[OXO cube]

hi guys 
i have a scalextric cadillac LMP car C2259
this car has independent front wheels on stub axles 
   
these wheels feel very loose in the axle mounts 
and im worried that when running this car , the front wheels will bounce around and effect the car stability etc
has any1 changed this setup to a solid axle ?
did it make any difference ?
do the wheels just twist off the same as the knurled solid axles ?

i have tried to check on the net , but i must not be using the correct search words 
any help would be greatly appreciated 

kev

[Nonfractal]

The aventador in the recent proxy road race had a loose  independent stock front end. 
Seemed  to work well. 
Both of the other top 3 cars had full front axles.
I see many constructors to a lot of work in the front ends of scaley cars.
Whether it really improves the car? That is the question. 

The main factor will be how much the car relies on the front wheels. 
I generally tripod my car setups ( if I can ) so the fronts have no function.
Many use the fronts as outriggers, they need to stop the car from tipping. floppy fronts are no good for that. 
Different philosophies.

Alan

[chrisguyw]

has any1 changed this setup to a solid axle ?
did it make any difference ?
do the wheels just twist off the same as the knurled solid axles ?

kev

Hello Kev, I have replaced the stub axles on a few Scaley, Cadillacs' for some of our club members and customers and, as we run on wood tracks, the difference is noticeable (very worthwhile).

The wheels do twist off, as on a normal Scaley..........using pliers, grab the enlarged portion on the inside of each stub axle and gently twist.

You may need to trim/file/sand the back edge of the guide post for clearance, and as well, may need to do some re routing of the lead wires...........check your club rules first !!

If you are running on mainly plastic tracks, with magnets, and or, a reasonable amount of motor magnet attraction, the need to run front wheels touching the track is questionable,.........that said, bouncing front wheels are never the  hot tip, regardless of the type of track.

On wood, front tyres play an important role in the handling of the car, and a stable front axle with round (trued) front tyres is a must.

Cheers
Chris Walker

[OXO cube]

 The main factor will be how much the car relies on the front wheels. 
I generally tripod my car setups ( if I can ) so the fronts have no function.
Many use the fronts as outriggers, they need to stop the car from tipping. floppy fronts are no good for that. 
Different philosophies.

Alan

very interesting alan , its definitely a ponderer 

all the proxies i have entered so far stipulate that the front wheels must touch the track 
therefore my 'tin pot' thinking is that if the wheels are wobbling around this would be detrimental
especially as the car i mentioned doesnt use a podded chassis , so my thinking was ( as you say ) it could tip in corners 
but the aventadore has now thrown another feline into the mix !?!? 

i am so tempted to remove these stub axles and go for a solid one 
but i dont want to damage the wheels/chassis doing so
hmmmmm 

different car maybe the answer 

kev

[OXO cube]

Hello Kev, I have replaced the stub axles on a few Scaley, Cadillacs' for some of our club members and customers and, as we run on wood tracks, the difference is noticeable (very worthwhile).

The wheels do twist off, as on a normal Scaley

You may need to trim/file/sand the back edge of the guide post for clearance, and as well, may need to do some re routing of the lead wires

bouncing front wheels are never the  hot tip, regardless of the type of track.

On wood, front tyres play an important role in the handling of the car, and a stable front axle with round (trued) front tyres is a must.

Cheers
Chris Walker

thanks chris

the stubbies are going 
i noticed the guide post would be close and will trim as required
this car will run on wood and plastic , magless so i think its the way to go 

kev

[chrisguyw]

Hello Kev, I have replaced the stub axles on a few Scaley, Cadillacs' for some of our club members and customers and, as we run on wood tracks, the difference is noticeable (very worthwhile).

The wheels do twist off, as on a normal Scaley

You may need to trim/file/sand the back edge of the guide post for clearance, and as well, may need to do some re routing of the lead wires

bouncing front wheels are never the  hot tip, regardless of the type of track.

On wood, front tyres play an important role in the handling of the car, and a stable front axle with round (trued) front tyres is a must.

Cheers
Chris Walker

thanks chris

the stubbies are going 
i noticed the guide post would be close and will trim as required
this car will run on wood and plastic , magless so i think its the way to go 

kev

Kev, It is without question the way to go !!!

Cheers
Chris Walker

[OXO cube]

as suggested 
   
now with minimum side to side / vertical / front / back movement 
zero wheel wobble 
glued and trued wheels and tyres ( zero gripped )


small trimming required to the guide holder 
wheels now turn very freely , this imo is a huge upgrade to the original setup 
but the proof will be when it runs against other cars 

guide flag wiring may be next , because the guide centering spring can no longer be used 
therefore the wires will most likely be needed to reposition the guide straight after any de-slot 
but thats another story 
thanks Alan and Chris for your input 

Kev

[Scuderia_Turini]

Hello Kev,
You might as well go all the way and fit an axle that allows the wheels to rotate independently.  Slot.It do a kit comprising a hollow axle with ferrules that fit in the ends with a washed to hold the the wheel in place - PA39 "Independent Front Wheels Axle". Uncle Dennis (apologies if it was Uncle  Chris !) showed on the chat a trick of having one wheel fixed to the axle and the other rotating freely.  You could do that with the PA39 kit so you would only have to modify one wheel.
Available at a Slot Car Dealer near you.

Leo

Linky to Pendle SR

   

[OXO cube]

thanks Leo
 
will definitely look into this PA39 axle kit 
but for a different car 
don't want to mess with the look of the plastic wheels on this car 
will however keep in mind for alloy wheels where i can also add inserts 

Kev

[chrisguyw]

thanks Leo
 
will definitely look into this PA39 axle kit 
but for a different car 
don't want to mess with the look of the plastic wheels on this car 
will however keep in mind for alloy wheels where i can also add inserts 

Kev

Hello Kev,...If you do choose to try independently rotating front wheels on your alloy wheel cars, the Slot-it kit is certainly one option, or, if you are handy with a soldering iron, and have a spare axle and a metal spacer, you can make your own.......you can use up some old axles, and this option is much more reliable, as you do not need to glue in the eyelets, which also makes disassembly a bit of a pain.

Solder a thin metal spacer to one end of an axle,.......clean up the solder from the inside of the spacer and the axle, and put one wheel on the axle with the spacer on the outside flange of one wheel. Do not use a set screw on this wheel !!. The other side wheel attaches normally with a grub screw. The one wheel rotates on the axle, and the other with the axle.

Cheers
Chris Walker

The following pic. was used to show someone how much they could reduce a Slot-it Crown.....and has no relevance to my response whatsoever  ......you will notice the washer soldered on to the left hand side of the axle.