When to replace braids and other tuning questions

[fourshipp]

I’ve been running now for a month and a half and braids are starting to show substantial wear. When should they be replaced? How will worn braids manifest themselves in car performance?

How often do you perform routine mx such as greasing gears and oiling bearings?

Cincyslots had a video on YouTube about tuning the Carrera DTM Mercedes. Part of the process was running the motor in WD40 to break in the brushes (I remember doing this in the 80s on our off road RC buggies). Is this worth doing after the cars have been run for a while or does it only work when they are new?

Where do you get the chip side of the motor plug so I can run motors outside of the car for the above break in procedure?

Thanks,

Bruce

[RichD]

I race my cars, so they get oil and grease before each race. For casual running you do not have to apply oil or grease very often. Braids need to be cleaned more often than they need to be replaced. If you run on set type sectional track that tends to wear the braid more quickly. Obviously if a car has slowed down and cleaning or adjusting the braids does not help it is time for a change.
If you have already run a car on the track for at least 30 minutes a bench break-in is not likely to make any difference. I would not recommend using WD-40 to break in a motor because it contains a fair amount of oil.
If you want to connect a power supply to a motor with a plug you could use alligator clips. Digi-Key has the connectors, part number 455-1165-ND would be the female connector.

[chappyman66]

Braid wears faster running on plastic. Having said that, I have cars that have run thousands of laps on plastic that are still running the original braid. Low speed on the Dremel with the wire brush cleans them nicely. I also find that a little RailZip or Inox on each braid helps to clean them. Having said all that, other cars have had braid tear almost right out of the box (especially older Fly classics).
If the braid is worn to the point of not making good contact, replace it. Lots of broken strands and fraying means it's time for new braid.
I bread in my motors with a drop of oil on the bearings and then 6V for about 5 min. I will often coat the gears with polishing compound or toothpaste to help them mesh. The low speed contains the mess. Then turn it up to 10V for 15 min or so. Some folks use alcohol to help the break in because it carries away the brush dust but that accumulates during racing anyway. That's why the alcohol dunk will sometimes bring a motor back to speed. Don't use WD40, it leaves a residue that will attract gunk in the future.

[fourshipp]

Thanks for the replies. I remember breaking in the 1\10scal buggy motors by running them submerged in plain water. We only ran them a minute or so.

[Pappy]

[Cincyslots]

[fourshipp]

Just recieved a used Carrera Lola T222 and got it chipped, lubed, and trued. It drives great. This is my first Can Am car I really enjoy the low CG and handling. However the front tires do not touch the track. I can see the white lettering on the sidewalks as it runs. It is running on the braids and it is very noisy. Is it acceptable to have the front of the car resting on the braids or do I need to re tire the front?

I saw a YouTube video about replacing Carrera braids with thinner Slot it material. Is this a worthwhile mod?

Thanks,

Bruce

[MikeyAutobahn]

Regarding lube/oil: If I have an important race to run, I'll give the car a thorough going over, clean it up and get a fresh lube/oil job. Then I run it on drone at 20% power for about 50 laps to let the juice do its magic.I love it when a car runs smooth. If I'm just running at home for kicks, I'll usually give it a tuneup after a couple sessions, or if I notice anything out of place about the car.

Regarding your Lola: I like all four tires on the track. I've reset all the Slot.it cars that have come from the factory so the fronts are on the track. NOTE: not everybody does this. In fact, this is one of those topics that could elicit quite a few different responses. I respect them all.

[Pappy]

I like the front tires on the track too. Believe it or not, .005 of a difference in guide height sometimes makes a difference.

This is a hobby of thousands of an inch and thousands of a second.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I agree that WD-40 is not the right thing to use. At that stage, you need solvent, not lube. Get everything clean, then deal with lube. Combining the tasks insures a bad outcome. Use a brass brush to clean braids, and use the many "dunking" instructions on HRW to get the motor cleaned up.