~ Advanced Racing Tips Page ~

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

1. Choosing the right tires
2. Blueprinting your cars
3. Get rid of axle slop

Choosing the right tires

Tires are probably the most important aspect of slot car setup. They are what transfers the power of the motor into speed on the track. The right tire depends not only on the type of racing you enjoy, but also on the track, and even the type of car. For example, you wouldn't want a rally car that doesn't slide a little, would you? You also wouldn't want an LMP or F1 car that looks like it's driving on ice. The important thing is that you are willing to try some different types of tires in order to find the one that suits you best. Let's start with the type of track you have.

Scalextric Classic / SCX analog track

Classic/SCX track has a mildly abraisive surface. A lot of tires will work well on this surface, though the slot is somewhat shallow, so guides will need to be given some attention for best performance. This is probably the "middle ground" track type, one that hard tires will slide a little bit, but still run passably well, and where soft tires will have good levels of grip. Only exceptionally hard tires will have a problem with this track. Unfortunately, it's no longer being made. On the bright side, it's cheap and plentiful on the secondart market. If you have Classic or SCX track, just try a variety of tires and choose the type you like best.

Scalextric Sport / Digital track

Sport is a smooth track type. Soft compounds such as slot.it F22, N22, silicone and urethane tires work best on this type of track. Performance is best when the surface is free of dust and other loose particles, but only silicone require the track to be perfectly clean, as if it just came out of the package. Rubber compounds will work best when they are permitted to leave some residue behind over time.

Carrera track

Carrera is also smooth, but harder than Sport track. I haven't done a lot of racing on Carrera, but I believe that tires that work well on Sport track will work well on Carrera. The harder and smoother the track, generally, the softer you want the tires to be for good traction.

Ninco track

Ninco is like coarse sandpaper. Pretty much any tire will work well on Ninco, though if you plan to do a lot of racing, and/or don't want to replace your tires very often, harder compounds are probably the way to go. Silicone should work well, as well, as it takes a lot to wear down silicone tires.

SCX Digital / Universal track

This is similar to SCX/Classic track, though most users with this track are SCX Digital users, and the cars are therefore usually limited to SCX cars. Stock SCX rubber tires hook up well on SCX Universal track, but if you want to experiment, don't let me stop you. I'd love to learn more about how well various compounds work on this track.

Routed wood track

This is all over the spectrum, depending on how the track builder made the track, and what the final surface is. I made a track with some cheap interior flat well paint, and the grip is exceptional for every car I tried on it. It was too much in some cases. I've also seen and read about tracks with fancy paints that result in a glass smooth surface where silicone tires reign supreme. If you're going to race on a wood track, talk to those who race on that track to find out about the best tires for it. If you're making your own, get as much input as possible from other builders as to what tires work well on the surface you choose, or even what surface to choose for the kind of cars/tires you already have.

The next thing to consider is what types of tires there are, and how they interact with the track and other types of tires. It's worth knowing this before and while you're testing different types of tires on your cars and track.

Rubber

Silicone

Urethane

Blueprinting your cars

Get rid of axle slop