Tuning a New Slot Car (for Non-Slot Car Nerds)

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  • čas přidán 23. 09. 2019
  • New slot cars run poorly right out of the box. Tuning of the car can make it perform dramatically better. The method demonstrated here is a basic tune that is relatively quick to perform and does not require any special tools or equipment. It will, however, get you 95% of the performance gain of a more in-depth tuning. The video demonstrates a chassis lube, pickup braid adjustment, and tire truing on a Carrera Digital 132 slot car. The procedures will be exactly the same when tuning a Carrera Evolution (analog) slot car, and very similar with other brands of slot cars such as Scalextric and Ninco, as well as the larger scale 124.
    Tuning a car for ultra-competitive racers involves special tools and machines plus many hours to get the car to run its best possible lap times. More casual racers do not need, nor would they notice, small increases in performance gained by many of these advanced techniques that are not mentioned in the video. This tuning (oiling, pickup braid adjustment, and tire tuning) is actually not only for brand new cars, but should also be considered regular maintenance.
    This video is targeted at casual slot car racers running on their own home tracks like people who race with their kids or racing nights with beer and friends. Hard-core slot car racers may want to research more comprehensive tuning techniques.
    Cars featured in the video include Carrera's Ferari 488 GT3, Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, Mercedes AMG GT3, Nissan GT-R GT500, LaFerrari, and a Mercedes AMG C 63 DTM.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Other slot car videos that may be of interest:
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    • Building a Slot Car Ti...
    - Carrera Digital 132 Nissan GT-R Showdown:
    • Carrera Digital 132 - ...
    - Building a Digital Slot Car Track - Design Considerations
    • Building a Digital Slo...
    - Carrera Digital 132 Ferrari 599XX Showdown:
    • Carrera Digital 132 Fe...
    - Carrera Digital 132 Slot Car Racing
    • Carrera Digital 132 Sl...
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Videos featuring other hobbies that may be of interest:
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    • NR2003 - Cheap Whiskey...
    - Backyard R/C Car Track:
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    - Nascar Racing (PC Game) League S02E02 - Michigan Highlights
    • NR2003 - Cheap Whiskey...
    - RC Pilot Drops Bomb then Crashes Plane
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    Music used in this video:
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    RC Car Track Building
    • Reclaiming Our RC Car ...

Komentáře • 330

  • @johnniehobby
    @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +47

    Although we present the information here as a how-to for a brand new slot car, the procedures should actually be considered regular maintenance as cars will eventually go "out of tune."

    • @wildemouse
      @wildemouse Před 3 lety

      If you flatten the new tires and make them smaller, you will get less distance per rotation, making it slower.

    • @geshscale6068
      @geshscale6068 Před 2 lety +1

      @@wildemouse But it depends on the track. for a track with very long straightaways, leave the tires, but if there are corners, its best to have grip because it gives more than the fraction of speed that the size does.

  • @davidfinch5517
    @davidfinch5517 Před 4 lety +67

    I bought a classic le mans track for my two girls just to see if they loved it like i did when i was a kid. we played and the cars kept slipping out. my youngest (7) was starting to get very annoyed. i did exactly what you said in this video. and afterwards my youngest got the quickest Lap time of the whole day. she was absolutely made up. Thank you for this video.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +17

      I remember when my girls were that age. It's heartbreaking to see them get frustrated with something like that. Your comment totally made my day.

    • @davidfinch5517
      @davidfinch5517 Před 4 lety +2

      @@johnniehobby. Id love to get back into this like you Guys. dont even know were to find clubs or anything though. as i Live in Chorley in Lancashire, my first stop will be pendle slot racing and ask how to get into it again. I went to fix the second hand cars that came with the set and they were very helpful.

    • @saucysuishi341
      @saucysuishi341 Před 4 lety

      Good dad

    • @subaruthug
      @subaruthug Před 4 měsíci

      Bloody kids.......I got my daughter into it as well, and now I can't beat her LOL

  • @geneschulp8598
    @geneschulp8598 Před 4 lety +78

    You guys are a real inspiration.
    Now that I am divorced, it's gunna be awesome.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +13

      The best comment on this video so far. It deserves more likes.

    • @pf465
      @pf465 Před 3 lety +2

      @@johnniehobby Here for the divorce. like given!!

    • @slater4041
      @slater4041 Před 3 lety +9

      Funny because I won four straight event nights since my divorce. I might just start my own divorced guys slot racing team. Who's in?!?!?

    • @recoswell
      @recoswell Před 3 lety +1

      maybe that should tell you it's time to put the toys away

    • @geneschulp8598
      @geneschulp8598 Před 3 lety +5

      At my age, the cars are more fun than a wife

  • @theblendernoob14
    @theblendernoob14 Před 8 měsíci +4

    I just bought my first race track as an adult. Trying to get into the hobby. So far so good. Alot of questions that needs answers still but this was very helpful.
    I would like to see a video for people like me, who are interested in picking up the hobby. Maybe compare the different brands of track, what to buy, what not to buy. What the difference between cars are etc. so the experience of trial and error dont get too frustrating :)

  • @titanary68
    @titanary68 Před 3 lety +11

    So happy I found this video and your channel. I’m 39 and just getting back into the hobby at the interest of my daughter and just purchased a whole Carrera 1/32 digital track set up and cars so this video is pure gold to me as thanks to places like Amazon actual brick and mortar hobby shops I grew up with are dying

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +3

      Congats on your re-entry into the hobby, and very cool your daughter is into it as well. Your comment made my day.

