If you are talking about the stock maxx tread bars tires It used to be a practice in the early days of the Maxx (when the original maxx first came out) to cut tread bars off in different patterns to effectivly create new tread designs. It also cuts weight and makes the tire more plyable and able to conform to surfaces a lot easier.

here are a couple examples of what I did to mine years ago on my old SM chassis maxx.
http://home.comcast.net/~exsells/maxx_45.jpg