4
Heroes, every one of you.
...And as for the ^^^ book - I'll be adding one to my birthday present list, along with the 4 cars I want.
Cars:- SCX vs Scalextric
2
Before I start, I should mention that all 4 of my Scalextric cars are (probably) over 15 years old - and the last time I had a Scalextric set IIRC it was Triang and Magnetraction hadn't been thought of yet.
The secondhand Scalextric set I bought a couple of months ago came with a pair of 1990s F1 cars (Williams Renault/Benetton Renault), a Laguna BTCC car and a Megane rally car (the set was Renault branded). The set had had little use and the first time I used it I didn't even bother cleaning the rails, so the cars ought to be barely run-in. The F1 cars aren't too bad on the track, especially since I fitted silicon tyres, but the two saloons tail-slide all over the place and are noisy. TBH I was reasonably happy with it all and I thought that if I put some decent tyres on the saloons all would be fine.
Then yesterday I thought I'd start adding to my collection of cars. I bought the SCX Morgan Aero 8 and Porsche 997. To say they blew me away is an understatement. If anything, the magnets are too strong! These two cars lapped over 1 second quicker than the Scalextric F1s straight out of the box!! Has slot car technology really improved that much over the last 15, or so, years? OK, so the SCX cars aren't perfect but they are far better than I had expected. I can't wait to get another pair now.
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(I want the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus and a mkII Escort next, but I've got a seven week wait for them) My "wanted" list is something like 60/40 Scalextric/SCX, but now I may have to change that and make it more SCX-biased.
Now, I'm loathe to give-up on my Scalextric cars - particularly as the plan was to have plenty of cars so that I don't get too bored with the whole slot car scene too quickly. My Scalextric magnets do still have some "pull", but nowhere near the same as my new SCX cars. So..... Can I get stronger magnets for the Scalextric cars? Or are they likely to just need new standard ones? Do the magnets deteriorate with age, even if the cars don't get much use? I've seen magnets on eBay, but haven't yet taken much notice of them. Any recommendations of good ones, or ones to avoid?
Actually, the SCX cars came with the magnets in the down position and I've adjusted them up. I tried the cars with no magnets and they were worse on the track than the Scalextric cars.
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TIA
Stuart.
The secondhand Scalextric set I bought a couple of months ago came with a pair of 1990s F1 cars (Williams Renault/Benetton Renault), a Laguna BTCC car and a Megane rally car (the set was Renault branded). The set had had little use and the first time I used it I didn't even bother cleaning the rails, so the cars ought to be barely run-in. The F1 cars aren't too bad on the track, especially since I fitted silicon tyres, but the two saloons tail-slide all over the place and are noisy. TBH I was reasonably happy with it all and I thought that if I put some decent tyres on the saloons all would be fine.
Then yesterday I thought I'd start adding to my collection of cars. I bought the SCX Morgan Aero 8 and Porsche 997. To say they blew me away is an understatement. If anything, the magnets are too strong! These two cars lapped over 1 second quicker than the Scalextric F1s straight out of the box!! Has slot car technology really improved that much over the last 15, or so, years? OK, so the SCX cars aren't perfect but they are far better than I had expected. I can't wait to get another pair now.
Now, I'm loathe to give-up on my Scalextric cars - particularly as the plan was to have plenty of cars so that I don't get too bored with the whole slot car scene too quickly. My Scalextric magnets do still have some "pull", but nowhere near the same as my new SCX cars. So..... Can I get stronger magnets for the Scalextric cars? Or are they likely to just need new standard ones? Do the magnets deteriorate with age, even if the cars don't get much use? I've seen magnets on eBay, but haven't yet taken much notice of them. Any recommendations of good ones, or ones to avoid?
Actually, the SCX cars came with the magnets in the down position and I've adjusted them up. I tried the cars with no magnets and they were worse on the track than the Scalextric cars.
TIA
Stuart.
21 - 25 of 25 Posts
4
Heroes, every one of you.
...And as for the ^^^ book - I'll be adding one to my birthday present list, along with the 4 cars I want.
2
Today's lesson has been;-
"The Importance Of Keeping Your Car's Tyres Clean"
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I may not need new magnets after all.
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I noticed that both new SCX cars were starting to slide a bit and happened to notice the rear tyres had a "film" on already, so I wiped them off. While doing it, I thought "Maybe I should do the others again, while I'm at it".
Transformation time! The lap times I posted yesterday aren't worth Jack anymore. The one thing I didn't do to the cars during those tests was clean the tyres. D'OH! Even the "slidy" Laguna on it's grooved rubber tyres is a good second quicker after wiping the tyres with Electrical Contact Cleaner. (I'm still experimenting with different cleaners for different uses.) Next time, I might try Meths, unless anyone can give me a reason not to.
I need to get in the habit of cleaning all the tyres before every session, I think. The trouble is that although I've cleaned the "eBay bargain" track, I don't have a clue what's been run on (or done to) it.
"The Importance Of Keeping Your Car's Tyres Clean"
I noticed that both new SCX cars were starting to slide a bit and happened to notice the rear tyres had a "film" on already, so I wiped them off. While doing it, I thought "Maybe I should do the others again, while I'm at it".
Transformation time! The lap times I posted yesterday aren't worth Jack anymore. The one thing I didn't do to the cars during those tests was clean the tyres. D'OH! Even the "slidy" Laguna on it's grooved rubber tyres is a good second quicker after wiping the tyres with Electrical Contact Cleaner. (I'm still experimenting with different cleaners for different uses.) Next time, I might try Meths, unless anyone can give me a reason not to.
I need to get in the habit of cleaning all the tyres before every session, I think. The trouble is that although I've cleaned the "eBay bargain" track, I don't have a clue what's been run on (or done to) it.
21 - 25 of 25 Posts
