a.      Spin the axle assemblies to determine that the axles are straight and that the wheels and contrate gears do not wobble.

b.      If the wheels or gears wobble, it would be better to straighten or replace, but you can also sparingly glue the tires to the wheels and true the whole assembly for adequate performance. [See item 2 above.]

c.      True the wheels (as mentioned on the website) using a rotary tool or lathe. I use an RSM truer and machinist’s fine flat file for this. [See item 2 above.]

3.       Tires as prescribed by the rules

a.      Turn the tires inside out to check for flaws and remove any molding flash or flaws.

b.      Install tires and apply glue sparingly to the outside edge of the wheel so that they maintain indexing after truing even when tape is used for cleaning

c.      True the tires on the axle assembly carefully to make them perfectly round without removing excess material. I use an RSM truer for this, but you can do it by carefully holding the car with the rear tires just barely touching sandpaper while rotating in reverse direction, provided that the bearings have minimal play and the car is held perfectly steady [See item 2 above.]

d.      Make certain that both rear tires are the same diameter as a pair and both front tires are the same diameter as a pair.

4.       Grip is so important that I am giving it its own bullets as follows:

a.      Grip is determined by several factors including contact patch, tire compound, and track surface conditions.

b.      Contact patch is the very small area that actually touches the track and as such, it is of paramount importance. Its size is determined by its surface, tread width, gravitational pressure (weight) versus tire flex (hardness), AND overall circumference.

c.      The static contact patches and their relative sizes for each of the four wheels are visible by viewing the car from underneath a clear, flat, level piece of glass with evenly moistened surface (Glycerin solution is ideal). The static contact patches should be balanced so that the car’s weight rests evenly from side to side for neutral wedge.

d.      You can legally maximize contact patch by improving the smoothness and consistency of the tire surface, maintaining optimum circumference and weight (as allowed), and maintaining softness by protecting tires from air when not in use. Pre-race tuning should include lightly sanding the rear tires (ALWAYS run the tires in reverse direction when doing this to prevent damage to the gears).

e.      Controlling the contact patch during cornering dictates handling and grip. When cornering, the outside tire must travel greater distance than the inside tire (differential) which has significant effects on handling because our slot cars have no way for the outside tire to travel further than the inside tire without slippage. If the outside tire grips better than the inside tire, this allows the inside tire to slip to compensate for the distance differential rather than forcing both tires to slip (losing grip and corner speed) or worse, pushing the car straight and out of the slot. You can control this effect with tread taper and wedge. How effectively weight is transferred during cornering may also be affected by the condition of axle bushings that should be new and carefully glued in place for optimal grip and handling.

f.         “Wedge” as they call it in NASCAR racing, is especially critical on slot cars with limited vertical front axle movement (such as with our 4 W/D cars) and must be absolutely neutral for left and right turns. Otherwise, the car will seem grippy, tippy, and roll out of the slot on turns if balance teeters between the outside front tire and inside rear. Conversely, the same car will seemingly have poor grip on the turns in the opposite direction.

g.      Grip and handling will improve as the tires wear-in until tapered so that the outside circumference of the tire is slightly less than the inside, which is ideal for promoting inside tire slip, and improves the outside tire’s contact patch during cornering. So much so, that it can minimize the adverse affects of improper wedge.

h.      Tire compound isn’t a problem, thanks to the tire rules and standardization of Ninco and Ortmann tires.

i.        Note that modifying the tires with chemicals or processes is not permitted with one exception. The only legal treatment is PPR Slots Super Tire Cleaner (www.pprslots.com), which works especially well in some conditions.

j.        Track conditions vary significantly.

·  Clean tires at every opportunity because this actually cleans the lane enough to provide noticeable improvements (except in windy and dusty environments)

·  Keep out of the marbles. Ever notice how much rubber builds up in the body of your race cars? Just like full scale racing, that debris mixes with dirt just outside the groove to create tiny marbles that gets on your tires and ruins your grip if you get into it.

·  It’s possible that treaded tires work better on rough surfaces like Ninco and Classic Scalextric, and perhaps very dirty tracks.

