# New to this



## Carloshoek (May 8, 2018)

Hi, I have been going with my kid to a slot car track close to my house, and have decided to buy a car for my kid. Now, He wants a lightning mcqueen, I am not sure, if the lightning mcqueen car that is 1/32 can be raced in a normal 1/32 track, or should I upgrade the motor? then can a car like this be upgraded?? I am not looking for a fast car for him, just something that dont look patetic and he can enjoy (he is still 4 so he is fine with just competing and not crashing every 2 seconds).


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

That car can be run on any 1/32nd or 1/24th track. I believe that the car has the same motor as the other Carrera 1/32nd cars, it might be too powerful for a small child. The Slot Car Corner "Classic Tuna" motor is less powerful. The Artin white endbell motors are also less powerful. Any replacement motor would have to be can drive.


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## Carloshoek (May 8, 2018)

Thanks for the insight, would you recommend the carrera evolution or the carrera digital 132?


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

Carloshoek said:


> Thanks for the insight, would you recommend the carrera evolution or the carrera digital 132?


"Digital", ONLY applies to the actual Track-System You will be Using..
Most (Commercial/Club/Hobby-Shop) Tracks are STILL "ANALOG" (& $CHEAPER$ of SAME Car, Minus Computer Chip...

UNLESS things have changed, the Digital-System will only work with the same Digital-System TRACK.. By Manufacturer, Carrara=SameMFG Track, & so forth.. There "ARE" Conversion-Chips coming out now to change "CAR" makes over to other "TRACK" MFG's.. 

BUT, BEST ANSWER; ASK, the owner/operator about the track You will actually be "USING".... "Conversion From Analog to Digital" kits are available for Later on...

Car "Should" be equipped with a "Removable & Adjustable" "Down-Force" or "Traction-Magnet(s)".. stronger can be purchased separately.. 

Like; replacement Pick-Up Braids (the web metal strips that go on the "Guide-Plates & make contact w/ track 4-Power), 

Tires (Might be a "GOOD-Idea" to get some optional Racing rear tires for BETTER traction)...

Then just Adjust & "Tune" until You get "Optimum-Performance" :thumbsup:

Bubba 123 (The Senile-1) :willy_nilly:


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

If it was me I would start out with an analog track and cars. An analog system is cheaper and less fussy. The latest Carrera analog cars have a place for a digital chip and use plugs for the connections to the motor, so converting an analog car to digital is fairly easy. One advantage to digital tracks is that more than two cars can be run on a two lane track, the down side, especially if small children will be using the track, is that there will be a lot more crashes. Carrera cars are probably the most durable ones on the market, but expect that parts like wings and mirrors will get knocked off.
It would be nice if you could try out the digital system before you bought one. You could convert an analog track to digital. Carrera does offer a digital conversion kit for the 1/32nd tracks, you would also have to buy the lane changer sections. The analog and digital track sections are the same. The lane switching sections used with the digital system make the same mechanical connections.


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## Carloshoek (May 8, 2018)

Thanks all, I just went for it and bought the analog one (and another one for me, to go race with him) I called the track and they told me that carraras sometimes run sometimes they don't on their track (sounds weird, but what do I know), that I have to go there and try it. I dont want a crying kid, so I will sneak out there and try the car first, hope this work.


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

Carloshoek said:


> Thanks all, I just went for it and bought the analog one (and another one for me, to go race with him) I called the track and they told me that carraras sometimes run sometimes they don't on their track (sounds weird, but what do I know), that I have to go there and try it. I dont want a crying kid, so I will sneak out there and try the car first, hope this work.


I think, the Shop Owner. was referring to His "Controls"....
Different MFG's use Different OHM-Rated Controls.. simply get 2 Carrara
"Replacement" set controls.. Cheap & sold separately all over the internet :wink2:

Bubba (The Senile-1) 123 :willy_nilly:


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## Carloshoek (May 8, 2018)

Update: I went before showing the car to my kid and tried it. The car did not run on the first try, so they went to the back of the store and determined that the issue was the plastic guide in the front, so we changed it, and it ran perfectly. So next day I went with my kid and had a blast (he won twice) and then his mcqueen got hot and stopped running. I am happy with the purchase. 

I bought a sideways racer for myself, and was a little disappointed, wasn't as fast as I was expecting, but it was good at the end because Mcqueen kept up and even won two races.


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

you can "Upgrade" to more powerful motors (Higher RPM's)....
also, the $$ range of the car, reflects it's "Out of The Box" Potentials...
1/32 & 1/24 are HIGHLY "Customizable", in; Traction, Handling, Speed ;-)

also in "Replacement-Parts".. McQueen, maybe a less than 12 Volt motor..
most shop track run 13.4Volts (12 Volts).. check the motor's rating on his car ;-)

The Senile-1 ;-)


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## Carloshoek (May 8, 2018)

Bubba 123 said:


> you can "Upgrade" to more powerful motors (Higher RPM's)....
> also, the $$ range of the car, reflects it's "Out of The Box" Potentials...
> 1/32 & 1/24 are HIGHLY "Customizable", in; Traction, Handling, Speed ;-)
> 
> ...


Im already on that path LOL!

I am buying magnets for the car so it can be more stable on the corners, and looking at a better motor, the one the car has is a raptor 21,500 RPM. Maybe i will settle for a 26,000rpm motor, but I am just looking at different reviews and etc, funny thing is that there is a lot of options but little to no reviews on most of the motors I have seen so far. The far end of the spectrum is the H&R Racing HRMX1 CRUSHER Motor 50,000 RPM, but good luck finding any opinions on it. What I did noticed is that if I get this motor, the car would not be compatible with a home track, so I would either have to buy a new car for those purposes or just keep looking.


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

If you run cars without traction magnets there is a limit to how powerful the motors can be, with traction magnets the sky is the limit unless you are doing formal racing and there is a rule specifying how powerful the magnet(s) can be. If you overdo the traction magnets a car's motor will overheat, in that case the car will slow down after it has run a number of laps and in extreme cases the motor might burn up. 
If you are looking for a more powerful motor the RPM ratings do not tell the whole story. What really matters is how much power the motor puts out, that is measured in watts and it is calculated using both RPM and torque measurements. A good upgrade for Carrera cars is the Piranha motor from Slot Car Corner.


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

I "Concur", w/ Rich on this.. ;-)


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