New Slot Set Owner? Basic Track & Car maintenance

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In this video I give my suggestions to new slot racers about how to keep their track and cars clean. As well as what to use to lubricate the cars on the axles and gears.

[@johnaitken7430]

In 62 these tips were my tuning..was pretend 1/1 maintenance and an entry drug to the hobby

[@thomassnider4234]

Another great "how to video" Dave! Too many people worry about how fast their car can go - most of the time they can't control it out of the box. It's supposed to be fun not work.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

exactly, this is supposed to be a toy. Sure you can take it seriously but at the heart of it, slot cars are toys... and that's perfectly ok.

[@cattledog555]

just got back in to slot cars and love it and thanks to you and your videos , you have been a great help , going to order a bunch of things from slot car corner

[@FastSports-ScaleCarGarage]

Great tips and advice for car and track maintenance! Well done!

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@SpareRoomSlotCars]

Great advice Dave, thank you. I just got my first starter set 2 weeks ago so this is right up my alley

[@Frozenman1223]

great video love them all you go into detail so well you know your cars tracks keep up the great videos

[@AndrewSparg-jn7tg]

Thank you for putting up a tips and tricks video this really helps

[@All_RC_Fun]

Thanks for the info. I’ve got my first set arriving tomorrow and looking forward to it.

[@bobcross2173]

Great video Dave!

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@drvanski]

Really good summary, Dave. I'll use thick-ish artist paintbrush to get dust out of the body and chassis. I've also used a lint roller to clean the track.

[@tylerpaul650]

Thank you, just getting started...had one when I was a kid and now I have a super size track for myself and grand kids...lol watched several of your videos. Many thanks!!

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

Thank very much Tyler. If you need help please don't be afraid to ask. If you want to set up a phone call I can help with technical issues that might come up or maintenance ideas too.

[@jeffreyyeater1780]

Your advice is great . 👍 Add a vacuum cleaner with brush attachment for cleaning the track and a lot of the chassis . It gets the track really well , slots as well .

[@davidkeith1145]

Great video and good info....thanks. ......Dave

[@garymcqueen6350]

Just ordered my first digital carerra set just what I needed to know the basics to maintain the set.

[@MustangFastback]

I had to watch at 2x speed, but good information, thanks!

[@mealston1725]

As a gunsmith for over 40 years, I have a sound background in lubricants, which brands are best for certain applications, and which brands anyone should avoid for certain applications. First, Mineral Oil (sold in most stores) is the safest lubricant as its properties are inert. If its good for a baby's bottom, its good for everything. Secondly, I'd recommend a neutral silicone lubricant for the same inert properties. Liquid Wrench Silicone will give users excellent results, bringing fears of lube damage to an absolute minimum. So, in short- Mineral Oil or 3M oil...or an inert Silicone lube. Lastly, White Moly grease sold in most auto stores will give excellent results for pinions and crown gear operations and shelf life. Just a reminder to anyone applying grease to the gear sections- High RPMs will throw most of the grease off and away, leaving the inside body with a grease pit free to collect debris. And speaking of debris, one should be careful how frequent they apply oil to slot car axles and hubs- most oils attract dirt and if you see white gears, white bearing and hubs, chances are they are made with Structural Nylon, which is and of itself, 'Self Lubricating'....given that Structural Nylon has been used in firearms and automobiles since the 1970s. Thanks for the Video, Dave.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

All good advice and I would for sure take your advice on this topic as well of course, being a gunsmith you'd have MUCH more knowledge than most about keeping surfaces clean and lubrication of surfaces and micro machining. I would think a LOT of your expertise would directly be beneficial to slot racing. BTW one of my best running cars ever I did significant polishing on axles that I bet you would have appreciated. On a BRM 1/24 Porsche I did about 2 days of polishing on the front and rear axles with the aid of a lathe and microscope to smooth out all imperfections where the axles met the bushings. After I did this polishing I won an endurance race we did by 20 laps (it was a 6 hour race) and I won a national championship with the car (again a 6 hour race) and I attribute most of it to the axle polishing I did. Sadly the car was "stolen" while it was in the "care" of the race director.... not that I'm still bitter or anything LOL!

