Question for districts......wheels and weight

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newarcher
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Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by newarcher »

Hi all...

Just had some questions as I try to get ready for the districts.

WEIGHT:
My son't car weighed 4.965 ounces....would I really get any benefit from adding .035 of an ounce that would make it worthwhile trying?

WHEELS:
I noticed during our runs that the back end was bouncing around quite a bit and had some noticeable wobble. I think that is due to a bad back wheel. My problem is that rules prohibit using any lathe prepared wheels nor the type that has been turned. I could go buy some matched wheels but that doesn't guarantee round or anything like that.

Is there anywhere on the net that I can buy official wheels that have been matched and are very good compared to the standard kit wheels without being lathed?

Thanks,
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Maxxsacrifice
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by Maxxsacrifice »

Hello Newarcher,
As far as weight goes your son should be checking the weight on the offical scale at weigh in and if it not at 5 ounces then he should be adding weight until it hits 5,what we do is add tungsten beads until it reads 5.1 then remove a bead or 2 and glue the rest on.As to whether or not it will make a difference,of course it will all the little things we do make a difference and hopefully they end up making a larger difference.

As far as wheels go I believe MavV told me that if you bought a set of mold matched wheels form him that they were going to at least be from the better molds and checked to make sure that there are no gross defects.As a lot of people have noticed that some of the molds that used to produce fairly good wheels have started to show some issues.My youngest son has a set of # 15 on his car and they were very good after a light sanding of the wheel tread(its the only wheel mod our council rules allow)hope all this helps.
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by PWD »

I would suggest that you concentrate on the bores. At a minimum I would consider polishing the bores. You have not listed your exact rules except that they can't be lathed. Polishing the bores, burnishing the bores and even reaming the bores do not require a lathe and I would not consider against your rules.
newarcher
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by newarcher »

Thanks guys!

I did buy some MaxV premium wheels and hope that they are well checked for defects...I have no reason to suspect they aren't.

I will polish the bores, burnish the bores, cone the hubs, prep the outer hub, sand off the mold marks (if they haven't been already), and sand the inside of the wheel.

I guess what I can do is pound out some thin strips of lead and glue them into the axle channel on race day when using he official scales.

Thanks,
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by gpraceman »

In all the I's I see (I will, I can, I did...), I hope that your son is involved in the work on the car. Afterall, it is his race.
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newarcher
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by newarcher »

Son, son who? :D

When I say I, it means us. My son was involved in the cutting, ran the finishing with my supervisions, I made sure he didn't pool the spray paint, and then he helped with polishing the axles and working the wheels. I would say that a majority of the work was done by him with me hovering very very closely nearby.

So yes, he will most definitely be doing the work.

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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by gpraceman »

newarcher wrote:So yes, he will most definitely be doing the work.
Glad to hear that. :D

Always good to throw out a reality check once in awhile.
Randy Lisano
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by Mike Doyle »

For trim weight when you're getting close to the 5.0 oz mark, we like to use self adhesive lead tape. We found it in the home center marketed in a ceiling fan blade balancing kit, then I found another source at a golf pro shop for use as a club weight.

You can add several small squares on the bottom of the car with hardly any difference in clearance and then you're able to pick off one or two if the official scale shows you're over.
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by Go Bubba Go »

gpraceman wrote:
newarcher wrote:So yes, he will most definitely be doing the work.
Glad to hear that. :D

Always good to throw out a reality check once in awhile.
gpraceman:

I appreciate the occasional reminders. I can tell you my sons both put more of their own time into their cars this year than they did last year, and largely as a result of the influence you guys have had on me. Both in terms of "reminders" of the real purpose of the activity, and in terms of stealing "jigs" and other ideas you had to further the boys involvement in a safe manner.

newarcher:

I would certainly try to add the extra weight, so long as you don't have to do any major modifications that might risk damaging the vehicle. Lead tape is a nice idea, lead putty can also be good.
"Who's Grandpa's neighbor?"... Phil Davis, Down and Derby
newarcher
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by newarcher »

Well, I received my wheels from MaxV.....I gotta say, junk.

I thought that there would have been some measuring and ensuring that the wheels were somewhat round and defect free.

I rolled them across the table and two veered and the other two rolled forward. Two of them veered off at 90 degrees (hopefully that was because of the mold mark).

I put them on the axles and spun them and they don't seem as true as the wheels I have on the car as is.

Very disappointed, especially when I paid $18 for the darned things. Buyer beware.

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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by Maxxsacrifice »

Wow,
I am very sad to hear that New.You should definately contact Randy and let him know that the wheels are not what you expected.Which wheels did you purchase?I find it hard to believe that a machined set of wheels would have been this bad.I am assuming they were machined as the price would lead one to believe that they were.Hope you get it worked out.

Just to let you know I have a set of Maxv's Matched Speed Wheels from last year and they are perfect!I am sure he can remedy your purchase.

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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by PWD_addict »

Definitely work with Randy on those wheels. info@maximumvelocity.com
He has been awesome in the customer service dept. Every now and again, mistakes happen. I've never heard anyone complain about the wheels he sells. Good luck!
newarcher
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by newarcher »

Let me be very very clear so that I don't disparage the name of MaxV incorrectly.

My rules say no latheing and no narrowing, so I am left to sand off the mold marks, cone the hub, prep the outside axle, polish the bore, etc. So I cannot buy the lathed speed wheels.

When I bought these wheels:
http://www.maximum-velocity.com/5453.htm

I thought that these wheels would be lightly prepped and inspected. It turns out that they are just four wheels from the same mold and that's the extent of it. I guess my expectation was flawed. When I read that they inspect the wheels from various molds, I thought that they would have inspected my specific wheels.

It looks like I will have to prep these four common wheels and then see how they compare to the wheels that I have on the car.

So, I don't think I got a bad dead, I just expected something different.

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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by 2kids10horses »

newarcher,

When the rules state, "no lathing", they're not really banning lathes. What they are trying to ban are the V or H shaped profile tires. The requirement is to have a flat tread surface on the wheel.

The rule is poorly written. The INTENT is to make sure the tire tread is flat. Believe me, you will be racing against lathed wheels.

2K10H
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Re: Question for districts......wheels and weight

Post by M7 Racing »

2kids10horses wrote:newarcher,

When the rules state, "no lathing", they're not really banning lathes. What they are trying to ban are the V or H shaped profile tires. The requirement is to have a flat tread surface on the wheel.

The rule is poorly written. The INTENT is to make sure the tire tread is flat. Believe me, you will be racing against lathed wheels.

2K10H
I agree. There is no way to eliminate lathed wheels that are lathed flat. The only rule that can really be enforced with this is ensuring the tread indicators are still visible. If your racing at districts there will be cars with lathed wheels.
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