QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ON THE WEB:

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The Tire Wars            

Model car racing is certainly a very realistic way to race. To me, it’s far more enjoyable and closer to full-size racing than any of the video games because a crash has real consequences---you usually lose the race. There are some unsettling similarity between model car racing and full-size car racing and one of those is “speed secrets”. I’ve had the chance to race with several clubs in America and Canada and my cars perform very differently on each track. The members of the club seem to have a similar problem in that , in a club of a doze members, about four of members have cars that are quicker than rest. The remaining members race for the “best of the rest” prize. I understand that you can make any car quicker by spending s few dozen hours going over it to be sure everything is perfectly aligned, tight and/or round but I suspect that I am not using the same tires alas the rest. I am lobbying for the club to have a “spec” tire but they claim it would be nearly impossible to police effectively so most of them leave the choice of tire open (except to disallow the sponge or colored tires that are common at commercial raceways). So how do I find out which is the best tire and where do I buy them?

            Finding the tire that best suits the track and your car (whether a full-size car or 1/32 scale) is as elusive as the search for the Holy Grail or the alchemists’ search for gold.  It helps if all the different track surfaces are the same texture and paint. Since a lot of clubs race on both routed wood tracks and variety of plastic tracks that might include smooth Carrera, slightly rougher-surfaced Scalextric Sport, rough SCX or even rougher-texture NINCO track.  The rougher tracks destroy silicone tires so you may find the stock tires are as good as it gets or you can try replacement urethane or rubber tires. On the smoother tracks like Carrera silicone tires work well. Often, the problem is not the tire but the track. Running cars with silicone tires and urethane tires in the same race can make it difficult for both drivers.

            The silicone tires tend to squeegee the track clean, so they actually act like track cleaner cars. The car will “clean” it lane very nicely in a hundred laps. The silicone tires will pickup any dust, and especially urethane dust, which acts like sand on a racing line to make the silicone tires loose traction. When you are “breaking-in” the track before a race, it’s essentially that you wipe the tires clean very half-dozen laps. I use a piece of duct tape looped sticky-side out and roll the rear tires over the duct tape so it will pull-off the loose dust and grit. Conversely, the urethane tires work best when a “blue groove” of worn rubber is laid down on the track after a few hundred laps of racing. Urethane tires can be slippery on a perfectly clean track (like a track that has been “cleaned” with urethane tires on the car that just raced in that lane). Pick silicone or urethane tires but do not to try run cars with urethane on one car and silicone tires on the other car in the  same race because, as you rotate lanes, you’ll find yourself running on a track that has either been cleaned by urethane which makes it slippery for your urethanes or, if you are running urethanes, the leftover rubber for urethanes will be picked up on the silicone tires to make them slippery. The two different tire compounds are constantly trying to do their “thing” and traction for either can be completely unpredictable.

Silicone Tire Sources:

            Super Tires:  www.slotcarcorner.com

            Indy Grips:  Professor Motor:  www.professormotor.com

            K & D: www.homeracingworld.com/kdracing2.htm

            Maxx Trax:  Professor Motor:  www.professormotor.com

            Slot.it:  number SIPT17 (20 x 10.0 mm) and SPIT18 (20 x 10.5 mm) S2 silicone tires for their “17-inch” wheels are silicone and work well but, so far, that’s the only size they offer. The “S1” Slot.it tires do not seem have as good a grip of the “S2”.

Urethane and Real Rubber tires:

            Some of the manufacturers offer urethane tires with more grip than the stock tires. Look for the tires in the NINCO ProRace series, Scalextric Sport+ , SCX “Pro” series, the optional Slot.it tires, Avant Slot, BRM, BWA and others.

            Ortmann Tires:  Electric Dreams www.electricdreams.com

Poor Power

            I assembled a Carrera analog track on a ping-pong table with two lanes and about 35-feet of track. I am using the power base that was supplied with the set. Either car runs just great in either lane but, when I try to race the two both are much slower than when running alone. Is there a hidden short circuit somewhere in the system or the cars?

