Tamiya Tiger 1 wheels question.
 

So seeing as how once you put them together they are that way for good is there any thing extra i can do to make the bushings last as long as possible? Add some graphite? Cera grease? Or happen to know of a bearing kit for them?

Ebay has all kinds of listing for bearings for that kit. I would not even consider anything but bearings but I know others have run standard bushings for years without issue.

Seen a bunch of listing for bearings that go on the KT but nothing for the tiger 1.

Hello,

The Tamiya bushes are made of sintered bronze, they do not like fat at all.
You can update the wheels with bearings,infos are in my shop.

with regards,Guido

I used a caliper to measure the bushings on my KV-2 and found bearings to fit on Ebay. There are bearing kits on Ebay for the KV-2, but those kits didn't have enough bearings to do the wheels, idlers, and return rollers. Of course they also don't tell you what size they are. I did have to do some slight mods to the KV-2 wheels and idlers to get the new bearings to fit. Namely the recess the bearings fit into had to be deeper. Used a really sharp drill bit an turned it by hand to make the recess deeper. Worked on the plastic wheels and metal idlers. The metal idlers are surprisingly soft to drill through by hand. Just have to do it in small increments.

Yup, no grease! If anything some PTFE dry lube if you want. Been running mine with stock bushings for quite awhile and no issues. If you have the coin grab some sealed bearings to replace the bushings (little smoother and less resistance) before assembly but not the end of the world.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Labelle-134...-/400927673738

yeah i think ill try bearings and see how it goes. bought some spare wheels spruces for another wheel set just in case. Just wondering whould graphite powder do the same as the ptfe?

Grease can be used, though it’s not always recommended because it has a thickener, which contains metal soaps such as aluminum and calcium.Another option is oil. As long as the bearing has oil, its speed is increased. However, oils evaporate; therefore, they serve less time than grease.

Used Ceramic grease on my now 20 year old Tigers, not a fail yet, most important would be bearing for idler wheel

That was before bearings were available besides direct from a manufacturer

Does anyone know if the PTFE Lube is the same as powdered graphite, and if they're not the same, what's the difference? I've been using powdered graphite for years, not just on bushings, but also on turret rings that don't have bearings. It really makes the rotation of the turret much smoother.

WD40 Specialist Anti Friction DRY PTFE Lubricant is a liquid aerosol spray that with it's push on tube applicator allows you to get the fluid right where you want it,
The downside is that it needs more applications than powdered graphite but it leaves no residue and it's ability to lower friction is quite amazing.
Recommended.

Does the same job but 2 different products. Ptfe is a fluoropolymer and graphite is carbon. They both do about the same job

Still fine graphite can "cake" to moisture, ptfe is less likely.

Grease is a better alternative for those who don’t want to keep their wheels and bearings lubricated frequently. Bike grease and lithium grease are a few of the several types of bearing lubricant to use on your bearings. You may also use molybdenum grease, although it is a bit excessive.

I ended up doing a very light coat of powered graphite and have had no issues. I dont drive it near any water so there has been no caking issues.

I highly recommended to use Teflon-based lubricants that are made especiall. Two or three drops are enough to put in each bearing.
Remember that the use of other oils, such as motor oil and cooking oil, will damage your bearings. Even W40 is not recommended at all, for it can only do good for your bearings for a short period of time and may just damage your bearings in the end.

I thought most of these bearings are sealed and don't really need lubricant?

The stock kit comes with bronze bushings not really bearings so a little lube helps em out. There is a mod to where you can put in real bearings and yes those are sealed so they do not need any lubrication.