Slotcars.it Tire Lathe, Interesting concept Options

[Xlot]

My local pusher is Slotcars.it - they are now into their third generation as slots supporters, with one of the best clubs in Italy and a 6 lane, 45 m Ninco track

They are now introducing a new tire lathe, and AFAIK the concept is quite innovative : pictures explain it clearly



More info here :

http://www.slotcars.it/slotcars/

I like both the principle and the workmanship - I might actually get around to trying it, if I ever get to the stage where I have time for tuning a car !

Beppe

[h3lldriver]

looks like a copy of my tiny Hudy

[tvwino]

it looks well made, and probably excels on the bulk of aftermarket wheels/tyres, but how does it cope with normal RTR axels - as the spindle can't pass all the way through their wheels?

Perhaps we do need more than pictures, if indeed it will handle any wheel option - or is it designed for Slot-It, NSR and such wheels only?

It looks as if their is more precision to the process than on my RSM truer though.

[abie321]

Sprint

my opinion is that tyres have to be trued on the wheel with which you intend to race. This is really required if you use a plastic rim as the truing can iron out small imperfections in the wheel............... less necessary on an aluminium type rim...

[tvwino]

Abie,
I couldn't agree more...

If people were to compromise, putting tyres on just any spare old rim (even if it is Slot-It) then they might as well resort to sandpaper on the track, probably with better results.

That said, I'm sure for many people who always use aftermarket wheels, it'll be a godsend.

[Xlot]

my turn to agree with abie and tvwino...

If you use plastic wheels, a sandpaper strip is all you want

But this thing is aimed at the club scene, where (at least in Italy and Spain) aluminum rims are the norm for all classes

And since the clear trend is moving away from heavily treated tires glued to rims toward non-glued handouts, what one needs (??) is something that will break in the tread and ensure exactly the same diameter on both wheels quickly

In this sense the Hudy truer is inferior - its main features (angle grinding and width cutting) aren't relevant here

Beppe

[Swissracer]

Thats a good looking machine. I am with xlot in that it is clearly not designed for plastic tyres, in fact I can see from the pictures it wont take them.

I use the wonderful German RSM truer, which does take plastic rims, however maybe it is time to get a second machine for the aluminium rims as the RSM does have limitations that seem to be overcome by the one above.

[h3lldriver]

But this thing is aimed at the club scene, where (at least in Italy and Spain) aluminum rims are the norm for all classes
...
In this sense the Hudy truer is inferior - its main features (angle grinding and width cutting) aren't relevant here

Not only the club scene - try plastic rims without rework on wood and u'll see the difference to aluminium rims...
The biggest advantage of the Hudy is, in my opinion, the great power. Try to grind GPSpeed Tires with a RSM - that's a bad joke - u can't get even a milimeter off the tire...

Thats a good looking machine. I am with xlot in that it is clearly not designed for plastic tyres, in fact I can see from the pictures it wont take them.
I use the wonderful German RSM truer, which does take plastic rims, however maybe it is time to get a second machine for the aluminium rims as the RSM does have limitations that seem to be overcome by the one above.

It's always possible to use it with plastic rims - ok, it ain't that comfortable as on the RSM, but it's possible. For me i always change the rims on my cars to aluminium.
Some issues about the RSM.
I recently sold mine and bought a Hudy instead. The reasons were, lack of power on the RSM, the toooooooo soft alumium arm (damaged after 1/2 year in use!) and in the end it doesn't fit my needs in scratch building. Reworking aluminium rims and so on...
In the end u're right - it would be great to own two machines. A Hudy and a RSM.
But with 170 euro on the RSM plus 25 euro on additional grind blocks and 160 euro on a Hudy it's kinda expensive - ~ 350 euro for grinding tires
For me as a student - to expensive at all to own both.

my 2 cents

[squizzy]

Hello Guys.....

What is the best tyre truer going around these days ?

I'm looking for something that will true my 1:32 ninco etc slotcars tyre and rims.
Also i have a few Cox 1:24 tyres also that would be nice to get trued.

