Before racing a new 1/32 slot car, it is a good idea to follow these
basic steps:
1) Make sure the rear wheels (and front wheels for that matter) turn
freely. While holding the car upside down in one hand, gently spin the
rear wheel with your thumb. If it doesn't spin, chances are the rear
axle assembly or the motor has come out of position and needs to be
snapped back into place. You'll need to take the body off to see if
this is the case.
2) Make sure the braids are frayed. New braids are wound very tight,
this is not good conductivity. Often, new cars right out of the box
will run sporadically simply because they are not making good contact
with the rails of the track. Take a straight pin, pocket knife, or even
your thumb nail and work the ends of the braids until they're separated
or frayed. Curl them down too so the frayed ends will come in contact
with the track first.
3) Break the motor in. It is a good idea to break the motor in by
taking the first 10 to 20 laps around the track at half to 3/4 speed.
You can find much more elaborate methods for breaking in motors if you
wish, but they may or may not make a difference.
4) Lubricate all moving parts. This must be done with the body off the
chassis. It is not always necessary to grease and oil all new cars,
some come pretty well lubed from the factory already and others don't.
A visual inspection should give you a good idea. Apply white grease to
the gears and oil to the drive shaft of the motor and on the axle
bushings. Wipe up any excess grease and oil with a cotton swab. You
should grease and oil your cars periodically, maybe every second or
third time you run them and after long periods of non-use. If you run
very long sessions it's a good idea to do it more often.
5) Clean and/or sand rear tires. If you've ever seen an F1 or Champ Car
race and noticed them zig-zagging back and forth before the race or
during caution periods, the drivers scuffing in new tires, getting heat
in them or cleaning the debris off of them. It is important to do the
same thing in slot racing too. New rubber tires are very slick and
don't stick to the track very well. To get the best performance out of
the tires on a new slot car, you need to sand them. Just put the car on
the track facing the opposite direction. Tape or hold a piece of fine
or medium grit sand paper to the track. While giving the car half to
3/4 power, gently ease the rear wheels up and down on to the sand
paper, making sure to keep the car perfectly level. This abraids the
tires and also cures any out-of-round imperfections too. You will need
repeat this procedure periodically to maintain good traction with your
stock rubber tires. It is also important to clean the tires often using
nothing more than rubbing, alcohol, plain water or spit. Your tires
pick up dust and debris from your track so it is a good idea to keep
your track clean too. Rub your track down periodically with a rag
lightly moistened with rubbing alcohol.
~ by Jim Corley
