Scalextric Chatsworth Land Speed Record

Racing Scalextric cars is growing in popularity as each new generation discovers the fun and excitement of slot car racing. Like any racing hobby, enthusiasts soon start to think about ways to enhance the performance of their vehicles. Here I will outline a few simple techniques that you can use to make your Scalextric cars literally fly around the track.

You can apply the same basic principles to slot cars as they to do F1 racing cars and rally cars. To increase speed you might install a more powerful engine, lower the weight and fit better tires. Optimising Scalextric cars can be very educational.

Let’s first think about the Scalextric cars engine. Your Scalextric cars use tiny electrci motors, not super enhanced petrol engines, and these are easy to change. You can readily find high performance Scalextric car motors that provide higher revs per minute (rpm) than those that are fitted as standard in most cars. Changing the motor will immediately give you a significant improvement in speed.

But increased speed can mean that your car will tend to fly off the track when it encounters a bend. Your car is kept on the track by means of a magnet. Most scalextric cars are fitted with magnets but you can upgrade to a stronger one that will help to keep your car on the track.

A further enhancement is to fit a new set of tires. Better grip with the track will help your car to fly around the track.

So you now have a fully pimped out Scalextric car ready to break records. The next thing to consider is the track itself? A few simple tweaks can make all the difference. I suggest that you try this on just one of your two tracks first so that you can compare with the unmodified track.

Start by cleaning the Scalextric track. Dust and grease will lower the traction and result in wheel spin. The next thing to do is thoroughly clean your slot. The slots in your Scalextric track will inevitably become clogged with dust and dirt. Inevitably this will slow your car down. Keeping your slots free of dust and debris will make major improvements to your system.

Finish up by ensuring that all electrical connections in your system are as good as they can be. Clean all the electrical connectors and make certain taht your car contacts are as clean as possible.

Your car should now be flying around the track. Now you’re ready to find a worthy opponent for a race.