Thanks Guys.
Looking forward to your replys.

[Xlot]

Edo was in Rome last night, and of course he had to get one - since he already has a Hudy, expect a comparison soon

As for myself, after we took it apart I'm even more impressed with the quality of construction, very good value for the money - Stefano of Slotcars.it was saying that he's selling a lot to the MiniZ crowd
Just about the only drawback I see is their limited capabilities with the english language, so be patient, write clear E-mails or use italian and claim a discount

BTW, we all agreed that the RSM's limitation is that the grinding surface is fixed, rather than counter-rotating

Beppe

[Edo]

Hi
I did get the new Slotcars.it tiretruer because of the great workmanship, the great design which allows 2 tires to be trued at the same time AND the built-in modularity which allows for all kind of wheels to be done as Stefano will be producing also a special axle to be able to mount wheels that are blind at the end (i.e. aluminium MBSlot's ). Also he will make me a 5-40 thread axle for the many vintage 1/24 wheels that I have.
By the end of this week, I will make a comparaison with the Hudy I have and publish it here.
Regards
Edo

[astro]

I had an extended play with Swisscar's RSM at the NSCC thingy. For some people like me, it has a major advantage over the Hudy and Slotcar.It truer: you can true the wheels and tyres without taking them or the spur gear off the axles.

This is a great feature for people who want to true RTR cars with their original wheels. If you are trueing grub screwed aluminium wheels, of course this advantage evapourates. But not all of us are!

[Edo]

Hi guys
here are my impressions about my new Slotcars.it tiretruer compared to my Hudy.
The first thing I noticed is the beautiful finish and solidity on par with the Hudy if not more, especially in the attention to detail.
As you can see the Slotcars.it is slightly smaller which makes it more portable (although when you fiddle around with interchangeable axles smaller is not always better



The second thing I noticed is the very powerful motor which you do not have to "invite" to start with a little pull like the Hudy (at least mine). I can use the Slotcars.it even at 6 Volts without problems whereas the Hudy needs at least 9 V to get started, go up to speed and stay there once you begin working on the tire. If you wanted to on the Slotcars.it you could change "gear" as there is 2 different size pulleys on the main axle and 2 on the motor axle.

An important thing for me is to be able to do 2 tires at one time which with the Hudy you cannot do, but also be able to do "blind" wheels (which the Hudy off course does) like the many MBSlot I have: since last week Stefano, the designer and producer, has put on the market a special axle to be able to do such type of wheels.
Here the 2 axles available now, the "blind" one is optional:



Once finished you just open a sliding door underneath to get rid of the rubber which came off the tires:



My set up:



Stefano is also making me a special axle to be able to mount 5-40 thread vintage wheels so I will be able to work on those too (especially silicone type which are quite hard).
He has also made an axle to be able to mount plastic wheels not only to sand tires but to true plastic hubs! The prototype adapts to the different diameters these plastic wheels come with, but he's evaluating if, price wise, he should just produce different axles for different wheels.
This tool is very well made, very effective and complete (all spares are available) and on top of that Stefano provides great service (the only negative thing is that he says he does not speak english very well, which for me it's not a problem
Best regards
Edo
PS Beppe (xlot) has provided a perfect english translation for the instructions sheets!

[Kai]

Hi Edo.
Great article, very well written.
You Hudy needs amps, lots of amps.
Mine is powered by a PSU from a computer, and it can deliver a lot of amps on 3.3v and 5v.
A powersource like the one on your picture cannot deliver whats needed (mine couldnt) and then you have to put to many volts on it, and it rotates to fast.
Hudy manual says it needs 12v, Kais manual says 5-6v and at least 10 amps.
Im quite sure that im one of those guys who will have both the Hudy and the Slotcars.it truer

[Edo]

Thanks Kai
you're absolutely right about the Amps the Hudy needs. In fact the Alpha supply is rated at 3 Amps which is not really enough to run it. On the contrary the Slotcars.it tiretruer is perfectly happy with it.
Best regards
Edo
PS Any new wonderful wheel design on the horizon, Kai?