More Track Coming - Maximum Radius 4/15

 I had plans to buy a few more cars for the holidays, but the more I thought about my original plan, the more I wanted to stick to it. It involved getting power and track pieces. I got power, and it'll be installed in January, so I wanted to get the track pieces. 

There aren't many more track pieces that I want, so I just got the ones that had been on my list for the longest time. They consist of three 3/30 pieces and twelve 4/15 track pieces. I really like the 3/30, but I quickly learned there's not much you can do with the three that I have, so I got three more. 3/30 curves can be taken at very high speeds without much trouble. They add a lot to an otherwise straightforward layout. 

The 4/15 curves will make a complete 180°. So that means I have at least one 180° in every radius. I really doubt I'll set up a track with a giant 4/15 180°, but you never know. My original intention was to use 4/15 tracks sparingly to spice up track designs. We'll see how it works out. A lot of my designs have an element of large radius curve usually somewhere in them, many times as a curvy S-section. The 4/15 can be used to break up straights while still being able to take them full-throttle. 

1/60 [brown], 2/30 [yellow], 3/30 [green] and 4/15 [blue] track pieces. These are some possible variations on the 180° turn, including tight apex variants.

I've talked about this before, but it makes such a huge difference to a layout when you use larger radius track pieces. At first it might seem obvious that you'd group a bunch of the same curve together to make a huge curve, but if it's all the same radius it'll get boring. Some of the curve sections shown above give you a lot more braking/acceleration room than a generic single radius curve would give you. 

The idea is this: let's say you have a layout that is all 1/60 curves. No matter what the layout looks like, as long as you know how fast you can go through a 1/60 curve, then the rest is a breeze. Simply apply that speed to your muscle memory, and it doesn't matter what the design is like...you'll blow through it every time. So that's boring. What you want is a track layout that is a challenge. What multiple-radius curves do is give you opportunities and options. While you might have to slow down for one 1/60, the larger radius curves before it allow you to brake early or late, and acceleration is the same. So suddenly you have to actually drive the race course. And it's not about space. It's about variety. 

Here's the new Test Track layout. It would have been super easy to just use three 1/60 curves for the ends, but by using a combination of 2/30's and 1/60's, it made the track faster and more challenging. Also in the layout are twin sections [I do that a lot] made up of a 2/30 and a 3/30, placed at opposite ends of the track.

I got an email today saying the track was on its way. I still have paint, so the plan is to paint the new track as soon as possible so I can start using it. Curious  to see what kind of track layouts will come out of it. Probably some big, sweepy, curvy ones.

Elva YouTube Video

 So I made a video about the Elva from Thunderslot. Not a review...more of an end-user opinion piece:

Actual Time Official 25 Lap Time Trial

 Now that I have an actual timer, it's time to put up some actual times. So I came up with a basic track that has a few turns in it, and will use that layout as my Test Track. That way I can make it and run any cars I get in the future on it to compare lap times. So this will be the establishing race of all times for all cars. 

Each car must run 25 laps with no crashing. They get a standard tire scrubbing with tape, and that's it, unless there's something wrong with the car that needs urgent work. 

Here's the layout:

I wanted to make it fast but also make you work for it. Progressive radius turns and a bothersome kink section keep every car busy. Each car runs on the inside lane.

I'm running the Lap Counter on "race" mode, and using the finishing times as the determining factor. I'll include an Average Lap in there as well. Since lap times will be relatively short on this track, the overall time will probably be a better indicator of how will each car runs. 

So here are the times: 

Car                             Time                  Lap               

Lola T70 III #7         1:20.68               3.2              

Elva #47                   1:21.79                3.24     

Gulf 917                   1:22.50                3.28                 

Sunoco M6A            1:23.13                3.32

Elva #2                     1:23.52                3.34                             

Gulf 908                   1:23.72                3.35

Rothmans 917          1:24.27                3.36             

Lola T70 #21           1:25.91                 3.4               

Tergal 908                1:26.81                3.44                                             

Matra Simca             1:26.94                3.44 

Chaparral #65           1:27.81                3.48                    

Alfa Romeo              1:27.96                3.48

Shell Ford                 1:28.02                3.52

Gulf Ford GT40       1:28.15                 3.53                  

Ford MKII                1:28.38                 3.54                       

Leyton House 962    1:28.76                 3.54

Chaparral #66           1:28.90                 3.55                                                                                 

Sunoco 908               1:29.27                 3.56              

Lucky Strike 917      1:29.61                 3.57

Denotes Thunderslot

Denotes NSR

Denotes Slot.it

There's a lot to take in here, notably how mixed the competition in the Top 10 is right now. They're within 2/10ths of a second. The whole field is separated by just over 3/10s. Four of the six NSR cars finished well, but two finished catastrophically bad and will need to be looked at in detail. They both posted unacceptable finishes. 