  • @robertbittles6944
    @robertbittles6944 Před 4 lety +4

    Liked and subscribed. I had a blast with 1/43 slot cars as a kid and for several years now I've wanted to get into 1/32 cars. I just recently jumped in with a Ninco analog setup and already have several cars. I like your no nonsense approach here and appreciate you sharing.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +6

      Good choice to get into the bigger the scale. The bigger the scale, the more fun they are IMO. Unfortunately also more expensive though. The saying that "the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys" is totally true.

  • @rayandersonii8702
    @rayandersonii8702 Před 4 lety +5

    Just wanted to say "THANKS" for these videos. I'm getting back into slot car racing, as it was so much fun when I raced 1/24 scale before as a teen. Alot of the tuning tricks I can remember doing back then, but obviously over the years had forgotten about some of them. So again, THANKS!!! Its a blast racing these cars, and the fun one can have with their friends!!!

    • @dreyn7780
      @dreyn7780 Před 3 lety

      Well, slot car manufacturers are way more suffisticated than people give them credit for.
      The modern slot car has 3 different levels of performance. The old-fashioned cars have 1 or 2 levels of performance.
      Some of the 24 hour race cars have a setting designed to give the driver A REST during racing.
      You FOOLS don't even think of these STANDARD features.
      You people are stuck with the ideas of the 80's.
      The industry MOVED ON. You're supposed to catch up.
      Most video makers think they know MORE than ford.
      And we're supposed to take this gossip.
      If you listen to these FOOLS you'll ruin the professional slot car by such & such brand.

  • @mikeprewett9671
    @mikeprewett9671 Před 4 lety +8

    Great video. The 1st time that I heard the word 'Gription' was from the late racing great,"Rolf Stommelen" . I was working on the Porsche 935 that he was driving in 1981.

  • @yod6083
    @yod6083 Před 3 lety

    Fantastic advices! Got them applied to my d124 carrera cars and wow! no more fears to slot out even at speeds an order of magnitude higher than those I was used to!!
    Great video, many thanks

  • @kendushane1039
    @kendushane1039 Před 3 lety +3

    Salami!!! Thanks for the videos man. I’m 61 and dammit I’m getting back into slots thanks to you. Can’t afford the digital I have to go with the analog but I’m still stoked.
    Thanks again man.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety

      You are welcome. The good thing about the Carrera track is that the standard sections are the same for both analog and digital. So, later on if you find the means you can go digital by adding the digital pieces to the existing track and can also add the chips to analog cars to make them digital as well. Nothing wrong with analog, though. Still tons of fun.

  • @alfonzooliviera1121
    @alfonzooliviera1121 Před 4 lety +11

    Excellent video! I had to learn this all myself and you guys are clearly pros at this hobby. Might be worth checking out Paul Gage tires. They’re urathanes so even if they don’t grip better than stock tires, which they do, dust doesn’t stick to them so clean or dirty track they grip the same.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +6

      We have a couple of cars with the Paul Gage urethane tires (just b/c we couldn't find the stock ones in stock anywhere). You are right, they do have slightly more gription, and do stay cleaner longer. They do need to be trued just like the stock Carrera tires though.
      The house rules for our slot club prohibit urethane and silicone tires, however (among other rules, such as no aftermarket magnets, no removing interior, etc.) so that we don't get into a situation where guys feel the need to spend more time working on their cars at home than they do actually racing them at the track. So, those cars with urethanes we don't run on club night.

  • @matthewmckenzie504
    @matthewmckenzie504 Před 4 lety +4

    I always sand tyres together, to keep them the same diameter, also rounding edges improved handling. Measure to check sanding is even I use Hudy, Verneya caliper.

  • @craigv367godsman4
    @craigv367godsman4 Před 8 měsíci +1

    Greetings, I'm returning to the hobby after probably 50 years, and I truly appreciate the tips. Thank you

  • @dhgmllcshea5038
    @dhgmllcshea5038 Před 5 měsíci +1

    Thanks for all of these great tips.
    My Carrera 132 Audi R8 came Out of Box with white grease on gears and all 4 wheel bearings!
    I just picked up the yellow R8 LMS GT3 in Mann Filter No.28 (31027) and noticed this.
    It came out in Feb 2023.
    Apparently they are listening over there in Carreraland!
    Has anyone else seen this????

  • @ryanquarles1833
    @ryanquarles1833 Před 4 lety +2

    Thanks for this video. I just got my son a Carrera 1/32 digital for his birthday this past week and we love it. There’s really not any videos showing how to do it like this.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Great to hear you and your son are having a good time, and I'm happy this is reaching our intended audience. Which Carrera set did you get?

  • @charlesm7589
    @charlesm7589 Před 7 měsíci

    As someone coming back to slots after 40 years, I appreciate that you are more laid back and just about having fun. My real world car passion is a 1965 Delta 88 hardtop coupe. I have resto modded it with disc brakes, aluminum heads (unleaded gas friendly) and an electronic distributor. The purist Olds guys hate me for it. Anyway, I just want to have fun with the Olds and the slots.