            Usually, the cars that are furnished with sets have motors that draw a minimum amount of current and one power pack should be enough. However, when one of cars is accelerating it will try draw as much power a possible and that can slow the second car. If your controllers have brakes, the second car can even make the brakes work erratically for the first car. You need a second power base for the second lane. Or find cars with slower motors. The low-cost power bases do not have enough output for anything but very mild motors and, even then, you are going to get erratic performance because one car is always "stealing" power from the other. Most of the plastic track connector terminals have a provision to plug-in two power supplies.

Poor Power, But Smaller (HO Tracks)

            I have a four-lane 50-feet HO track assembled with AFX track. One or two cars run just fine but when a third or fourth car is raced, at least one of the cars seems to lack power. I have checked all the track connections to be sure they are tight and the wire junctions are also secure. We are using the AFX controllers and all of cars are stock AFX machines. Do I need more power?

            Yes, you do need more power. Ideally, a separate power pack for each lane, However, the newer AFX number 8822 Tri-Power Pack produces a full amp and it will plug into your existing AFX terminal track. The Tri-Power is adjustable for less power to make it easier for beginners to drive. Get one for each lane and you should never have power problems again.

Race-Ready Help? 

            All of the cars I have purchased run just great right out of the box. However, when I race the same brand and style car with those my friends have purchased their cars are noticeable quicker than mine. Are there “faster” cars in some of those boxes?

                        Thanks for you  help, Steven Jacobee

            The reality of mass production means that there are, indeed, some seemingly-identical cars that are faster than others. There are also some instances where the later cars may have different and faster motors than earlier cars. Generally those “quicker” cars are quicker because their owners have “tuned” them. There are some basic tune-up tips that are needed for every model race car on our website www.modelcarracingmag under the “New to the hobby?” link. There are nine tips including: Two Driving Techniques, Perfect Pickup Braid, Oil & Grease, Reliable Wires, Cleaning Track, Tire Mounting, Chassis Set Up, Carrera Guide Shoe Mods. Apply these tips and you’ll at least have an even chance. There’s lots more you can do, including changing to silicone rear tires with better grip, loosening the body-to-chassis screws and more.

Geared-Up

             I believe that the cars my friends’ race are quicker than mine. Yes, it could be my possible lack of driving skill but I am able to drive their cars as fast as they can. My cars are just not as quick. The quicker cars seem to have different gear ratios. Is here an easy way change gear ratios?

            The gear ratios that manufacturers fit to their cars are nearly always the optimum for that particular motor and car. If the track you race on are extremely tight (like the 5 x 9-foot Indy F1 tracks we use for our Race Track Tests) or with 20-foot or longer straights, the car may benefit from a different gear ratio. Most 1/32 scale cars are fitted with press-on rear wheels and usually, press-on axle gears. It is possible to remove the wheels and, sometimes, to even remove the gear, but chances are you will ruin the wheels, the gear and/or the bearings in the process. So, to change the gear on  rear axle,  you will need to purchase a new rear axle, new bearings, new wheels, inserts for wheels, tires and finally) the gear itself. It would be foolish replace wheels and gear with press-on plastic so you’ll want set-screw-mount aluminum wheels and gears from Slot.it, NINCO, BWA or others so you can easily remove the wheels and axle to change the gear for different gear ratios. There are some added benefits in that the new setup will run much smoother than original and the car should corner quicker.

            The simplest way change gears, however, it remove the gear from the motor shaft and replace it with one that has one less tooth (for those really tight tracks ) or with one more tooth (for short and tight tracks). You will need to buy a gar puller and press but it’s a tool you can use forever. The NINCO 80201 Pinion Press and Puller is $18.98 will do the job ( the Slot.it SIP20 Pinion Extractor and Press which is  $54.99 a bit easier use). Snap the motor out of the chassis (the wires can stay in place if you do not stretch them enough to break the solder joints), and remove the old pinion to replace it with a new one. Your hobby dealer should have the pinion gears you need. Use the tool to press the new gear in position of original. On inline motors, be sure that the gear is far enough on the shaft so it does not rub the crown gear hub but far enough on to mesh with the crown gear teeth, On sidewinder on anglewinder cars, the gear must be pressed-on far enough so it does not rub the inside of the tire.

SCX Digital Conversions

 I’d like to run Scalextric, Carrera and Slot.it cars on my SCX Digital track. Does SCX offer a conversion kits?

