RC4WD Wheel Adapters

[Blakbird]

I can't believe I've never seen these before and I couldn't find any thread discussing them either.  It appears that RC4WD now sells wheel adapters which connect to Technic hubs and allow the use of RC wheel and tires.  Lots of people have been using 3rd party RC tires for MOCs for a while, but I've never seen a good way to also use the wheels.

http://store.rc4wd.com/RC4WD-Wheel-Adapter-for-Toy-Blocks_p_4349.html

I have RC tires on my copy of Sheepo's Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, and I am strongly inclined to use some RC wheels as well.

[Saberwing40k]

I've seen 3D printed examples, but not something like this. These things are so expensive, though. $36 a pair normally. You're looking at $72 for a complete set. And, wheels and tires for this stuff ain't cheap. However, this is ultimately a good thing, and I hope to see more stuff like different gears and other parts made out of high quality plastic or metal, and not just 3D printed.

[Leonardo da Bricki]

Wow... Talk about extortion... That is a really nice adapter, and it's metal, and it's great to finally see one... but the price! I'd rather have a BuWizz or S-Brick!

Edited November 30, 2017 by Leonardo da Bricki
Curse of Misspelling was cast

[Isak]

As an avid rc fan in addition to lego... yes these are expensive but RC4WD has some high quality metal products. Metal rc parts are expensive unfortunately, but you get what you pay for.

[Blakbird]

The price is high, but if you are into the RC hobby it is pretty typical for metal parts like this.  Of course, there is no need for RC quality parts on LEGO models, but they sure do look good.

[aminnich]

that price is insane.  $60 for the set of adapters, then the costs of wheels and tires.  You could easily be looking at $150 for everything. 

[TechnicRCRacer]

Nice, but the price is too high. Does anyone know of designs online so I can print my own?

[Saberwing40k]

Here's one, by SevenStuds

https://www.shapeways.com/product/XMQSBZSJS/rc-wheel-to-technic-3-pin-adapter-heavy-duty?optionId=57216029

[z3_2drive]

I've been spending some time with the RC hobby the last couple months, building my own 1/8th scale car. The price for those adapters is wayyy out of proportion. It looks like a nice piece, but adapters are usually 12-25$ for a full set, and that's for machined metal. The 3D printed ones seem more cost effective, and Lego doesn't necessarily need metal in that area for the torque they deal with, as long as the threading is metal.

Edited December 1, 2017 by z3_2drive

[nicjasno]

I have 3d printed adapters for the Turntables for the new challenger project and they cost me 1eur a piece + a few cents for the main bolt/stud on to which the wheel mounts to.And with the new turntables, the slack is even less than with the old ones.

Those black spacer-style adapters just increase the hub depth and make the slack in the lego hub even more apparent.

Edited December 1, 2017 by nicjasno

[rm8]

Take two pulley wheels joined together with pins, drill middle axle hole for wheel bolt from chinese online RC shop and DIY adapter is ready. Will it work?

Edited December 1, 2017 by rm8

[1gor]

Just now, rm8 said:

Take two pulley wheels joined together with pins, drill middle axle hole for wheel bolt from chinese online RC shop and DIY adapter is ready.

exactly, for $150 as @aminnich said, you can buy whole decent Technic set...

[Superkoala]

Question for my curiosity: with a metallic wheel rim like the one shown in the first post, isn't there a risk that the 3rd party wheel "slips" around its axis even if it's tight ? For example during a strong climb in trial ?

[Didumos69]

1 hour ago, nicjasno said:

Those black spacer-style adapters just increase the hub depth and make the slack in the lego hub even more apparent.

I think so too. Btw, part of the problem of the LEGO wheel hubs being sloppy are the DBG pins that don't sit very tight in the rim. They won't sit tight in this metal piece either.

[agrof]

Agree with @nicjasno and @Didumos69. Also using RC metal wheels with huge tires will increase the dead weight, and the moment of inertia, which will drain the performance of the (weak anyway) Lego motors. So actually it works opposite for models which for it was thought (I guess): trial remote controlled cars and trucks. For manual models, why not to use to pimp the look, but for the price... rather the one, what @rm8 described.

Nice looking, dead born solution. 

[nicjasno]

Most R/C wheels are plastic and not that heavy, but they are bigger in diameter and have more momentum as such.

[Nikolay]

Thank you for telling me. I will know that such a detail exists

[Aleh]

How much how much??

[Blakbird]

10 hours ago, z3_2drive said:

I've been spending some time with the RC hobby the last couple months, building my own 1/8th scale car. The price for those adapters is wayyy out of proportion. It looks like a nice piece, but adapters are usually 12-25$ for a full set, and that's for machined metal. The 3D printed ones seem more cost effective, and Lego doesn't necessarily need metal in that area for the torque they deal with, as long as the threading is metal.

They are expensive, but I don't find the price out of proportion with other RC upgrades.  The price is usually a function of how much metal there is in the parts, and there are really big.

9 hours ago, nicjasno said:

Those black spacer-style adapters just increase the hub depth and make the slack in the lego hub even more apparent.

True they increase the steering axis offset, but RC wheels also tend to have a lot more depth so it may cancel out.

9 hours ago, Superkoala said:

Question for my curiosity: with a metallic wheel rim like the one shown in the first post, isn't there a risk that the 3rd party wheel "slips" around its axis even if it's tight ? For example during a strong climb in trial ?

No.  There is cross drilled hole you can see in the axle.  You put a pin through here and then connect a 12mm hex which drives the wheel.  This is how virtually all RC hubs work.

I agree these are too expensive for me to use any time soon, but there have been times in the past when I was looking for exactly such a thing.  If you want a really scale appearance model, RC wheels are way more accurate.

[Isak]

I agree with @Blakbird about the backspacing of rc wheels. Many rc wheels have a positive offset. However, these adapters do add another stud to the width of the axle.

[z3_2drive]

12mm hex wheels offer a great variety for both crawlers and 1/10th scale street wheels. I'd like to see a supercar fitted with some of these, or the 3D printed variety.

Edited December 2, 2017 by z3_2drive

[mocbuild101]

On 12/1/2017 at 9:49 AM, Leonardo da Bricki said:

but the price! I'd rather have a BuWizz or S-Brick!

I had exactly the same thought... I think I'll stick to the tires that fit on Lego rims...

Spoiler

 

[TriAngle]

What diameter are the hex are on 1/8 road wheels?

[TeamThrifty]

I drilled the hub and bolted two lego pulley's to it... works a treat and doesn't add a huge amount to the track width.. link below if i pasted the right one

20180928_190300[1] by Team Thrifty, on Flickr

 

20180928_190253[1] by Team Thrifty, on Flickr

[PorkyMonster]

10 hours ago, TriAngle said:

What diameter are the hex are on 1/8 road wheels?

Distance between each parallel sides is 17mm, while diameter (as in your qn) is 19.63mm. Note that the round hole through the middle is about 12mm diameter.

Edited September 28, 2018 by PorkyMonster
Added diagram.