SLOT CAR HANDLING & TIRE SELECTION
For maximum performance and control, the rear end of a slot car must break loose and 'drift out' a little in the corners. This 'power on' slide enables you to take the corners much faster than if the car just tracks following the slot.
THE 'LOOSE' CAR - NOT ENOUGH TRACTION...
How to clean your HO Scale Slot Car Tracks; There are several schools of thought on the best way to clean tracks and rails. NEVER: use Acetone based cleaner, it will distort the plastic. Use Lemon Citrus based cleaner, it may affect the color of the plastic. Use Steel wool, it will stick to the cars magnets and burn if electrified. Another Atco's collections Video - This is a tip video of how I clean my slot car tracks. May 27, 2021 Drive a slot car around the track 5 times to see if it’s smooth. Grab a clean slot car and insert it in the track. Turn it on and drive it around the track a few times. If it stalls or catches on a portion of the railing, push it forward and see if the problem repeats itself. If it doesn’t, the pin on your car pushed the blockage out. B- To soften the impact of the track joints and imperfections A hard leading edge can lead to high speed straight line 'W-T-F' DeSlots C- To keep the car in the slot The guide blade should sit as deep into the slot as possible without bottoming out If the braid sits too high it can lift the blade up and cause in-corner DeSlots.
If the rear tires don't provide enough grip, the rear of the car will slide out too easily, or it may 'fishtail' making it very difficult to control the car. The car will slide out until it can go no further because the guide flag is locked all the way to one side. At this point the car leaves the slot. This de-slot is the result of having not enough grip or traction.
THE 'TIPPY' CAR - TO MUCH TRACTION...
A slot car can indeed have to much traction. When this happens the rear end of the car cannot 'break loose' and slide out in a controlled power slide. The rear tires track tightly following the slot. But if the car is driven too fast, the car will suddenly tilt and the guide flag tips out of the slot. When a car is tilting out of the slot it usually will head straight into the wall. This happens very suddenly and makes it very difficult to race the car without de-slotting.
'BOUNCY, BOUNCY'...
Another way a slot car can de-slot is when it is bouncing or chattering on the rear tires. This chattering can sometimes become so severe that the car actually bounces out of the slot. The chattering is very undesirable. It is usually caused by a broken chassis or motor mount, a bent wheel or axle, or worn out bushings.
THE 'HAPPY' CAR...
When the car is set up properly, it will drift out into a controlled power slide. If you drive improperly, it may tilt out of the slot or it may slide out. It won't always de-slot in the same way. It will be much easier to drive and race than a car which always slides out or always tilts. By observing just how your car is de-slotting when you race it, you can tune it by changing things to make it run better.....
If the car swings out to easily.....
Try grippier or wider tires.
If the car tilts to easily....
Try firmer tires or narrow the width of the tires.
Try adding lead weight up front.
Are you using the proper size of tire? Tires that provide the minimum legal clearance will work best. Taller tires make the car tippy.
Remember that no combination or set up will work for all tracks. You must be ready to adjust and make changes on your car to suit the conditions you find.
Narrowing tires…. How? Why?
Adjusting the width of the tires is a very important tuning method to get maximum performance from your cars. The narrowing of tires is often necessary when your car has more than enough traction. In this condition, the car will tilt out of the slot. (The guide flag comes out first and the car won’t take the turn… it goes straight.)
Too much traction is common in glue racing, but it may also occur in spray glue or even in no glue racing.
The tire width should be adjusted by trial and error… just a little bit at a time until the cars’ rear end drifts out just a little in the corners as power is applied.
Best Slot Car Race Tracks
Trimming the tires…
The easiest way to do this is with one of the “tire machines” make for trimming and truing tires. These machines will rotate the tire as a cutting tool (a blade or needle) is forced into the rubber, taking a bit off the inside edge of the tire. It can also be accomplished by chucking an axle into a rotary tool or drill, and using an exacto to trim by hand. The tire machines are very nice because tires can easily be trimmed to exactly the same width. After the cutting, the square inside edge is rounded off by sanding it as it rotates with a fingernail sanding stick. Make the inside edge of the tire about the same radius as the outside edge. Some racers will prepare several sets of tires in this way at different widths to be prepared for any track conditions.
