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The IHSR club rules require wheel inserts for wheels that do not look prototypical. And I can see the point in that. Wheels that look authentic make the cars, well, look authentic. Problem is, finding wheel inserts that look prototypical and fit aftermarket wheels is difficult to dang near impossible. But those aftermarket wheels are often needed for competition.
I have just purchased two new cars to run in the new Group 'C' IHSR class. And I have replaced their rubber tires/wheels with foam tires/wheels, since foam tires are required for this class. Does look ugly though...
The front wheel insert looks pretty enough, and I assume simulates the appearance of the wheels used on the actual car, but what are the chances of finding one that'll fit the rear wheel?
It helps a ton to have:
a) a 3D printer, and
b) a CAD program
The first step was to design and print a cup that's a light press-fit into the rear wheel. Getting that light press-fit took a couple of tries, fine-tuning the diameter of the cup. But that worked.
Then the issue was to photograph the front wheel insert, adjust its size, and print it out. And it was just as easy to print out a full sheet as only one.
Then the trick was to cut out one of those images. For that a 14mm punch was just the thing. I put a strip of double-sided tape on the opposite side of the print, then punched out the image and tape in one sharp tap of the hammer.
I stuck the paper punch-out to the printed cup, and the end result, not half bad. Much nicer looking, doncha think?
And just in case someone complains that the Jaguar XJR10 had skirts covering the rear wheels -- yes, sometimes, but not always.
I have just purchased two new cars to run in the new Group 'C' IHSR class. And I have replaced their rubber tires/wheels with foam tires/wheels, since foam tires are required for this class. Does look ugly though...
The front wheel insert looks pretty enough, and I assume simulates the appearance of the wheels used on the actual car, but what are the chances of finding one that'll fit the rear wheel?
It helps a ton to have:
a) a 3D printer, and
b) a CAD program
The first step was to design and print a cup that's a light press-fit into the rear wheel. Getting that light press-fit took a couple of tries, fine-tuning the diameter of the cup. But that worked.
Then the issue was to photograph the front wheel insert, adjust its size, and print it out. And it was just as easy to print out a full sheet as only one.
Then the trick was to cut out one of those images. For that a 14mm punch was just the thing. I put a strip of double-sided tape on the opposite side of the print, then punched out the image and tape in one sharp tap of the hammer.
I stuck the paper punch-out to the printed cup, and the end result, not half bad. Much nicer looking, doncha think?
And just in case someone complains that the Jaguar XJR10 had skirts covering the rear wheels -- yes, sometimes, but not always.
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