by Audi1 » Thu May 11, 2017 4:42 am
In my experience, if you have a car that has the following, then you're apt to have a good proxy car:
1. Chassis straight
2. In general, maximize the wheelbase and the track on your car and position the guide as far forward as possible; there are exceptions to this, but not many.
3. Drive train as close to zero friction as you can get it (gear mesh smooth, rear bushings aligned, rear axle turning freely, motor stabilized)
4. All 4 tires flat on the same plane (use your SCC set-up block to determine this; there are also other ways)
5. Weight in a range that makes the car stable, but not too heavy for the motor/gearing to handle easily (usually for an average GT/LMP/etc. car, in the range of 75-85gm)
6. Weight distribution in the range of 35:65-40:60, front:rear
7. Guide fit snugly into the guide holder (not binding, but definitely not sloppy loose), a blade length that is as long as possible, but that will easily negotiate the tightest turns on the tracks that you'll be running on and a blade depth as deep as those tracks can handle
8. Braids making contact with the rails so that the front is not lifted when static on the track
9. Body roll such that when you push down on the front fender, the opposite side rear tire does not lift
10. Tires that are glued and trued on metal rims (for the rear); fronts can be either metal or well-prepped plastic rims, but should also be glued and trued. You really do want close to zero grip from the fronts, because the guide on a slot car is your de facto front tires
10a. Did I mention truing the tires? If I didn't, then I meant to. You can't spend too much time paying attention to this factor.
What I think you want is a car that has plenty of power, but that handles very well in the corners, because, as others have said, the races are usually won in the corners. Ideally, the tires should grip right out to the very limit of driveability in the corners (no tire chatter) and when they exceed the limit of traction, the tail end slides out a little (rather than the front end simply deslotting due to too much rear traction or the rear end going from good traction to zero traction in a split second). The tail end slide out at the traction limit gives the driver a signal to back-off and this is really key to having a good driving proxy car, because although every driver has a different driving style, they all watch for signals as to how fast they can drive the car into and out of the corners. With good speed and clear driver signalling, you'll have yourself a good proxy car; at least I think you will.............
Allan