[Mr Modifier]

We have a new class for 2013 at our fledgling digital club

The rules are:

1 Hard bodied cars in 1:32 scale only
2 Cars must have plastic chassis
3 Cars may use the standard Scalextric SSD chip or standard Slot.It SSD chip
4 The guide must be no deeper than 5.5mm without braids (this is to protect the track sensors)
5 All traction magnets must be removed
6 Cars must have run at or been homologated for Le Mans
7 Cars must have an interior (lexan is permitted)
8 No silicone tyres
9 Free choice of everything else not mentioned in the above rules
10 Rules may be changed with the agreement of at least 3/4 of current class drivers ("current" = has raced in the class in last 3 months).
11 Maximum all-in spend of £60

The track is a 20 metre Sport track with 2 R1 hairpins, one long R4 90 degree turn at the end of a 4m straight. The rest is R2 and short straights.

Current track record held by a magged up Scaley Porsche 997 at 5.7 seconds. Magless Scaley Taurus takes 9 seconds.

So what would you run?

I already own the following:
Slot.It Nissan R390 RAW which I would have to run stock as it bumps against the price limit with a chip
Slot.It R390 white kit with in-line orange endbell motor which leaves me £15 for upgrades
Sloter Zytek x 2 either of which allows me £40 in upgrades
Avant Slot Audi R10 allows me £40 in upgrade
Avant Slot Pescarolo C60 Hybrid also £40 in upgrades
Mrslotcar mazda 787 £30 in upgrades.

Do any of these stand out?

I have been acquiring these cars because I like them and find bargains hard to resist but now I have to choose one to race and I have very little tuning experience having spent my time since I got my slot car addiction fettling Scalextric Super Resistant Ferraris, Ninco 1 American Muscle and building tons of transits.

But now I have to go really really fast and I don't know where to start!

 

[Bigtone]

Have they stipulated when the car was run at Le Mans, if not there is a vast choice of good cars

 

[Mr Modifier]

No date range for Le Mans. The other guys are talking about LMP style cars, mostly open. For example somebody is going to run their Sloting Plus Reynard - the orange one with the lexan cockpit driven by Darth Vader.

I was hoping one of my existing cars had a glimmer of hope of going fast.

A mega powerful motor won't win races on our track - the straight isn't long enough and the hairpins are a nightmare with too much power. I think good handling will be the key to winning.

 

[MrFlippant]

I'd go with whatever you can get a magnetic or spring suspension into, plus grippy tires like urethane or NSR ultragrips.
Aside from that, just make sure the motor is torquey but not too fast, and that the gear mesh is good. Then true and glue all around and tune up the suspension.

This would blow your budget, but as an example, the analog club I run with is preparing an NSR GT series. We're replacing the motor with the 17k "baby king" motor, and adding in spring suspension. While the NSR is already a great car, the high power but lower RPM motor makes it much more forgiving on technical tracks, and the spring suspension really gives it the road hugging quality you want with high grip tires such as stock NSR tires.

I have a magnetic suspension in one of my Slot.it Group C cars, and it's the best driver of the bunch. If you can get a suspension in, even if you change nothing else, it will be worth it.

 

[Bigtone]

The SLot.It Lola is a very good car, it has a long wheelbase and is wide which really help the handling

 

[Ember]

GBP60? You should be able to get the shell gold plated for that much, surely. A GBP6 challenge... Now that would be interesting.

 

[Michael363672]

Mr M

Did you try my suggestion ?

 

[Julian_Boolean]

NSR Porsche 917 and a set of ultragrips.

Is your £60 list price or what you actually paid for it?

 

[munter]

Use the Slotit Nissan white kit with some NSR ultras on the rear. The orange endbell has plenty of torque and the Nissan is a well balanced car. Mag suspension could be added when you feel like it. Straighten the chassis, glue and true what you know you should and turn some laps. Oh, and only use minimal paint on the body. Start with a loose body and pod with the chassis setup.

