[Mr_Nate]

Hi all,
I am kind of new to slot cars although I do own two cars. (Porsche 956, and Mazda 787B)
I was just wondering if anyone would be able to give me some advise on certain fluids that help the car's performance and maintenance.
For example, is braid conditioner worth geting or other tire traction fluids?
What are the five basic things I should get to maintenance my car?
Thanks,
Nate

 

[Screwneck]

People can go overboard on what are mainly unecessary things like this. Most slotcars run at peak performance with no additives, but if you are itching to do this kind of stuff then:

1. A pinprick of 3-in-1 oil at each end of the motor rotor pole (just do this once when the car has done a few laps).

2. A thin wipe of Vaseline around the pickup guide shaft (where it slides up the chassis anchor) just once when the car is new.

3. Wipe your braids with a cottonbud soaked in liquid lighter fuel every time they start to go black with oxidised metal from the track rails.

4. Fit tyres that are soft enough to grip without chemical additives and clean them regularly with sticky tape to keep the accumulated dust off.

5. An occassional clean of your gearmesh (about once or twice a year if you use the car loads) with a cottonbud soaked in liquid lighter fuel and a good pick at all the fluff that gets bound up in there. Then relube with a very small amount of Vaseline or thick synthetic grease.

 

[Saviour]

So you do not advice 3 in 1 oil?
I do use Vaseline and lighter fuel. Synthetic grease is hard to come by. I have found 'Tableau Dry Lube, Super-Slip Silicone Lub' handy

 

[356speedster]

1. Super Lube Synthetic Oil with PTFE (motor shafts, axles, bushings, bearings)
2. Super Lube Synthetic Grease with PTFE (gears, guide posts)
3. TurtleWax car polish (running in noisy gears, car body)
4. dish wash detergent (body/chassis cleaning)
5. water (tire cleaning)

 

[GeraldL]

Spectacle (glasses) cleaning wipes are good or body cleaning, in France buy "Essence F" like lighter fuel but comes in 1 litre bottles. Careful where you store it though! On our Bordeaux Carrera track the sticky tape cleaning tape ritual is essential. In 6 sessions of 4 minutes each I would expect to tyre clean twice. (Yellow Dog or Ultimatt tyres)

 

[Mr_Nate]

Thanks so much for your help and advise,
Nate

 

[300SLR]

Hi Nate
There are many different slot cars modelled on the Porsche 956, and Mazda 787B. What sort are you talking about?
What sort of track are you running on?

Braid conditioner is very good on taped wooden tracks, but I haven't found it helps that much on Scalex track.

Some motor bearings can wear quite quickly if not kept oiled. This is particularly important a the gear end of quicker motors using sintered plain bearings where plenty of oil when new extends bearing life quite a lot.

Tyre traction compounds may be no use to you or may be important, it depend on the type of tyres and track conditions.

 

[356speedster]

If you got Slot.it cars with the "orange endbell" motors, then be very careful with oiling the motor shaft/bearing, just give it a tiny drop and ONLY on the can-end of the motor. Oiling these on the bell-end (plastic housing) tend to lead to premature failure.

 

[Mr_Nate]

My Porsche 956 is a slot.it one with the body decals that say "babycresi" and my Mazda is a slot.it as well made by Mr SlotCar and is the black and red one.
I do race on the taped wooden track so I will for sure give the braid conditioner a shot!
Thanks so much for the advise,
Nate

 

[Flange]

How can it be slot it and me slot car

 

[RichD]

I use Dr. D's Slicker-n-Snot Racing Oil that is specially made for me in a top secret facility at Slot Car Corner. It is very similar to Superlube. All oils are not created equal. Be sure to pick lubricants and cleaners that do not damage plastic.
With any slot car motor you do not want oil to get on the commutator. With early Slot.it orange endbell motors the problem was not usually with oil on the comm. The first release of motors used a new brush formularion and the dust from the brushes often got stuck in the slots in the commutator causing shorts. If the track had a big power supply the motor could be permanently damaged. The later release of orange end bell motors has not had this problem.