The Lucky Strike Porsche 917K setting an absolutely dismal lap time. As is tradition, the cars that performed the worst get under the screwdriver and get the business. This car will be number one on the block.

I'm not expecting the Slot.it cars to lose, although I do expect most of them to be back markers. Doesn't mean they can't still be competitive. And being only 2 or 3/10ths off the lead puts them right in it. The Matra was a tenth away from a Top 5 finish. The Chappy #65 and the Alfa also both posted fast laps. The fact that the Slot.it cars all finished about a 10th of a second apart is saying something, too. I'm pretty sure a few of those cars have more to give as well. This race will be the reference point.

Our winner, ladies and gentlemen. Virtually running away from the competition, and so completely great as a race car.

          

Like I said earlier, each car was given a tire scrub and quick check before racing. While getting ready to run the Rothmans 917, I noticed that the wheels would lock up after about a half turn. I took the car apart and discovered a small piece of sand in one of the teeth of the spur gear. Tiny, but enough to put a stop to the car. I tweezed it out and away the car went. 

The Lucky Strike 917 needs a look under the hood. I haven't done much to this car after initial setup, so it's not surprising for it to act out now. It should, however, be running right alongside the Rothmans car. So today I'll be looking at what is causing this dismal lap time. The same goes for the Sunoco 908. 

The black Elva and the M6A were incredibly good cars. Both of them have the potential to win it all, I can feel it while driving them. They both have just the standard lube/oil/tires setup, so they're running pretty much out-of-box. 

Pleasantly surprised by the Chaparral #65's ability to do so well. It's always been a bit of a back marker, but it's in the Top 3 for Slot.it cars this race. That spot is usually held for someone like the Alfa or the Shell GT40, but certainly never for the Chappy. And the #66 usually does better than the #65, but not this time. 

None of the cars had performance issues, although the Lola #7 came off the track twice while running the race. The Leyton House 962 also came off once. Each time the race was restarted. 

Both Sunoco cars [the M6A and 908] felt better than they finished, which is why I think they both should improve somewhat, especially the Porsche. It didn't give off any indication that it was dogging it around the track. 

In case you're curious, I didn't run either of the Revoslot cars. I want to work on the and get them both running better before running them. While the Porsche is running pretty well, the Ferrari is not. Neither were ready for a 25 lap test run yet, though. I'll be putting those in the shop along with the Lucky Strike 917 and the Sunoco 908. 

Some Notes:

I very much enjoy racing with the lap timer. It really allows me to focus on the car and not on the lap counting. I can feel the cars better, pay more attention to them and diagnose them better when they have trouble. And at the end I have a time I can actually use. Things go a lot faster as well. Setup is just a couple presses of the button and you're ready to race. No annoying resetting procedures to go through.

The McLaren M6A. Another car that is having its inaugural testing. Such a beauty, wonder if she'll have the punch to match. Looking great so far.

I'm thinking of a marathon with a handful of select cars. It'll probably be on a bigger track, and will be a lot of laps. Probably something like 200 laps, and I'll probably break up the three brands into classes, and maybe even constructors and teams. I actually have a couple of "teams". The Gulf Team, of which there are now three cars [917, 908 and GT40], the Sunoco Team [M6A and 908], and the Shell Team [Ferrari 333 and GT40]. It would be interesting and super easy to continue expanding on the team concept with future purchases. There are definitely 908s from Rothmans that I would love to have, as well as a few others. 

A long race would definitely spread the field out, and would be a great test for the cars. I'm a firm believer that you're better off trying to get a great overall time than you are looking just for the fastest lap. Overall time shows that your car is not only fast, but can handle itself well on the track over long distances. That's super important. And it's totally possible for a mediocre car to suddenly set a fast lap. Doesn't happen all the time, but it happens. But you wouldn't want to gauge overall performance on one lap that could be a fluke. 

I like this layout as a test track. It's got a little of everything, and I can keep it up in my living room without much trouble. I'm going to design a quick expansion I can add to it when I want something larger. 

