Lack of alloy wheel choices for 5B baja

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
M

meowy84

Active Member
Messages
36
Planning some alloy upgrades and first on the list is a set of wheels. Is it just me or is the selection of alloy wheels/rims for the bajas pretty limited? I only come up with 1 or 2 different styles in all of the internet. I posted the 2 examples below. One frequently appearing listing is https://www.rovanrc.com/product-rv85253s for $200USD. However both are pretty similar in design. Other than that there doesn't seem to be much choice. Ideally I'd like either a set of 5-spoke Fuchs (Porsche) style rims or Torq-Thrust style or even a BBS style at a reasonable price (as an example a $500 set of custom machined rims is not in the budget). Can anyone point me in the right direction?bajawheelsss.jpgbajawheels.jpg
 
If you can find these:
https://www.largescaleforums.com/threads/vitavon-wheels.27647/

I have a full set of the DDM wheels. They are on the heavy side. Well made parts. I had to use the quick silver bead locks since I could not get the DDM version. I have those on order but have not seen them to date.
20211108_185429.jpg

https://www.davesmotors.com/ddm-billet-six-aluminum-billet-wheels-for-hpi-baja-5b-5t-5sc-losi-5ive

Too bad they do not have the other sizes in this form.
https://www.davesmotors.com/DDM-SPO...-Front-Losi-5ive-DBXL-Kraken-Vekta-Front-Rear

I bought a set of the black cast aluminum wheels. Not sure how well they will hold up. I will find out soon enough once they come in.
https://www.tit-racing.com/products...s-kit-for-baja-5b?_pos=1&_sid=1f3c0e4e5&_ss=r


I have plenty of experience with the Rovan rims. They are ok. They will hold up to the abuse for the most part. The outer beadlock on the rear will take the most hits and can easily get scuffed up. Unfortunate that Rovan or King Motor does not sell separate beadlocks that will fit the rims. You have to buy the set. Have the KM beadlocks and they only fit the plastic wheels. Depends on the shape of the rear tire. However, once you slam into something hard, like a wall, lamp post, or any unmovable object they can get bent. I would consider the Vitavon if they were easy to come by. They are different than the Rovan rims but may look similar. Note that the Vitavon hub shape is different than Rovan.

20211218_175315.jpg

Most of the other alloy wheels will require a different hub. BRP and I believe Taylor RC has something in the alloy but does not use any foams.
https://www.largescaleforums.com/threads/taylor-rc-wheels.25828/
 
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.
20220129_122701.jpg

20220129_122707.jpg

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.

20220129_145115.jpg

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.

20220129_145128.jpg

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) .

20220129_152032.jpg

Here is the front cast aluminum wheel. 1lb 8.9oz (703.1 grams).

20220129_152018.jpg

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.
 

Attachments

  • 20220129_145325.jpg
    20220129_145325.jpg
    136.7 KB · Views: 3
  • 20220129_145308.jpg
    20220129_145308.jpg
    160.4 KB · Views: 3
Have to be careful with alot of the rovan/ Chinese wheels. They tend to bend easily

Ddm wheels are very durable but some of the heaviest out their.

Vitavon also makes a set in 5b sizes, they are lighter than ddm and so far have been very durable for people. 20211209_160951.jpg20211209_145128.jpg
 
Beautiful wheels and nice rigs guys! Thank you for the in-depth reply Bandit. I really like the DDM wheels you have even though they're a 6-spoke. If only someone made a 5-spoke version. The Vivaton (10-spoke) are really nice too although being made in New Zealand might be pricey for someone US-based with customs/duties. I love those blue/black Vitavons tho, wow. The black wheels from TIT racing seem to be even cheaper that Rovan or am I missing something in my math? Anyways, with the exception of the 6-spokes and the black ones all the other choices are still what you'd call a 10-spoke design. I'm surprised no one makes a classic looking true 5 spoke design since that style of rim is ubiquitous on 1:1 racing/sports/sporty cars of all kinds from Ferraris to Fiats. Anyways, since I don't really see the style that I'd really like I'm starting to lean towards the Rovan wheels, their pros being mainly price and availability if I won the lottery I would love a set of the Vivatons. Who knows......but I have to check the budget first.
 
Last edited:
meowy84 said:
Beautiful wheels and nice rigs guys! Thank you for the in-depth reply Bandit. I really like the DDM wheels you have even though they're a 6-spoke. If only someone made a 5-spoke version. The Vivaton (10-spoke) are really nice too although not a big fan of the color combo (alum/gold). I love the blue/black Vivatons tho. The black ones from TIT racing seem to be even cheaper that Rovan or am I missing something in my math? Anyways, with the exception of the 6-spokes and the black ones all the other choices are still what you'd call a 10-spoke design. I'm surprised no one makes a classic looking 5 spoke design.
Click to expand...
Vitavon has just about any color you want. 20210916_193610.jpg20210617_203245.jpg
 
There are plenty of Chinese wheels. Not sure who makes them. When I did a search for Vitavon, only place I could find them was through Aliexpress (that is a Chinese market place). I would use caution if you buy from any vendor as some may be just copies of another vendor. Vendor and or inventory may or may not exist. Shop at your own risk.


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1572745065.html

These are older Rovan wheels, may still be available.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/329...%3B-1%40salePrice%3BUSD%3Brecommend-recommend
 
Last edited:
Bandit2013 said:
There are plenty of Chinese wheels. Not sure who makes them. When I did a search for Vitavon, only place I could find them was through Aliexpress (that is a Chinese market place). I would use caution if you buy from any vendor as some may be just copies of another vendor. Vendor and or inventory may or may not exist. Shop at your own risk.


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1572745065.html
Click to expand...

Only place to get them is mainly Facebook through Danny liew
 
Bandit2013 said:
"There are plenty of Chinese wheels. Not sure who makes them. When I did a search for Vitavon, only place I could find them was through Aliexpress (that is a Chinese market place). I would use caution if you buy from any vendor..."
Click to expand...
Yes, these Chinese wheels some have very interesting designs. Yet I'm weary of these Chinese marketplaces. there's so many of them, communication/language barrier is often very bad, and it's hard to discern which one is legit. My significant other constantly buys from some sketchy Chinese places but it's mostly low-ticket jewelry and trinkets, and so far no problems, although shipping takes a while......it took four months for a ring to arrive one time. On the other hand if you do order using your Visa or MC and get ripped off I imagine you would be protected by your credit company if the seller/vendor leaves you out in the cold. Best to double check tho....
 
Back
Top
✖
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks