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NSR/slot it tyres best on wood track??

7.6K views 26 replies 16 participants last post by  Chaparral2D  
#1 ·
Hi,
just wondering what tyres are best on a wooden routed track,NSR or slot it tyres???

thanks louie
 
#2 ·
Hi Louie,
our track is routed, and although originally painted with rough sandtex, ( years ago ), is now worn quite smooth. Slotit tyres P3 and P4 are OK but all the lap record setters are on NSR, typically the air wheel type set-up using NSR classic tyres. Hope that is of some help.
vbr CJA.
 
#3 ·
hi louie

at north staffs we have a wooden track and both tyres go well. slot it p3s and 4s tend be better for durabltity as they dont tend to shred but they suffer in the heat and take time to warm up when its cold. NSRs though love wooden surfaces and go well in any type of condition but they seem to be built in layers so after a while you'll have no grip and then it will come back later

personally i think NSRs are better but thats me

hope this helps
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chris
 
#6 ·
WARNING! WARNING! WILL ROBINSON

ortmann tyres they are pretty good alround
but
they leave a white dust on the track which then spoils the track for others non using ortmann racers
they have been band from several clubs for that reason as it takes a while for the dust to disperse

the NSR tyres, if can get hold of them, i find go through stages of being good and bad much like mitchelin F1 tyers do in real life but when they are good they are fantasic

slot it P3&4's are a good choice glued and trued with 3 in 1 (light oil) rubbed in works very well on routed tracks

robbo
 
#7 ·
Club I run with uses them. I keep hearing all the wailing about them, and to be frank, I think it's wailing because people who use silicone tires like clean, and the fact those tires aren't squeaky clean, they wail and cry.

Sorry just my two cents. If you run somewhere that bans them, fine. Just figure out what's second best that everyone runs on.

Truthfully, any rubber tire leaves some residue that will klag up silicone tires. To me the issue is silly.

So, what is the truth? NSR tires better than Ortmann's? And if so, do they also leave some kind of residue that irks everyone too?

Yet another good question?

Sorry If I sound a bit irked, but as I have said, myself and others run on them, and our group hasn't had the kind of issues that have been repeatedly raised here concerning them, it just strikes me as something more than what has been repeated repeatedly by some folks.

And no, I'm not a shill for Herr Ortmann.
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It's more the fact that the league I run in isn't having the kind of issues with them and I feel they're getting a nasty, rather unfair, and bum rap in certain circles.

Bob
 
#8 ·
Dr. Sticky, that is a very interesting statement you have just made, I must admit I have never heard of Ortman's being banned before. Silicons yes but Ortmans never.
What type of track are you running on?....
Ortmans when sanded will give a light grey dust so I'm not sure where the white deposit is coming from, do you use tyre additives?

The best part about using them on wood, especially for longer races, is that no matter how dirty the track becomes they do not loose their grip. Slot.it and Silicon tyres require a lot of cleaning to maintain grip levels.

There is currently a Proxy Race series taking place in the US which features (50)cars running on a mixture of Ortmans, Silicons, Nincos, Slot.it etc plus Stock Scalextric and SCX. This series has completed 9 rounds so far at different tracks, (Carrera, Wood, scalex Sport etc.), and none of the hosts have reported any problems.

My only experience of NSR tyres is using the Supergrip tyres, which, on wood, I found gave very poor grip levels, but I understand the Ultragrip tyres are much better.

Regards

Alan
 
#9 ·
We run Slot.It F1 P3's and Ortmann's (with no ill-effects from the "O's" to other type tires) with excellent results on the flat latex surface...have yet to try the NSR Ultra's on wood, but on my Artin layout they seem to be on par with the other 2 brands which normally translates well to wood. A new brand that's just started is Jel Claws (don't know their make up other than they are not silicone) and again though not tested on wood they give unbelievable traction on my Artin...compared to the other 3 brands one would swear there was a magnet in the car - though that might translate to too much grip on wood??? We shall see...
 
#10 ·
beejay7
last years porsche challange (now slot it plug, plug) the ortmann's were banned because of the said dust, as 4 out of the 6 venues had abrasive sevices (2 plexi and 2 sandtex) i did not make the rules for the race's in that challenge the powers that be did, and the ortmann dust affecting other tyres rule was enforced,
that's just an opion of a group of racers but rules are rules
if clubs want to use them so be it

i used them for a while but gave them up for the dust reason and our club banned them did not find them an advantage on our sandtex wooden track, may not have used them for long enough
 
#11 ·
Ortmanns are banned from all (i think) the west London clubs certainly Woking, Pinewood, & Molesey.

NSR tyres are very good. I have not known this performance drop off though. The Supergrip tyres are good too on wood.

Chappera2d - Silicones and Ortmanns are banned becasue they reduce the grip for the rubber tyres. Interesting that people moan the other way round too!!!
 
#12 ·
Sandtex wooden track, Ahah!

Now I know what's going on. At work, I mused to myself, the only way you get white dust off Ortmann's is if you sand them- are they racing on sandpaper? Heh, now I understand what's occurring. I also thought perhaps people were sanding the tires and not cleaning them off out of courtesy, or using some type of chemical causing serious breakdown of the rubber.

Sounds like a lot of griping out there, a shame. Best to go to a spec tire when all that happens. But then someone treats the tires, etc. and you end up with wierd things going on again.

All I know is this, if the tire compound enables me to go quicker I'll buy them, particularly when I can run a 3 minute heat and the tires aren't going off after about the first 5 laps due to dust. The only tires I have found that don't go off as bad at the end of a heat are the Ortmann's. I also don't have to clean them/tape them/lick them between heats...

Also will be testing a new silicone compond Sunday that's supposed to be quite good on wood. We'll see if the work as advertised. I'm curious and excited to do a little eval.
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Bob
 
#13 ·
Our club runs on four wooden tracks each with a slight varience in grip. Ortmans are by far the best. The NSR set up is very very close. The only reason to ban Orts would be the whine of the rest behind...gray dust....give it a wee rest....all tires leave something...Orts do not deter the use of other tires nor have they ever in our three years as a club detered other brands...I prefer the bit of slip of Ninco classics on the old cars...hrmmmphh!...dust..poppy cock...wipe the track!...carry on!
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Good day, eh!
 
#14 ·
Take a look at The Great Slotforum Tyre test:

QUOTE Important finding: ALL the tyres tested below lost most of their grip when running on either track where Ortmanns had been used and not cleaned after. A quick dusting of each track after Ortmann use solved this.

This is from running on both a wood track and a Scalextric Sport track. There are also excellent close-up pictures of the texture on both tracks.

Ortmanns have been banned at the local club here, partially because they ruin grip for other tyres, something I find very sad as they are by far the best tyres I have, but still perfectly understandable.
I haven't been able to test the NSR tyres yet, but have a Mosler ready for the next season, and also a couple of tyre sets ready to put on the cars that have Ortmanns now.

André
 
#19 ·
I have NSR Ultragrips ordered for evaluation. Did a tire test last weekend with a friend at his routed track, very controlled.

Found Slot.it P4 very good, S1 almost as good, just not as consistent as P4 from lap to lap.

The Ortmann's were noticeably better, the real suprise to me were that PPR Supertires did about as well.

Again, a lot depends on surface texture and what is allowed, your driving style, etc. The test surface is tactile but not as abrasive as Sandtex. I have a feeling silicones would not hold up on Sandtex even if they were legal. Smoother routed surfaces seem to do okay with the PPRs. I was rather impressed.

Once the Ultragrips some in, I'll see what they do and do not do.
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Bob
 
#20 · (Edited by Moderator)
QUOTE I have NSR Ultragrips ordered for evaluation

Bob, I'm really eager to know the results of your testing with Ultragrips.

QUOTE The Ortmann's were noticeably better,

What material are Ortmann's made of?

QUOTE the real suprise to me were that PPR Supertires did about as well

Same question for PPRs.

I race on a wood routed track with smooth, kind of glassy surface, with a 16m long straight, bue king format.
 
#22 ·
Yes, PPR tires are silicones. Ortmann's are a very soft rubber. I was really shocked as to the fact I was able to run similar times with the PPR tires. We measued with a digital caliper to make sure that we were using tires of similar diameters to each other and they were darned close. True, you can't sand or true PPRs, but they were quite true and capable.

I think it is my driving style, but I was running similar times with PPRs, but I felt I could attack the track and be more aggressive with the Ortmann's. It could be a mental thing. I'll readily admit that. Also the track cleaning up as we ran could be a factor. It's all things to think about. When I get home, I'll dig up my times and share them. We ran a slot.it 956 with and without a magnet for 3 minute heats and kept results to see what happened. Rather interesting.

Not sure when I will get to my friend's track and see what is up with the Ultragrips. I've heard good things and also odd things. I'll find out what happens when we stick them on something and run them. The "peeling like an onion" rumor has me fascinated.

It reminds me of when I shopped for good tires for my '86 CRX-Si back in 1988. I decided to get the Bridgestone RE-71 over the Yokohama A008 based on the fact that the RE-71 was consdiered a tick slower on dry testing but was a far more forgiving tire in an emergency or when driven by an idiot. I decided to go the safer route because of my hamhandedness.
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Same with slot cars for me!
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Regards

Bob
 
#23 ·
These times were done with slot.it 956 longtails, stock everything. 3 minute simulated racing heat. Routed track, MDF board, copper tape, painted with magnetic paint compound. Somewhat tactile, but not remotely like SCX/NINCO or Sandtex. In some cases, obviously I made a couple offs, but these are in order of median times and fastest lap times. Interesting to see how it broke down. We were rather shocked with the P3s. Maybe we had an old batch or something. They simply didn't hook up for a hill of beans. We didn't have the new S2 compound when we did this, nor NSR Super or Ultra. My guess is the S2 is right in the ballpark with the PPR and Ortmann's from mucking around with my Jager 962 a bit.

Non-mag
P3 - 16.2 laps 9.449 fast 9.61 median
Stock - 18.3 laps 9.339 fast 9.52 median
S1 - 20.2 laps 8.670 fast 8.81 median
P4 - 20.7 laps 8.300 fast 8.56 median
PPR - 20.5 laps 7.817 fast 8.16 median
Ortman - 23 laps 7.437 fast 7.69 median

w/ magnet
P3 23.5 laps 7.401 fast 7.53 median
Stock 24.5 laps 7.025 fast 7.26 median
P4 25.4 laps 6.851 fast 6.98 median
S1 26.4 laps 6.725 fast 6.89 median
Ortman 26.4 laps 6.599 fast 6.70 median
PPR old 26.4 laps 6.560 fast 6.71 median

Hope this helps a bit!
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Bob
 
#25 ·
Real quick--

I was at White Rock, a 120 foot/35ish Meter track which uses the old Revell/Riggen track, which is IMHO the nicest sectional track bar none, even though it's 30+ years old and a pain to acquire. PPR Silicones stick like crazy on it, but I had the time to break out a pair or NSR Ultragrips and at least test fit and run a couple laps for fun. I didn't have a set of PPRs for my Porsche 962, but I did for my stock MG Lola and it ran real well in spite of being down a ton in motor.

The NSR Ultragrips are insanely soft to the touch. They almost feel like Hubba Bubba bubble gum! I didn't even treat them with NSR oil.

Evidently, you're to take a little of the oil, rub it on the treads let it soak for 24 hours, and clean with lighter fluid before running them. Making them softer would almost make them disintegrate!

I'm not sure if they're a great fit to slot.it rear LMP wheels. I need to take the time to set it on a test block and mess with it. The car ran okay on the track, but White Rock runs with heavy mag, and I was lifting the car up .5mm more off the track than Ortmanns. They were definitely faster on the track than Slot.it P3.

I kid you not-- a 4-year-old (yes, a 4-year old!) running his grandfather's tuned slot.it Audi with PPR rears was quicker than me until I switched off the P3s. The lad was rather quick when he kept it on the track. The switch to the NSRs and Ortmanns got me .2 quicker than the lad. The only thing keeping me ahead was staying on far more than him!

If I have time today, I'll get some laps in on Nils' routed and we'll see what the NSRs will do on a track with more texture and that's a tad smoother.

By the way, I ran my test mule Audi R8C chassis NO mag, with a 38.5k NSR King Motor with 8/30 gearing, NSR 17x 10 low profile fronts, and Ortmann rears on the track. It was right scary running this thing down the 40ish foot main straight on 14 volts. I think it made my eyes open wide like an anime character when I cracked open the throttle...

Regards

Bob
 
#26 · (Edited by Moderator)
A slight aside from which tire is better...sort of...I recently acquired some of Kai's great Alfa wheels which are made to fit all the regular Slot.It compounds.

I put them on a car which I was very happy with it's performance that had Slot.It F1 P3's and rims just because it would make the car appearance look far nicer. Not having any regular P3's I put on the F1 versions which fit nicely, but had a slightly higher profile as well as more sidewall "shoulder". As happy as I was before, knocking 3 more tenths off a lap made me even happier!!!

The only thing I can think of for the instant performance gain was from having more sidewall flex than the lower profile tire. Since slot cars have no "suspension" so to speak other than chassis flex/floating motor pods, perhaps having a softer sidewall is a good thing???

I have another car with NSR Ultra's on Kai's wheels and it handles quite nicely too, but I don't have a set of the proper NSR rims to do a comparison.

Anywhat, just a thought...