  • @DrDixonBhD
    @DrDixonBhD Před 4 lety +4

    Appreciate Your Kindness and Love of Slotcar Racing To Share These Tuning Tips!!! Can't Wait To See How Much Faster My Audi #7 R10 TDI LMP1 Will FLY!!!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +1

      Cool! Be sure to record your before and after lap times so you can post your improvement.

  • @airsoftbymerlin
    @airsoftbymerlin Před 3 lety +2

    amazing video for a beginner such as my self thank you a million for the simplicity and great dialog along with the precision at which explained can't wait for more content!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +1

      You bet. Do the following after you get your 132 set: after adjusting the brushes and lubing the motors, run the cars for about 20-30 laps before doing the tire tuning. Then tune the tires and run again. You should notice a big difference (unless you got super-lucky and the tires were totally true out of the box, but chances of that are close to zero). Also, this will work on your kids' 143 cars as well. Especially good if they getting frustrated if they are having trouble keeping the car on the track.

    • @airsoftbymerlin
      @airsoftbymerlin Před 3 lety

      @@johnniehobby Thanks for advice! i was going to try on 143 since you said it should work for all slots i appreciate the reaffirmation puts me at ease i'll defiantly keep in touch and inform you on the progress. again i appreciate all you do and hope to see much more!

    • @bradsanders6954
      @bradsanders6954 Před 2 lety

      @@johnniehobby Of course turning the power setting down is a good way to help get the hang of slotting...its weird how different cars run on the same power setting. They vary quite a bit.

  • @carltonslaine7756
    @carltonslaine7756 Před rokem

    Very very interesting my first time watching this I love scalextric racing the cars look so real and I love the way you explain how to maintain your car on the track and to improve your times to.
    Keep up the the work
    And once again excellent video 👍
    From England West Midlands Wolverhampton
    Take care be safe

  • @chrisa2693
    @chrisa2693 Před 4 lety +2

    After watching, I tried the oil (using Dynamite Medium) on a test car. The oil helped with noise and rubbing.
    Ran some test laps to grab average lap times. Then applied the tire tuning [*] method.
    Using the same layout for before and after laps. I was able to reduce laps times almost 25% on average. This was also my results with other digital or analog 1:32 cars and analog 1:43 cars on a 1:24 analog Carrera track. I also experienced higher speeds before oversteer/drifting through turns and chicanes.
    Great tips! Thanks for sharing. It has added another level to this hobby I share with my kids.
    [*] I added some layers of the sandpaper to raise its level from the track and keep the free tire from burning and polishing on the bare track when the car was kept level.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +1

      Excellent! Thanks for sharing your results. Good idea to stack the sandpaper.

  • @ronaldnordquist2215
    @ronaldnordquist2215 Před 4 lety +1

    I like your practical approach; the technique to get around that banked curve was perfect as well as flaring and bending the braids with a hobby screw driver and the magnetic dish for a clod like me is an excellent idea! The tire truing of one tire at a time is an excellent idea to place less stress on the motor as well as removing debris form the rear tires with your thumb before each heat. I would like to see your "hard liner" tune ups.

    • @slater4041
      @slater4041 Před 3 lety +1

      We really don't have any hardliner tune-ups but every so often we will take axles and motors out to remove build up of lint, hair, paper clips. You know, shit like that. Then we will do some lube work and possibly replace brushes, keels, and replace or tune the tires. Remember that worn and shorter brushes are less affective.

  • @josephdeffendoll3056
    @josephdeffendoll3056 Před 3 lety +1

    They make tire truers for the hard core racers. Plus keeping your tires in the freezer for long term storage is a good idea. The brand of tires is called Kelly.
    Also we use tire glue to keep the cars from coming off the track. Thanks.

  • @rlpittsjr
    @rlpittsjr Před 3 lety

    My son got a Carrera First Mario Cart track and two cars. Seemed intuitive to the gears out of the he box. I saw a difference right away. Thanks for the show of how to tune the braided contacts.

  • @martinhansen6466
    @martinhansen6466 Před 3 lety +8

    Try loosen the screws in the body, to give the boby some "flex".

  • @53glowe
    @53glowe Před 2 měsíci

    Very helpful...thankyou. Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺 👍

  • @hitthebricks5502
    @hitthebricks5502 Před 2 lety

    Very informative! Brand new to this and it was just what I needed :)

  • @lrosas8088
    @lrosas8088 Před 7 měsíci

    Great video tutorial. Thank you

  • @getswb
    @getswb Před 4 lety

    Well done. Will implement immediately. Thank you.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Cool. Let us know how it works out for you.

  • @TheChemist45
    @TheChemist45 Před 3 lety

    I also though have been noticing and learning more. Like The collectable Rusty Volkswagon set. Believe it or not Out of the box the VW Bug is fast lol and holds on decent. Yes the tires are a Bit skinny But treaded so I didnt want to true them. Love your vid!! Keep them coming!

  • @josephstanczak4340
    @josephstanczak4340 Před 4 lety

    Great video, provides a solid start in tuning. Next steps I would add would be to either true front tires and/or coat them (I use Future, but whatever slicks them up), and get rid of slop in the axles (a little more advanced). These two with your tips will make your home set cars zing!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      I agree with truing the front tires. I don't know of any good method of doing that without a truing machine, though.

