Lots of newcomers to the hobby but many do not know there is a spectrum of HO racing. The ends of the spectrum are very different. Low downforce racing versus high downforce racing.
A way to test for the car for this is whether it sticks to a piece of track upside down. If it sticks upside down, then there is more than 1 G of downforce and is generally considered to be a high downforce car.
A car can be made into a low downforce car by use of bigger tires or the removal of the traction magnets. Many older cars lack traction magnets entirely and thus are most likely low downforce cars.
What are traction magnets?
Traction magnets are small magnets attached to the bottom of the car that help it stick to the metal rails on the track. They increase the grip and speed of the car, but also make it more prone to flying off the track if the cornering is too sharp.
What difference does magnetic downforce make? It changes the nature of the racing. The car handles differently. With lower downforce, cars drift and slide out gradually in the corners - giving more feedback. Cars will spin out rather than crash. With strong traction magnets, cars can go faster but at a certain point, they fly off with little warning, crashing.
Low downforce racing is a style of racing that generally does not use any extra magnets besides the ones that come with the motor. This makes the car more realistic in regard to the full size version with finesse to control the drifting and sliding. (Lower voltage power packs help make the car more controllable.)
High downforce racing uses additional traction magnets to enhance the performance of the car. This makes the car faster and easier to drive, as it can handle tighter curves and higher speeds. However, this can reduces the realism if the full size car lacks an equivalent amount of downforce.
The tracks are preferably set up differently, with low downforce tracks having aprons/shoulders/borders to allow the rear of the car to gradually slide out as speed increases. Unfortunately, the major manufacturers (RaceMasters and AutoWorld) do not include borders in their sets, fencing is included instead. (There are 3D printed aftermarket or homemade paper foam board options for borders.)
The voltage requirements are generally different. Lower the downforce then generally lower the voltage. Luckily, RaceMasters and AutoWorld both offer variable voltage power supplies.
As for newly manufactured cars, with AutoWorld, removing the traction magnets is easy with a tiny screwdriver. RaceMasters cars however are not so easily modified. In the aftermarket, there are many options.
A way to test for the car for this is whether it sticks to a piece of track upside down. If it sticks upside down, then there is more than 1 G of downforce and is generally considered to be a high downforce car.
A car can be made into a low downforce car by use of bigger tires or the removal of the traction magnets. Many older cars lack traction magnets entirely and thus are most likely low downforce cars.
What are traction magnets?
Traction magnets are small magnets attached to the bottom of the car that help it stick to the metal rails on the track. They increase the grip and speed of the car, but also make it more prone to flying off the track if the cornering is too sharp.
What difference does magnetic downforce make? It changes the nature of the racing. The car handles differently. With lower downforce, cars drift and slide out gradually in the corners - giving more feedback. Cars will spin out rather than crash. With strong traction magnets, cars can go faster but at a certain point, they fly off with little warning, crashing.
Low downforce racing is a style of racing that generally does not use any extra magnets besides the ones that come with the motor. This makes the car more realistic in regard to the full size version with finesse to control the drifting and sliding. (Lower voltage power packs help make the car more controllable.)
High downforce racing uses additional traction magnets to enhance the performance of the car. This makes the car faster and easier to drive, as it can handle tighter curves and higher speeds. However, this can reduces the realism if the full size car lacks an equivalent amount of downforce.
The tracks are preferably set up differently, with low downforce tracks having aprons/shoulders/borders to allow the rear of the car to gradually slide out as speed increases. Unfortunately, the major manufacturers (RaceMasters and AutoWorld) do not include borders in their sets, fencing is included instead. (There are 3D printed aftermarket or homemade paper foam board options for borders.)
The voltage requirements are generally different. Lower the downforce then generally lower the voltage. Luckily, RaceMasters and AutoWorld both offer variable voltage power supplies.
As for newly manufactured cars, with AutoWorld, removing the traction magnets is easy with a tiny screwdriver. RaceMasters cars however are not so easily modified. In the aftermarket, there are many options.
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