The varying radius curves really provide a nice challenge. Since the two ends go in and come out on a 2/30, you have an opportunity to brake later and accelerate earlier. So good handling cars are going to rip through the end curves. Here's the pic again:

Counter-clockwise Inside Lane: straight into the first curve, which is slightly over 180°, featuring 2/30 [yellow] and 3/15 [green] curves mixed in with a couple of 1/60 [brown] curves. A 2/30 corrects out of the curve, leading into a Daytona-style kink, which will definitely slow the cars down, followed by a matching over-180° turn, and finally onto the main straight. The two ends require a lot of attention, as time can be won or lost through them. The kink is a deceiving set of 160s in their most innocent, yet intimidating form. Any car that's not properly balanced will suffer badly through this section.

As I go I'll find other layouts do to comparisons on, some of which may become standard Test Tracks as well. There are a few old designs that I'd like to look back at, especially from the early rug racing days when I ran the first championship. I have more track pieces now, and a wider variety, so I could maybe rebuild and modify one of those older tracks. Something like this one maybe:

This was originally a floor design, and one that I just brought up to the first table I attempted to make. It doesn't look like much, but it was a lot of fun to run on, and was faster than it looked. 

The Alfa going through the backstretch. 

So I have what works out to basically about 2x the size of available space that I had when I used to be on the rug. It's a lot smaller than the table in the attic, so any of that stuff will have to be left alone. Now that I'm on the floor, I have to build for the space that I have. It's a good, rectangular space that should give me an opportunity to design some cool tracks. I'd like a 4, a 5 and a 7 second lap design. This current Test Track is just over 3 seconds, which is about as small as I like to go. Anything smaller and you have to run a billion laps just to figure out who won. 

So there it is. Probably one of the smarter purchases I've made for my track in some time, the lap counter should prove to be a great addition. It's not the fancy digital system, but I don't think I really need that. I just need a stopwatch and counter. I can do all the other stuff. 

              

             

                       

New Timing System

 I finally did it. Actually, I had been attempting to buy one of these for a few months but it wasn't panning out. I was doing the rounds and came across one, so I picked it up. 

Carrera Evolution Electronic Lap Counter

Up until this point, my timing method has been counting laps to a running stopwatch, then dividing the time by how many laps a car ran. It works okay, but it's a little clumsy, and counting is distracting. But now I don't have to worry about any of that. I just set how many laps I want to run and go! 

It's got two settings: Time Trial and Lap Race. Both are adjustable for length.

This works exactly as advertised. I ran the Elva #47 through a 50 lap race. I crashed a few times, and even got to focus more on what I was doing, which I couldn't do as well with my old timing system. The tower has two settings: Lap Race [adjustable from 1-999 laps] and Time Trial [adjustable up to 59:59]. The system default sets with a 50 Lap Race, which is great because that's what I like to usually run. Even though I want to run time trials, Lap Race mode is perfect when racing a friend. That opinion might change later, but we'll see. 

As you pass under the tower, one of two audio beeps are heard. I'm not sure what the difference is just yet, as there's no info in the instructions about it. I'll replace this section when I find out what the deal is.

For kicks I also tried a shorter race, then tried some time trials. I set it at 2 minutes, and at the end it shows laps and last lap time, but it doesn't show average lap time. There's a way to flip through some other readings, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. 

I don't expect this to be the best solution, but it's going to be a pretty solid upgrade for me. Good to put focus on bettering the experience. 

There are some other things about it. Now that I have an actual timing system, even if it's just an analog one, it's still a timing system. So now it'll be easier to compare cars' times, which means that it'll be a good idea to design a time trial layout. That way I'll be able to refer to that layout to get lap times between the cars. Yeah, I could just take any old layout I've done before, but I want something that is going to be fair to all the cars. So a little tricky and a little fast. Also it would be helpful if the layout fit on my floor without having to move too much. It doesn't necessarily have to be the largest layout, but it would be good that it was a consistent one. I'll run other races as well, and the timer is going to really come in handy. But to have a reference track that all the cars can run on will be more "official". 

So I like it. Already I'm able to focus more on my cars and not so much on counting. I would like to figure out how to get more stats out of it than I have so far. Just have to push the right buttons.