  • @NeoIsrafil
    @NeoIsrafil Před 3 lety

    I SOOO miss this. Uses to run these in the 90s, but the track here in Vegas shut down. Ive still got all my cars and control from when I raced back then, but no track. :(

  • @SlotCraftMaster
    @SlotCraftMaster Před 3 měsíci

    Greate video, love your KISS princible approach!

  • @MustangFastback
    @MustangFastback Před 4 lety

    Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Glad to help. Let us know how your tuning works out.

  • @slotcarsallaboutslotcars3730

    Very helpful info, thanks.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      You are welcome. Good luck with your tuning.

  • @giangigiangi-fq1ep
    @giangigiangi-fq1ep Před rokem

    Very nice and usefull video, thanks

  • @urrugames4062
    @urrugames4062 Před 3 lety

    Amazing vid!!!!!

  • @MrMackanno
    @MrMackanno Před 4 lety +5

    The best thing I learned was I'll set-up a dedicated tire truer with an old Control Unit I have gathering dust. Thanks!

    • @Gurblash
      @Gurblash Před 4 lety +1

      Couldn't agree more! I immediately made plans for my old scaley powerbase from the 80s to make a tire truer! Can't wait to get off work now.

  • @RackwitzG
    @RackwitzG Před 3 lety +1

    Your tips are great for a start and really no effort with great effect. You can do two more things to make things a bit better.
    Pros like to sand camber into their tires. The outside edge diameter is slightly smaller than inside (conical shapte). That gives full contact of the tiresurface with the track when the car tilts in a turn. You can add camber by minutely tilting the car to the outside while on the sand paper.
    The other thing they like to do is seal the front tires with super glue or nail polish. That gives minimum traction to the front tires where traction is not prefierred.
    Of course you know all this. Just thought this worth adding, since it only costs a bit of wifey's nail polish. ;)

  • @kww1966
    @kww1966 Před 3 lety

    Hell yeah cool tune up!

    • @dreyn7780
      @dreyn7780 Před 3 lety

      Tread can be used to make a sound for the slot cars.
      If you cut off the tread pattern you've killed some of the sound.
      Magnets can be employed to keep the car in a class for races.
      It has nothing to do with maximum driving performance at all.
      If you think you know it all then shut up and start this idea you have.
      This concept you have of tuning a car that has already been tuned by the serious professionals, is CRAZY.
      How do you tune the 3 different driving levels that this car has.
      This car and the others have suffisticated trigger operation.
      It's not just 1 throttle and some braking.
      The throttle behaves differently depending on the speed of the car.

  • @craigmonteforte1478
    @craigmonteforte1478 Před 3 lety +1

    Cool video btw i am a retired woodworker and whenever we sharpen our tools getting the backside of a chisel or whatever perfectly flat is critical a old trick to hel get that done is to move the part in a figure 8 motion on top of the abrasive i was wondering if that would help true up the tires faster ?

  • @diggitallindadirt3283
    @diggitallindadirt3283 Před 4 lety

    Thanks just got new track good info from experiences

  • @josephaguilar3796
    @josephaguilar3796 Před 4 lety +2

    Great vid guys! Found my oooold afx track in the attic(thought my folks threw it out) and have been playing with my kiddos since quarantine! Need to give my cars some tlc but I'm having an issue finding parts. Any advice would be great!!!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +1

      I'm not too familiar with AFX. Possibly check out the channel titled "slotcar crazy." He deals with all HO scale stuff and might be able to point you in the right direction with respect to parts for older AFX chassis.

  • @whatiswe
    @whatiswe Před 3 lety

    WoW great video. Thank you!!!

  • @RaySweeting
    @RaySweeting Před 4 lety +3

    Love the title.

  • @falconmatero2926
    @falconmatero2926 Před 3 lety

    Great video, cheers from Australia!!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +1

      Thanks for the comment, and cheers from the USA. BTW: What beer do you drink down under when watching slot car videos?

    • @falconmatero2926
      @falconmatero2926 Před 3 lety

      @@johnniehobby Lol, I personally don't drink but us Aussies normally drink Tooheys draft, Carlton dry and there may be a few of us left that still drink Fosters! Cheers again from the land down under mate!

  • @PabloGonzalez-hv3td
    @PabloGonzalez-hv3td Před 3 lety +2

    I'm surprised motor break in isn't a major concern when in the RC world it's a top priority.
    I'd be curious what a similar break in routine to RC would do to lap times.

  • @benmiller9854
    @benmiller9854 Před 4 lety

    Great tips. Thanks

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      You are welcome. Good luck with your tuning.

  • @landsurfer66
    @landsurfer66 Před 4 lety

    Excellent and informative vid. My cars run so much better now!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Excellent. I'm happy to hear that it helped you out.

  • @rolandhoffman4456
    @rolandhoffman4456 Před 3 lety

    Great info....Thanks!!!

  • @PhilHenDrums
    @PhilHenDrums Před 4 lety

    All good stuff! Another simple thing you can use to clean the tires (instead of a roll of masking tape turned inside out) is a lint roller. It is easy to roll both tires at once. When the roller gets all dirty, just peel off a layer, and you're good to go again.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Great tip! I think I have some of those buried in the bottom a the coat closet somewhere.

