# The Tyco Jet - Back to the Future!



## slotcar58 (Jun 21, 2007)

After getting the $3.00 Tyco chassis roaring with HC Neo magnets, I've decided to take my next project in the other direction. Today I started working on a Tyco Jet. I've taken the traction magnet out, drilled the body for aluminum pin tube mounts, install Wizzard shoes, put on Host .445 (15 years old, from my box), and Like Like fronts. Silicone tires are too firm for this type of car.

Where as my Tyco Neo was doing 3.5 second laps on my 16 X 4 Tomy layout, the Tyco Jet is currently down to 8.5 second laps with a properly adjusted Di Falco controller, power down, sensitivity, and brake 100%. I like the way the car slides in the corners. The Neo was run at 18 volts, where as the Tyco Jet was run at 14 volts.

The Host tires were a prize, 15 years ago, so I have $7.00 dollars in the car, with a Host body! If I get them to run a little better, I hope to make a set of four to run an IROC with on my track.

Has anyone tried the JW traction weights for the 440Xs? Are they effective or just slow the car down? Same questions for the JW weighted front wheels?

If anyone has any advice on how to improve the Tyco Jet, without increasing the magnetic field, please let me know. I will post future improvements.

I've had friends over who have said our modern cars, Wizzards, Slottechs, & BSRTs are too fast to drive. This may be my answering to getting these people interested. G-Jets are great but, in the current economy, not as many people can afford them. This is a fun class for everybody!

Driving this car reminds me of racing stock Magnatractions in the late 70's. It was a blast! Three D's in Detroit would pull 15 to twenty guys to race them on Friday nights.

I will post pictures later this week if people are interested.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

I may be......... the most interested man in the world.


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## Rolls (Jan 1, 2010)

Very interested! A Tyco Jet sounds like a great concept. So does an IROC series with them.


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## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

interesting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gonzo


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## TheRockinator (May 16, 2007)

*Just some thoughts...*

..based partly on G-jet experience. Putting weight in the traction mag slots may help handling. Weighted fronts as you suggest could be good as well. If you are running stock Tyco arms they could be a bit hot for what you're trying. I'd lower the track voltage even further. Down to 12 perhaps. After all you don't want to increase the cost of this class by having to get special hi ohm arms. I know the use of Lexan Bodies reduces the weight and helps handling but have you considered using just NASCAR bodies? They are easy to find and require no drilling or adding of body posts. If everyone runs the same style/weight body then no advantage for anyone. Right? I seem to recall some pretty soft silicone slip on tires out there. I found some for AFX non Magnatraction cars that are sweet. The key with tires is make sure ALL the cars use the same wheel/tire sets. Same diameter, width, everything. It removes another variable that changes the speed of cars. 

You could have a real fun "poor man's" g-jet here. Show us those pics!

Later The going slow is my speed my track voltage is down to 12 even for my magnet cars Rockinator :wave:


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## 440s-4ever (Feb 23, 2010)

Longer guide pin?

Have you thought about a lower axle ratio? The stock tycos have alot of wheel speed, and lower gears would not only increase torque but decrease RPM climb when the driver gets trigger happy. 

keep us posted, neat project!


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

I'm a fan of the inline brass weighted Jet cars. :thumbsup:
The success of the G-Jet is the higher 9 ohm arm & lower 12 volts , the down side being the hi parts cost.
The Mattel $3- chassis is intended for battery sets & uses a lower
3 ohm arm. I would think the Tyco jet w/this arm would be more difficult to drive at 12-14 volts, even compared to the original Tyco/Tomy 6 ohm arm.
I have used JW brass front ends & traction weights for G-chassis, not Tyco,
& they're OK. Hopefully, someone will manufacture a 9 ohm Tyco timed arm.
They will be able to be run in Tyco-jets, ThunderStorms & P-Jets.


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## slotcar58 (Jun 21, 2007)

*Tyco Jet*

By using the Difalco controller and the 14 volt setting on my Digitrax power supply the car handles fairly well for a car without traction magnets. You do need the brake setting turned up all the way but, the car is very driveable even without a 9 ohm arm. 

My power supply produces 18 volts at 15 amps, 14 volts at 24 amps, and 24 volts at 10 amps. I couldn't beat it for $150 shipped! I have had FHORA 3 ohm modified races on the track with no voltage drops.

Its not going to run as well as a G-Jet or Slottech Jet, or Wiz Jet, but look at the difference in price. The idea is to keep the cost and speed down. You have to drive this car and plan every straight and corner. :thumbsup:

I will try to post the pictures tomorrow.


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## Rolls (Jan 1, 2010)

The power supply sounds like a great deal. What model is it?


