09/25/2011

Review

I glued the stock Slot.it rubber tires onto this GT40, & left the glue set over-night before starting my Treating & Truing process. There's Many Different. DIY tire trimmer/truer - posted in 1/24 Model Racing: Is there a step by step on how to build such a beast?After my recent investment of a Difalco e'motion 3 I find myself a tad short on funds and in need of a tire trimmer.If there is no such thing as a diy trimmer what would be the least costly option?

The picture above is the machine truing the tyre.Truing the tyre is done always with the switch in the up position. With the switch in the up position it runs the sanding disc and also runs the motor which turns the the wheel and tyre that has to be trued.Volts for truing depends on tyres,normally 6 to 10 volts.
High Performance Radio Control Car Automatic Tire Truers, Semi-Automatic & Manual Tire Truers, Tire Warmers for Rubber Tires & Foam Tires. Tire Truer 2014 tyre.

Eric Cropper

In the immortal words of Arnold, “I’m back.” I’m going to show you the ins and outs of the newest homebrewed tire truer available for our hobby, the Tire Razor. This product comes straight out of Missouri and is built by a one man operation that just started off to show folks that they could make a tire truer themselves if they had the right tools in their garage or basement. The Tire Razor prototype caught the eyes of many and soon its creator started getting asked, “How much to make me one?” Thus, began Jon’s effort to produce and sell a quality product with an exceptional price compared to similar machines already on the market. He isn’t just making these to make a buck off up groove riders, because he’s one himself. He has a passion for toys cars just like the rest of us and his efforts with the Tire Razor show it.

So, let’s grab that plastic case fresh car purchase or an oldie, but wobbly and get to the truth about this tire truing system.

VIEWING THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE TIRE RAZOR

The Tire Razor is a beefy unit made out of 60-61 aircraft grade aluminum and it looks like it will last for years of use. The Razor comes with everything you need to start sanding your wheels and tires except for the wiring to connect it to your power supply. This allows you to wire it specifically for whatever brand or type of power supply you will be using to power it.

Personally, I only have my MG power supply located under the track table. I used about 10 feet of cable to give myself enough leash to comfortably use my Razor. The motor tabs accept 3/16” spade connectors and then use whatever best fits your power supply on the other end. I actually used ¼” spade connectors that I already had on hand and banana plugs on the supply end of my power leads. I just had to give the spade connectors a squeeze with a pair of pliers to make for a tight fit.

Tire Rzzor Slot Car Tire Trueing Machines

Oh yeah, upon removing your Tire Razor from the box and bubble wrap you will notice it’s already dirty with rubber. That’s Jon’s way of letting you know he’s tested your Tire Razor before it was shipped.

Tire Razor Slot Car Tire Truing Machines

Note: I will be comparing the Tire Razor to the Area 3 several times within this review. This is only for comparison of two similar products and not to be taken as a bashing of the Area 3 product. I have only used these two machines and I find both to do what they are advertised to do. However, there are a couple of things about the Tire Razor that I personally think allow for a better experience while truing a set of wheels and tires. This is why I will be pointing them out to you.

Above are the loose parts of the Tire Razor system. You get an axle pulley, wrench for the set screws and 2 power bands. Also, to help you get sanding immediately Jon includes a couple of pieces of sandpaper.

The TR’s axle pulley is smaller in diameter VS the Area 3. It gives a bit more clearance when sanding small diameter wheels and tires. The band can end up hitting the insides of the channel cut into the sanding block if you go too far back and forth with it. The Razor can still do this too, but the smaller diameter pulley gives you a little more room when sanding smaller diameter wheels. However, you still need to use caution with both machines and this is in no way a deal breaker to purchase either machine.

Below is the sanding block which is a solid piece of material. Jon’s version has the channel offset. So, you have a good amount of stock to place you fingers upon to guide the block during sanding. This helps keep those much needed phalanges clear of the wheels and pulley during operation. The sand paper is the sticker backed paper and can easily be pulled up and replaced with a new piece. This type of paper is available at your local hardware store. FYI: Drywall sanding paper works great on silicone type tires.

Here’s a close-up of the axle forks for lack of a better term. The cutouts hold the axle bushings in place and allow the axle to spin freely under power. These forks are going nowhere if you are concerned with bending or warping. Unless, you plan on dropping or taking a hammer to it you’ll be pleased with its construction.

Above is a shot of the channel that holds the sanding block in place. As you can see there are 2 screw holes on the end and 1 on top at the far end too. What are they for? That’s for Part 2 of this review, but it involves plastic wheels, cutting and very little time to do it from what I’m told by Jon. Ok, you broke me down!!! These screw holes are for a separately bought lathe attachment. There, you happy now?

You can also see that the Tire Razor has foam rubber feet glued to the bottom of it. This greatly helps in keeping the unit planted upon the work surface. It doesn’t sound like much and anyone could add the feet themselves, but it is annoying when a tire truer starts to creep on you during use. This little detail just adds to the enjoyment of using this product.

Below, you can view the sanding block in its natural habitat. The channel and block fit together very well. There is no unnecessary drag involved when you slide the sanding block side to side within the channel.

Looking at the shot below, I will point out another difference between the Area 3 and the Tire Razor. Until I used the Razor, the only other tire and wheel truer I had used was my buddy Matt’s Area 3. We were really impressed with it and considered it worth every penny HE paid for it. LOL. However, the one thing we came to dislike about it was the fact that it only had one tension spring. The more it got used, the side without the spring ended up touched the sanding block less than the side with the spring. You couldn’t get both tires sanded at the same time. We had to sand one wheel or tire and then undo the power band, flip the axle and then true the second wheel or tire to get the job done. It still did the job but, it added more steps to get a finished product. It was more annoying than anything.

The Razor could develop the same issue down the road, but I think the spring strength will diminish more evenly since there are two springs VS just one. As for right now, both tires touch and get sanded at the same time.

I don’t know the specs on the Area 3 motor but, I can say that the TR motor is more than enough and maybe too much. The motor is rated for use in the range of 5 to 15 volts. I can’t imagine turning this thing up to 15 volts. Jon said it will throw the tires and I’ll take his word for it. I’d like to keep my eyes and teeth intact. It’s also suggested that if you power supply doesn’t have circuit protection that you add an inline fuse while wiring yours up. Supposedly, R/C battery packs have been used to power the Razor too. I have no idea on long these would last, but it gives you another option to try if you’re into that hobby in addition to our beloved slots.

Below, the motor pulley is made of the same material as the axle pulley and it’s also held in place with a set screw. You’ll want to check it for tightness before each use as an added precaution.

Tire Rzzor Slot Car Tire Trueing Machines