Enjoying Car Racing With Slot Cars

Slot car racing is a widely held indoor leisure activity in countries in the western hemisphere.  These small but fast toy cars run along slotted tracks where power transmitted by electric current moves each car placed on the track.  These slots are also where the metallic blade from the slot cars fit all the way to the slot bottom.  The majority of slot car hobbyists hold racing contest but there are enthusiasts who are more focused in creating sceneries, modeling roads and highways, and simulating urban and rural traffic.

First-time slot car aficionados begin their collection with cars that are accessible commercially.  Commercialy-made slot cars are made for improved performance on standard tracks.  Hobbyists of slot cars for years habitually assemble cars from scratch or modify their collection and have them custom-made to make sleek frames and be stable on the racetrack.

A lot of slot car hobbyists also get pleasure from modeling each of their cars after popular real car models such as those from Ford, Ferrari, and BMW.  Just like real cars, slot cars also have replaceable rubber tires and the modification of the bodywork and the motor is to make them more faster and make them more stylish.  The highest speed of which slot cars can reach can be from 1000 to 1800 revolutions per minute (rpm). 

A single-handed controller is what a slot car “driver” use to operate his slot car and the controller’s purpose is to regulate the voltage of the car’s small electric motor.  Developments in slot cars has primarily been with the handheld controller and the cars themselves but the only thing that has remained unchanged is the track.  New technology have allowed the creation of tracks which let slot cars change lanes or even share a single slot.  The technique in racing slot cars comes on the curved sections where the voltage being fed to the car should be correctly regulated with the precise squeeze on the controller to prevent the car from being swerved off-track or lose momentum that will be the losing factor for racers.

Slot cars are similar to model trains hobby.  Hobbyists of slot cars and model trains both build the track range, build sceneries which consist of trees and small structures.  The only variance is the variation of speed between model trains and slot cars and slot cars are intended for group activity while model trains is more on solo operation.

Slot cars are not just restricted to cars alone.  Trucks and even motorcycles are also made to be able to run along slot car tracks.  Scale sizes such as 1:24, 1:32 and H0 are the most common scale sizes for slot cars. 

Traction magnets, which provide downforce to a slot car, are attached to prevent de-slotting particularly during high speeds on tight corners.  Several aficionados, however, choose to do things the old way and without traction magnets.  Slot cars that doesn’t have traction magnets have a tendency to drift and are more prone to de-slotting which makes it more fun and exciting.

Simple Solution