Norristown, Pennsylvania
Floater Wheel Details
TODD'S FLOATER WHEEL
All sprint cars use what is known as a live rear axle. There is no drive axle inside the main axle tubes as found in the quick change rears used in most Modifeds and Late Models. There is no differential or splined spool inside of the quick change housing, rather the ring gear is bolted to a flange on tubular axle. What appears to be a tubular axle housing is actually the drive axle. This creates a very strong drive line, with reasonable unsprung weight. The mechanical outcome is that with both rear wheels connected to the tubular axle through male splines on the axle and female splines in the wheel centers, both rear wheels and the rear axle tube rotate as one unit. It works great but what a drag. You think that the car is 4000 # when it has to be pushed or moved.
When the day begins to load the car, & when the racing is done for the night and it is time to load up the car to head home, or move it around at the quarter car wash, the crew can get a real workout, fighting a car that doesn’t want to roll straight or turn. And if you put a pair of equal size left wheels on the rear on the car, it will roll straight, but it will want not to turn. On concrete or pavement rolling resistance can be more than one person can handle.
To deal with this, you could spend a lot more time at the gym, like you keep telling your driver he needs to do, or you could hook up with Todd’s Performance in Norristown, PA and get a floater wheel set up to add to your “how did I get by without this” list.
Todd’s has developed a special floater wheel hub kit that you can be attached to a good used left rear wheel (or R/R Wheel).Some have even installed it in a new wheel. By good I mean it has to be able to hold air. The wheel can be less that straight since it is not going to be rotating very fast.
The floater hub is made up of four pieces. There is a bearing carrier that bolts to the wheel center, a special roller bearing, a custom made splined inner race that fits inside the bearing and a very large external snap ring that captures the splined inner race inside the bearing The bearing is sandwiched between the bearing carrier and the wheel center.
In operation the splined inner race fits on the rear axle splines. A standard wheel spacer and wheel nut secure the wheel to the car. The bearing supports the weight of the car and allows the wheel to freely rotate. This allows the car to be easily moved around for maintenance, hence the name, floater wheel.
At present you can buy a center hub with bearing, splines & center plate, gold anodized for $242.60 If you wish you can send him your wheel and for a few bucks more they will install it for you, or for $365.00 Todd’s will fix you up with a set up built from a good used wheel.
To give you an idea of how good these floater wheels work: Several years back Bill Gallagher’s multi time URC championship winning 5G that Todd wrenched was exhibited at an Area Auto Racing News Motorsports Expo in Fort Washington, PA. In order to make it easier to move the show car into the hall and booth, it was fitted with an earlier model floater wheel. The car was easily rolled from the loading door area to the booth by a young couple, as in one girl and one boy. At one point during the show I was standing near the booth and observed two arm chair racers looking the car over. They were convinced that the left rear wheel, the floater, was a traction control device at the time traction control was all the talk. They couldn’t believe it was at a race car show for all the world to see!!!! So after you get a floater wheel you will not only make your race life easier, you might be able to spook the competition as well.
Racers Using the Floater Wheel
At present some of the racers using the hub are Lucas & Randy Wolfe WOO 410’s, Curt Michael in the Gallagher 5G 360’s & 410’s, Scott Geesey (Sprint Aces) Super Sportsman, 358’s, 410’s. Joe Grandenetti (TSRS), Ken Buckley, Bobby Devault, 305’s, Todd Rittenhouse Jr. 358’s 410’s, Mike & Jamie Kostic, & many, many more. It is presently also be sold by vendors on the west coast & Midwest.
Distributors of Floater Wheel Center
- Steele Performance Products, Tampa Florida www.steeleperformance.com
813-871-1989 - Chalk Racing Products, Kokoma, Indiana www.chalkchassis.com
765-452-9202 - Bruces Speed Shop, Rockaway, New Jersey www.brucesspeed.com
973-664-0192 - Diversified Machine Inc., Lancaster, PA www.diversifedracing.com
717-397-7470 - Speedway Motors, Lincoln, NE, www.Speedwaymotors.com
800-979-0122 - BRMotorsports, Visalia, CA www.brmotorsports.com
800-328-3333 - Zemco Speed Equipment, Tower CIty, PA www.zemcospeed.com
717-647-9723 - Speedmart, Burlington, WA www.speedmartinc.com
800-664-2788
For More Information:
Contact Todd Rittenhouse
Todd’s Performance, Norristown, PA
Cell 610-220-6058
email trittsr@yahoo.com