Anyone ever put Beetle/Scorpion wheels on a re re Ultima?

[Mrowka 496]

Have an Ultima re re waiting to be built but the wheels turn me off. A bit too eighties, and I am not nostalgic for my childhood and youth. Beetle/Scorpion wheels seem like a logical substitute, and don't offend my aesthetics.

Also, will re re Ultima tires (or "tyres" for non-US readers ) fit Beetle/Scorpion wheels?

[markbt73 5316]

The fronts will bolt on directly, as both use the same 4x8mm bearings. For the rears, you'll have to get creative. The Scorpion et al doesn't use 12mm hexes; it's a flat knurled adapter (called a "drive washer" in the manual) that just presses against the back of the wheel. And the rear axles are 6mm, not 5, and quite a bit longer. You might be able to use Scorpion axles, along with non-flanged 6x10mm bearings and the drive washers, but don't quote me on that...

Front wheels are the same size, but Scorpion rears are smaller: 1.6" instead of 1.9".

[MICHAELs TopForce17 586]

Have not tried those ones. I know these fit.

Kyosho 2wd Ultima (jcracingproducts.co.uk)

[KEV THE REV 2319]

I fitted Tomahawk wheels to my Scorcher , a bit of fettling of the rear plate and wheel and 850 bearings in the front ,  anything is possible with a bit of thought . I'm working on Hornet rears to fit onto Ultima 2wd front

[Mrowka 496]

On 12/9/2020 at 9:06 AM, markbt73 said:

The fronts will bolt on directly, as both use the same 4x8mm bearings. For the rears, you'll have to get creative. The Scorpion et al doesn't use 12mm hexes; it's a flat knurled adapter (called a "drive washer" in the manual) that just presses against the back of the wheel. And the rear axles are 6mm, not 5, and quite a bit longer. You might be able to use Scorpion axles, along with non-flanged 6x10mm bearings and the drive washers, but don't quote me on that...

Front wheels are the same size, but Scorpion rears are smaller: 1.6" instead of 1.9".

Would it be possible to bust out with a 6mm drill bit and drill out the Scorpion/Beetle rear wheels? 

That doesn't solve the drive washer problem, however.

Also, I question whether the drive washer setup will hold any kind of power, especially on a 2WD buggy. Kyosho probably didn't change their setup because it looked so much prettier.

[Yalson 514]

On 12/10/2020 at 5:36 PM, Mrowka said:

Would it be possible to bust out with a 6mm drill bit and drill out the Scorpion/Beetle rear wheels? 

That doesn't solve the drive washer problem, however.

Also, I question whether the drive washer setup will hold any kind of power, especially on a 2WD buggy. Kyosho probably didn't change their setup because it looked so much prettier.

Theoretically, yes. But in practice you will inevitably be a bit off centre and you will end up with wheels that are off centre and make your car drive like a rodeo bull.

[RichieRich 685]

Yeah, this is a problem with the Ultima series wheels. I am not a fan of the weird fronts either. +1 on the JC racing wheels. I used those for my XX4 restoration.