The parts I ordered from TIT-racing finally arrived. I was able to get one rear and one front wheel assembled. Had to run to work to get one of the 3mm taps I had for building test fixtures. I found while building up the rear wheel, the beadlock screws on the inside ring did not seem to want to go in all the way. Since it is a painted cast aluminum rim, the paint was in the screw holes. I was also unsure if the holes were completely tapped through. I re-tapped all of the holes on the inside and outside and that made it easier to assemble. Note that the beadlock rings are also cast aluminum. It took some effort and patence to get the inner beadlock ring to seat. The cap screw heads were a tight fit (due to the paint). I managed. I plan on using these on a black/red/orange scheme Baja.
Not sure how long the paint will last, I assume most will be scratched off on the first use. The product photos on the website made the rims look like plastic since it is a molded material. They are not plastic but looked that way in pictures.
I do have the Alloy Rovan wheels so I pulled on rear and one front off from one of my Bajas that had the same type of tire and foam. I was curious to see if there was much of a weight difference.
Here is the rear wheel assembly. 2lbs 0.2oz. (912.9 grams). Also note that this tire has been used so some rubber may be missing. Note the beadlock ring has some damage to it. The rears seem to get the most abuse. The beadlock rings that King motor sells separately do not fit the rim. I have not been able to find the beadlock rings for these wheels to replace. Quick silver rings or DDM rings will not fit. Since I have the DDM wheels I did try the Quick silver ring to see if it would match up the screw holes. Nope, different alignment. I do like the deep-dish look.
Here is the rear cast aluminum wheel with similar tire and foams. (New tread).
Weight of 1lb 13.2 oz (827.8 grams). Just a hair less in mass than the CNC alloy wheels above.
Now for the smaller wheels (Fronts).
The CNC alloy Rovan wheels for the front same tread pattern as the rear tire. I did bend one of these wheels when I slammed a wall with the car. That impact also sheared off the front hub and tore off the front end. Image of my avatar (assuming I have not changed it yet). I have not had any damage to the other rims with the typical abuse so they will hold up for most bashing unless that includes walls and concrete structures. That will damage plastics as well.
CNC alloy Rovan front wheel assembly 1lb 8oz (680.4 grams) .
Here is the front cast aluminum wheel. 1lb 8.9oz (703.1 grams).
Too bad I did not measure raw tires and foams or disassembled the wheel to measure the rims. The tires and foams may vary in density so that may be a poor gauge of measure to compare as a full assembly.
I have a preference for the alloy wheels, CNC or cast since the treads for the beadlocks do not strip out. As for the plastic wheels, they seem like a one tire use before the screw holes are stripped. I only base that on the stock wheels that came on the King Motor RC Baja. Perhaps with unassembled plastic rims, you can get more use out of them with different types of screws vs machine threaded screws. Perhaps the better alternative is the foamless wheels. Almost like the tweels concept but with rigid aluminum disc without the poly-resin spokes.
