Thread: Electrathon - A Different Kind of "Hotrod"

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I finally got the chance to take the car to another race. I missed the race in December, so was pretty determined to make this one. I didn't have any tire problems this time; front wheel bearings proved to be my undoing... I lasted 35 minutes into the first race. My ampmeter was registering 50+ amps in every corner and my front wheels were chattering and wobbling on corner exit. Weird! When the batteries began to fade, I parked the car and discovered the real problem.

Actually, it wasn't the bearings, but the bearing spacers and my ignorance of modern bicycle components. When I got these mountain bike hubs, the factory-installed spacers felt like they were somehow attached to the bearings. I incorrectly assumed that they must be pressed into the wheel bearings. In fact, they were only held in place by aluminum retainer rings pressed into the hubs. The oilite bushings I am using to center the 20mm I.D. bearings on the 1/2" axle never reached the bearings, but were trying to support the wheel by holding only the spacers. Apparently, after just a few laps, the retainers let go and the spacers were no longer holding the bearings. The wheel hubs were riding directly on the outer surface of the spacers. That created considerable friction in itself, but also let the wheels wobble and caused the disc brakes to drag in the corners.