How to set up a slot car to improve handling and performance by adding weight

Have you every wondered where to put weight on your #slotcar to improve the handling? In this TechTip I try to give you an insight into how lead ballast will affect the characteristics of your #slotcars .
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[@MrKentaroMotoPI]

Here in Hollywood, we had three hard-and-fast rules for weight placement: 1. Always place weights on the pan. The pan functions to decouple body+pan yaw inertia from the rest of the car's yaw inertia. Yaw inertia impact force is generated when the car must quickly change direction entering a turn. It acts to push the guide out of the slot. The impact force is minimized (by spreading impact out over time) when the body+pan assembly can: have a high percentage of car mass, move independently, be well damped such as with James' gel strips. 2. Always locate the weights as far as possible from the car's roll axes. These axes run fron the guide pivot to the tire outer centerlines. Cornering force acts on the roll moment of inertia about these axes. We want those roll moments of inertia to be large so as to resist roll movement and loss of guide force in the slot. 4:14 and 12:22 are spot on for this chassis. 3. Always use depleted uranium for weights. The defense industry left plenty behind.

[@englishrobex]

Nice one! Looking forward to the plastic chassis episode.

[@jandekievit4092]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge sir. Excellent info. Also very interested in the plastic version.

[@Fabio-ns4ql]

Good stuff as always.

[@briansilva9120]

Great video, thank you so much 👍🏼

[@louisrevera5327]

Tech tip your a great help your fantastic

[@carlosalbertodomingueshenr3488]

Thank you !!!

[@CleaveTech]

Thank you very much 🙏

[@Tmoore926]

Thanks!

[@CleaveTech]

Thank you so much. Very much appreciated 🙏

[@695667]

Thanks

[@CleaveTech]

Thank you very much 🙏.

[@rastas1647]

Great stuff, love your tech tips! I was wondering if you'd be interested in doing a series of Teck tips on setting up and tuning the Plafit chassis , both 1/32&1/24 scales of the 1900 & 1900s chassis as there's no information relating to this and more and more people have been getting into scratch built hard body either 3d printed or plastic static model bodies . Thanks for sharing your experience and as always looking forward to your next video. Cheers, John. AKA, rastas.

[@CleaveTech]

I’m always interested in what people want to see. Drop me an email [e-mail] with a picture of the chassis you are referring to. I might have something like it at home 😁👍🏻

[@keithwthe1andonly]

I put weight for a tri-oval in the middle on the left side.

[@sergiomucci3263]

Very usefull explanation .... as usual. 👍 What about weighed down guide ?

[@CleaveTech]

Weighted guides add another dimension to setting up the chassis. They are a fairly recent feature of the slot car scene so I am still learning, but I have found some benefit from using them as long as you get the rest of the weight balance correct. 😉

[@hamishflys3d]

Hey Mate, great video, any update on the plastic chassis episode? thanks mate

[@CleaveTech]

Coming soon!

[@nolenwright3147]

Blue King come out in the first finger and the big circle more then just a lot , need help? Thanks for the video, keep up the great work,

[@CleaveTech]

It depends on how you are falling out. Is the car tipping, sliding or dragging the guide out of the slot. Where does it happen? Entry, middle, exit, under power?

[@keithwthe1andonly]

They had

[@jaguar-fp4vu]

When I go round corners more s corners it slides out when I leave the corner

[@brucewarren5248]

1. I cannot find the "Thanks" button referred to in the video. 2. In the 1960s, we would use 2 wires on either side of the guide to ensure we got all the power to the motor. Is that no longer a concern? 3. In the 1960s, we would solder the guide pickup wires to a piece of brass from an old braid and bend it over the top of the guide. It made for easy braid changes. Is that no longer a concern?

[@CleaveTech]

Hi Bruce, thanks for watching. I will hopefully answer your questions… 1. The “Thanks” button should be under the video along with all the other buttons such as the “Like thumbs up” and the “share” buttons. Depending on your screen resolution you might have to click on an arrow or some dots on the right side of the screen below the video to display more options. 2. Wires that are around 22AWG are fine to conduct all the current to the motor on modern top spec slot cars. I know that people did use two thinner wires in the past to help with flexibility and reliability. The silicon insulation these days is quite thin and very flexible so one wire each side is fine. 3. We still do that. Watch these videos… kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaG2m2mlaNCBq5Y kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIaTfJSleryikK8

[@Gabriel2591]

Hi Mr.Cleave, any suggestion for a car that tips out of the slot(goes on 2 wheels) on corner entry and mid corner?

[@CleaveTech]

Try adding weight at the front of the pans or just behind the guide.

[@Gabriel2591]

@@CleaveTech thank you 😊

[@keithwthe1andonly]

What about left turn only. Put the weight forwards or backwards?

[@CleaveTech]

Watch the video next week as I will be weighting the slotstox for left hand turns 👍🏻

[@Fabio-ns4ql]

@Keith W Depends how the car is coming out of the slot. Roll over and out, slide out, or popping up and out. If the car has traction and rolls out, try front left. Traction but popping out try behind the guide. No traction and sliding try in front of motor.

[@keithwthe1andonly]

Still have not seen video you mentioned "slotstox for left hand turns"

[@4reboxer]

Thanks!

[@CleaveTech]

Thank you 👍🏻 Very much appreciated 🙏

[@sandygrant8032]

Thanks

[@CleaveTech]

Thank you very much Sandy. Much appreciated 🙏.

[@sandygrant8032]

@@CleaveTech You've created an outstanding, broad ranging resource, James - I appreciate the production thinking, planning and effort that goes into each one. Bravo laddie! 👍