[@nasanction]

I use contact spray cleaner on the brushes. cleans real well and evaporates dry. No tearing up the braids. Works good on the motor as well. ;)

[@silvercobra4486]

Just found this channel. Dave, the man the myth the legend. Heard of you from SCI. Love the channel and the videos. Will be binge watching all the videos on the channel. Sold my SCX Digital track and cars earlier this year and now planning out a Carrera Digital permanent track on a 8x16 table. Thanks for the videos Dave.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

LOL yeah that's me. I'm trying to grow the channel here as I look for full time employment. So if you're going to buy a set check out LEB's selection of Carrera digital sets. They do have one set in stock. www.lebhobbies.com/carrera-digital-132-race-sets-c-457_615_466.html

[@silvercobra4486]

@@SlotCarNewsOfficial Thanks Dave, I was looking at the Furore set because I wanted wireless but it appears that is hard to find. Thought is was a better buy getting the wireless components then having to buy the wireless components separately. Love the vids been watching for the past 4 hours. WOW I don't have anything better to do, yes I better get started on this track. Thanks Chris

[@UFO-racer]

Alwsys the Best Tips 👍

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

Glad you like them!

[@brianchappell6528]

Thank you Dave for some really great basic info for guys like me. I’m a total newbie to slot car racing. Been in the RC world for a while now. If you have not already done so I believe people in my position would benefit greatly from a “lingo” explanation. My easiest example is in this video. You mentioned “ slotted cars” to me that is what your video is about slotted racing cars. I did not pick up on it being a company till till you posted the clip of the tools. Maybe it’s just me and everyone already knows this terminology. I want to say you do a terrific job of explaining and entertaining in your videos. I look forward to watching more of your videos.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

Thanks so much Brian, I think you're right a video with just an explanation of lingo/terms would be useful.

[@djek1976]

I'm using a lithium based gear grease for transmission at this moment. I try not to use silicone products. If that comes on the track it will be very slippery and harder to get off then oldschool oils.

[@arpinchock]

Speed without control is nothing... so keeping things clean and moving freely helps keep control. You cannot make up the time lost when you come off the track no matter how good a driver you are...

[@DNASlotCars]

Great channel and great content BTW👏 Very informative. You know every time I look at that policar track I can't help bit think it looks so cheap and toylike to me. It's far too shiny looking under lights. I know it's good stuff, but it looks terrible. Carrera looks so much better IMO

[@danielinnes1762]

Great

[@MarkoAbo]

Great video. My brother in law comes over to race on my Scalextric track and his cars have some kind of oil on his braids. The stuff leaves a film on my track. Should I tell my brother in law to stop using the stuff or what? Maybe just tell him to pound sand! Ha! Thanks much. Keep it in the slot!! Mark in Portland

[@Harlock2day]

About a video on how bring back to life an old discoloured, and sometimes rusty, track. Many of of us seniors might have rescued an old track from the garage or the attic.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

throw it away and buy new track. discolored track (as long as it's not too rusty) can still be used. most real roads aren't all one color. rusty track I guess could be saved by Inox but I don't see the point. if it's really that rusty it's garbage. start fresh, there's LOTS of used track out there to buy cheaply.

[@Harlock2day]

@@SlotCarNewsOfficial i guess they are not terribly rusty, just discolored, but cars aren't running regardless. Maybe it's the W40 I sprayed on the contacts or maybe the old powebases aren't great. I have bought a new Arc Powerbase. If that doesn't work I will get a new sxalextric track or a Policar (but track variants seem very limited and no lap counter ?)

[@JustSlotCars]

I use to run my cars at low speed with the lights off, and if I see sparks between the rails and braids, I would adjust the braids until the sparks go away. Bad contact is really bad for braids.

[@alaricmarvin6332]

i guess it's kinda randomly asking but does anybody know of a good website to watch new series online ?

