A Couple More Questions...

[strummer57]

As I do more online research, I'm reading and seeing things I'm not familiar with, so here goes...

What is meant by "float", and how does that help?

Back in the day (1960s), weren't most cars powered with an inline-type motor? I know the Aurora A-Jets we had were of a "sidewinder" type (right?) and it looks like a lot of cars nowadays are built this way (although my Scalextrics and the one Carrera have inlines). What are the pros and cons to each, other than an inline fitting into a thinner body type?

Tires: I don't even know were to begin! :? The stock tires on my cars seem to work okay, but I'm very much open to suggestion...

As always, thanks in advance.

Mark in Oregon

[slothead]

You're going to get a lot of great responses to these questions from guys who are really in the know. Here's my discounted 2 cents worth.

Float - having the body loosely attached to the chassis so it can move a little and not stress the chassis. You want to be able to wiggle the body around a little while the chassis is stationary. This helps reduce tire chatter in the corners and improves handling.

Most of my cars acquired over the past 12 years or so are sidewinders. I thought this was so the chassis could accommodate a full interior with a lot of detail. Some of the latest Scalextric cars are inline with a shallow interior and smaller motor. I have 4 of their Javelins like this and they are closely matched with the prior Trans Am Mustangs and Camaros that were all sidewinders. Generally speaking, I think sidewinders are 'better' than in line cars, from a custom built competitive perspective. Personally, I've always preferred in line builds because they're easy to do with a motor mount.

Stock tires today are better than they were a few years ago. I put silicone tires on all my oval track cars and urethane tires on all my road course cars. I think each works best in those cases because of the track surface (slick hardboard on the oval, painted mdf on the road course). The oval has been 'rubbered in' with silicone for over a decade so I think that contributes to it being ideal for silicone tires. The road course has basically only had urethane tires used on it. Not sure how this works with magnets.

As I see it there is no 'best' type or brand of tire. It depends on the track surface, track history, and your driving preferences.

[RichD]

If you want to try running cars without traction magnets take a look at this: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qBiTF ... 30_ixis4rX

[strummer57]

Thanks guys. You've given me more to read and consider...

Mark in Oregon