Are colored wheels faster than black wheels?
On average, they seem to perform better for me. My theory is that they are a more limited pressing so the mold is possibly newer and crisper than one that's churned out a million black wheels. I don't know why they couldn't make different colored wheels on the same mold, maybe they do and this is just my imagination.
Anyone else notice a difference?
Discussion
Tooling for the molds (for everything, wheels, bodys, chassis, etc) is the most expensive aspect of making a toy. So, for any mold (because they are expensive), they are going to use the same molds repeatedly. So, the most likely answer is, that they are not making new molds for different colors...they are just running the same molds, with a different color plastic.
Ya know I really think they are not the same thing either. In my area, many of the "Best For Track" new HW cars are almost all light colored wheels. I have been doing some wheel swaps for an exercise and they also offer some different aesthetics to typical stuff I make.
I would tend to agree...just seems to be the way it is. Your theory sounds as good as any.
Only other theory I would have is that the colored plastic is some how different than the normal black plastic...like different chemicals or hardness or something, something that would have them do better.