[McCrash]

hello!
i have scaley track and bought a load of carrera cars lately and not had the chance to run them. been reading up and want to be sure about the guides before i do anything daft!

if i change the carrera guide blade for the scalextric one with the car, do i still need to alter the replacement one or is it good to go as it is? b an expensive mistake to make if they don't need additional tweeks.
secondly, what are people using to grease gears and axles with? got some 3-in-one oil but i don't fancy trying anything that hasn't tried and tested. my knowledge of plastics and oil etc reacting is limited and don't fancy fixing what isn't broken

thanks
mark

 

[matthew77]

Hi Mark,

If you use the guide for Scalextric track supplied with the car, they don't need any other tweaks to run on Scalextric track and the guide will be fine. If any cars don't have the guide supplied in the box, you can get spares from online slot car retailers like Pendles. Carrera generally run well on this track.

As regards greasing axles and gears you can get specific oils for lubricating these parts of the car. If you search online you will find them at Pendles and other retailers.

Hope you enjoy the Carrera Cars

Matthew

 

[McCrash]

cheers mate!
been wondering about it cos on r1 corners it seemed to catch a wee bit, i suppose once some laps have been clocked up it will bed in. bought two dtm cars and a 458 italia. had a red bull for ages but i slipped up and tweeked the scaley blade for it

runs ok but i think i'll tweek a carrera one to match the scale blade for them. gotta learn somehow!

once these ones are sorted i'm starting on my msc impreza and 6r4. dunno if its norm, but the impreza doesn't have the grub screws inplace to set the front axle height. there is some spare ones taped under the box, but i thought they were for adjusting the body position and roll

only 6 grub screws and need 4 for the axle height lol

 

[Dopamine]

QUOTE (McCrash @ 21 Mar 2012, 22:08) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>on r1 corners it seemed to catch a wee bit, i suppose once some laps have been clocked up it will bed in.
Assuming that the track slot isn't kinked or narrowed, there are two reasons that the guide might "catch", both simple to rectify:
1 - Carrera supplied replacement guides are too long to negotiate Scalextric's tight r1 slots properly. Remove the guide and shorten it by rubbing it on sandpaper until it is the same length as a Scalextric guide. If you want to do a really nice job, thin the guide blade slightly until it is the same thickness as the Scalextric one.

2 - Carrera cars have a strong guide return spring which, even using a shortened guide, increases guide/slot friction through corners to such an extent that in r1 curves it noticeably affects drivability. Remove the guide return spring and the car will be more controllable through all corners, especially tight ones.

You can see the amount of friction easily by performing a simple test. First, with return spring in place, drive toward a tight turn, brake at your normal point but instead of reapplying power, allow the car to roll to a stop. Note where it stops. Then remove the guide return spring and repeat. Because there is now reduced guide/slot friction in corners, the car will roll a little further before stopping. Guide return springs are a nice idea if you struggle to place cars in slots, but are detrimental to the car's response to throttle inputs in corners (they make no difference on straights). This test works much better if you are running without magnets. Magnets add friction and shorten the distance a car will roll. Similarly, throttles wired for brakes significantly shorten rolling distances.

There is an unnecessary amount of worry and talk about Carrera guides' compatibility with non-Carrera tracks. The guides are made of softish plastic which can be easily and quickly removed with sandpaper. Use a Scalextric guide as a template and sand your Carrera guides to match. Quick, simple and cheap.

 

[steveaca]

Recently got a Ferrari 458 Italia together with the Scalextric-specific guide blade. Found that it fouled the bottom of the ScaleySport track (although not as much as the standard blade). I sanded down the bottom of the standard blade a bit and also shortened it a touch , front and back, also by sanding. Works fine now.

 

[McCrash]

thanks for replies! thinking about it i've had similar prob with scaley cars with return springs on the guide. took em out and much better! lol thanks for reminder Dopamine! funny the things u forget lol

only other place i noticed carrera guides caught was the power cables on the powerbase, same prob as slot it guides, but as mentioned, quick go at em with sandpaper or fold braids over to raise the height of guide. fab cars i have to say! pitty my bank balance is £0