabs.

    Other Fixes

    Circle buttons no longer stretch into ovals on iOS with larger display settings. Compound guide now sorts brands alphabetically.

    gripguide.net

  • DIaled-RC Tires

    DIaled-RC Tires

    Dialed-RC Tires Added to GripGuide

    We’ve been talking to the team at Dialed-RC and their full 1/8 buggy tire lineup is now in the GripGuide database. All 8 active tread patterns, all compounds, surface recommendations, and tread photos.

    If you haven’t heard of them, Dialed-RC is designed by Gene “The Machine” Hickerson out of North Port, Florida. These aren’t rebranded imports. Each pattern was designed from scratch with specific track conditions in mind, and Gene races on them himself.

    What’s in the database:

    • V1 — The all-rounder. Dual-stage mini pin that works everywhere, especially dusty blue grooves. Gene’s “go-to” tire.
    • V3 — Random-sized mini pins with large center lugs that cut through thick dust. Serious forward acceleration.
    • V4 — Square mini pin. Think Hole Shot meets Reflex. Works on anything from wet loam to dry groove. The safe bet at a new track.
    • V5 — Built for blue grooves regardless of dust level. Easy to drive off-line. Great for indoor with clay compounds.
    • V7 — “Rattler Diamond Back” hybrid. Cuts through fluff and clears in wet. Cross between a Gridiron and Reflex.
    • V9 — Bar/pin hybrid for low-dust blue grooves. Indoor and outdoor. Massive acceleration with off-line forgiveness.
    • V11.1 — Dense pin hybrid with connecting bars. Incredible tread life. Comparable to Reflex / Double Down / Convict 2.0.
    • V12 — Bar/pin hybrid combining comfort and speed on any grooved surface. Won TQ and 1st at its debut race.

    Their compound system is different from most brands. They don’t recommend by temperature. They go by grip level and traction, and they use two different rubber materials:

    • Synthetic rubber: USS (coldest/slickest) → SS → S → MS → M (highest grip). Standard compounds for general racing.
    • Natural rubber: SSLW and SLW for clay mix tracks, CSS and CS for pure 100% clay surfaces. Long wear with a different grip feel than synthetic. All can be sauced for indoor clay or damp blue grooves.

    Everything is searchable in GripGuide now. Filter by surface conditions, and Dialed-RC tires show up alongside everything else.

    They also have V13 and V14 coming next month. We’ll add those as soon as they drop.

  • GripGuide.net  New Features in Testing

    We’ve been heads-down building, and we’re ready to let some people kick the tires (pun intended). Here’s what’s live on the GripGuide development site right now.

    Driving Style Filter & Forgiveness Badges

    This one’s been a long time coming. We tagged every single tire in the database with a forgiveness rating — Groove, Forgiving, or Versatile. Each tire card now shows a badge in the corner so you can see at a glance what kind of driver it’s built for.

    There’s a new “Driving Style” filter in the sidebar. Pick “I stay on the groove,” and you’ll see tires optimized for the racing line — bar tires, micro-pins, tight patterns. Pick “I’m all over the track,” and you’ll get all-arounders, big-pin self-cleaning tires, and anything that won’t punish you for missing the line.

    We’re not here to judge anyone’s driving. If you’re honest about where your car actually goes on the track, you’ll end up on a tire that makes you faster. A forgiving tire driven consistently beats a groove tire that’s only fast when everything is perfect.

    Tire Bag

    The old favorites heart got a full rebuild. Tap the heart now and instead of just bookmarking a tire, you pick which compounds you own and how many sets you have. Add notes if you want (“fronts are worn, rears are fresh”). The My Bag button shows everything grouped by brand — your whole pit box inventory at a glance.

    If you had favorites before, they migrated automatically. You’ll just need to fill in which compounds you actually have.

    Race Event Tracking

    When you log a session, you can now tag it with a race or event name. “Summer Series Round 3,” “Tuesday Night Points,” “RCGP 2026” — whatever you’re attending. The next person who picks that track sees your event in a dropdown, so everyone logging the same race is grouped together.

    View a track and you’ll see event filter buttons at the top. Tap one to see only the logs from that specific race. Want to know what people ran at Silver State last year? Now you can find out.

    Dev Site Access Control

    The dev site now requires an approved account. We want feedback from people who actually race and will tell us what works and what doesn’t. Create a GripGuide.net account on the main site, then reach out to request dev access. We’ll get you in.

  • R/C Tire Selector is Now GripGuide

    The app you know at tires.dodgecityrc.com has a new name: GripGuide.

