How does the Carrera 917 compare to the FLY & NSR versions?

[downtowndeco]

I've taken an interest in these to create a field for my Le Mans themed layout. How does the Carrera version stack up, especially if I want to run no mag?

Thanks.

[Jesla]

Apples and oranges.....

[downtowndeco]

Well, all 3 are 1/32 Scale 917s. : ) I'm guessing the NSR are the smoothest runners, but are the Carreras OK at all or just complete junk?

[Nor Cal Mike]

I haven't played with the Carrera 917 yet but judging by all of the other Carrera cars that i
I own, I would predict the Carrera 917 is most likely a nicely detailed, solidly built but somewhat clunky, operationally speaking slot car. Carrera cars are designed to be very durable toys used on Carrera tracks not as club racers. The toy-ness of their models isn't easily tuned out if it can ever be tuned out without changing chassis entirely. Carrera 917's are not thought of as potential racing slot cars against other brands.

Fly 917's were the original club racer of the bunch. (I am speaking of the early sidewinder chassis) Fly's shortcomings such as a too flexible
of chassis, poor pinion gears and floppy front wheels due to their independent axle design, are well documented. But those Fly 917 cars are tunable to the extent that they can be made into very competent club racers. I have not played with any of Fly's new inline chassis so can't speak to them.

NSR 917's are as previously mentioned, like comparing apples to oranges. They were designed as a racing slot car from scratch. Their performance is way out of league compared to either Carrera or Fly. They cost double what you would pay for an analogue Carrera 917.

[HomeRacingWorld]

[Z-carfan]

I have personally owned all three brands in the 917 form. here is my 2 cents.

NSR - Super smooth out of the box, nice an fast very good detail.
For No mag - Urethane or silicone and some weight mounted towards the front,

Carrera - Also smooth in mag from out of box, more durable in an accident. Great car, definitely not junk.
For no Mag, Urethane or silicones trued up, little weight added makes an excellent runner.

Fly - Most beautiful bodies of them all, but more delicate. Running gear, it's hit or miss. Needs more work sorting but can me made a nice runner.
For no mag, you will want to spend some time researching the best way to sort that car out, as magnets are the only thing that help that chassis at all.

[WB2]

Having read about your HO track, I get the idea you're looking at achieving the feel of LeMans and probably do your slot stuff solo.
If that's the case, pick any of the brands.
I have a small routed track and my only competition is the clock (if I even use it). I race what appeals to me.

Carrera cars are inexpensive for the analog cars. Digital gets you lights. I true the wheels and use PGTs and that's it. Not super fast but not that bad on a smaller track.
Fly has many 917 variants available. On all of the Fly sidewinder cars I have, I've replaced the independent front wheels using a brass tube axle, trued the rear wheels, PGT tires, and a weight behind the guide. I've had no gear issues. As I'm not a "real racer", they're fine for me.
NSRs are probably a bit overscale, fantastic quality, and have run great (and fast) out of the box. My only problem has been tires. I obtained foam fillers for the air wheels and added Slot It P6 tires.

If you're looking at creating a LeMans field for a particular year, you should consider other cars that competed with the 917s that year. Are any of those competitors made by any of the three brands mentioned?

As for comments about Carrera cars being junk, I take issue with that. The local group rufuses to race them because they "are so slow". If everyone runs Carrera cars, they run the same speed and everyone is at the same level. Carrera vs. NSR is like a G-Jet at 12 volts vs. a Mega G at 18 volts.
For me, I'd much rather have a Carrera than a Scalextric.

[downtowndeco]

Thanks to all for the input, very helpful!

Cheers!

[slothead]

I was a teenager when Ford got into World Sportscar racing in the mid 60's and I've remained a fan of that era. A few years ago I built a 1/32 scale road course for Trans Am racing, then expanded to Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans type cars. Now I have a field of 20 cars, Ford GT40's, Ferrari 512's & 330P, Lola T70's, Porsche 917's, & Chaparral 2F's. Originally the Fly ones were easiest to find, but I also have some Scalextrics, one Carrera 917, and 3 MRRC Chaparrals. All the cars are as stock as possible so the solo races I run based on lap times are as fair as possible.

Admittedly, the Fly cars are sharp but after buying 3 in a row at $60 - $80 each that wouldn't even turn a lap out of the box without fixing or replacing gears I said I'd newer buy another one. I have all of the 20 cars running well now with minor tuning and they are all basically equal on my track where handling means as much or more than speed. A spin or deslot results in a time penalty that can mean going to the rear of the field and being out of contention.

The Carrera 917 has won a race from a mid-pack starting position, so it's no slouch once you get the PG tires set (I had to trim the insides of the rear tires to keep them from rubbing on the chassis). The best car now may be a MRRC Chaparral 2F with PG tires. The 2 other MRRC 2F's still have stock tires so as not to be a dominate team. I'm also happy with 2 Scalextrics - a Ferrari 330P and a Chaparral 2F. I like having a variety of brands and car types in the series.

If I were buying just one car from this era I'd hold my nose and buy a Fly Lola T70 just because of looks and get the tools out.


But If $32 for a dependable car suits you more than a $100 car that will likely need fixing immediately, you won't go wrong with this either.


Slothead

[chappyman66]

I agree with the above. They are different. NSR is a racer, Fly is perhaps prettier. They certainly require tuning, but there are no secrets about how.
The Carrera cars drive differently. We run no mag at 12V, and Carrera cars have no brakes compared to NSR and Fly. Having said that we run them heads-up and they are mostly pretty even. It makes for fun racing when the cars are equal. And I have to say, for $35 the Carrera is not bad.

In the end, drive what you like. It's supposed to be fun!

[Czar]

Something no one has mentioned. Depending on the length of your track's straight away, the NSR will have too much power to really get the most out of its performance. Unless you have a straight that is 25 - 35 feet long, you will never see the car's top speed. Also, faster motors can be a lot harder to control on twisty road courses. NSR cars were designed for larger club courses, like you find in Europe. Carrera toys are designed to be run on home tracks which tend to be significantly smaller. Fly? Fly machines can run very well on a home track, but as everyone agrees you will need to do some tuning. Nobody can touch the price point of analog Carrera models.
Also, to get the most perfomance out of an NSR you need agood after market controller. So, add that to the cost. But, once you have good controllers, all of your cars will perform better.

[Brumos RSR]

I've built a few Carrera 917s using NSR Wheels Inserts and slot it gears on with the factory chassis and motor…… Fun! better than stock and not like a NSR racer which I have several and they are true race cars by comparison.

[Quickcars]

I've only owned one Carrera 917 and didn't think much of the way it ran. You really can't compare it to an NSR which it purposely built for racing. As other's have noted, a Fly 917 will need tuning to run well, mag or no mag. I'm a magless kinda guy and have tuned lots of Fly classics to run extremely well. I'm sure the same can be done with a Carrera. The issue I've found with the Carrera is that they are exceedingly heavy (durable) and have light braking compared to other brands. They have gotten better in this regard but aren't quite there yet.

QC

[WB2]

Downtown - what did you decide to go with?

[downtowndeco]

I have 2 of the 917 Flys. I have been cruising eBay trying to pick up a Carrera on the cheap to try out. One of the Flys I bought off ebay was already tuned. Aftermarket wheels, axles, gear, tires etc. It's sweet. the other was stock & was terrible until I worked on it a bit. It's in the "pretty good but could use a little more tinkering" category. : )