    • @bradsanders6954
      @bradsanders6954 Před 2 lety

      Try alcohol,it really cleans tires quick.

  • @johnyannelli2480
    @johnyannelli2480 Před 2 lety

    Awesome again!

  • @Stratecs
    @Stratecs Před 6 měsíci

    I’m just getting into the hobby after going to my friends house and me, and my friend found an old slot car set in a chest and we set up the track and it was amazing

  • @jaspajones7045
    @jaspajones7045 Před 2 lety

    Thanks man! We just built a track. Been mostly using 1/24 scale digital Porsche by carrera. Noticed one car held to the track better. Swapped rear tires and then the other car was the better faster more grip. I need to do this same process to both. Even them out. Thanks.

  • @jcd1964mn
    @jcd1964mn Před 3 lety

    Great video, any suggestion where to find layout for Scalextric, love your layout

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +1

      I did an internet search for Scalextric layouts. Didn't find much but there is this page that has a variety of designs that all fit on 4'x8' table:
      www.slotforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=171810

  • @teunbart1958
    @teunbart1958 Před 3 lety

    Great video. Looking into getting my first Carrera 132 track. I like your set up. Do you have any plans / details on your track?

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety

      We have a couple of our layouts posted online that you can download. The source files are .scc which is Ultimate Racer 3.0 track planning software. If you have that then you can open the file to view the details. If not, you can still download the thumbnail and see the plan view. Site is here:
      subhumanracing.net/carrera-layouts/

  • @marcelschweikart7594
    @marcelschweikart7594 Před 4 lety +1

    Awesome video, just one question. What program are you using to track your lap times?

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +1

      The software is called HSSRMS ( Race Management System) written by a guy named Bruce Yingling. I'm pretty sure you can still download it for free from several places on the internet.

  • @AAANDN1
    @AAANDN1 Před 4 lety

    Good info for sum1 as myself.....a beginner..thx

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Glad to hear the video will be helpful. Good luck with your tuning.

  • @subaruthug
    @subaruthug Před 4 měsíci

    Good vid, well presented and good advice. With the braids, don't bend them too far up or they tend to lift the guide out of the slot. And I'd true the rear tyres before oiling, that way the bits of rubber don't stick to everything as much.

  • @rockfan3479
    @rockfan3479 Před 4 lety

    GREAT JOB johnnie hobby ! Any suggestions on purchasing a digital 1:32 scale starter set (with wireless remote) ?

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Good call on the wireless remotes It is absolutely the way to go. As far as I can find, Carrera only offers one set that includes the wireless which is "Carrera 30008 DTM Furore Set, Digital 132 w/Lights and Wireless Controllers" That set comes with two DTM cars. The DTMs are quick and handle really well.

  • @silentstormstudios
    @silentstormstudios Před 4 lety +1

    Great video with helpful info. I'm just getting back into the hobby and have a tire truer on the way. Do you have any tips for how to properly weight a car for magless racing? I'm thinking about going magless in order to actually slow things down a bit and improve driving skills. I find the faster I run the cars with magnets, the more cars I break from the inevitable high speed crashes! I'm a bit OCD with maintaining the looks of my cars. ;-)

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Ironically, the way to slow the cars down is to not tune the tires. I do find magless racing a lot of fun as it does require more skill and finesse. However, we don't do any serious magless racing (just goof around w/o magnets now and again) so we haven't learned to tune a car to run that way.

  • @flippinthrough
    @flippinthrough Před 3 lety

    Cool video. I am going to try some of this stuff on my new AFX HO set. My girls and I are having a blast, but the little one is PISSED because her car is slower.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety

      Haven't tried truing tires on HO scale before. Let us know how that goes. Is the little one's car not fast, or just not handle the turns as well as the others?

  • @ryankrueger4314
    @ryankrueger4314 Před 3 lety

    Great clip, just getting into the hobby myself. BTW, the fins on the rear underside of the car is called the "rear diffuser"

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety

      Thanks for the info. I knew it had a proper name.

  • @iscream4761
    @iscream4761 Před měsícem

    super interseting and well done video! what about the magnet(s) under the car? i notice in f1 cars the magnet is MUCH stronger and gives a lot of grip

  • @masterchief586
    @masterchief586 Před 3 lety

    That was good and informative 👏 👍 I am more of the Carrera Porsche line of 1/32 scale guys. Limited room size. Cheers 🍻

  • @jeffdedrick2312
    @jeffdedrick2312 Před 3 lety

    OUTSTANDING!!!!!

  • @jonnie2bad
    @jonnie2bad Před 3 lety +1

    cool setup, wish i had a friend with a basement like this.

  • @Paul_Hardy
    @Paul_Hardy Před 2 lety

    I've just dug out my old Scalextric so my granddaughter can try it. She's never seen one before, but she's showing interest in my R/C buggies so I thought what the hell. I came to CZcams to find the best way to clean the tracks as mine are a bit tarnished, I'm now here watching video's on tyre tuning and thinking "hmmm, I really need to do this". Great vid.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 2 lety

      Good to hear kids interested in real hobbies these days instead of just video games. How did the tire tuning work out?

