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When I got my hands on my first shrink-wrapped, factory boxed E-Maxx, I barely got it out of the hobby shop before tearing open the packaging, throwing in batteries and letting 'er rip. Rip it did; a couple of tires halfway off the rims, that is. No problem, I just had to whip out the little CA glue bottle. Gluing can be a pain, though, and ungluing to change out worn tires or try on some new treads is not always a pleasant experience. Here, to the rescue, come the Maximizer beadlock aluminum wheels, now also available in plastic!
Form
Right out of the box, these rims look phenomenal! I bought the 5-spoke design, and they have more and better detail than any functional R/C wheels I've ever seen. The machining work is smooth and exact, and there is no skimping on material -- let there be no question about it, these wheels are tough. The hex hubs, especially, are extremely beefy and I cannot imagine what sort of force would be required to inflict any damage here.
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Function
The real value of the Maximizer beadlock wheels, though, is communicated well on the included sticker sheet, a part of which is shown in the picture at right. That's right, you do not glue your tires to these rims! Like real monster truck wheels, these use bolts to squeeze opposing plates together to very firmly clamp down the beads of the tires. To change your tires, you just remove eight hex-head screws, slide off the tire, remove the plastic wheel inserts (the blue sleeves you see in the photos on this page), and reverse the process with your new tire. Note that the inserts go entirely inside of the tire, so don't go looking for different color options.
Specs & Price
At 6oz. apiece, these rims are much heavier than the stock plastic wheels (less than 2.5oz. each) that come with your E/T-Maxx. This increases your rotating mass, making acceleration a tiny bit more sluggish and increasing the strain on your drivetrain. The weight is also "unsprung," which will negatively affect your suspension's ability to do its job. Also, at $189 per set of four, these wheels are amongst the most expensive available.
On the flip side, this could be the last set of wheels you will ever need to buy. They won't wear out unless you drive into a junkyard car compactor and have some sadistic fun. You'll never risk gluing your fingers together with beadlocks, and you don't have to soak your rims overnight in acetone (which can actually ruin some tires) to get them off. Plus, the cool factor to these wheels are hard to beat. Some people put little bolt heads or colored dots on their rims to give a beadlock appearance, while these Maximizers are the real deal.
Final Analysis
The price was a little steep, but (as you can see) I felt these rims were worth it. I'll be using them for as long as I own my 'Maxxes. You simply can't get a more "trick" set of rims! The Ultimate E-Maxx: Valkyrie project was created to assemble the "single toughest electric 1/10th scale R/C vehicle of all time," and this set of Maximizer beadlocks is a key component in reaching that goal.