 

[Mr Modifier]

Wow - I go away for a few days and the thread explodes into life!

QUOTE (MrFlippant @ 8 Oct 2012, 03:06) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I'd go with whatever you can get a magnetic or spring suspension into, plus grippy tires like urethane or NSR ultragrips.
Aside from that, just make sure the motor is torquey but not too fast, and that the gear mesh is good. Then true and glue all around and tune up the suspension.

This would blow your budget, but as an example, the analog club I run with is preparing an NSR GT series. We're replacing the motor with the 17k "baby king" motor, and adding in spring suspension. While the NSR is already a great car, the high power but lower RPM motor makes it much more forgiving on technical tracks, and the spring suspension really gives it the road hugging quality you want with high grip tires such as stock NSR tires.

I have a magnetic suspension in one of my Slot.it Group C cars, and it's the best driver of the bunch. If you can get a suspension in, even if you change nothing else, it will be worth it.

Suspension - duly noted

QUOTE (Bigtone @ 8 Oct 2012, 07:57) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The SLot.It Lola is a very good car, it has a long wheelbase and is wide which really help the handling

Nice car. I think the Nissan R390 is also long and wide -maybe not quite a low as the Lola but I do actually own the Nissan.

QUOTE (Ember @ 8 Oct 2012, 09:05) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>GBP60? You should be able to get the shell gold plated for that much, surely. A GBP6 challenge... Now that would be interesting.

Ember - sadly the chip would blow a GBP6 challenge budget by a big margin! We are already running a Scalextric Classic class - my Porsche cost me GBP3 at a swap meet and I have used about GBP5 in parts and upgrades and spent another £10 on the chip - that's sort of in the spirit of what you suggest. Sadly in the UK you can't get a lot for GBP60 - knock a tenner off for the chip and you have GBP50. Buy a Slot.It and you probably have GBP10-GBP15 left for upgrades.

QUOTE (Michael363672 @ 8 Oct 2012, 09:51) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Mr M

Did you try my suggestion ?

I am going for the option I mentioned to you - not quite as good as your suggestion but your suggestion is very much on the cards if somebody gets too far ahead of me!!!

QUOTE (Julian_Boolean @ 8 Oct 2012, 10:04) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>NSR Porsche 917 and a set of ultragrips.

Is your £60 list price or what you actually paid for it?

What we actually paid for it - lets face it the list price of a Slot.It can be GBP45-GBP50 but you can pick them up BNIB on evilbay for GBP30 if you shop carefully. My Slot.It RAW was GBP70 list price but I bought it new for GBP44. So I could run it but would have to run it straight out of the box with no upgrades as the Slot.It chip cost me GBP14.

QUOTE (munter @ 8 Oct 2012, 18:59) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Use the Slotit Nissan white kit with some NSR ultras on the rear. The orange endbell has plenty of torque and the Nissan is a well balanced car. Mag suspension could be added when you feel like it. Straighten the chassis, glue and true what you know you should and turn some laps. Oh, and only use minimal paint on the body. Start with a loose body and pod with the chassis setup.

Thanks Munter. I bought the R390 white kit for GBP30, add the Slot.It chip which cost GBP14 and I have GBP16 left to play with on upgrades. I could make my own ultra grippy urethane tyres for pennies so mag suspension could be an option.

Does anybody know if mag suspension has an effect on downforce? As we have a no traction magnet rule I don't want to be accused of cheating!

 

[MrFlippant]

No, the magnets are not only not facing the right way, AND too high up off the track, but also they're too widely spaced to be above the rails to add any traction. There shouldn't be any measurable traction gained by the suspension. You'll get more from your motor.

They're not compatible with all models, though, so do check the slot.it charts. I know some cars can't fit the magnetic suspension due to space needed between the chassis and body. If you can't use a magnetic suspension, get the spring one. I think the easiest way to check is to find the model on their site and look at the little chart of icons for the checks or x. You wouldn't want to buy a part that doesn't work on the car you want to use.