Replacing the Rear Tires on the Sears / Nikko Lobo RC Buggy.


Background: Many of us remember the Lobo from the mid 80's. The Lobo came at the end of an era. For those
too young to remember, it is true - there was a time when quality counted more than what was trendy
or cheap. Not only did the Lobo come with official decals for STP, Shell, DieHard, Champion, and Road
Handler, but it came with an oversized engine - giving this vehicle a feisty punch!


A functional Lobo pictured behind its old tires. Broken side rails replaced with bent copper icemaker piping.

I decided to bring my old Lobo back into service. Unfortunately, it seems that many Lobo owners -
myself included - have found that their tires (particularly the rear) have dry rotted over the years.
Search all you want on the net, and you will only find the most vague rumors whispered in the back
alleys...and so I am publishing this in the hopes that you will find rest from your searches.

First of all, people are bound to ask...is the Lobo as fast as I remember it? My answer is YES.
Sure, things may have seemed bigger and faster as a youth. And the Lobo does look smaller than
I remember it..but it is just as tough and just as fast!

Meat and Taters:

Update: Submitted by Perry
Hi. I have the same lobo as illustrated on your your web-site,
however, mine is the red 27 mhz one...Sears'' first model of the original
lobo. After reading your web-site, I wanted to correct you on the rear
tires for the original lobo. The Tamiya hornet''s tires are far too large
for this, however, Team Associated #21064 18MT Tires & Inserts fit the rear
lobo rim perfectly and naturally. The only different feature from the Team
Associated tire, and the original lobo tire is that tread...It is not
spiked, but grooved, but handles well in all terrain.


Perry's suggestion looks correct. I was going to try Team Associated, but
I flipped a coin and tried Tamiya. Below are my original thoughts:
Enough of the baloney. How do we fix it? Tamiya Hornet tires! TAM9805034!! These tires
are larger than the originals. There's an upside and downside to this. The downside is a loss in acceleration
and torque. But I have found that even with fresh Nicads (only 1.2V), the low gear setting still allows
the Lobo to climb hills in reasonable grass with its first speed level, and it can still climb hills
in reverse. The upsides include higher top speed (which may amaze you) as well as
an incredible new ground clearance. Now the Lobo is simply Loco on and off road.

I will describe what I did to fit them.

1. Insert a roll of newspaper into each tire..like an axle.
2. Spray polyurethane foam into the tires. This stuff is often used for insulation, and it
expands as it dries. I used "Good Stuff".
3. An hour or so later, the foam is essentially dry, but it is still expanding and drying.
fit tires onto wheels* such that the foam can expand tightly onto the countours of the rim.
4. Continue to adjust tires as they dry to ensure perfect fit**.
5. When dry, apply superglue to the inner ring where the inner edge of the rim hits the tire.
I did not find it necessary to glue the outside edge.
6. One of the wheels should sit too close to the body. I used a 14 gauge copper wire to keep
the nylon spacer kicked out, and some hot glue to keep it in place. Also, you will need to
cut the treads off of that tire where they rub the body. A razor blade and a careful hand
works best. The other tire may require some work as well.

* I set the tires such that the inner ring of the tire that is rough is towards the body of the
car.
** As the tires are setting, spin them. Looking from the outside of the car, fix your eye upon
the circles formed by the rim and the tire inner. Those circles should be even in reference
to each other as the wheel is spinning. No wobble is permitted. Now that the outside is done,
look to the car's underside to see the inner side of the rim with reference to that inner
part of the tire as you spin the wheel.





The drying of the foam is such that you should be able to manipulate the wheels to get them in the
perfect position. If you mess up, no problem - just tear out the foam (when it dries) and try again.
Tamiya makes foam tire inserts, but who knows how they work. Also, you will notice that the tire's rims
do not extend all the way to the edge of the wheels. That is OK.

I know that acetone removes superglue, but it may also melt this car's wheels/rims. I did not test it,
but I did get suspicious behavior when testing out some rubber cement. In other words, if you glue
improperly, you may end up having to cut the tires off or at least cut the superglue.

Conclusion
The Lobo has a great range, appears to be indestructible, and blazes a trail through
varied terrain. These new Tamiya tires are just the thing.

I took some front tires off of a Radio Shack Turbo Buggy to give nice clearance to the front.
I have a suspicion that many tires of this era would fit. Perhaps even the Hornet's fronts.
No glue is required in my setup.

P.S. Won't you at least consider it a possibility that the Bible is true?
All of the texts you will read in your life...be sure to consider the most important of them all.

If you wish, you may contact me via this form. Be sure to put "Lobo" in the subject so it will get to me.