Can I adjust the down force on my cars?

[mike116]

First off, appreciate the help all have provided on this forum over the last couple of months. Got into slot cars again after finding my old Tyco Pro track and have breathed new life into it for myself and my two kids (7 and 9).

My question involves whether I can play around with the down force, or "grip" of the cars that I now have.

I just upgraded my controllers (from the originals) to an AFX adjustable (High to low, ranging from 7 ohms to 45) set. The reason was that I was having issues with some of my cars making my controllers hot after just a few laps (and being a bit sluggish around the track). It was suggested on the forum to upgrade the controllers.

The new controllers work great, but maybe TOO well. What I mean is now I barely touch them and my cars go flying. For many of my cars, they are hard to control for me, let alone my 7 and 9 year old. And this is on the "Low" setting (7 ohms). I do have a couple of cars that I found do need the "High" setting (45 ohms), but one of them actually runs hot to the touch.

So, my question is whether I can add "grip" or down force to some of the cars I have that fly when I barely move the controller trigger. My thought was that with a bit more grip they might be a little easier to control. Conversely, on the cars that run hot, I am wondering if I can lose some of that "grip" so it runs a little cooler.

Maybe my thinking is way off on this but could use a little guidance. I was hoping that I don't have to use different controllers for different sets of cars.

Thanks.

Mike

[slothead]

Mike - great to see you getting involved. I'm not an HO guy anymore, but the universal answer here is less voltage makes for better racing. When I got back into 1/32 scale racing about 15 years ago it was with a new Scalextric track. It ran great and the cars were very fast. Great fun till you went so fast the magnetic grip was exceeded then they became projectiles. I know some HO cars have high levels of magnetic downforce (grip) thanks to powerful magnets in the cars being very close to the metal rails on the track.

An adjustable power supply will let you dial down the voltage so the 'jumpy' cars will get much less voltage at little throttle. I went from 16 volt wall warts to 11.4 volts on my oval and it's so much more fun to drive cars on. Lap times went up by about 30% for most cars which is also more realistic. Cars that were very squirrelly are now manageable.

Others into HO may have other suggestion, but my 2 cents worth says slow the cars down and you won't need or want the extra downforce.

[RichD]

You have not said exactly what sort of cars you were talking about. You did mention Tyco Pro cars however. Different HO cars require controllers with different ohm values. The controllers that you are using are not appropriate for Tyco Pro cars. A 60-90 ohm controller might work better with that type of car. Most modern high downforce set type cars would work well with a 45 ohm controller. Aftermarket cars like BSRT, Slottech, Viper and Wizzard would use a 25-35 ohm controller. Besides the type of car your track voltage would also influence you choice of controller. Higher voltages require a higher ohm value controller. It is nice to have an adjustable power supply, club type tracks are normally run at 18-20 volts, but you can use any voltage that works for you.
Resistor based controllers are the least expensive type, but they have inherent limitations. People that run a variety of cars usually end up with a collection of controllers with different ohm values. Electronic controllers are not so fussy about the cars that you are running and most of those are adjustable. You can use 3-4 cheaper resistor controllers or a single more expensive electronic controller. The majority of people that participate in formal races use electronic controllers.
Controllers tend to get hot if you are running them at part throttle most of the time. Dropping the track voltage would be helpful with the kids. Another thing to consider would be to replace the original tires that came on the cars with silicone tires. That would make the cars easier to drive and would increase their average speed, so the controllers would be less likely to heat up.

[BRS Hobbies]

If the car goes too fast when you barely touch the trigger, then it's best to adjust the controller to a higher ohm rating setting and/or reduce the track voltage.

Brian

[mike116]

Just to clarify a bit (as I read some of the replies - Thanks.) -

I am running 440x2 cars. (I do not have any of the original cars that came with the track).

Also, I hooked up a laptop charger as my power source and it is one that I can adjust the voltage.

Thanks.

Mike

[RichD]

Laptop power supplies are inexpensive and they are regulated. You have said that the one that you are using has several voltage outputs. Possibly none of those would be perfect however. At 18 volts and with a 45 ohm controller the Tyco cars should be easy enough to drive if the tires are good. Rubber or foam tires tend to harden up and lose grip with time, so you may need to replace them. Aftermarket silicone slip on tires, such as Super Tires, are the most popular choice.
If the cars seem to be overpowered, you could increase their magnetic downforce by using smaller diameter tires or by replacing the ceramic traction magnets with stronger polymer magnets. Most of the polymer magnets would tend to bog down the car's motor causing the car to overheat and slow down.
If you power supply does not include an appropriate setting you can reduce the voltage using diodes, those are inexpensive and each diode will drop 0.7 volts, you simply wire enough of them in series to get the cars under control.