    • @Paul_Hardy
      @Paul_Hardy Před 2 lety

      @@johnniehobby Yeah, I'm really glad to see she has interests beyond tiktok. I haven't done the tuning yet, but I'll let you know how it goes haha. Cheers.

  • @JayDee-jx4ew
    @JayDee-jx4ew Před 4 lety +10

    Wow thanks another for making this video. I've learned a lot and now can get my nephew's Ferrari to handle better.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Cool. Let us know how it works out for you.

  • @bodomeyer3397
    @bodomeyer3397 Před 3 lety

    Hello, a very nice video for beginner in Slot Racing. Many greetings from Germany😀

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety

      Thanks for the comment. And greetings from the USA.

  • @robertwilensik3711
    @robertwilensik3711 Před 4 lety +1

    johnnie....GREAT VIDEO! Is there any way you could share your layout design? I'd love to build one like yours!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Hi Robert. A reasonable facsimile of the schematic can be found at 6:14 mark of my track building time-lapse video (czcams.com/video/cHKOA8mN9HI/video.html). The design has been tweaked slightly since that video (mainly the addition of more lane changes and chicane in the upper-right side has since been removed and the old black box and lap counter combo has been replaced with the newer control center) but the overall configuration is the same. If you need an inventory of track required let me know and I'll post it here.

  • @matoberry
    @matoberry Před 4 lety

    Thanks for a super helpful video! Good to know not to oil the plastic pieces.
    Just one question: would you not take the magnets out as well or do you rather race with magnets?

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety

      Most of our cars (and the guys that come for club racing) have the G5 chassis. It's not easy to remove and re-install the magnets on those cars, so we are normally running with magnets. However, a few of us have cars with the G4 chassis which have easy access underneath to remove the mags, so for those we'll run no-mag sometimes.

    • @TheChemist45
      @TheChemist45 Před 3 lety

      Thats up to you A car will go way faster without magnets holding the motor back! But then you have to be a bit more skillfull If a car is really slow take it out You can always put it back!

  • @6977warrior1
    @6977warrior1 Před 3 lety +2

    I run group 20 motors in my wing cars on an 8 lane track. So fast you can barely see the car. But the tracks are all disappearing now.

    • @slater4041
      @slater4041 Před 3 lety

      There seems to be a big following on the analog club tracks like that. My guess is that the new generation is coming into the hobby and, just like our kids, they want all the new technology crap that they can get their hands on.

  • @brianroberts2402
    @brianroberts2402 Před 6 měsíci

    Wow! We've come a long way in 50 years. We never went that fast. I was happy with my small aurora fx.

  • @unclebob6728
    @unclebob6728 Před 3 lety

    Thank You!

  • @Weirdbus
    @Weirdbus Před 3 lety

    great info. thanks for the detail. going to be passing thru Detroit area, know any slot car shops to check out?

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +1

      If you will be north of Detroit Great Lakes Hobby in Sterling Heights carries Carrera and Scalextric.

  • @AirCicilia
    @AirCicilia Před 3 lety

    I just gotta get this out of my system: I frikkin' miss the old Carrera Servo 140 line. Steerable at will, with the option of running in classic slot car mode. Why did they ever discontinue that product?

  • @user-xi9zk6mv6r
    @user-xi9zk6mv6r Před 5 měsíci

    Hi. Nice intro! Thanks. I saw that your races stats was projected on your wall. Can you tell use how you did it? Thanks again.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 5 měsíci

      Are you asking about the hardware or the lap scoring software?

  • @spaztekwarrior
    @spaztekwarrior Před 3 lety

    Very useful! Thanks! As a kid in the 70s I had plenty of AFX sets :) now as a 54 year old I ordered a digital Scalectrix set. :)
    How many feet of track do you have in that set up of yours?

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety

      That setup is approximately 95-100 feet overall track length.

  • @raylouis
    @raylouis Před 3 lety

    Can you put a plastic pin in the center bottom of the car to keep the rear end from sliding? That way you would have front guide pin and rear guide pin.

  • @gearhead366
    @gearhead366 Před 3 lety

    Tire truing.... I was at a race once where the cars were provided by the track owner. He had a group of cars that we all tried out. One car was much worse handling than the others. I decided to true the tires. It then became the fastest car by far. I had to then true the tires of all the cars. Then the whole field had fairly consistent lap times.

  • @danmclean7375
    @danmclean7375 Před 4 lety +1

    4:55 lol like... Garbage.. It's *sooo truuuue*...sandpaper method + tape = genius (Ive been using a fine-file and a licked thumb and probably just made it worse..)
    Johnnie my dude - super helpful video, thank you!
    *subscribed*

  • @sigmamansslotcars1415
    @sigmamansslotcars1415 Před 3 lety

    Great video guys! Only thing I would say is a wet sponge is great for cleaning tyres.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +1

      Good idea. Probably something to implement as licking my thumb to clean the tires is a bit unsanitary.

    • @sigmamansslotcars1415
      @sigmamansslotcars1415 Před 3 lety

      @@johnniehobby I lick the tires if I forget my sponge.😄

  • @joesephknoettgen3551
    @joesephknoettgen3551 Před 3 měsíci

    I was wondering what kind of track You have specifically? It looks like alot of fun!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 měsíci

      The track is Carrera digital 132/124. It is designated 132/124 because the track itself is 1:24 scale in size, but you can run 1:32 scale cars on it as well as the larger 24th scale. The cars shown in this video are 1:32.

