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Post by amerrill on Feb 16, 2012 14:17:28 GMT -6
In my searching the internet for ideas for this years build, I ran across several videos that were running with the rear wheels reversed. I have tried several searches to find out more about this and have not found much. My questions:
1) What benefit, if any, is there to reversing the wheels 2) What specific setup issues need to be addressed to run reversed wheels.
Thanks!
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Post by Murph on Feb 16, 2012 18:03:06 GMT -6
Hi Amerrill, If you are using unmodified wheels, you should run them in the conventional orientation. Many Pro Racers run their lightened wheels inside out, on the rear of the car because there just is not enough structure to the wheel thread area to withstand the weight load and fast speeds seen at the Pro Level. The one gram wheels are run in the conventional orientation in the front of the car because the car is light in the front and the inner thread portion of the wheel is preferred for rail riding. There are different manufacturers of 1 gram wheels. I run Derby Worx Pro Ultra Lites and have always ran them inside-out on the rears. I guess I should try running them in the correct orientation to see if they are just as fast or faster in the conventional orientating! Thanks for the idea! If you run with 1 gram wheels and want to reverse (inside-out) the wheels, you will need a spacers to provide clearance between the sidewall and the car body. The spacers are usually cut on a lathe out of some medium like Teflon or similar materials. Let me know if you need any other information. Murph
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Post by amerrill on Feb 16, 2012 18:12:05 GMT -6
Thanks Murph. We are running unmodified wheels. We are looking for any advantage we can find and I noticed this on several videos. I did notice on modified, thin tread wheels, but I also noticed it on cars that appeared to have BSA stock wheels (if modified they weren't thin enough to be noticeable).
I was just curious if there was some aerodynamic beneift from running them (also curious if fenders in front of rear wheels is a benefit).
Thanks for the help!
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Post by Murph on Feb 16, 2012 18:25:27 GMT -6
In general, unmodified, heavy BSA wheels will have slower times when you run them backwards. The advantage of fenders are "debatable". There are several racers out there that prefer fenders. My Stock Car, SLT-1.1, has no fenders, and it did well at PWDR Nationals last year. Fenders make it harder to remove wheels. They also increase the weight of the car. Fenders look cool and can give you a unique design to your build. Murph
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Post by DC Gravity on Jan 18, 2013 22:05:29 GMT -6
Murph - I want to revisit this topic since I'll be trying out DW PULs for the 1st time. Have you tried running them in the rears in a normal orientation yet? We can't run wheels reversed. We have an extended wheelbase (5-3/4), 2-1/2 deg cant in the rears; 3/4 com. I'm concerned that the inner rim may be so thin that the wheel diameter gets squashed at the bottom of the hill, sucking all that energy and losing momentum in the flat. Thoughts? Hi Amerrill, If you are using unmodified wheels, you should run them in the conventional orientation. Many Pro Racers run their lightened wheels inside out, on the rear of the car because there just is not enough structure to the wheel thread area to withstand the weight load and fast speeds seen at the Pro Level. The one gram wheels are run in the conventional orientation in the front of the car because the car is light in the front and the inner thread portion of the wheel is preferred for rail riding. There are different manufacturers of 1 gram wheels. I run Derby Worx Pro Ultra Lites and have always ran them inside-out on the rears. I guess I should try running them in the correct orientation to see if they are just as fast or faster in the conventional orientating! Thanks for the idea! If you run with 1 gram wheels and want to reverse (inside-out) the wheels, you will need a spacers to provide clearance between the sidewall and the car body. The spacers are usually cut on a lathe out of some medium like Teflon or similar materials. Let me know if you need any other information. Murph
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Post by Murph on Jan 20, 2013 13:11:44 GMT -6
DC, I have run one of my Pro Cars, SLT-R1, in a national race with DW Ultra Lites run in the conventional direction with very good results. The car actually beat-out my fast Stocker on that day.
So, yes, you can run lightened wheels in a conventional manner!
Thanks! Murph
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Post by DC Gravity on Jan 20, 2013 19:55:36 GMT -6
Murph did you run SLT-R1 with negative cant in the rears in that race, and if so by how many degrees? DC, I have run one of my Pro Cars, SLT-R1, in a national race with DW Ultra Lites run in the conventional direction with very good results. The car actually beat-out my fast Stocker on that day. So, yes, you can run lightened wheels in a conventional manner! Thanks! Murph
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Post by Murph on Jan 20, 2013 20:36:52 GMT -6
Lets see...... SLT-R1 is a very old car. I believe the rears are 2.3 degrees negative. Front DOM axle is usually bent way over on this car. Should do the work. Thanks! Kent
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