FTE modifying, still worth it?

FTE and NPA (Nickel Plated Axles) were the go-to in the hobby's early days, from what I saw in the grandstands, yet if you take a look around now, what shoes are your frequent podium sitters and trophy earners using? 

There isn't a Mad Splash to be had in all of New England, because reasons [taps forehead]

The line of enhanced axles and wheels were certainly a fun change of pace back then, and heck, I'd love to see a return sometime just out of nostalgia. Your most accomplished builders have evolved in skill beyond what benefit the series used to offer. Hope you get more replies, from folks with that first hand cred to back them up! 

found this one on ebay,I have the casting but not fte,and of course not having the fte version I can't compare it if I wheel swap

I'm fairly new to customing a special sauce to make your wheels roll supah fast, and I used to run just FTE wheels with a lottle, yes a lottle, of the graphite and it was fast enough for the crew of people I was racing with locally.

I have sense moved off of the FTE axles and just started hammering away on figuring out if I could make other axles/wheels faster. It's been a lot of trial and error, but now my set ups are faster than my FTE axled cars. I think FTE have a place, and for sure help people get into the race side of the hobby, but most have figured out their own ways of making wheels/axles faster now. 

Either way, it is a lot of fun and I hope you find what works for you! Start experimenting and good luck! 

They were released 20 years ago and are getting harder and harder to find. When I found 8 or 9 of them in an indoor flea market at $2 a piece, all but 1 were fantasy castings, I snapped them up and booked it out of there. Also many the non-fantasy FTE cars are getting too valuable to drill and harvest axles. I almost regret drilling the Corvette that I did earlier this year. That particular variant is $12-14 on EBay without the shipping and many others are even more. 

If I run across a lot of them fairly cheap, I'll buy them. If I can't get them for an average of $4 or less each, I don't buy them. I use them all the time. Not that my cars are faster than anyone else's...lol. I like them because they're usually decent right out of the blister. You don't have to work as hard to get them spinning well. No matter what axles/wheels you use, you still have to polish the axles and use whatever lube treatment you like. 

FTEs were all the rage when I joined RLD in 2010. I remember buying big auction lots @ pennies on the dollar. Local flea market vendors simply didn't know the difference and sold them like regular mainlines. Their increased demand is a testament to how popular this hobby has become over the past 15+ years.

I presently have ~95% of all available FTEs in my loose, raceable collection.(No Datsun 240Z, they're untouchable) I also have ~100 stored in package (including multiples) that I plan on transporting to Wichita with me in November to sell in-person @ fair club prices.

Any casting is open game for Modifying. If the wheel spin is good, then make it better regardless of axel type/brand etc. If I think I can make an FTE equipped casting better or it's axels/wheels would be best suited in another casting, and be competitive in doing so, then I'll drill away.

Also, FTE'S introduced the OH5 wheel, which is the wheel Mad Splash's are running apparently. The OH5 has always been one of the better mass produced wheels regardless of NPA or Mainline axel(s).

As with other types of wheels, there are good ones and some not so good. There are a few FTE castings that do have consistently better wheels that spin better without wobbles and with the axle cone perfectly round. My car that's currently running at LRL has FTE wheels and seems to be doing well. Finding the castings that do consistently have good wheels for a good price are a solid purchase in my opinion. The nickle plating isn't a plus for me because I remove it, but some do still prefer it. Hey, a good wheel is a good wheel no matter what type it is

I suspect that there were many NPAs installed on standard wheel variants, especially in 2005 where many new models were offered in FTE and standard wheel options. There are many standard wheel cars from that period that are just as quick as thier FTE equivelents. Factory assemblers use spools of wire to cut axles from. Consider that in 2004, the use of this coated wire on specific new models was a change of pace in the assembly process. It's very plausible that nickel-plated wire spools that were left over from an FTE batch remained on the production line when a standard wheel batch began. It's something that may have been easily overlooked by an incentivised, low wage, assembler.

All good points across the board, but there is one aspect of FTE"s that can't be denied. When your racing in an open class event, bare stock aka no lube, and you're facing older metal/metal castings etc., FTE's consistently punch above their weight, as most are low 40g and less. The Cadillac Escalade is the heaviest if memory serves correctly and one of the best races I've seen in awhile was the Ultra Hots Street Scorcher vs Cadillac Escalade FTE. It was a best of seven and flip for lanes if tied 3-3, without a dominant lane and the Street Scorcher won by .001

I have the bronze Corvette,seems to be one of my fastest but the nitro doorstopper takes it down