New life for cars I thought were duds

[Modlerbob]

Over the last two years I have bought slot cars that no matter what I did would not run well on my Scaley Sport track. So they mostly sat on a shelf gathering dust. I had plenty of cars that did run well so I pretty much ignored those that didn't. But now DeBary Glen has a second track and it is routed MDF that is approximately the same length. Most all of the cars that run well on the plastic track also run well on the MDF. To my surprize most of the cars that I had given up on when given a go on the MDF exhibit good handling characteristics and will most likely give other brands in the same category a run for their money.

Two cars that surprised me are the BBR Ferrari F430 and the Auto Art BMW M3. The Ferrari F430 has a high rpm motor and is a little difficult to keep reigned in but it is smooth in the corners and predictable. I had already changed the rear hubs and tires on the BMW but it just wouldn't stay on the track on my plastic scaley sport course, but on the wood it behaves well and is a pleasure to drive.

I knew some of these cars would run better on wood but I never thought they would get an opportunity to prove it. Thanks to Fl-Slotter more of my collection will get driven.

[Florida_Slotter]

I'll bet they even run better with Paul Gage urethane tires on them!

[ElSecundo]

Over time I've come to realize that the only cars that are duds are the cars I can't fix to drive the way I like them. When I learn a little more, I can pick up one of the duds, work a little magic, and *poof* it isn't a dud any more. So for me, the car isn't a dud, I'm the dud who's unable to unlock the slot car goodness. The car is fine, it just needs somebody better than me to tune it.

At this point, I'm not a brilliant tuner, but I can get a car to run decently smooth, and it will be fun to drive. It isn't a dud (for me) unless the looks are so off that there's nothing I can do to make it look right. But there are guys who will take a dud in the looks department and turn it into a gem. (Moose, you know who you are...)

[Modlerbob]

For the most part the cars I consider duds were purchased blind with no knowledge of how they were engineered. They were bought because I liked their looks, only to find out they had poor running gear. Even then I realize that if I were willing to spend money on a gazillion aftermarket parts they would have potential. Usually I try to limit aftermarket add ons to tires, rims and gears and occasionally if I really like a body style I'll try to fit something like a HRS2 chassis under it.