[@rhettkaison3247]

@Alaric Marvin try Flixzone. You can find it on google :)

[@avisantana4537]

@Rhett Kaison definitely, I have been using FlixZone for since april myself =)

[@alaricmarvin6332]

@Rhett Kaison thank you, signed up and it seems to work :D I really appreciate it!!

[@rhettkaison3247]

@Alaric Marvin No problem :)

[@dangoich5001]

Great video, wish these types of vids were around when I started in slots. I was wondering what your thoughts are on tinning the braids, does it give better contact, keep them cleaner and keep their shape better, or does it matter what type of track you have? plastic, wooden?

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

I don't do braid tinning for contact braid, you want braid to be able to be flexible IMO. I have a wood track also but it's pretty small and now covered with stuff ;)

[@matthewmckenzie504]

Dirty or damaged braid affect handling and braking.

[@darkcase123]

Most of my cars are second hand, I’m buying oil right now because I have no idea when they were last done, if ever

[@BigGoucho]

Do you have an opinion on the Inox MX-3 I've seen mentioned a lot? A lot of people seem to add it to the braids on their cars and run the cars round for a while as a way of conditioning the track.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

I'm not into "conditioning track" i use it as it is.

[@BigGoucho]

@@SlotCarNewsOfficial so you wouldn't use or recommend something like an Inox step for track cleaning or maintenance?

[@SlotCarCorner]

@@BigGoucho Track cleaning and maintenance is a broad term. Let's clarify a bit. We use INOX MX-3 on track braids (wood track) and rails (plastic track). We use it very sparingly. We do not use or recommend INOX to clean the track surface. INOX can also be used on car braids - a drop on each is all you need.

[@rodentcafeteria]

What are you thoughts on slot car track cleaning solutions that are sold on-line? Do they really work and/or worth investing in? I saw another vid that recommended Formula 409 to clean the track with, which I have tried, but it leaves behind a residue that slows down the cars until it finally wears off after several laps. Also, engine degreaser sold in auto supply stores is another track cleaning method I've heard about. A light sanding of the rails is another one. Is there anything specific you use, other than the occasional dusting?

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

I don't see the point in doing that since I'm sure for Carrera and Scalextric a lightly damp cloth will get rid of surface dust. NEVER use anything with a solvent in it because it will pull the oils out of the plastic in the track and it WILL shorten the life of track for sure. I'd never use anything like engine degreaser. But what are you cleaning that isn't dust? Are you trying to get track rubber off?

[@rodentcafeteria]

@@SlotCarNewsOfficial From what I understand, over time, oxidation builds up on the rails, which impedes the performance you get out of the car. I personally have never tried engine degreaser, just seen it mentioned before. I'm talking about a product that will keep the rails, themselves, clean.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

@@rodentcafeteria it does build up yes. It's just a very slippery slope when you're talking about solvents and plastic slot car track. So I tend to be VERY conservative about what I personally use and I am even more conservative about what I might suggest to people because people will often think if a "little of something" is good, a LOT is better. When a LOT of something usually will end up in tears.

[@rodentcafeteria]

@@SlotCarNewsOfficial Agreed. Thanks for your input.

[@djek1976]

Some stores advice Teflon based oil and/or grease, doesn't that bould up residue ?

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

it does but it's easy to clean out.

[@SlotCarCorner]

We've used Super Lube PTFE (Teflon) based oil and grease in our 24 hour endurance cars for over 10 years. We've never had any issues with residue from lubricants during a race. At the end of the race, we tear down the cars, clean them thoroughly, reassemble with fresh parts and apply fresh lubrication.

[@djek1976]

Ok, thank you 👍🏻 I guess my experience as car/truck meccanic with teflon was because of different conditions like heat. I will try it out.

[@Harlock2day]

What about WD40 instead of oil ?

[@BigGoucho]

Doesn't the solvent base attack plastic and nylon components.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

WD40 isn't for lubrication.

[@BigGoucho]

@@SlotCarNewsOfficial Water Displacement 40th formulation?

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

@@BigGoucho yes it's not designed to be lubrication in an application like this.

[@jeffreyyeater1780]

W.d. water displacement.