Scx24 - adding wheel weight.

[Exalted85]

Hi guys. I wanted to add wheel weight, but didn't want to spend $30 dollars on mil stone weights. So..i made my own. I apologize, my phone sucks, I don't know how to do videos, and I only took a couple pictures..but here it goes. I used 1/2in Hex Jam Nuts. Tools used: Vice, flat metal file, round metal file. If you don't have these and can't borrow them, it's probably cheaper to go mil stone.


So first, take your flat file and grind a bit off of one side of the nut. Put it in the vice, and file her down. You can see how even you're doing it, by looking at the bevel on the nut corners. When you get down to a flat surface, past how the nut naturally bevels, that should do it. We do this, because we want the nut to seat below the edge of the rim, to prevent binding.

At this point, I would keep the nut horizontal, but move it to the side of the vice, then use the round file, to file out the threading. I move it to the side, to ensure longer stroke, because my vice isn't very big. Remove all of the threading on the inside.

Now, we can flip the nut in the vice horizontal. Now, we're taking the flat file, and we're going to file down the corners of the nut. It doesn't take much, and you're trying to just create a flat surface on the nut corner, about a milometer wide. We're doing this, so we can squeeze the nut into the rim. If you do too much on one, just continue on, and maybe leave one not file, then test fit. What we're doing, is filing the corners down so the nut fits into the rim, but we still want a tight fit, so it stays in place. DO NOT OVER FILE. File the corners flat, then test fit. If it doesn't go in, file them down a bit more, etc. Here's about what it looks like at this stage.


So that should give you an idea of about how far it should be recessed, and how removing the threading will let you seat the nut around the center of it just about perfectly, while having the slightly filed down corners hold it firmly in place.

Here's what it looks like from the other side..shiny chrome back ground, kinda cool, imo.


So now that we're done with test fitment, we have to take the nut back out, because it'll bind on the c-hub without more filing (yay...). I used the allen wrench that came with the kit to poke it out from the front..i think i almost bent it once tho, so be careful.

So at this point, we're just filing with the round file, trying to grind at an angle inward, so that the c-hub doesn't bind. Ideally, grind at the best angle you can, without touching the backside of the nut..because if you grind away at the back side, while working the front..the back side might not appear as cool through the rim. I ground all the way to the lip of the nut. This would be waaayyy easier with some kind of drill grinder, if you have something like that.

So once you've angle grinded all the way to the lip, it's time to remount the nuts into the wheels. One thing to note, and I hope someone tests this, it appears 1 set of tires is by default, heavier than the other. I swapped everything around a lot, but I'm assuming it's the front tires that weigh more..and I mounted my nuts into the heavier of the two.


Also note, that there is an air hole in the tire. I accidently pushed a bolt corner over it, which made it inflate/deflate slower. I almost left it, but I decided to move it. Obviously, line it up how you want it setup. Also, here's a picture of the final product before I mounted. I took the grind up to the lip of the nut, then filed downward into it at an angle..seemed to work out.


So..after filing, the end result was adding 0.35oz per wheel, which is just under 10g..so x2, that's 20g to your front. It's noticeably heavier. ~about twice as heavy as stock.


Alright, that's it. Thanks for reading. I only bought two nuts, I think they were like..70 cents each. I'll probably go buy a couple more for the back, I just wanted to see if I could get it to work first. There'll be only shaving of the nut required for the back tires, aka, much, much quicker, since we don't have to worry about c-hub rub.

Hope this helps someone else. Let me know if your tire sets weigh different, and which set was heavier.

[dirtman71]

Great idea! I like it

[Exalted85]

As it turns out..even the rears have to be bored out a bit. I thought my hands were going to get a break. Think I need to invest in some kind of drill metal grinder or something ;o

[ebeowulf17]

Originally Posted by Exalted85

As it turns out..even the rears have to be bored out a bit. I thought my hands were going to get a break. Think I need to invest in some kind of drill metal grinder or something ;o

Thanks so much for sharing this idea and the detailed how-to information. I recently got an SCX24 and I love it, but it clearly needs more weight down low. Every post I read on wheel weights or heavy wheels for them seemed dubious - nothing I read about fits properly and there's always a lot of modification needed - nothing I'm comfortable with as a total noob.

Anyway, your solution is brilliant! It's cheap and low-risk; if I messed up modifying the nuts, at least I wouldn't have damaged my truck.

I don't have a vice or the right selection of files for the whole project, but I got the same results with a different tool set. Vice grips, Dremel tool with sanding wheel, drill with countersink, and one broad, coarse file. First I used a regular drill bit to knock out most of the threads. Next I used the countersink to bevel the wheel side just a little and to bevel the axle side very deep, up until there was almost no flat left on top. A small amount of filing on top reduced the overall height per your description (countersinking first did most of the work for me - I tried one with filing before countersinking, and it was a lot more work!) One more quick hit with the countersink and the depth was perfect. Finally, I used the Dremel to knock down the outer corners of the hex shape just a little.

The whole project was a little more effort than I originally expected, but not bad at all. It cost less than $4, and the difference in performance is night and day! It still doesn't crawl as well as my SCX10ii with Super Swampers, but it's pretty solid for a stock mini rig with only one mod so far. It's really a joy to drive now. Thanks again for the tips!

[shiggy]

I use .064” lead sheet with self adhesive on one side. Cheaper. Heavier. Easy to install. A common slot car supply