RC4WD Irok 1.9" Crawler Tire
Irok tires ready for action at Badrock Ridge.
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About mid-way through 2024, we were looking to branch out and start testing a new line of tires for our website, and the crawler tires from RC4WD were at the top of our list.
We’ve worked with a few RC4WD products in the past, and overall, we’ve been pleased with the quality as well as their customer service. When it comes to tire options, I’m not sure as to if there is any other company with such wide range of tire sizes (0.7” all the way to 2.6”), and with so many selections in each size. It's going take us a few years to just work through their 1.9” and 2.2” offerings, and that’s not accounting for any future possibilities of a 2.9” tire for the SCX-6. |
Knowing this journey into their product line will cover many different tires, we wanted to start off with one of the most iconic tires in the 1:1 off-road world; the Interco Irok off-road truck tire.
Developed by Interco Tire company as a rugged and well-rounded off-road truck tire, the Irok is designed to handle everything from mud to dry desert terrain. As a favorite in the 1:1 world, we were curious if it would perform in our arid and technical terrain.
Developed by Interco Tire company as a rugged and well-rounded off-road truck tire, the Irok is designed to handle everything from mud to dry desert terrain. As a favorite in the 1:1 world, we were curious if it would perform in our arid and technical terrain.
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Inspection Notes
Removing the Irok tires from the packaging, right away we could see their glossy black sidewalls and intricate tread pattern. Irok are made from RC4WD's new X2 rubber compound, resulting in a soft and pliable tire carcass. Interestingly, they're not very sticky, and I wondered if this would come into play when we got them out on the trail. RC4WD’s tread pattern for the Irok is virtually a carbon-copy of the 1:1 version from Interco Tire company. Based on the original Super Swamper tire pattern, the Irok varies with a much more detailed tread pattern featuring delicate lug siping as well as hollow voids molded into the sidewall lugs. |
Excellent detail on the Irok tires.
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The Irok’s tread pattern is smaller, tighter in design in order to grip rocks and trail debris, working as an aggressive tread pattern rather than large paddle-like blocks as found on the Super Swamper. This tread pattern lends itself towards the challenge of technical trails with loose rock, steep climbs, and chunky outcroppings rather than swampy, muddy conditions. It’s easy to see their evolution from the Super Swamper, but they are indeed a different tire.
Two different foams for testing. Crawler Innovations on the left and Ottsix Racing foams on the right.
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Tire & Foam Setup
Getting the Irok tires ready for the trail, I pulled a set of black aluminum beadlock wheels from the rack and two different foams setups to look over. For most of our testing, we have been running the Crawler Innovations two stage foams in a variety of sizes, but there have been a few occasions where we opted to go with the Ottsix Air-Down foams. On this day, we opted to install the Ottsix Ultra Air-Down foams to see how well they worked on the moon buggy. If the Ottsix foams feel lacking, then we will switch over to the Crawler Innovations foams. As with all of our crawling tires, we vented each tire with three small holes punched thorough the carcass. |
Installation went smoothly with the Irok’s beads easily sinking into the wheel’s locking grooves, resulting in a nice and smooth seam between tire and wheel. We also added a set stainless-steel wheel weights for a bit of curb appeal and touch more weight down low.
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First Run with Moon Buggy
Our first stop was Badrock Ridge with the moon buggy, looking to jump right into some of the more challenging trails. The moon buggy had been performing quite well over the past few months with the suspension dialed and weight distribution pinned down. Working around the lower sections of trail, the moon buggy easily navigated the rocky terrain with the tires providing solid traction. Loose chunks of rock were no challenge to scale, and the narrow chassis of the moon buggy is a real benefit in this terrain. As the trail steepened, we started to notice a bit of tire slip from the Irok, especially on the slicker spots of sandstone. The tires were flexing around the rock and appeared to conform properly for traction, but the rubber compound was showing some limitations on the ability to stick to the rock. |
Irok tires excel on chunky desert terrain.
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Swinging around to drop down into the next section of trail, we noticed that while the buggy maintained control through weight distribution and suspension setup, the Irok tires struggled to control the slide.
With it being just a short drop on the trail, it wasn't a real risk to the buggy, but on a larger slab, it could be an issue. |
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The next line of attack was a tricky v-notch between two sandstone blocks.
Worn smooth by erosion, there weren’t many places for the Irok to grab hold of, so this challenged the rubber compound more so than the tread pattern. As you can see in the video, the lugs move and flex around the rock surfaces, but there is quite a bit of wheel spin related to the elevation gained. |
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Also worth noting is that the Irok were compressing a bit too much, indicating the Ottsix foams were too soft for the tire design and buggy's weight. A larger, firmer foam would most likely help fill out the carcass and support the lugs better under load.