            We've done two articles on just that and later in 2011 Slot.it will have an HRS2 chassis kit with SCX Digital. The techniques for rebuilding virtually any chassis with independent front wheels and installing the SCX Digital chip are shown in the September/October 2009 number 47 issue. Swapping bodies is in the January/February 2010 number 49 issue.

 Tires and Wheels for Vintage Revell  Cars

I have a Revell Mercedes 300SL Gullwing with the flat home set aluminum chassis. It’s not exactly in racing condition. I want to take off the wheels and put in oilites (or some kinda bushing) and replace the axles. How do I take off the wheels? Are they pressed on? Also, what bushings or oilites fit? Any help appreciated.

You should be able to determine if the wheels are aluminum or plastic by scratching on them. I suspect they are aluminum but, either way, you'll likely damage them getting them off. EJ's has replacement threaded axles, wheels, nuts, bushings and gear---you'll likely need them all. They also have replacement tires. EJ's Hobbies, 7017 Cascade Rd., S.E., Grand Rapids, MI, 49546-7304, www.ejshobbies.com. Electric Dreams (www.electricdreams.com/) offers several choices of tires fit the stock wheels on the cars from sixties and seventies.

 Where To Race?

I was wondering if you could give me some information on stores in Upstate New York that have tracks in house to race on?

                         Thanks, Randy Scott 

A few of our dealers have tracks, however, about 98% of the racing in 1/32 scale and HO scale takes place on private home tracks. You can ask the dealers if there is a local club you can visit. You can find them on the website www.modelcarracingmag.com under the top bar “Model Resources” then click on “Dealers”---you can also click on “Clubs” to see if any of the racing clubs are close enough to you. Really, two folks is enough to create our own "club" if you use the "crash and burn" system where you are out if you deslot. In my opinion, however, it's more fun to have corner marshalls to put the deslotted cars back on the track (a closer simulation of a spun-out full-size car) so you'll need four or five live bodies, two to race and two or three more to replace the deslotted cars during the race. 

Erratic Power Delivery?

If I remember correctly you guys had some sort of magic goop to fix electrical joints on plastic track. Did it work, and what was it? We are having some electrical current flow problems on a Scalextric Sport track.

                                    Regards, Dan Wilson

 The assembly pins on Scalextric Sport Track are separate pieces (somewhat like Lionel's sheet-steel three rail toy train track). The pins can work loose if the track is taken apart carelessly. Sometimes, just squeezing the sides of rails with needlenose pliers will help to tighten the pins inside the rails, but coating the male end of the pin with a thin layer of electrically-conductive paste is sometimes an additional solution. The Techspray-brand TraceTech number 2505-N Conductive Pen is about $27.00 and Caig  Electronics (http://store.caig.com) number 64-4339 CircuitWriter is about $13.00.  You can order the pens from Electronics supply stores like Frys (www.frys.com/) and Allied Electronics (www.alliedelec.com/). The pens have powdered metal in some kind of carrier paste. Treat each of the joining pins BEFORE assembling the track. It's the type of pen (like some paint striping pens) that works when you push down on the point and, as such, it clogs after it has been stored for a few days---best to treat all the joints at one time. 

More NINCO XLOT???

            I am interested in purchasing one of the NINCO XLOT 1/28 scale Porsches like the one in the November/December 2009 number 48 issue, but I would like more options in body styles. Does NINCO plan on expanding the series?

                        Thank you very much for any help you can offer,

                        Brad Cummings

            NINCO also offers a Ferrari F430 in two liveries. I would expect see more body styles at Nuremburg Toy Fair in February for shipment in 2010 but, for now, it’s the Porsche 997 GT3 and Ferrari 430. NINCO offers three paint schemes for each of the two cars.

