Cars Not in Use

[kippintranet]

Newbie here. I have seen many photos of where people store cars when not in use, from presentation cases to shelves, from sitting on a piece of track to laying on a table. Beyond a scenic/modeling perspective, should cars be sitting on a piece of track where the car is magnetized to the track or on a nonmagnetic surface when not is use?

[Ember]

In a perfect world they'd be suspended above a non-ferric surface with no weight on their tyres, but.... Provided the magnetic force is attracting rather than repelling there is very little damage in even storing magnets side by side. I'd be more concerned about the tyres than the magnets with the cars stored on a piece of track.

Embs

[VenturaAlfa]

I use plastic stackable storage bins available from Lowes or Home Depot and store the cars on their side. Allows you to put two rows of five to six cars each and keeps the tires from flat spotting. The bins I buy have three drawers each so they allow you to store 30 to 35 cars per bin.

Ventura Alfa

[kippintranet]

Ember - I actually race a real BMW Z4 and I am very conscious about flat spotting (actually keep my car on a MaxJax carlift). I never thought of applying real world applications to slot cars. Thank you so much. You taught this old guy a bunch. - Rich

[Ember]

Although the weights are insignificant when compared to a 1:1 car, the tyres are considerably softer. I suppose it really depends on how much use the cars are getting. For me, it's not such a big deal as I'm not really a racer, more a pleasure cruiser.

Also the effects are more noticeable on some compounds than others. Many will be taken care of by a quick spin on some sandpaper and a clean before hitting the track.

The worst tyres for storage flat spots would be those 'treated' with oils and other magic fluids. The compression would cause the pooling and weeping at the base of the tyre while the top dried a little. For those who spend hours (and sometimes days) carefully treating their tyres to ensure even grip this unevenness would be a nightmare.

[DHansen]

If you want to display your slot cars with out flat spoting the tires, cut some 1/4 inch plywood [paneling] into 2 inch X 2 inch squairs, paint them black and set the car on top of the plywood. The plywood should fit in the center of the chassis under the car and let the tires and guide hang just above the table top and not touch the plywood spacer or tabel top keeping the car level. Depending on the grownd clearance of your cars, some may need more or less then a 1/4 inch spacer under the car. Adjust as nessasary.

[kippintranet]

Thanks everyone for the info.