Plastic wheels?

[NickFlynn]

I'm planning to convert a couple of Carrera cars from front stub axles to a solid axle. I'm assuming the stock
wheels can't be reused, so....

I see lots of expensive aluminum wheels for sale in lots of different sizes, but being a cheap bastard,
I'd like to save a little dough and don't see any reason not to use plastic wheels up front. Is there a good
source for decent plastic wheels? Any that take inserts?

What do you folks like to use?

- Nick

[Jesla]

Why would you assume that the stock wheels can't be used?.......They can be and often are.......

[NickFlynn]

[waaytoomuchintothis]

No secret. Just grab the stub end with some pliers and gently twist and pull. They pop right off. Have fun.

[NickFlynn]

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I forgot Carrera did a repeat of the car we have so many of. I gave you the method for a Fly P 917.

The Carrera independent fronts are attached to brass bushings, I believe. I'll have a look tom0rrow and see if I see a method you can trust.

Meanwhile, has anybody out there got an answer for this one?

[HomeRacingWorld]

You will ruin them most likely. They are reversed from a Fly car with the head of the pin inside the two piece wheel as you found out.

Slot.it makes plastic wheels that are cheaper. But limited in sizes.

Unless you feel the originals are hurting performance, I would leave them be. All of mine are just left as is. You can put small shims in them to remove excess slop.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Thanks, Boss.

[Modlerbob]

Most slot racers would just as soon not have the front wheels on the car except for authenticity. I have found that going to a smaller front tire after truing the rims to remove burrs minimizes front bounce which is caused by tires out of round and not by being independent. Also make sure the rim is pressed onto the stub axle far enough to prevent it flopping around and rubbing on the body. If changing to a solid front axle is an easy switch I generally go ahead and make the switch, but on my Carrera cars I f=just make sure I have done what I mentioned above. My Carrera Corvette C6R glides around my track and is as steady as a rock.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

You're wrong, Bob. Most balance the front so the tires barely touch, and the tires themselves have very little traction. Front wheels usually act as outriggers for handling, and its generally looked down on to have a car whose wheels are fake and don't turn, or ride above the track. Makes a toy, not a slot car. That's the kind of thing that killed slot cars in the 60s, as speed became more important than the cars looking or acting like cars. A car that does a scale 2300mph is not a slot car, its a stunt.

[Modlerbob]

[HomeRacingWorld]

"These are whats fitted to The "racer sideways" series and 2 cars Ive seen, the front wheels were out of round on them."

And all the sets I have used are fine. Even the ones on any of my Slot.its. Little sanding and they are fine. Perfect for fronts or even rears. Used them for several projects and they have worked.

So sometimes you get a bad set. It happens.