Beautiful day out on the trail with the Irok tires.
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Back in the Shop
Seeing that the performance was a bit lacking on the steeper sections of slick sandstone, we knew there was an issue with stickiness of the rubber compound, but what also caught our eye was the considerable flexing and deformation of the tire carcass. Looking closely at the videos, you can see the Irok compressing a significant amount on the steep sections. During compression, the tight center tread pattern collapses upon itself and becomes a solid band of rubber, leaving little actual tread to grab the rock. |
Seeing this, the best way to correct this problem is by increasing the support from the foams. Pulling the Ottsix foams, we swapped them with the Crawler Innovations Lil’ Nova 1.9” two-stage foams. The foams are 4.5” comp-cut standard width, with medium in the rear and soft in the front.
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With the new CI foams installed in the tires, the moon buggy felt much more planted on the sandstone. The squirminess was minimized, with a noticeable improvement of traction on the rough sections of trail.
Creeping along, the tires were much less prone to collapsing upon themselves, and the grip on technical rocks with sharp protrusions was much improved. We spent another few days working around the trail system, observing a solid performance in the majority of the terrain. There was still some struggling with slick sandstone, with the smooth slabs the most troublesome. To change things up a bit, we moved the Irok setup over to our Vanquish VS 410 Pro, looking to see how they would perform on a standard trail truck. |
Moon buggy on High Line trail.
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VS 410 Pro is a great crawler for the Irok tires.
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VS 410 Pro
After our first hour on the trail with the VS 410 Pro, we really start to miss having portal axles on our crawler. It had been nearly a year since we’ve had the VS 410 Pro out on the trail, and the straight axles had us in fits. Right away we were plowing the VS 410's front axle into rocks which our portal trucks would clear with ease, never mind getting the front and rear bumpers fouled up on the steep rock walls. Working though the trails, the CI Lil’s Nova foams were performing much better, giving the Irok some additional support for the carcass, preventing the lugs from folding over. |
I feel it’s important to bear in mind that this is a scale crawler tire, rather than an all-out performance tire. The Iroks are not going to perform like Ruptures or Krawlers, but they should handle most trail terrain with ease.
Personally, I had adjusted my expectations to match this reality, and in that light, I found the tires to be performing quite well on the VS 410 Pro.
Personally, I had adjusted my expectations to match this reality, and in that light, I found the tires to be performing quite well on the VS 410 Pro.
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Setting up on another steep climb, we weren't sure if this combination was going to be successful on such a challenge.
Once rolling, the VS 410 Pro really struggled to grip the slick, rounded surfaces of the rock, often times leaning hard to a side before the outer lugs would bite. With some fishing for traction, we were able to keep the VS 410 Pro moving along, eventually finding a way to the top of this difficult trail. |
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Later in the afternoon, we set up on a steep technical trail which wrapped its way around the side of a large sandstone block.
The entrance is a slick section of sandstone, ramping up from the base of an adjacent trail. With a bit of slipping and sliding, we were able to get up onto the top of the trail, but it required some real effort on our part. |
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Closing out the VS 410 Pro testing, we spent the next day working lower sections of trail with moderate challenges, and the Irok tires felt right at home.
I see the Irok tires as a good match for a trail truck, striking a good balance between the truck's crawling ability and the tire's traction. Once the sun started to set on the last day of testing with the VS 410 Pro, we headed back to the shop for a final tire swap over to the VRD Carbon crawler. |
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Stunning terrain out at Badrock Ridge.
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VRD Carbon Kit
Starting with overcast skies and temps in the mid 50’s, we hit the upper west side of Badrock with our sights set on some of the most challenging terrain this area has to offer. The Vanquish VRD crawler is one of the most capable machines in our testing fleet, even though it runs a chassis-mounted servo and sprung suspension. Vanquish did a great job on the design, and with a few modifications, it’s easily handled just about every trail in the entire Badrock trail system. We started the testing on a steep and narrow trail crossing over the top of a block of sandstone, filming the VRD working its way across the peak and down to the other side. This rock was heavily eroded with large, bulbous outcroppings rounded and smoothed from years of rain and wind. The resulting surface is challenging to conqueror. |
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During the video, you can see that the VRD’s suspension and weight distribution helps keep the truck under control, but the Irok can’t quite seem grip well enough to prevent the gradual slipping to the left side of the rock.
The Irok held well enough to complete multiple passes across this trail, but we had to factor the slippage into our line choice to make sure we didn't fall off the side of the trail. |
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Working our way through the large blocks of sandstone.