    Same tool, same URL, same tire data. Just a real name instead of a description. Easier to say, easier to share.

    What changed:

    New name and logo throughout the app
    New home screen icon if you have it installed (you may need to re-add it)
    Track Log now supports photos
    Discord server for help and feedback
    What didn’t change:

    Your account, favorites, and race logs are all still there
    All the same tire data, compounds, and surface filters
    Same URL: tires.dodgecityrc.com
    If you had the app on your home screen and want the new icon, just remove it and add it again.

    Join Discord for help: https://discord.gg/2Ye7m9MV

  • Introducing the R/C Tire Selector WebApp — Find the Right Rubber for Any Track

    After a little suspense, the time has come to pull back the curtain on something I’ve been quietly building: the R/C Tire Selector WebApp — a tool designed specifically for 1/8 scale buggy racers to take the guesswork out of tire selection.

    What started as a thought experiment quickly turned into something I felt was worth actually building and sharing with the community. If you’ve ever stood at the track unsure which compound to throw on based on the conditions, this app is for you.

    What It Does

    At its core, the app lets you match tires to track conditions — fast and simply. Enter a track temperature, select your track condition, or do both. When you combine temp and condition, the app recommends a specific compound and tire. If you just pick a condition, it shows you the best tire options along with all available compounds.

    Clicking on any tire pulls up a full breakdown: recommended track conditions, available compounds, temperature ranges for each compound, and a photo of the tread pattern so you know exactly what you’re looking at.

    Current Features

    • 10 tire brands with full compound listings
    • Temperature suggestions per compound
    • Suitable track conditions for each tire
    • Tread photos for every tire in the database
    • Compound cross-reference chart — finally know what “SS” or “Green” actually means across different brands
    • Dark mode / Light mode toggle
    • Mobile-friendly version
    • Offline mode — the app works without an internet connection once enabled
    • Browse by brand — just want to see what a specific brand offers? You can do that too
    • Suggest a tire — if your favorite tire isn’t in the app yet, you can submit it

    What’s Coming

    The app is actively growing. On the roadmap:

    • Personal tire catalog to track what you own
    • Search and filter by tire name
    • Favorites and bookmarks
    • Compare mode
    • Shareable links with your current selections
    • Tire usage history and analytics
    • Track condition presets
    • Compound availability checker
    • Tire use history by track

    Want Early Access?

    The app is currently in beta and not yet open to everyone — but I’m actively looking for testers to kick the tires (pun intended) and give feedback. If you want to get your hands on it early, reach out and I’ll send you a beta code.

    Let’s build something the R/C community actually needs. 🏁

    Video of the app working coming soon!

  • Something’s Coming…

    Tired of guessing which tires to run? Tired of digging through your pit box, wondering what compounds you actually have?

    I’ve been working on something.

    A tool that knows surfaces. Knows temperatures. Knows what’s in your arsenal and what’s not.

    No more endless scrolling. No more second-guessing at the track.

    Just answers.

    Stay tuned.

  • RC ONE AVID carpet off-road nationals!

    I was “suckered” into racing 1/10, AGAIN! why do I let myself get talked into these things. I guess it is for the children! lol

    So yeah, I went to RC One and raced 1/10 Stock 17.5 and 40+ mod (with my 17.5). Needless to say, it was a fun 3 days with Nathaniel, Ilan, and Wes. I also met Dylan and Dalton (one of whom I met previously outdoors).

    17.5 was a blast once I got tires and gearing situated. I had the chance to bump from the C to the B, but nerves got the best of me.

    40+ was complete chaos. I was running a stock car in a mod class with way more people than should have been in a class, but it was still a great time!

    Would “probably” do again…..Probably……

  • Life Changes

    Sorry for being absent. I have had some person life things going on, all good, that have kept me from racing. I am hoping to start racing again in September. For now I am focused on family because that is where I need to be 🙂 This life change is going to be great for me and my family and we have already seen the benefits. Thanks for coming to read and I will have more RC stuff posted as soon as I can 🙂

    Thanks again!

    -ME

  • Winter is fun for everyone!

    This weekend, I think I shall go racing to test my new eTruggy. “good luck everybody else!”

  • Welcome ようこそ Benvenuto

    2026 is here!

    I am going to play with toy cars!

    You are going to read about me playing with toy cars!

    I might forget to post things; let me be honest, I will 100% forget to post things, but I will try. I have a new car this year, EB48 2.2, which is stock for now (well, technically 2, but we don’t talk about the 1/10 car).

    Thanks for reading!