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## slotcar58 (Jun 21, 2007)

*Power Supply*

The model number is the Digitrax PS2012:

http://www.digitrax.com/menu_powersupplies.php

Look for a cheap internet price with low shipping.

Leo


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## Rolls (Jan 1, 2010)

Thanks, '58! I'll check 'er out. 

Much appreciated,

Rolls


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## slotcar58 (Jun 21, 2007)

*Pictures of the Tyco Jet*

I have got the prototype down to 7.63 second with a 7.73 second backup. The car is consistently doing 8.00 second laps. Pictures of the car are below. I am going to build a second prototype with a Slottech front end, silicone sponge tires, and I"m going to experiment with weight in the traction magnet slots, before I invest in JW weights.

I more I drive this car the more fun it is. You don't have to turn 2 second laps to have fun! :thumbsup:

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions!

I will keep you informed on the second prototype.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

hey slot58 i just bought a 440x2 on the ebay after reading this.i dont know anything bout these chassis but is this 1 that will work fir the back to the future jet? maybe post something with more discriptive numbers the pics you posted are good and got me off to a good start. i,m feelin a lexan body will work fine. any more is good. thanx 58.


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## Slotmanmoss (Apr 17, 2008)

*Tyco Jet*

I like the JW weights. Another option which I have done with pretty good results is to use the square K&S tubing and nest the different sizes so you have a solid square rod. Cut to fit the weight opening. Will not be quite as heavy as the JW weights, but works pretty good. I use a strip of thin lead, as wide as the chassis over the guide pin for weight on the front of the chassis, also works pretty good.

Alan


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## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

slotcar58 said:


> I have got the prototype down to 7.63 second with a 7.73 second backup. The car is consistently doing 8.00 second laps. Pictures of the car are below. I am going to build a second prototype with a Slottech front end, silicone sponge tires, and I"m going to experiment with weight in the traction magnet slots, before I invest in JW weights.
> 
> I more I drive this car the more fun it is. You don't have to turn 2 second laps to have fun! :thumbsup:
> 
> ...


are you using tyco body with it? or just chassis alone? 

Wes


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## slotcar58 (Jun 21, 2007)

*Bodies?*

I will be inserting pin tubing in the pre-drilled holes, see the pics. The lexan body will make the car handle better than a hard body.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

hi slot58 i,d like to know if the hpx2 is the disired chassis for the future jet. thanx joe g


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## slotcar58 (Jun 21, 2007)

*What chassis*

I'm using the Tyco 440x2 since the chassis is available for $3.00 a piece on the Mattel site and parts will be plentiful for a long time. I will be using this for all future variations of the Tyco Jet.


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

This is a brilliant idea :thumbsup:

I'll have to convert a few of the $3 chassis I have :freak:

Thanks for sharing


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

o.k. got it ! i,m in for 6.00 thats what i paid on ebay for a chassis.


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## bemoore (Dec 23, 2008)

How is this project coming along? This interests me greatly. I like the sliding action of t-jets and no-mag 1/32 cars, but I can't get into all the tjet retro body styles, and all the tuning and maintenance of pancake cars.

I don't have access to my track right now, but if I did, here's what I'd try:
- Replace traction mags with lead. Cut some sheet lead to fill the magnet pockets.
- Add some sheet lead to the front. Cut out a shape with an exacto knife for best fit.
- Lighten up the pickup spring tension. Magnet cars tend to have pickup shoe pressure proportional to the magnetic downforce.
- Stock rubber tires (trued and maybe glued).
- Shimmed rear axle.
- Track voltage set somewhere between 10 & 12 volts.

I've run X2's with traction mags at 12 volts, and I think they still had too much power for no-mag racing.

I might even add weight to the body. I would probably wind up with the heaviest HO car ever made, but that wouldn't bother me. Weight tends to add stability. If the weight slowed the acceleration too much, it'd be an easy thing to get it back with more voltage. I'd like to get as close as possible to the dynamics of a no-mag 1/32 car.

I think the biggest challenge would be getting the pickup shoe pressure light enough for good handling while retaining good electrical connection.


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## twolff (May 11, 2007)

bemoore said:


> I'd like to get as close as possible to the dynamics of a no-mag 1/32 car.


Try a Riggen or TycoPro. They are as close to the feel of a 1/24th scale car as I've driven in HO scale.


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

Question: If you add all of the weight then what difference does the spring tension have? I must have missed something.

OLD Blue


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

wow man i,m glad to see a lil action bout this thread! now i have 3 different tycos and thertre just sitting at this moment. i lioke the idea of inserting some sqyare box tubing in place of the traction mags. i run mine at 12 volts seems to be o.k. and they don,t have that unrealistic blinding speed. did i just say unrealistic speed ? must be gettin old.


