Review: Little Guy Racing Parts Fifteen52 Traverse MX 1.0" Beadlock Wheels
After every new small-scale R/C crawler purchase I make, I’m undoubtedly faced with the question, " How am I going to make this rig my own?" As I’ve found over the years, one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to customize a 1/24 or 1/18 radio-controlled trail truck or custom rock crawler is to give it a new set of wheels.
Little Guy Racing Parts has created quite a name for themselves in the small-scale crawling scene, and for good reason. Their tires, wheels, chassis kits, and other crawler components are well-designed, rugged, and look amazing. While most of their wheel designs are their own, they’ve partnered with Fifteen52 to bring some of their 1:1 wheel designs to the world of R/C. The first wheel design to be scaled down was the Traverse MX. With its contemporary design that looks great on just about any body style, I quickly bought a set and held onto them until the right rig arrived to install them onto.
When the Redcat Ascent-18 Scout II arrived in my R/C garage, I knew I needed to give it a few personal touches, and I knew exactly the wheels I’d use to kickstart that project. Let’s take a closer look at Little Guy Racing Parts Fifteen52 Traverse MX 1.0" Beadlock Wheels and how they can personalize and improve your 1/24 and 1/18-scale R/C crawler.
What’s Included with Little Guy Racing Parts' Fifteen52 Traverse MX 1.0" Beadlock Wheels:
- Four Little Guy Racing Parts' Fifteen52 Traverse MX 1.0" Beadlock Wheels
- Wheel Assembly Hardware
- Wheel Nuts (Optional)
Appearance:
To be honest, I hadn’t heard of Fifteen52 before learning about this partnership with LGRP. That said, they make some absolutely stunning full-size wheels for 1:1 cars and trucks. Compared to their real-world counterparts, Little Guy Racing Parts has done an amazing job capturing the detail found in these wheels.
From the spokes to the outer ring machining, these wheels are great replicas of what can be mounted to your everyday driver. LGRP offers five color options for this wheel: Satin Black, Satin Gray, Satin Bronze, Raw Aluminum, and Gun Metal. I chose Satin Gray for my Redcat Ascent-18 Scout II install and couldn’t be happier with how they look on that model.
Even if you chose to run these wheels on an R/C crawler with a modern-day bodystyle, you’d have a great wheel and body pairing.
Of course, how a wheel ultimately looks largely depends on your tire choice. To that end, I paired my set of Little Guy Racing Parts Fifteen52 Traverse MX 1.0 Wheels with a set of Injora’s King Trekker 1.0" A/T Tires (58*24mm).
This wheel and tire combo looks tough, and when paired with the Scout II, it transforms an already classic-looking rig into a true adventure icon.
Installation:
As I state with every crawler wheel review I’ve done, small-scale and otherwise, depending on what tire you’re using, your installation ease mileage may vary. Luckily for me, the duo of Little Guy Racing Parts' Fifteen52 Traverse MX 1.0" Wheels and Injora’s King Trekker 1.0" A/T Tires didn’t present many mounting missteps.
The two key areas to keep an eye on when mounting tires to these wheels are the security of the bead and ensuring the spokes are properly aligned. It takes a little time and patience, but the overall task of mounting these wheels isn’t too taxing.
Performance:
Let’s face it; the biggest draw of these wheels is their style. Having said that, you do gain a slight performance advantage in terms of added weight. A full set of LGRP’s Fifteen52 Traverse MX 1.0" Beadlock Wheels weighs 92g/3.25oz, putting your per-wheel weight at 23g/0.81oz.
My Ascent-18 Scout II hasn’t undergone many upgrades, so I still consider it fairly stock. The additional weight provided by these wheels is quite helpful in keeping the truck planted, especially when balance gets thrown off. On this particular vehicle, I have a magnet-mounted roof rack and a selection of accessories that raise the center of gravity. Between the wheel weight and the brass diff covers that I’ve added to this rig, it manages to stay on all four tires more times than not. What’s even more impressive is the times that I can have one front wheel off the ground while climbing, and the rest of the tires are firmly planted on the ground.
What’s the Verdict?
If you’re on the lookout for a well-crafted R/C crawler wheel that has one foot in the 1:1 world, you can’t go wrong with LGRP’s Fifteen52 Traverse MX 1.0" Beadlock Wheel set. They’re modern, but will look great on just about any style of 1/18 or 1/24 crawler or trail truck.
In fact, one of the benefits of these wheels is their ability to be used on both 1/18 and 1/24 R/C crawlers. “Larger” small-scale models like the Traxxas TRX-4M, Redcat Ascent-18, HPI Venture18, HobbyPlus CRP18 could benefit from these wheels, as well as 1/24-scale models like the Axial SCX24, HobbyPlus CR24, FMS FCX24, and RGT Adventurer. Even if you’re building a custom small-scale crawler, these wheels will look right at home.
Regardless of the scale of the R/C crawler or trail truck you plan to install these wheels on, whether 1/24 or 1/18, you should experience improved stability compared to most stock plastic wheels. When you combine that with their amazing fit, finish, and style, you have an affordable set of wheels that can spruce up just about any small-scale crawler.
Little Guy Racing Parts Fifteen52 Traverse MX 1.0" Beadlock Wheel Specs:
- Size: 1.1" (28mm) Diameter
- Center Ring/Wheel Barrel Diameter: 31mm
- Overall Width: 13mm
- Weight (set): 92 grams
- Cost: $44.99