            1/24 scale racing is about as popular as 1/32 scale in Germany. Which explains why Carrera (and Auto Art and BRM) offers the 1/24 scale cars. The German racers, with a wide choice of Carrera and commercial wood tracks large enough for 1/24 scale, have also discovered 1/28 scale because chassis have become available for the Kyosho series of “Mini-Z” radio control cars (which are 1/28 scale). Kyosho also makes 1/24 scale slot cars but they are not currently being imported in America. The Kyosho bodies are available separately but you’ll have to ask your dealer to order them. The prices seem to be about $40. The existence of 1/28 as a scale might be one of the factors that prompted NINCO to offer their XLOT Porsche and Ferrari. You can use the XLOT chassis under the Kyosho bodies. There are also three other choices of chassis:

Pn Slot Inc., 135 E. Santa Clara Street, Suite D, Arcadia, CA  91006            www.pnslot.com/

Playfit in Japan (your dealer may be special order them through R.E.H. Distributors

Jens Scale Racing in Germany http://www.scaleracing.de

            The Kyosho (/www.kyoshoamerica.com/miniz) Mini-Z bodies that I was able to find include the Porsche 962, Aston DBR9, Ford GT, 427 Cobra, Daytona, Porsche 935 Turbo, McLaren F1 GT, Lamborghini Countach, Mazda 787B, Honda NSX, Ferrari F430, Nissan 350Z, and 2007 Formula 1 McLaren MP4-22 and 2006 Formula 1 Ferrari 248.

            Beware, however, that the NINCO XLOT cars are narrower than true 1/28 scale so they can be raced on 1/32 scale track, but most of these true 1/28 scale cars will be too wide run on SCX, Sport or Artin track and many are too wide for NINCO track so you may need Carrera track to race 1/28 scale.

Visiting The Legendary Katz-spa-ring

            The HO Katz-Pa-Ring race track is, apparently, still in action. I found a You Tube link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RdBpW0FULY&feature=related. Is there more information available on the track?

                        Thank you,  Carl Benson

The track was purchased by the San Francisco HO club and it’s on their website. You can see it and the incredible effort it required to relocate the track at http://www.sfhora.org/. The Katz-pa-Ring HO track was featured in the July/August 2003 number 10 issue of Model Car Racing with a rough track plan and photos of the then-unfinished track (and in the book SLOT CAR TIPS, RICKS & TRACK PLANS) and the finished track was in the March/April 2005 number 20 issue (and in SLOT CAR RACING IN THE DIGITAL AGE). The 10 x 31-foot track is designed exclusively for HO scale cars. The track is so realistic, however, that only the very best-detailed HO models really look "at home" on the broad curves. It is the most realistic model car racing track I have seen, in part because the lanes are color-coded grey, white and black and the pavement color almost matches the rail color so the slots and rails are not as obvious as on most slot car tracks. The curves are broad enough so the cars look like they are 1/1 scale and the relative speeds of the cars down the main straight look about like they would with real cars; meaning it takes quite a while for even a Cobra (magnet-free, of course ) to get down the straight but a lot less time for a Formula 1 or CART car (with magnet-stuck chassis and hot motor).

 Identifying Carrera Track Sections

I am new to the hobby and have various track pieces that I have purchased via eBay very successfully.  However, can you tell me how to identify parts, especially the curves.  I am having some difficulty in sorting this out.             

                        Thanks, Bob Lohr

 There is no easy way. The markings on the bottom change occasionally. There are illustrations of the boxes on many of the dealer websites on our website www.modelcarracingmag.com. Carrera's website has photos but no matching description. Most dealers can order a Carrera catalog for you. The illustrations in the catalog show the track sections adjacent to one another so it is easy to see their proportions and, thus, identify the size. Hands-on is best. Figure out which is their smallest curve and see which curve fits outside it, then which fits outside that and, finally what is the outermost of the four optional curve sizes. The dimensions for the straight track sections are also in the catalog along with part numbers for all the borders.

Running Backwards?

Is there a simple way to reverse the polarity of DC power supplies (as in DC model train transformers) to allow racing in both directions on a Scalextric Sport track?  I've modified the Sebring layout from an early issue of Model Car Racing to fit on a 6 x 12-foot table and would like to be able to run in both directions.

 I really enjoy your magazine, I have every issue except number 30 and constantly refer to it.

                        Thanks,  Jim Harman

The only way to reverse the cars’ direction is to disassemble the connector track section so it can be rewired with a soldered-in DPDT switch for each lane. Hobby shops that specialize in model railroading may be able to do the installation for you (for a price) or find someone who can. The easiest way is to just unplug the connector track, rotate it 180-degrees, then reconnect it.

