I am finally running out of my Kraft wheel supply. I need some for my new Illusion kit I will be building. What are you using? I have seen some Kraft, Tettra and others. I even thought about Robarts.

I didn't realize that those heavy wheels (Kraft) were still in use. Dubro, Sullivan and Dave Brown have some new sponge rubber formulations that build into a sturdy but lite wheel. A 2" or 2 1/4" wheel shouldn't weigh more than 10 grams

+1 on the foam wheels, and also the old-school Du-Bro wheels.
-Robert

Anybody try these Smooth Contour Wheels from Williams Bros http://www.williamsbrothersmodelproducts.com/rc.html

They look very similar to the Kraft Smooth Contour wheels.

I still love my Kraft and Dubro Chromies! The Williams Brothers have potential.

I like round ones... Mostly use Dubro... hold up well....

Scott

The Dubro light weight foam wheels don't hold up long, they are pretty soft. The Dubro low bounce threaded wheels are my favorite. But for period builds the Dubro balloon no thread look like they came from the 50's and 60's.

I liked the Kraft wheels for pattern due to the slim frontal area and the rubber seemed harder for low bounce.

Frank

Wheels: I could not bring myself to pay the freight on the nicer Tetra wheels so I found a solution I was happy with. I first tried Dave Brown Lite Flight wheels and they were a total bust. WAY too soft. Looked like flat tires on a car. I purchased some Dubro Lite Wheels and modified them to my liking. See the pictures. The Diamond Tread ones are a little more money but have bigger hubs which I liked. I bought 2-1/2" wheels and sanding them down to fit and have the shape I wanted.

Singapore Hobbies Tettra knock offs... Nice stuff. Aluminum hubs, foam tires with a thin rubber strip down the middle to keep them from flat-spotting.

I have the Williams Bros racing wheels on my P-63. The Dubro chromies on my Kaos and another model, Kraft on the EA-1A's and MK's on the Tipo. I like the Tetra's as they're light. The Dave Brown foamies, "Lite Flite", are really light but need replaced periodically because the foam goes away or gets oil soaked depending on the model.
Chris...

I’ve tried a lot of wheels over the decades and the ones I like the best are the Sullivan SkyLites http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXFV53&P=SM I also like the chrome hub Dubro wheels but they are pretty heavy.

I think I will go w/ the Hangar 9 Pro-Lite 2" and 2-1/2" for my Illusion unless I can find a 2" Kraft at a swap shop.[]

what does a set of Kraft 2 in, sport profile wheels goe for these days?

The aluminum wheels Jeff pointed to from Singapore Hobbies are probably also made by MPI. They are very nice anodized aluminum hubs with nylon inserts for various axel sizes, and have a high density thin profile sponge tire with a rubber rib for support.

You can get the same set in the US from MPI, except anodized in gun-gray instead of red. I've used these extensively on classic pattern with great results. Many retailers sell them, and they are priced much cheaper than Tettra or MKs:

http://www.rcdude.com/servlet/the-56...b-Light/Detail

Matt

Matt,

Do you know what they weigh?

Doug

Hi Doug,

The MPI aluminums are not as light as the MK/Tettra due to the thicker foam compound and center rubber rib. A 2" MPI wheel weighs 12 grams without nylon insert, maybe 13 grams with. Not bad considering 1/4 cost of the MK/Tettra, and about same weight as the Dave Brown Lectra Lite foam wheels.

For lightness, I've found the best wheels to be MK ultra light. The blue foam is lightest but the black is very light too, at only 7 grams each for 55mm. And I've found when comparing weights you have to compare the entire system including the axles. The MKs are not only light in the wheels; when integrated with the MK anodized aluminum axle they are absolutely the lightest because the axel is very short and there are no collars, just a tiny nylon locknut. The downside is, you have to use MK axels with MK wheels, but the red/gold colors of the integrated axles are just a beauty - how can one resist?

For light and way cheaper options I've also used the Dubro Treaded Super Lite wheels and Dave Brown Treaded Lite Flite (Not to be confused with Lectra Lite Flite, which are for electrics and way way too soft). The Dave Brown Lite Flite is a soft high quality absorbant foam, it really takes away the bounce but is softer and heavier. The Dubro Super Lite is made of harder foam and will bear some weight. It is also the cheapest in cost vs lightweight and strength.

Here's a summary of the 2" wheels I just weighed: (weight is each wheel in grams)

- 2" MPI aluminum wheels: 12~13g
- 2" MK Black Super Light: 7g (55mm)
- 2" Dave Brown Treaded Lectra Lite wheels: 13g
- 2" Dubro Treaded Super Lite wheels: 6g

Hope that helps and happy landings!
Matt