| Item | Rating ***** | Quick Quote |
|---|
| Appearance | ***** | Superb |
| Finish | **** | Some flashing |
| Weight | ***** | Very light |
| Rigidity | ***** | No flex |
| Strength | ** | Brittle |
| Recommend | ** | Keep off the boards |
| Supplier | Phone | Web Site |
|---|
| Modeltech | 01933-225417 | www.modeltech.co.uk |
Finally, now that the weather has dried out I have had a chance to run the car using these graphite wheels. My
initial thoughts are that the wheels look superb and are also very light with no flex, another benefit is that
the wheels do not scuff as badly as the plastic wheels so they stay looking fresher for longer, as with most wheels
there is some flashing that needs to be removed before gluing on the tyres.
Since running these wheels I have experienced numerous tyre failures and/or blown wheel hubs. The tyre failures
I believe are due to a combination of problems, I have recently been running Take-Off tyres which are highly
respected by most users, unfortunately due to the time of year (winter) all my local model shops have only been
stocking the CS22 compound, I personally believe this tyre compound is too soft for the demands placed on it by a nitro car,
this problem is compounded by the fact that the graphite wheels do not flex which places a lot more stress on the
tyre that ultimately leads to the tyres premature failure.
Chassis set-up also becomes far more critical because the wheels do not flex, so again if your chassis set-up is
off then this will also help to over stress the tyres. The other problem that I have experienced is with the wheels
breaking around the hub area, again this is more to do with the rigidity of the wheel and the fact that it does
not flex on impact. Unfortunately this reflects more on my abilities as a driver than the wheels, although
ultimately one small mistake in the final could cost you the race.
Conclusion: |
I feel that these wheels are probably better suited to a Pro level driver who has a good knowledge of chassis
set-up along with a good understanding of tyre and insert compounds and has the ability to keep the car off
the boards, this driver would also probably notice the benefits gained by having a lower unsprung weight and
less gyroscopic effect. Despite the breakages I shall continue to use the wheels because they are still
stronger than the Serpent wheels, they fit without binding and look great!
I have since changed my opinion on these wheels, they have proved to be far too fragile and instead I now
use the Rev-Lite dish wheels made by Schumacher or Trick Bits Wheels, they are more flexible than the Graphite
wheels which is easier on the tyres, they do not break and are considerably cheaper. The only downside with the
Rev-Lite wheels is they do not look very nice. I have also changed from the Take-Off tyres which seem to come
unglued from most rims and instead now use Sorex tyres which appear to offer more grip, longer life and stay
glued to the rims, I have also been able to run softer compounds without shredding the tyres.