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## TheRockinator (May 16, 2007)

I'm of the belief that weight makes for a more predictable car than magnets. Of course the advantage of magnets is you can increase the down force in a smaller space based on the strength of the magnet. The disadvantage is once the magnet moves beyond the thing it's attracted too, the rails, the car is free to let inertia take over in spectacular fashion i.e. across the room deslots. Weight on the other hand is consistent. No matter where the car slides the down force remains the same. Also, given the limits of space, weight can be distributed to help balance the car out. As for adjusting pick up shoe spring tension for weight vs magnets it's likely that most weight additions won't equal the down force of even stock magnets. So a softer spring will allow for less bounce and more controllable ride. The fact that weight doesn't equal magnetic down force is also the reason to drop the voltage in this type of application. To make the car easier to drive.

Later, The I understand the theory but can't drive the application Rockinator :wave:


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## bemoore (Dec 23, 2008)

old blue said:


> Question: If you add all of the weight then what difference does the spring tension have? I must have missed something.
> OLD Blue


Take note sometime of the pickup tension of various cars. Tjets and other no-mag cars have very light shoe tension, but it's OK since they were designed for them. Cars with strong traction magnets have MUCH higher shoe tension. They also have much shorter shoes. As a result, it's much harder to get a good connection if you significantly lower the shoe tension. If you remove the traction mags without loosening the shoes, the shoes can lift the front end off the track from spring tension alone. The less shoe tension you have, the more weight you have on the front, and the less likely the car is to tip out as opposed to slide out.

The issue is the contact at the back of the pickup shoe. On tjets and AFX's, the shoe is long, and the spring is right next to the hanger, so there is a lot of force between the shoe and hangar. On inline cars with strong traction magnets, the shoes are much shorter, but they get away with it by using much stronger pickup springs. If you remove the traction magnets, and lighten the pickup springs, you run the risk of poor connections from the shoes to the brush barrels.


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## slotcar58 (Jun 21, 2007)

*Update on Tyco Jets*

The Tyco Jets are being completed as we speak. A lot has changed from the original prototypes. I will post a full description and pics this weekend or early next week. The four Tyco Jets will make their debut at the BRASCAR race next weekend. They will be used as the IROC race. Sorry its been so long since the last update! I'm hosting the BRASCAR race and setting up the new Florida HOPRA series which will also be at my place next weekend! This has taken much of my spare time for the last three months!


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## LeeRoy98 (Jul 8, 2005)

I was doing some testing with weight for a Super G earlier and used the following method to create traction weights:

Remove the original traction magnets and coat with vaseline. Force into modeling putty inserting the magnet trackside in first, bake for a short time at a low temp, allow to cool, and then remove the magnet to create a female molding form. After removing the magnet, coat the inside of the form with vaseline.
Create different value lead weights using a gram scale and drop into the form. Stuff with silicone or hot glue and allow to cure. Remove and test with the different values.
I had clear silicone, white silicone, black silicone, and an ugly dark red silicone (no, I don't know why) and used them for the different weight values.

I had originally tried this with just lead forms but I felt there was too much weight for the car. This project worked very well to make the weight values I wanted.

Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com


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## gforcz1 (Sep 24, 2008)

*J*

Jet Cars are Cool


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*Sounds great!*



slotcar58 said:


> The Tyco Jets are being completed as we speak. A lot has changed from the original prototypes. I will post a full description and pics this weekend or early next week. The four Tyco Jets will make their debut at the BRASCAR race next weekend. They will be used as the IROC race. Sorry its been so long since the last update! I'm hosting the BRASCAR race and setting up the new Florida HOPRA series which will also be at my place next weekend! This has taken much of my spare time for the last three months!


Thank you for taking the time to do this and please do keep us informed....
And a question on the Mattel chassis...
Are the chassis for the battery powered sets or are they for the wall wart powered sets? Or are the two chassis the same?

Scott


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## LeeRoy98 (Jul 8, 2005)

The chassis is the same. All parts are direct replacement parts for the Tyco 440X2, although the quality of hubs/axles/tires has slipped. The difference is the 3 ohm armature in the new cars vs. the 6 ohm walwart cars. The 3 ohm car will still run on the standard track but the 3 ohm armature has a speed advantage over the 6 ohm arm. I have not taken the time to compare magnet strength between the cars.
As someone else pointed out, buying the $5 set of Storm axles and hubs for replacements will make a less than $10 car that is a LOT of fun to drive.
Buy some from Mattel... you won't be disappointed.

Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com


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