  • @smitty929929
    @smitty929929 Před 3 lety

    Awesome vid! What flavor tires do you guys use? Urethane or Silicone and what maker? It is crazy overwhelming researching tires! Thanks!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +1

      When possible we always use the stock Carrera tires. If those aren't available we'll use urethane tires. The urethane tires are slightly more grippy than stock (which I think might be butyl rubber) and don't need re-tuning as often. We never use silicone tires, though. Do an internet search for Paul Gage urethanes and you should find several places you can order them from.

  • @viniengel
    @viniengel Před 3 lety

    Great video, my new Carrera cars are awful. I will go do the tyres now. Do you have a video for the advanced tuning?

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety

      Let us know how the tyre tuning works out for you. As far as the 'advanced' car tuning, we weren't planning on making a video for that. Essentially it's hours worth of work to get very minimal gains (the extra 5% mentioned in the video) that most people won't even notice.

  • @3roomsraceway612
    @3roomsraceway612 Před 4 lety

    Great video guys I applied your know how to a Scalextric XC Falcon that’s been converted to Carrera My times dropped 1.1seconds with far less drifting Did the same thing to my wife’s Mini ( Scalextric converted to Carrera) and she dropped a second off her best times as well
    Thanks

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +1

      Excellent! Great to hear. Thanks for the feedback.

  • @jaypitchford9020
    @jaypitchford9020 Před 4 lety +1

    Looking to get into this hobby. I am going to go with the Carreras track and would love some advice on the best set for the money. Looking more for track value at this point over car value in the set. Any suggestions? Want to go digital 132 I feel. Love this video great job!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 4 lety +1

      Most of the sets available now seem to have about all the same amount of track (1 double lane change, control unit/power track, 8 to 10 1/60 curves, 11 straight tracks) so from a track perspective there aren't any that are bigger bargain than others.
      The biggest difference in the sets is the number of cars that come with the set (some 2 and some 3) and whether they are wired or wireless controllers. I would recommend going with a set with the wireless controllers as freedom to move anywhere around the track and race at the same time is definitely a plus. Getting the wireless controllers, receiver, and charging stations is worth more than an extra car.
      These are two sets that come with wireless:
      Carrera 30005 GT Race Stars Set, Digital 132 w/Wireless Controllers and Lights
      Carrera 30196 DTM Championship Digital 1/32 Set w/Wireless Controllers
      All the cars that come with these are excellent. The DTMs are quick and handle really well. I have a Ferrari 488 but haven't run it yet, but if it runs anywhere near as well as its predecessor (Ferrari 458) then it's a darn good car as well.

    • @jaypitchford9020
      @jaypitchford9020 Před 4 lety

      Thank you for taking the time to help me out. I have been looking at those two sets. I am thinking of adding a pit lane and the blue tooth app connect. Again thank you so much. I can’t wait to get started.

  • @davidh2709
    @davidh2709 Před 3 lety

    So do you notice a spike in views after Christmas? Got a new setup and now I'm here to make it better! Thank you for the video!

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety

      Definitely a surge in views. I was expecting it but not so soon. Started Christmas day about 10:00am. Let us know how your tuning went. Merry Christmas.

    • @dreyn7780
      @dreyn7780 Před 3 lety

      Well, look for 3 different driving techniques that correspond to low speed, middle speed and high speed performance from the modern slot car.
      Sometimes the trigger operation is divided into 3 zones or sections of the trigger.
      These cars will wheelspin based on trademark performance or components.
      For example Ford is famous for wheelspinning performance.
      Go buy THAT car.
      Superchargers ALSO introduce wheelspinning action.
      It's YOUR job to learn the brands trademark performance style.
      You told us to shutup cause you knew it all.
      (we're all born that way).

    • @davidh9653
      @davidh9653 Před 3 lety

      @@dreyn7780 huh? I saw talking about the spike in views

  • @TechTiger1007
    @TechTiger1007 Před rokem

    Hey guys. do you have any videos on how to rebuild when crashes and ware happen?

  • @brandonleclair3490
    @brandonleclair3490 Před 3 lety

    Yo. Jus found a track in my girls basement. Love it haven't seen one since a kid.. First vid to come up for basic cleaning. Love it. Lmk if I can buy some track from u. 1.35 I think. Not sure if I'm dumb on the track or not.

  • @jorgeluis494
    @jorgeluis494 Před 4 lety +1

    Buen detalle para la traccion. Que número de lija #!? usaron saludos

  • @limehuzki
    @limehuzki Před rokem

    I'm starting to wonder if I could tune my 4wdmini for slot car track use, or put a 4wdmini motor into a slot car

  • @mt-xx1tt
    @mt-xx1tt Před 4 lety +14

    I'm a rc head and I'm hear as my son got slotcars for xmas so obusly I need to make them go faster haha

  • @danmurn6040
    @danmurn6040 Před 3 lety

    Thanks well done. Just getting back into hobby after 50 years

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety

      Nice! Going with digital this time?

