Edited from WORLD CHAMPION Andrea Noviello (NSR manufacturer).
NSR offers its users a guide for easy configuration and tuning of cars. This guide that we are sharing with you can be applied to most of your Slot Cars.
veterans slot racers may know also other knowledge that are not written but we want to help the "medium slot racers", giving some general information. In this way, you can easy tune your cars also if you are not the best driver or mechanics, and also if you have not so much time to spend.
Slot Car is composed by some main parts :
If you want to increase the slot car performance, we suggest to change the original cockpit with LEXAN interior.
To have a better performance it is really important that body and chassis move freedom. To increase this movement, we recommend to use "Metric Screws EASY SET UP" (code NSR-4834).
DO NOT completely tighten the body screws (tighten completely and rotate back about 1 or 2 complete spin).
With some manufacturers, different frame hardnesses are available: soft (blue), medium (black), hard (white), extrahard (green). Choise the best chassis depend mainly from the personal driving style, and from the grip condition of the track or of the car.
A soft chassis means a "glued" car on the track (so much grip), an hard chassis means a fluent car. To find the best compromise :
- We suggest to use a soft chassis (blue) in LOW GRIP condition (slippery track, dirty, floor with low grip, tyres with low grip). Soft chassis is suggested for track as Carrera or Policar (when there is not rubber on the floor).
- We suggest to use a medium chassis (black) in medium grip condition (track with good grip, tyres with good grip, for example "Ultragrip" NSR tyres). Medium chassis is suggested for track as Carrera or Policar (when there is a little of rubber on the floor)
- We suggest to use an hard (white) chassis in high grip condition (track with a lot of grip, tyres high grip, for example "Extreme" NSR). Hard chassis is suggested for track as Policar (when there is a lot of rubber on the floor) / or for Wooden Track (light/medium glue mixture).
- We suggest to use an extrahard (green) chassis in very high grip condition (track with a very high grip, sponge tyres). Extrahard chassis is suggested for wooden track (medium / heavy glue mixture).
As the chassis, there are many hardness motor support available: soft (blue), medium (black), hard (white), extrahard (red). We will choise the best configuration just between extrahard motor support and medium motor support.
Other hardness motor support require more specific test and and the differences are not so easy to check. So, we will talk only about the main motor supports :
- Le support moteur « box stock » (rouge extra dur) assure une configuration fluide, très bonne pour des conditions d'adhérence élevées).
- Si vous avez besoin de plus d'adhérence et de meilleures performances, vous pouvez utiliser le support moteur moyen (noir). Ces supports moteurs sont vraiment polyvalents dans de nombreuses conditions et garantissent toujours de bonnes performances.
- The "box stock" motor support (extrahard red) ensures a fluent configuration, very good for high grip condition)
- If you need more grip and better performance, you can use the medium (black) motor support. These motor support is really versatile to many conditions, and it always ensure good performace.
With some manufacturers, the performance of your slot car can be easy improved using SUSPENSIONS KIT. Using them, the car can better work, having the best grip also if there are many bumps on the track.
- Medium : the most used, they are easy to adapt to all track conditions.
- Soft: They are suggested in low grip condition ( slippery track, hard tyres).
- Hard: They are suggested in high grip condition (track with a lot of rubber on the floor / very very soft tyres).
It is possible to adjust the motor support’s movement, screwing the suspension bolts. A good starting set up can be: Front screw (of the motor support) all blocked. Rear bolts 2 rounds unscrewed (block them and turn back 2 complete rounds).
This is a good initial setup. Who like to test, can also try to adjust this base regulation, screwing step by step the bolts.
TRANSMISSION group includes: bushings, axle, crown, pinion.
BUSHINGS
To improve slot car’s performance you can use "No Tollerance RACING Bushings NSR" because they reduce their movement on the motor support. So, the performance will be better in all parts of the curve. For INLINE models, we suggest to use racing bushings (code NSR-4868) with bigger hole of 2.5mm internal diameter, to improve the agility of the car and have better performance. We suggest to always oil the bushings, using specific bushing Oil. Doing this, the bushings life will be very very long.
CROWN / PINION
A LONGER ratio gear (less tooths of the crown / more tooths of the Pinion) means more maximum speed and better fluency.
A SHORTER ratio gear (more tooths of the crown / less tooths of the pinion) means more acceleration and braking.
The choise of the ratio gear is mainly based on the type of track and motor used. If you want to change the ratio gear, we suggest to change the crown because this operation is very easy. Original ratio gear makes a very easy car to drive and so versatile. Changing original ratio gears, the cars could be a little more difficult to drive because it will be faster.
Some samples of suggested gear ratio (nice initial setup) :
Recommended pinion z13 gear z29
Recommended pinion z13 gear z27 (both plastic)
Recommended pinion z13 gear z28
Recommended pinion z11 gear z30
Recommended pinion z11 gear z32
Recommended pinion z10 gear z24
Wheels are one of the main slot car’s components. The wheel is the composed from the rims and the rubber. To choose the correct wheel you have to keep in mind mainly: width , diameter and compounds.
FRONT WHEELS : To have the best running performance, it is suggested to not have contact between front wheels and the track. To do this, insert the screw in their correct place (see the photo), and bring the front axle up. Verify that the axle moves freely. It is really suggested to use small diameter of front wheel and low profile tires with hard rubber. Preferably use rims designed for the front!
REAR WHEELS : Lower diameter of the wheel means a lower height from the ground, so a better performance. To easy increase the performance, is suggested to use a LOW PROFILE wheels and racing material.
Motor is one of the main parts of a Slot Cars and it can easy change the performance on the track. It is possible to change the original motor with other faster or slower motors. We suggest to NOT use too fast motors, because the car could be more difficult to drive. Some samples of good motors configurations : AW Anglewinder, SW Sidewinder et IL Inline.
- IL configuration : ensures really good braking, speed and magnetic effect. Anyway, IL setup has more difficult in agility in tight curves and balance.
- SW configuration : ensures very good agility in tight curves and less weight. Anyway, SW setup has less magnetic effect and torque.
- AW configuration : the most used, the best configuration. The cars are equipped with a long can motor inclined about 30° from the horizontal axis. We suggest AW configuration because it ensures perfect balancing, magnetic effect, torque, acceleration, braking, speed , agility and grip.
You can also improve slot car’s performance using other tuned spare parts, as pick up guide. We suggest to use racing pickup low profile with screw because it ensures a better performance on the track. It is available with long blade and short blade.
Is generally suggested the short blade for Classic cars and long blade for GT / GT3 cars.
For track with a lot of bumps, we suggest to use standard pickup (without screw), with long or short blade (as written before about the blade).
For rally setup is suggested Rally Pick-Up, that always keep a good contact on the tracks with its long stem.
We suggest the new pickup guide (NSR-4859) for wooden track. This guide has a different blade, deeper and larger, very nice for wooden track. In this way, the car will be very faster and easier to drive.
Guide Screw
It is suggested to use the new flat screws (code NSR-4857), they give a little improving of performance.