Bad wheels

[DuckOfAllTrades]

I have heard from two sources the latest batch of BSA wheels are horrible, not machinable or correctable. They have a terrible wobble. Has anyone else heard this or ran into this problem? The man I buy wheels from basically said he has limited quantities and will have to shut down until BSA fixes the issue.

Bummer.

Good thing we are nearing the end of Scout Pinewood Derby Season and I have all the wheels I need, but as I start to build pro cars, I wonder how hard they will be to come by and if the prices will go up.

 

[Reecedad]

Yes, I agree with him the latest batch isn't very good. But there is a born on date and when I go to the scout store I can still find 2016 wheels.

 

[DuckOfAllTrades]

Yes, I agree with him the latest batch isn't very good. But there is a born on date and when I go to the scout store I can still find 2016 wheels.

Is the born on date on the packaging or is there a way to tell on the wheels?

 

[Pinewood Outlaw]

Guess that explains the wobble and eventual blow out I had on a set of wheels I had.

 

[DuckOfAllTrades]

Here is a video from DerbyDust talking about it.

 

[TRE]

Here is a video from DerbyDust talking about it.

[/QUOT

the wheels have been like that for 2 years now...has this guy been living under a rock

 

[TRE]

The 2017 wheels were terrible..the 2018 wheels are little better but still suck

 

[Castoro Racing]

Maybe I dont understand but if he says the bore is ok, can these still be improved by truing the tread and outer edge? Probably not on the derby worx tools that he mentioned, but couldn't a lathe improve them? I also like his storage method, my bet is he uses those same buckets after he lathes the wheels. He is probably real organized and has a seperate bucket after he polishes axles.

 

[TRE]

The wheels got changed in 2017...you can lathe them but they are still slower than 2016 and older..so if you have 2016 or older you have an advantage

 

[AceMontana]

I lathed a batch (5 sets) of i assume newer wheels just yesterday (purchased at my scout shop on friday)...2 had pits in the bores and 3 others had porosity (a bubble of trapped air inside the plastic) on the tread that was exposed durring machining... they also "wobbled" more than usual....looking back i shouldve taken photos and shared them here but i just discarded the wheels in the trash and hoped for a couple decent sets from my batch in the end

 

[ironband]

Well, it's 2019, almost 10 years since the "new" wheel geometry came out in 2009. And the 2009 molds came out 10 years after their predecessor came into being in 1999. Anyone know when the mold prior to that came onto the scene?

I wonder if a new wheel geometry is likely to hit later this year. It sounds like their molds or processing equipment may be due for an upgrade.

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

The cars still run plenty fast with the absolute worst wheels. True the inner edge and use the straightest one for the front dominant wheel. YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST A WHEEL IS UNTIL YOU PUT IT ON A CAR!

This is what we have to work with. Worrying over it doesn't change it so we have to do the best we can with what we have. I have built my share of cars and I have used every type of wheel out there.

If you are trying to win a league race and need every .001 you can get then that is where the wheel differences come into play and even then YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST A WHEEL IS UNTIL YOU PUT IT ON A CAR.

 

[DuckOfAllTrades]

the wheels have been like that for 2 years now...has this guy been living under a rock

Probably me living under the rock! I'm always late to the party.

 

[TRE]

The cars still run plenty fast with the absolute worst wheels. True the inner edge and use the straightest one for the front dominant wheel. YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST A WHEEL IS UNTIL YOU PUT IT ON A CAR!thats the truth right there

This is what we have to work with. Worrying over it doesn't change it so we have to do the best we can with what we have. I have built my share of cars and I have used every type of wheel out there.

If you are trying to win a league race and need every .001 you can get then that is where the wheel differences come into play and even then YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST A WHEEL IS UNTIL YOU PUT IT ON A CAR.

thats the truth

 

[TRE]

Probably me living under the rock! I'm always late to the party.

Not you but the guy in the video

 

[FDM]

I ordered some wheels last year from DD4H and some were a bit rough in the bore, I was able to polish most, if not all, of it away and they still ran fine. DD4H mentioned the wheels he had to work with were less quality than usual. I ordered a set early 2019 (or late 2018), and I was surprised how well the bores looked. Rest of wheel were fine too and they ran plenty good during our pack race. I just ordered some more wheels, fingers crossed how these one will be, but I agree we have to work with what we have.