The Dirty Dozen: Rally Car Showdown

[redlynr]

Awesome. Thanks for that!

I think the old Ninco Rally cars, Saxo, Clio, Punto, are some of the neatest slot cars ever...

I think I'm gonna have to get one out when I get home and give her a run...

[acmost]

Wow...excellent work as usaul Van. Thanks!

[356speedster]

Great topic and review

But...



Loads of rally slotcars available since rallying is huge in Europe, even the new NSR Porsche 997 is a rally car

[356speedster]

Fly Porsche 911 – Average 9.245s


Wood: 9.491s / Plastic: 8.999s / Mass: 81g / Magnetic Downforce: 0g

Fly’s model of this ubiquitous rally car is true to the prototype’s motor layout in that it is placed behind the rear axle. Out of the box with the traction magnet removed the car is undriveable. Only with the addition of lead up front was this car tamed. Otherwise its nose was happy to bounce right out of the slot under acceleration.

Just a little additional FLY 911 info, since these are some of my favorite slotcars

There is a magnet pocket in the front just behind the guide. This is placed so high over the track that a big round Ninco magnets gives just enough downforce to keep the guide in the slot without making it a magnet car. This is an "easy fix" to keep it in the slot (if you race on plastic and are not prohibited by club rules) that makes them very fun to sling around the corners.

Another little bit of info is that the chassis and lightweight interior from the FLY Racing version is a direct fit with the standard 911 SC body (the wider rally car from the late 70's). It's a simple and very effective conversion if you want a classic 911 that handles as good as it looks. The older style 911 S/R/RS (as pictured above) can also be fitted to the racing chassis, but will require narrow hubless alu wheels to get the tire under the fenders.

[JohnnySlots]

Some more Montre Carlo fun from YouTube... click on video to watch on YouTube and you can easily finds the other parts to this video.

YouTube - Group B - Rallye Monte Carlo...

[dr vanski]

I thought I'd post a quick update from my foray into rally racing at Mini Grid here in Toronto. Guys have been putting a lot of work into their cars and none of the cars I tested come close to the 8.5s bracket imposed. I looked into my collection to see if there were any cars I overlooked and found my Revell/Monogram Mercedes-Benz 300. In stock trim it was pathetic lapping the track around 10s. This car has way too much motor and a 10 tooth pinion. When will Rev/Mono learn?



After putzing around with the stock motor and cutting away part of the chassis to get a slot.it gear onto the rear axle along with SCC wheels and tires I was able to get this car down to the high 8s range. I will keep working on this to see what I can do with it.

The next car to get some mods was my Scalextric Escort. This car chewed its crown in testing and thanks to the funky stock disc guide sat way too high on the test block.



I replaced the stock setup with a Slot.it SICH10 to get the Escort's nose into the slot.



A trick I had read about here on SCI and that I've been employing on my racecars is to put the guide wire ferules behind the braid. This seems to keep them really nice stuck in and allows me to com the top of the braid back over the ferules to ensure they stay put and have good electrical contact.



With the new guide my Escort's tires are making contact with my test block.



SCC wheels and Super Tires along with a Scalextric Sport 8 tooth pinion and Slot.it 25 tooth gear complete my mods.



Lap times are still in the low 9s range (about .3s faster) so I'm not sure how much more work I'm willing to do on this car. Both cars will at the very least get their stock rear wheels made into inserts. Owing to my work schedule and other racing commitments I'll probably make only 2 or 3 more rally events this season. Still its fun to work on some cars in my collection that would otherwise be ignored for more exotic machinery.

[Iowa999]

Videos like those always bring five words to my mind: "skid plates for the Evo."

[JHatmaker]

I absolutely love seeing those Stratos'!!!

[PeteAron]

[dr vanski]

nt

[mellow cat]

Dr. Van......the Merc. Well done. Revell thanks you for spending my $. " The Mullet," Suit a Tie in front, "party" in the back. This both with the body, and now, the wheels. And it performs....now....super cool.

[dr vanski]

Here's a look at how much material I had to remove to get a Slot.it gear into the Merc.



One thing I should have mentioned is that I lowered that body a few mm front and rear and added lead behind the guide and along the sidepans which helped a lot with the handling. The Merc got a SICH10 guide too. Pete Aron please note the braid technique.



If you decide to upmotor then you will have to cut the motor shaft off right at the endbell (this car is can drive) in order to clear the interior. One thing Rev/Mono did right is make the interior a half pan. Truing the front tires will be next on my list with this car. I'm not sure it will ever be a race winner but it has been fun to try.

[mellow cat]

Those were my next q's. Looks long and narrow. So... Lower it, better wheels and tires, move some weight around, change up some gears.....sooo, a lot like my first car. "Hell" I'd like a "real life" version of that Merc. Early AMG tuning....inspired, Thx.

[dr vanski]

I would love it if someone made some of the early AMG cars available to our hobby. Your summary of what this car needs is pretty much bang on. Buy the car, junk the drivetrain. Whenever I order a new car i have a look through the parts section of whichever store I am ordering from. I like to have an assortment of motors, gears, wheels, axles, guides, and spacers. The SICH10 is my go to guide for tuning applications. The great thing about 15x8 wheels is that they fit under a lot of different cars and they all seem to accept the same size tire and insert. As much as I like the look of aluminum wheels, my inclination is to run realistic looking inserts on my older cars.