The amount of trimming will depend on the firmness and stickiness of the rubber as well as the amount of glue on the track. Start by trimming off just a little... you can always go back and trim off more. But if you make the tires too narrow, it’s impossible to put the rubber back on.
It is common to see Box 12, Cobalt 12, even 27 car tires trimmed so much so that part of the rim is exposed on the inside edge. Trimming tire width is an important tuning procedure that every slot racer should understand.
Some advantages of “properly trimmed” tires…
It reduces tilting and popping in the glue… can make a car easier to drive and race… often faster too.
Trimming tires reduces their mass, causing faster acceleration, better braking, and lowers the center of gravity of the car.
Trimmed tires will be faster on the straights – especially in glue.
Properly trimmed tires will allow your motors to run cooler and longer.
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Slot cars are made for driving on a track and not for sitting on a shelf, whether you enjoy racing your slot car by yourself or facing other competitors. The quality and speed of a race is determined by a number of factors, including the track conditions, your equipment, and your personal racing style. However, there are several tips and economical solutions that will help you get your slot car racing.
1. Keep your slot car clean and in good working order.
This is one of the most important and most overlooked aspects of slot car racing. Establish a cleaning schedule for your slot car, such as a full cleaning after every five races. Begin your regimen by removing the body of the car to visually inspect and wipe down all aspects of the vehicle. Be sure to carefully examine the chassis of the car for any weaknesses, and check that the pickup shoes are clean. Determine that the wheel hubs are rotating freely without rubbing the chassis, and be sure to rotate the slot car’s tires on a regular basis to prevent wear and tear from too many turns. Check that your wheel axles are not bent, and replace them immediately if they are bent. By cleaning the car and replacing any damaged parts on a regular basis, your car will last longer and perform better.
2. Oil your slot car
While you are carefully cleaning and examining your car, take the opportunity to oil the vehicle’s chassis and motor. You want to be careful that you do not use too much oil, as this will ooze from the slot car’s parts and cause a mess on the track. A small drop is really all you need at each location. Pay attention to each chassis axle bearing, and apply the oil when they are not spinning freely. Check that the armature is also spinning well, and administer a drop on the front and rear motor end bells as necessary. Make this oiling process part of your cleaning routine, but only apply the oil when needed.
3. Use Jel-Claws tires
When you first purchased your slot car, it most likely came with rubber rear tires. While these are perfectly serviceable for slot car racing, replacing these tires with Jel-Claw ones will greatly improve your speed. Our tires will grip more firmly, allowing you to accelerate your car’s speed while staying on track. In addition, Jel-Claw tires reduce excessive wheel spin, especially during sudden accelerations, so you will experience improved performance during races. This is one of the simplest and least expensive upgrades you can do for your slot car.
4. Watch your pickup shoes
Like replacing the rear tires of your car, swapping the pickup shoes can greatly improve your vehicle’s performance at very little cost to you. Most slot cars begin with copper pickup shoes, but for slightly more money, you can replace those standard shoes with gold-plated ones that will help get more power to the car’s motor. With this slight upgrade, your car will see an increase of power, leading to an improved racing speed.
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5. Focus your racing on one or two cars
One of the best ways to improve your slot car racing technique is to choose one car to use and stick to that car exclusively. You want to get to know and understand the handling of that particular car so that you know intuitively how it will handle the track, the turns, and your commands. If you switch back and forth between several cars, you will invariably forget the idiosyncrasies of your favorites, and you will not perform as well during races. You may want to get to know two cars very well, that way you have a back-up in case of a breakdown or a poor performance one day.
6. Practice
Do not forget to practice! The more time you spend practicing with your slot cars on a track, the more familiar you will be with each chassis. You will learn how to accelerate and hug the curves of the track with your individual car. Increased practice will serve you well during races with competitors since you will be able to easily predict how your slot car will respond in every racing scenario. In addition to improving your race technique, frequent practice will help you recognize and address subtle chassis or motor problems before they become an issue on the race track.
Photo Source: Techedive