Trailering wheels for FF?

[DaveZ]

Anyone know who makes/sells those special narrow wheels/tires for fitting a wide-track formula car into a narrow-track trailer? They usually look like BMX bicycle plastic wheels, and I've seen them for years on everything from Champ Cars to Formula Atlantics, but can't find who makes them. Suggestions, please!

Thanks,
DZ

[BoulderG]

I've had the pleasure of racing locally with Dave Loken. He made his own transport wheels - said it was pretty easy. Got some 24" round plywood pieces from Home Depot, covered the edges with used bike tires, reinforced the center and drilled it for his Club Ford.
I should add he also handily won both races on the Double Regional weekend. Here are pics of his transport wheels:

[rmccown]

Brilliant! How'd he reinforce the centers?

[Rondo]

I love it - my kind of solution. I would guess an extra layer of 3/4" plywood was fine for reinforcement in the center!

[rmccown]

Just have to find bolts of the right thread and some washers. I dont think I have any lugs that'll fit through 1 1/2 of plywood.

Like I dont have enough pre-season projects.

[DaveZ]

Thanks for the help, guys. No offense to the plywood wheels, which really is a great idea, but these are going to be used on my new Piper FF1600 being built by Fast Forward, and somehow I just don't think Doug Learned would approve. (Anyone who knows Doug and Doug Jr. will know what I mean!) I'm headed to a bicycle store later to see what I can find that we can modify, and if successful will post some pictures down the road.

Thanks again,
Dave Z.

[Ian Lenhart]

Thanks for the help, guys. No offense to the plywood wheels, which really is a great idea, but these are going to be used on my new Piper FF1600 being built by Fast Forward, and somehow I just don't think Doug Learned would approve. (Anyone who knows Doug and Doug Jr. will know what I mean!) I'm headed to a bicycle store later to see what I can find that we can modify, and if successful will post some pictures down the road.

Thanks again,
Dave Z.

What would Homer Simpson say in response to the above quote?

[steve zemke]

Motor cycle rims/ tires and an adapter. If the Piper has center locks and you use an aluminum motor cycles rim it may just be a case of drilling and boring the rims for you application. You may also want to use the search function as there was another thread on this topic a while back. I love the plywood concept. Strong, cheap and easy. If you are worried about style points go for zebra wood laminated to the plywood., finished with a clear coat.

[BoulderG]

1. Not sure how Dave reinforced them. Maybe he'll read this and chime in?
2. In addition to Zebra, please consider checkerboard and/or spirals like WWII fighter propellor spinners!

[SteveG]

Covered with carbon fiber.

Get 4 custom rounds made out of this stuff .
Machine up and anodize some hubs to match the color of the car, attach some aggressive bicycle treads and...

So totally cool that you'd be the talk of the paddock and both Dougs would have to approve.

[DaveZ]

Thanks to all for the ideas, especially Steve Zemke who thought there was a previous thread....you were right, Steve, the search function led me to Tim Walsh's thread on motorcycle wheels that he provides for Van Diemens, etc. I will probably go that route, although I really did like the zebra-wood-laminate and carbon fibre/balsa solutions!!

[rickjohnson356]

even though trailer wheels will add to your expense, they pay for themselves the first time you use them.

When the car just rolls up the ramps and on to the trailer without having to fool around with extra 2x8s and it doesn't bottom out, life is good.

one less hassle at the start of the weekend and a bigger relief when you are tired at the end of the weekend.

my mc wheels, from Scott Woodruff were around $700 w/o tires, but look wizzy when on the trailer and around in the paddock. I'mreally glad I got them. (got take-offs from a mc shop for free)

Being a cheap ba$t$$d, I like the plywood approach, if I had known about it.

you could make the paddock wheels and use the $700 to buy race tires!

[Swift17]

Ummmm .....

In lieu of plywood, how about Starboard from a shipwright store, it comes in multiple colors and 3/4 would be sufficient ... you could even drill multiple holes and make it really interesting ....
ej

[Mike Milner]

Dave .
I recently had transport wheel made for my Van Diemen . They are motorcycle wheels modified with an adapter to fit my center lock hubs over the pins .
They look great and raise the car five inches or so to make it easier to get it on the trailer and move it around and such .
However...........
You mentioned you are trying to make your car more narrow to fit a trailer . Be careful when you assume that because the tires are skinny that your car's width ( track ) will reduce . Fact is that since there is no backspacing in a transport wheel and it must mount outside the hub with an additional adapter the car will actually get wider . Not narrower .
I had this experience and had to re-machine the wheel hubs to fit without the adapters . A real pain and the cart is still as wide as it was with the racing wheels on it . ( just barely goes on the trailer .)
I will try to post a few pics to show you .
Check it out close with a tape measure before you spend bucks for something that won't solve your problem .
Good luck .

[DaveZ]

Mike -
Thanks for the advice. I have gone ahead and ordered a set of m'cycle wheels w/tires, machined to fit my Piper and/or a Van Dieman, from Tom Walsh of Afterburner Race Car Parts, He verified that the outside of the transport tire will be flush with the outside edge of my stub axles, both front and rear, which will solve the problem at least for my trailer. They will be att'd to the car via the usual centerlock wheel nut/washer. Tom's number is 877-800-8820 if anyone else is interested.

[Mike Milner]

Dave,
Well done .
BTW......Congratulations on landing one of Doug's Pipers . I'm jealous . All his work is top flight . He makes the parts for my ADF . Great guy .
Life must be tough for you ....... I see you are also suffering in that horrible Carmel by the Sea .
When you get sorted bring that beauty to PIR and we'll have some fun .
Best , Mike

[dereklola]

Errr - arrrrh - hmmm - how do you get the bicycle tires on the plywood wheels? All I could think of was putting the tire around a growing tree and waiting 100 years for the tree truck to grow to size. Or may be my brain doesn't work on Friday afternoons.

[rmccown]

Bike tires are very stretchy, I would think you can just pull them over.

[DaveZ]

Thanks, Mike. I will have to do that, or you drag yours up here to Laguna Seca.

Dave

[BoulderG]

They're cut up old mountain bike tires. If you look closely at the pics, you can see a couple of different looking treads and sidewall colors, and some screws in the tread holding them in.

Most mountain bike tires fit a 26-inch diameter tire, with 29-inch becoming more popular. I suppose you could find 24-inch tires, too, but it'd be hard to pull the wire bead over the plywood.

[steve zemke]

Cut the side wall/bead in one place, slide it on and then screw it to the wood.

[ffrgtm]

I really love this idea... but could someone chime in as to how these are reinforced or how the originals were done? All I can think of is to epoxy a 1x1' piece of sheet metal on or something but I'm definitely not up on my wood properties.

Thanks,
Ben

[steve zemke]

3/4" plywood in compression is plenty strong enough. Wood is phenomenally strong in compression. You can use drill bushings or bushing liners, glued in place to reinforce the plywood where the wheel bolts go through.

[turnbaugh]

Does anyone have any ideas of how I would go about making a set of the transport wheels to fit on a center locking hub sports racer?

I don't care how ugly it is nor if the the front wheels will turn. I just need to be able to get the car up a steep driveway. I would need to drive it up under power. (but straight)