 Hairpin Turns

I am in the process of designing a Carrera track for 132 digital and would like to use Brad's hairpin curve. In the September/October 2009 number 47 issue there’s a design for Pal Mal II track with an option for using this curve. My question refers to the longer guide blade on Carrera Digital 132 cars and my concern that the tightness of Brad's curve radius will cause the guide to drag on the sides of the slot. Should this be an issue of concern?

I will be starting to build a track here in a couple of weeks with the goals of making it scenic and yet light and portable.  I have considerable experience with model railroad design and have molds for making textured rock foam scenery. I'm expecting the process of slot car scenery to go a lot faster than any of my model railroad efforts.  I'll also have an overpass on my slot car track and having a realistic looking one is desirable.  One tip I have to share....... is that I located a really good looking and light overpass in AristoCraft's (www.aristocraft.com/) number 7404 stone viaduct in foam for G scale. Its length is 23.5 inches, but of course, the viaduct is not nearly wide enough for car track.  I'll fix that issue by cutting the viaduct lengthwise on a bandsaw and then fill in the middle space, which isn't readily seen anyway. 

                       Regards,  CJ Sasso

Brads Tracks are all hand-made so he usually has a backlog. The newest Carrera guides are much shorter than old ones but still just as wide. By cutting the new one it negotiated the old Brads turn just fine but it might pick the corners of Carrera lane changer flaps more easily--sharpening the leading edge of the guide (and/or the leading edge of the lane changer flaps) should cure it if it becomes a problem. 

The pitfall model railroaders fall into is building scenery so close to the track that the sliding cars (especially the magnet-free longer ones like NASCAR sedans or even long-tailed Porsches) hit the scenery.

Carrera Digital 132

I enjoyed the SLOT CAR RACING IN THE DIGITAL AGE book, which I purchased several months ago.  Since I jumped right into slot cars with digital I am still not clear on car modifications on other brand models that can be made to support Carrera digital. 

Thank you again and have a great day, CJ Sasso

The January/February 2009 number 43 issue has an article on installing Carrera Digital 132 in just about any car.

Four-Lane Digital?

I want to build a 4-lane raceway with SCX Digital. Will I need two sections of track that the controllers plug into and if so how can I set this up so I don’t have any gaps in the track sections. I also would like to have the pits so that if all six cars are pitted at the same time they can exit the pits without running into the other cars or waiting until the one in front of you finishes refueling before you can take off. I have enclosed a plan of what the track will look like any help would be appreciated. 

                                     Thanks, Stephen

You will need the SCX 25000 Control unit to allow 6 cars to race but the standard controller connector track can handle three cars on four lanes.

The November/December 2007 number 30 issue and the book SLOT CAR RACING IN THE DIGITAL AGE have photos and information on how to assemble a two-lane pit stop for SCX Digital. You will need two of their 20150 Right-Hand and two 20156 Left-Hand Lead-In Track Sets plus at least one 20030 Changeover Track Section (five of them if you want six separate pits) for the pit area and it will require at least the length of five straights (ten if you want six separate pits) to set it up.

I’m not sure why you would bother with four lanes using digital. The SCX 20030 Changeover track and 20020 Single Lane Straights can be fitted to allow the cars travel from lane 2 to lane 3 (with additional lane changers, of course, for lanes 1 and 2 and for lanes 3 and 4) if you want four lanes digital.

There’s no way we can tell you if your track plan is going to fit---you’ll have to try it yourself to see what sections might be needed to fill-in any misalignments. It looks like you are trying to plan with conventional SCX track---SCX Digital only offer three curves: inner, standard and outer. Your plan appears to have the larger outer-outer curves that are not available as SCX Digital.

Digital Racing On Wood

Is there any chance of you doing an article about digital lane changing for wood tracks? I want to build my first wood track as I hate magnets too but want to go digital.

                                    Thank you, David Deen

 We have no plans to prepare an article on fitting lane changers to wood tracks. There are three or four folks that have done it but, generally, if you have the skill to route the track, you probably have the skill to cut the diagonal lanes, hollow-out the bottom of the track to fit the lane changer flaps and inset the sensors. The installation must be an exact replica of how the lane changers are installed in the plastic track with the same flap, mechanism and sensor bulb locations. You will also have to graft-in the sensors for lap counting and scoring exactly as they are in whatever digital system you chose. You also have option of using the Slot.it it oXigen system.