5.       Motor selection

a.      Most motors that I’ve tested are just fine for competition with rare exceptions that are somewhat better and others inadequate. If you have the resources, you can buy many motors and test them all to find the best of the best but I don’t believe this is essential to winning.

b.      More often than not, I simply use the motors that come with the car or if the motor must be replaced as specified in the rules, then I just use what is most conveniently available.

c.      NC-1 MOTOR EXCEPTION: NC-1 motors as identified by their Mylar substrate labels are somewhat superior to earlier NC-1 motors identified by their paper substrate labels or no label at all.

d.      If I notice that the car is not performing well in the straightaway against other cars then I will first check the braids, then check the driveline for drag, and if it still unacceptable, only then will I try to find a better motor.

e.      Modifying the motor in any way is not permitted and motors must remain exactly as supplied by the manufacturer.

6.       Lube motor and break-in

a.      Oil the motor bearings with one drop each Mobile 1 or equivalent light viscosity oil (I use 10 30W Mobil 1)

b.      Immerse the motor in 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and run at low voltage (3 volts approximately) for about twenty minutes or until the solution is noticeably dirty.

c.      Blow dry with filtered compressed air and re-oil the motor bushings. This step is important for minimizing corrosion. Motor cleaner sprays that inhibit corrosion are a good idea at this point, but not essential.

d.      Install motor in chassis, check that the motor, gears, and axle assemblies turn freely, and then hot glue the motor in place.

e.      Reassemble chassis to body leaving mounting screws approximately ½ turn from tightened. Next, check to be certain that none of the tires can rub against the body or chassis (use shims to limit lateral axle movement or sand the tire edges if necessary). Once you are certain that none of the wheels might rub, then secure the slightly loose body screws with a it of tape.

f.        After reassembly, run the car on a rolling road at low voltage or lay the car upside down on soft clean terrycloth and apply low voltage of approximately 3 volts for about an hour. This is especially important with 4/WD cars and often makes the difference between noticeably fast or noticeably slow

7.       Braids and final set-up

a.      Remove the guide, set the car on a test block or any extremely flat surface, and examine to verify that the car’s weight is distributed evenly to all four tires. If not, possible causes included warped chassis, unequal tire diameters, and improperly located axles.

b.      Install the guide, set the fully assembled car on a test block or any perfectly flat surface with a relief slot for the guide, and examine to verify that the front tires make contact with the surface as required by the rules. If they do not then it may be necessary to readjust the braids or replace the tires if they’ve been trued too small. On cars with spring-loaded guides, it may be possible to adjust the spring tension to achieve proper weight distribution between the guide and both front tires.

c.      If the front axle has extreme vertical movement then it may be necessary to limit vertical movement for optimum handling as allowed in the rules. [See item 2 above.]

d.      If the car’s front axle has limited vertical movement then it is important that the car’s weight distributes evenly between the guide and the front tires.

8.       Test

a.      Run some test laps to determine that the car runs smoothly and responds consistently. If not, check, clean, and readjust the braids as necessary.

b.      Run many laps of equal left and right turns so that the tires develop a smooth surface with a very slight taper so that the circumference at the outside edge is slightly less than at the inside edge.

c.      Analyze the car’s handling to determine how it might be improved. A video camera is best so that one can see exactly what the car does in the corners from different angles and in slow motion.

d.      Read the rules on the website for ideas on how to adjust the handling.

9.       Final

a.      Lube the gears using lubricant safe for plastics such as Parma’s home set zero drag.

b.      Re-oil the bearings/bushings sparingly and often as determined by close examination. They should have just enough to be visibly wet but NOT enough to drip, as this will get on the track and make the host very mad at you, besides diminishing grip.

c.      Re-check your tires often to maintain optimal condition

d.      Maintain optimal tuning for every race. Big zero to guys who don’t do thorough pre-race maintenance and then complain that their car isn’t fast enough. This was one of my biggest mistakes as I’d often have a great car and be too lazy to go through it again before every race. This INCLUDES cleaning the tires and braids on loaner cars and checking with the host if there seems to be problem.

10.   Other notes

a.      Analyze problems that are usually the braids, tires off the rims, driver error, or track idiosyncrasies, in that order.

b.      I will usually prepare two cars for each class so that if there is a problem with one I can use the other.

c.      Sometimes the track will have idiosyncrasies that are a greater problem for one car over another.

d.      Did I mention to ask the top preparers for help?