    • @danmurn6040
      @danmurn6040 Před 3 lety

      What do need to get to set up the track to record track lap results. Thanks

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +1

      @@danmurn6040 The first requirement to have lap counting feature is to have the Carrera control unit part #30352. That's the track piece that the power and controllers plug into that also incorporates the sensors to detect car crossings. If you bought any Carrera track set within the past five years or so then it came with that unit.
      Second, the race management software:
      The one featured in this video is HSSRMS. Info on that software and how to connect it to the track is here:
      www.hrwforum.com/forum/hrw-all-scales/club-home-connection/carrera-digital-north-america/4472-hssrms-thread-home-for-faq-discussion-on-bruce-y-s-pc-based-carrera-digital-t-s
      Another option is the Carrera App Connect software for running on smart phones and tablets. Info is here:
      www.carrera-toys.com/en/2747/race-app
      Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. Happy New Year!

    • @danmurn6040
      @danmurn6040 Před 3 lety

      @@johnniehobby thanks very much. Modified my super bird. It work fantastic thanks.

    • @danmurn6040
      @danmurn6040 Před 3 lety

      Do not have the digital track ,analog for now.

  • @skippyjones4195
    @skippyjones4195 Před 2 lety

    Hey guys great video I would like Racing videos Thank you for sharing Take care ✌💪👍

  • @whome7004
    @whome7004 Před 3 lety

    Man the Models you have displayed and the one used in the braking in are so bad Ass compared to my old car I had back in the day! Tracks are few and far between these days, Heck I would definitely buy one and even being the beer if you were close by! Like all things from the days around the time my folks split My Slot Car along with anything RC Help me find that tiny Happy place back then, but now I just want to turn some laps to get a car and Enjoy! If you don't mind me asking how much is a small personal track like yours, Man its perfect! I always thought about the next hobby shop that goes under (Sadly)I was going to try to get the track to Have my own! I consider u a lucky man being able to run when the time is right! I Subscribed I can't believe I have not hit a slot channel before now being That fall in the Category of Childhood happiness Stuff for me and I don't know if I m thinking I going to get a do over or what my time spent on utub I'm looking at Mini versions of everything , if it takes a controller/remote I watching and end up buying, Glad I hit your channel U REOPENED a part of my mind, that I sealed just to not be think about it, wish I had not forgotten, happy to Be reminded, matter fact wair is my Now Ventage cars,Well if I find them I I probably would be driving Gosh Something that survived me and the great Rebellion! That would be the only work toy,but U no better than a toy to lasted all these years, lucky being misplaced but Gosh my Big Fishing tackle, Imean slot mobile work shop I would have seen it around, so I need to keep a eye out for my stuff at step Brother and Friends house I bet I will find it back then step brothers and Best Friend were mad with extremely Sticky fingers ,and Would not be first discovered Treasure I have had to Take back 25 years later! Turn some Fast Laps for me Show me the cool stuff So I Got to get it then hunt down to track any leads

  • @MR.TOYBOX
    @MR.TOYBOX Před 2 lety

    Do you and or can you temporarily put the front tires on the rear so you can true the front tires as well? Seems like if it helps rear tire grip it would help the front tires also?

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 2 lety

      Front tire grip isn't exactly desirable for slot cars. As a matter of fact, the less grip they have, the better. However, if the fronts are real bad as far as their (run-out/out-of-round) goes, they can negatively affect the handling. In those cases, shaving the front tires down a bit can help. Some cars have the same size wheels on tires on front and back, in which case swapping to the rear to true them can be done, but other cars don't have the same size front to rear. Need to be careful as sometimes moving a tire from one rim to another immediately puts it out of tune. Ideally the tires are trued on the same wheel they will be running on.

  • @DiamondDaveCH44
    @DiamondDaveCH44 Před 2 lety

    Please explain to me how a "Banked Turn" will "pull the brushes away"

  • @vlayog
    @vlayog Před 3 lety

    Greet video. Thank you! You sakes for suggestions for more video. I am interested in tuning a car after taling out the magnet. Wherry and hoe much lead do you put in the car to be able to race with it.

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +1

      We're not real experienced with no-mag tuning. However, there are a few videos on CZcams that address that exact topic (don't remember which ones, though). Search around for "no-mag slot cars" or something similar and hopefully you find the info you are looking for.

    • @vlayog
      @vlayog Před 3 lety

      @@johnniehobby Thanks very much. I have searched before, but I certainly wil give it another try.

  • @TheChemist45
    @TheChemist45 Před 3 lety

    I been into slots all my life Im 56 I started with 1/64 as many of us have. I have a 100ft speedway like Daytona. Great Vid Like to see you work on some older fly cars and Scalextric. I put a 40k shark motor in my Steve Mqueen 908 Porsche with racing slicks & aluminum Rims Jesus Night and day lol

    • @johnniehobby
      @johnniehobby  Před 3 lety +1

      I started out with HO scale as well. Still have a ton of my old Tyco track and cars. Might drag them back out some day, but not looking forward to having to clean all that track. I remember as a kid every winter setting it up and going through a bunch of pencil erasers getting all the corrosion off the rails. Seemed to take forever to get it clean enough so the cars would to all the way around without stopping. Now I'm spoiled with the stainless steel rails that don't corrode.

    • @TheChemist45
      @TheChemist45 Před 3 lety

      Hey Thanks for reply. I just ordered a scalextric Mini Cooper