The Slot.it oXigen Digital System

I understand that Slot.it has developed a new digital racing system that will work with SCX Digital, Scalextric Sport Digital, Carrera Digital 132 or NINCO N-Digital. Can you provide any information about the new system?

                                    Regards, Bryan Boyce

Slot.it is preparing production of their new oXigen digital racing system for Scalextric Sport Digital or NINCO N-Digital track and cars (so far, we do not know if the oXigen system will work with Carrera Digital 132). The system will definitely not work with SCX Digital because the SCX system has the mechanical lane change–actuating system in the cars while the other brands have the actuating mechanism in the track. 

The oXigen system is a stand-alone system with its own chips and lane changer receivers but it is designed to work with Scalextric Sport Digital and NINCO N-Digital lane changers. The beauty of it is that it enables you to switch from analog to digital on the same track and in most cases using the same lap counting system and existing infrastructure (driving positions, etc). Slot.it’s oXigen System will also have collision detection and more advanced features for the lane changers.

The Slot.it oXigen system operates with a 2.4Ghz Wireless with the option of up 20 cars on the track and up to 8/10 lanes. Each analog car must be fitted with a Slot.it oXigen in-car module. Slot.it will offer O2 double crossovers for Sport Digital and NINCO tracks.

The Slot.it SCP-1 cartridge talks wirelessly with the O2 in-car module, then the in-car module powers the motor and talks to the lap counter through a LED. There are two versions:  

With the Slot.it “Hybrid O2” system the 02 lap counter talks to the O2 interface to utilize existing lap counters, stop-and-go boxes or PCs. The DS lap counters and most other computer systems and PC interfaces will operate the lap counting, scoring and  stop-and-go pit work as usual to control the race.

The “Pure O2” Slot.it system talks to the SCP-1 cartridge in the car and all lap counting and race management happen through your PC computer.

The oXigen system will also allow any of the cars to operate on analog. The Slot.it oXigen system should be available sometime in 2010.

Oh Shoot!

             Looking at the data in your shoot-out section of your magazine I notice you don't list the test voltage. What is the test voltage? And do SCX or Carrera win any shoot-outs?

                                     Thanks, Ron Gist

             All of our tests are done with 12 volts DC and an available two amps or more.   A quick answer to your question; yes, SCX and Carrera cars do “win” some of the shoot-outs, as do Scalextric, NINCO, Slot.it, Fly, Avant Slot, Monogram, Auto Art, BSR, and others. The term ”Shoot-Out” certainly implies that there will be just one left standing. And that’s true of any race; there is only one winner. The purpose of these tests, however, is to make it as clear as we can that the potential performance of the cars in the shoot-out are as equal as possible. This type of performance-matching is really most effective when running magnet-free because tuning with weight and tires (and, perhaps, changing gear ratios) is far more effective in matching the performance of different brands and classes of cars than adding more magnetic downforce. Our goal is show you anything and everything we can so you can make as many different brands of cars as near equal as possible---our purpose is to make it possible so the "winner” is determined by the driver, not by the car.

             In my opinion, the only justification in buying a single brand of car is to create a class where it is the car, not driver that wins. In reality, just picking one brand is not always enough to equalize the cars’ performance because a NINCO Mosler, for example, might be quicker than a NINCO Ascari (although that is not true---these two are very close). The manufacturers do try to make all the cars in a class equal so, for example, an SCX NASCAR Dodge should be a dead-even match for an SCX NASCAR Ford or Chevy.

            We are not advocates of buying just one brand of car. Even the manufacturers are aware that their cars are going to be raced on their competitors’ tracks so any car you see in Model Car Racing magazine should run on any brand of 1/32 scale track from the earliest Scalextric rubber track and V.I.P. all-metal track of the fifties to SCX, Sport, Carrera, NINCO and Artin of today. The exceptions would be that SCX Digital track only accepts SCX Digital cars unless you modify another brand to install an SCX digital chip. Also, the slot depth on the older Scalextric Classic and the SCX track is about 1/16-inch shallower than the other brands. If you are using these track pieces, you may have to trim 1/16-inch from the bottom of the plastic guide shoe on most of the cars.