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We continued on at Badrock Ridge, working around rocky sections of trail with relatively solid results. It seemed that the chunkier the rock, the better the Irok tires would perform.
The VRD is far more capable on the trail than either the Moon Buggy or VS 410 Pro, so it wasn’t hard to find some treacherous lines which forced Irok to work hard at sorting them out. With all of tire spinning and mashing into rock walls, we were surprised to see such little tire wear on the Irok tires. By now we had anticipated a significant amount of feathering of the lugs and rounding of the tire's edges, but for the most part these tires were looking as if they just started to break in. Honestly, they looked to be holding up far better than anyone expected. Looks like the new S2 compound from RC4WD is a tough material. |
Heading back a week later, the sun was bright overhead and the temperatures considerably warmer. Lower on the trail, we attacked one of our favorite weathered slabs of sandstone. Unlike the very slick blocks around the area, this one had plenty of eroded desert varnish and surface defects for tires to grab hold of. So while it’s steep, it does offer a respectable level of surface grip.
Due to the length of the trail, we opted to trim this video to where it focuses on the main challenge of the ascent, which is the western face of the rock.
Due to the length of the trail, we opted to trim this video to where it focuses on the main challenge of the ascent, which is the western face of the rock.
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At the start of the video clip, you can see the VRD struggle to settle down into an even crawl. The spinning Irok couldn't seem to find a place to hook up, but with some fishing side to side, the VRD started to ascend.
It wasn't a pretty crawl, but eventually the VRD sorts out the line and made it to the top. In many ways this performance was identical to what we were seeing with the moon buggy in that you need to find just the right line for success. |
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As for our final challenge on the trail, we took a shortcut on the trail system linking two chunky ascents by way of a very slick and off-camber band of sandstone. Scooting across this is difficult, with most trucks wanting to slip off the side before spanning the distance.
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Starting out with the truck's nose pointed a bit to the high side, the VRD smoothly flowed across the sandstone at an even pace. We needed to keep steering to the high side in order to offset some of the slippage down the rock, but without too much trouble, the VRD confidently made it to the other side of the shortcut. |
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Closing Thoughts
The RC4WD Irok tires are an interesting option in the 1.9” crawler tire market. From a scale aspect, these tires absolutely hit the mark. Their detailed molding pattern is impressive, complimented nicely by a remarkable fit and finish. Looking over our notes, the Irok fit right in among the rocks and cactus in our desert terrain. True to their design, they are indeed a well-rounded crawling tire capable of some respectable off-road performance. As for the X2 rubber compound, it’s good on most terrain, but does struggle a bit on the steeper sections of sandstone. The Irok feel soft and flexible to the touch, but on slick rock there is more slip with this rubber compound when compared to other “sticky” compounds from other companies. |
Enjoying the sunset out on the trail.
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By the end of the testing session the Irok were just staring to show some minor wear from the trail, proving them to be a durable tire considering the difficult terrain. For scale crawlers and trail trucks, I think the Irok are well worth a closer look.
RC4WD Irok 1.9” Evaluation Results
Technical Rock: 20/30
Large Slab ( Slick Rock ): 15/20
Tire Construction Quality and Appearance: 19/20
Rubber Compound: 15/20
Tread Life: 5/5
Versatility: 4/5
Total Score: 78/100
Technical Rock: 20/30
- This was a bit of a mixed bag of performance. At times the Irok were able to grind their way up some challenging trails, but on the smoother, rounded edges of sandstone, they really struggled. Even with testing two different foam options, they just didn’t seem to handle compression as well as other tires with a more openly spaced tread pattern. Because the Irok is a scale tire, altering the tread pattern to improve performance would make it less less scale in appearance.
Large Slab ( Slick Rock ): 15/20
- Eh, this is not their strong suit. While we did ascend some difficult trails, each of the three test platforms had to work hard at it.
Tire Construction Quality and Appearance: 19/20
- The Irok tires are very well made and showcase excellent curb appeal. We’re deducting a single point here for rubber compound, but aside from that, these are high-quality tires.
Rubber Compound: 15/20
- The new S2 compound is soft and pliable, but not quite as sticky as some of the other compounds on the market. The lack of stickiness presents challenges on slick sandstone and steep slabs, making a few of our more difficult trails out of reach.
Tread Life: 5/5
- The S2 rubber compound is tough and should last a long time out on the trail.
Versatility: 4/5
- Other than steep, slick rock, the Irok tires are highly versatile for just about any off-road terrain. We found solid performance when cruising along rocky washes all the way to to large, chunky trails.
Total Score: 78/100
The desert terrain is perfect for the Irok tires.
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Specifications
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