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NYIAS 2025 photo dump. Good seeing all you lovelies. Apologies to those I missed. Safe travels home.
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For Evan’s birthday a month ago @lingsanity kindly sent a @mclarenauto 570S from @thestep2company. Whoo hoo! We had a second-hand Step2 blue car that Evan loved, but Dad wasn’t a fan because of the NVH and rough ride quality issues from the hard plastic wheels and solid rubber tires. 

Perfect opportunity to upgrade! Brief Google and YouTube searches for easy solutions came up empty, so out came the measuring tape and some Amazon-ing. 

First thing, find wheels that fit. The OEM wheels are about ~7.75 in. across. Finding a wheel+pneumatic tire in that size was the hardest part. Eventually found a similarly-sized wheel and tire combo apparently made for scooters. Bonus, they come with two sets of M8 bearings. Downside: $22 each! A set of 4 cost more than the 570S! Oh well. 

Because of the M8 bearings, I had to replace the OEM axles which were 10mm x 480mm. Closest I could find were a 2-pack of 8mm x 500mm hardened steel 
“linear motion” rods (apparently for 3-D printing) for $20. Deal!

Because of the 20mm difference in axle length, I ordered some 8mm washers and was ready to go, right? Nope. First try at assembly, I realized that the OEM axle cap, sized for 10mm, would not fit the next 8mm axles - too loose. I was flummoxed. Who could help? 

Oh you know, import drag racing pioneer turned race team owner (of the 2021 @FormulaD Championship winning team) and racing innovator @stephpapadakis. “Google ‘shaft retainer’” was his advice - along with an offer of the #PapadakisRacing shop if that didn’t work. But it did! 

And here we are. Six wheel spacers (actually washers, 1 OEM, 5 aftermarket) to prevent sidewall contact and get that flush fit. The skinnier axles seem to have the strength and if they bow a bit, fine, I like a touch of negative camber. Most of all the ride quality/NVH is massively improved. Less impact harshness thanks to air-filled tires, less rattling thanks to tighter tolerances and the bearings make this thing quite a bit faster and easier to push. Thanks Uncle Jackie and Uncle Steph! Now should I turn this into a “How To”post for @motortrend? Certainly some SEO value here…
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