A few notes about the RC4WD Stamped Steel Wheels.

[Spidernad]

A few notes about the RC4WD Stamped Steel Wheels.

First, The hardware is not the best.
The Allen screws that hold the wheel halves together are very small and the hex holes are inconsistent.
Some are too shallow, some the hex hole is too big (loose).
They can round out very easily and also ruin many an Allen wrench.
I had to grind off the end of my Allen wrench several times to get to a fresh tip and replaced some too.
Also, the threads will sometimes strip.
The screws are very tiny and it doesn't take much.
RC4WD sells a set of replacement screws and nuts for the wheels (no wonder) and I highly recommend getting a set with the wheel set.

Second, the holes where the small allen bolts go into the the aluminum piece are not flat, they are drilled instead of milled flat, so the bolt head doesn't have a flat surface to sit on, it is tapered from the drill tip and the edge of the bolt head digs into the taper.
It's one of the smaller issues with the manufacturing of the wheels so I only mention it as another point of the overall quality of the wheels.

Third, the 12mm hex hole in the aluminum piece that screws to the wheels is poorly machined and when you bolt the wheels to your SCX10 the hexes may become jammed into the hex hole, making it nearly impossible to remove the hex from the wheel.
If you already have yours stuck, it is easier to just let them live in there forever and buy some extra hexes for your other wheels from Axial, Part # AX30427 .
On my second set of steel wheels I came up with a good workaround to avoid the stuck hexes.
See the pics below, but basically you file off the paint from the six sides of the Axial hexes, make a chamfer all the way around the outer edge, and file a slight taper on the six flat surfaces making the outer edge the low side. That will keep the hexes from jamming in the wheels.

Forth, the stamped wheel halves are not always stamped clean, meaning some of the bends around the edges of the wheels are "off" or crooked.

But the good news is the wheels look so good after you finally get them together that it still makes it worth all the work.
After all, at least someone does make them, it could be worse, no steel wheels at all!

[pixelnate]

It would be even better if you could buy the wheels with hex hubs to begin with. When you buy the wheels, RC4WD sells them with those stupid pin-based hubs and you have to buy the hexes seperately. I am still waiting on hexes I bought from them two months ago! Those things are perpetually out of stock.

Thanks for the tip, though. If I ever get my hex hubs I'll make the mods you mentioned. :thumbup:

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

[Spidernad]

Originally Posted by pixelnate

It would be even better if you could buy the wheels with hex hubs to begin with. When you buy the wheels, RC4WD sells them with those stupid pin-based hubs and you have to buy the hexes seperately. I am still waiting on hexes I bought from them two months ago! Those things are perpetually out of stock.

Thanks for the tip, though. If I ever get my hex hubs I'll make the mods you mentioned.

My wheels didn't come with any hexes. Just like you see in the pics above.

BTW, I love the Max Headroom avatar.
I have that original movie on my PC. A classic!

[brokennib]

I have to admit, I love these wheels. Theyre cheap, easy to paint, and hold up forever. The actual wheels, that is. The hardware is garbage. I ended up buying the hardware in bulk from McMaster-Carr, you can also get this size screws from most electronics suppliers. Also the versions Ive bought have the old cross-pin hub, and can make swapping a tire outdoors really interesting.
RC4WD has some great products, but having to hack on their stuff just to get it to work for the last 5 years is getting pretty damn old.

Recently I found these wheels from Junfac for about 12 bucks a pair, and the best part is they have a good offset and I can run my scx10 hubs again.

[TrailDawg362]

Agreed^^^ and nice find, I wonder if someone here in the U.S. will start carrying them.

[brokennib]

Originally Posted by TrailDawg362

Agreed^^^ and nice find, I wonder if someone here in the U.S. will start carrying them.

Funny you should mention that. Link.

[BubbaEinstein]

I used them in my dingo build and really like them. Fyi they're plastic but have held up real well...some hex touch up is needed as posted above But nothing major..

[Spidernad]

Originally Posted by BubbaEinstein

I used them in my dingo build and really like them. Fyi they're plastic but have held up real well...some hex touch up is needed as posted above But nothing major..

Oh do you mean the Junfac ones?

[BubbaEinstein]

Yep...the junfac and gmade are the same wheels..(vr-01)

[johnnyh66]

CHUD's spacer really beef's up the RC4WD steelies... and make's them much more user friendly with TSL's and Pit Bulls.

On another side note, is GMade/Junfac releasing a leafed truck?

[Big Bill]

I also like the Junfacs. I have used the RC4WDs for quite some time, you are right the hardware is crap. I fix this I drilled and tapped the wheels and hubs to 3mm and used a botom drill to try and flatten the bore the bolt goes in. I then use 3mm nuts on the rim side to hold everything together. Been in use for at least two years with out a problem.

[Jus]

I found out early on that the hardware is junk... I have two sets of these wheels and upgraded the hardware from McMaster Carr... Ordered some high grade steel 2.5mm bolts and proper nuts that thread on nice and snug... Now I can actually tighten them down with no fear of stripping anything.

[BadRockNoCookie]

Wow, that's a lot of work just to fit those crappy wheels. I'll make sure I avoid those for sure. Thanks for the info.

[foproy]

the only real problem i have had out of the newer steelies is the pin barely fit. other then that i have not had a bad problem from them. actrually the newer ones are far better then the old ones.

[brokennib]

Originally Posted by BadRockNoCookie

Wow, that's a lot of work just to fit those crappy wheels. I'll make sure I avoid those for sure. Thanks for the info.

I really don't want to bash on these wheels too bad. They are perfect for what they are- a low cost wheel (that isn't plastic) that looks pretty cool and I can get a set of 4 for under 45 bucks. There is no way I can get the same mileage out of a 100 $ + set of wheels. When these get scratched up, a little spraycan work and they are as good as new.

[BubbaEinstein]

Ditto...for the price they are great....most things I buy need a little adjustment before they work good (rc stuff).

[Jus]

Both my sets have the hexes and I haven't had any trouble at all.. They pop right off with little effort yet they slide on nice and snug which I love.. Wondering if there is something different with newer parts that are causing problems.

All in all, can't beat nice aluminum hexes and steel wheels for $40 a set.. Nothing else even begins to compete with that.

[Spidernad]

Originally Posted by Big Bill

I also like the Junfacs. I have used the RC4WDs for quite some time, you are right the hardware is crap. I fix this I drilled and tapped the wheels and hubs to 3mm and used a botom drill to try and flatten the bore the bolt goes in. I then use 3mm nuts on the rim side to hold everything together. Been in use for at least two years with out a problem.

Interesting idea. Why do you tap though if you use the 3mm nuts? And how do the 3mm nuts look? Seems like they might look too big. Still, cool idea.

[Spidernad]

Originally Posted by BadRockNoCookie

Wow, that's a lot of work just to fit those crappy wheels. I'll make sure I avoid those for sure. Thanks for the info.

Yes, I didn't start this thread to slam RC4WD's steel wheels, and at the end of my first post I mentioned how great the wheels look. While it's true the quality control could be a little better as well as the hardware they use, I really like the way the wheels look, and only started the thread to give some info on what to be careful about.

I bought two sets so far and would do it again.

[Spidernad]

This is why these wheels are worth messing with.
They look great.
Here are a few pics of them on my Cherokee etc.
You can check out the Cherokee build thread here:
Cherokee build - Very Scale - SCX10