Black Friday Invitational SuperSprint 2nd Heat

 I got a little more time and ran a few more cars. So here's where the standings are so far:

Car                                Time                 Lap        

Lola T70 III #7            2:50.47               3.40

Gulf Porsche 908 #1    2:55.73              3.50

McLaren Elva #47       2:57.41              3.54

Rothmans 917 #9         3:07.90              3.74

Matra Simca #10         3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2            3:14.72              3.88

Running 50 laps is a good test for cars. It's one thing to be fast, but it's another thing to be consistent. The Elva is fast, but it wasn't very consistent. I think I remember having this kind of start with the red Elva. I'll just have to go back and remember the tweaks I made to the car. I think I ran it tight to begin with. The black Elva is a bit loose and could use a little more attention to its setup. 

The cars I picked should help answer some questions. So let's get to it...

__________

Tergal Porsche 908/3 #83

Now that the Gulf 908 has posted a 3.5 lap time, it's going to be down to the rest of the field to show up. Yes, that 3.5 is going to be a podium finish, this thing ain't over yet. The Tergal 908 has won the last 2 races, just to remind everybody.

Car                                Time                 Lap        

Lola T70 III #7            2:50.47               3.40

Gulf Porsche 908 #1    2:55.73              3.50

McLaren Elva #47       2:57.41              3.54

Tergal 908 #83             3:07.06              3.74

Rothmans 917 #9         3:07.90              3.74

Matra Simca #10         3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2            3:14.72              3.88

Okay, not exactly winning, and an easy 2/10ths off the other 908's pace, so that's telling. I'm not here to make excuses, so I won't, however it didn't feel as tight around the corners as the Gulf 908 did. I'm planning on doing a comparison between the three 908 Porsches, as well as other groups I have more than one of. 

I've found that pretty much any car can get an increase of .2 per lap with just a bit of tuning. It's usually something like a pod adjustment or a tire scrubbing issue. It's rarely something that requires a lot of work, so much of it can be done on race day.

__________

Gulf Porsche 917K #19

I picked this car based on what I believe to be a rather poor showing by the Rothmans 917. There's really not much more too it than that. I'm mostly curious to see how they're both doing. 

Car                                Time                 Lap        

Lola T70 III #7            2:50.47               3.40

Gulf Porsche 908 #1    2:55.73              3.50

McLaren Elva #47       2:57.41              3.54

Gulf Porsche 917 #19  3:01.41              3.62

Tergal 908 #83             3:07.06              3.74

Rothmans 917 #9         3:07.90              3.74

Matra Simca #10         3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2            3:14.72              3.88

Can't argue with that time. 2/10ths off the lead and just outside of a podium finish. Respectable. 

__________

McLaren Elva #2

I naturally wanted to see the two Elvas up against each other. It's kinda the point of buying similar cars. While every car is different enough to make one faster than another out of the box, they can still be tuned to go faster. 

Car                                Time                 Lap        

Lola T70 III #7            2:50.47               3.40

McLaren Elva #2         2:51.96              3.42

Gulf Porsche 908 #1    2:55.73              3.50

McLaren Elva #47       2:57.41              3.54

Gulf Porsche 917 #19  3:01.41              3.62

Tergal 908 #83             3:07.06              3.74

Rothmans 917 #9         3:07.90              3.74

Matra Simca #10         3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2            3:14.72              3.88

A tuned car having a lead against a new, not-fully-tuned car, will definitely have the advantage. And this beauty can really take off. Flawless racing from the ketchup red Elva.

__________

McLaren M6A #6

And finally, I wanted to enter this car as I haven't raced it yet. I needed to see what it would do. I've only done the most minimal stuff to it, and haven't even started tweaking the floats or anything like that.

Car                                Time                 Lap        

Lola T70 III #7            2:50.47               3.40

McLaren Elva #2         2:51.96              3.42

Gulf Porsche 908 #1    2:55.73              3.50

McLaren Elva #47       2:57.41              3.54

Gulf Porsche 917 #19  3:01.41              3.62

McLaren M6A             3:01.70              3.64

Tergal 908 #83             3:07.06              3.74

Rothmans 917 #9         3:07.90              3.74

Matra Simca #10         3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2            3:14.72              3.88

Not bad. It's on the back end of the faster group of cars, so that's okay for now. It's got more in it, though. I can feel it.

__________

So that's an interesting outcome. I'm curious if the Gulf 908 will be able to keep going this fast or will settle down, if that's even possible. 

I've been thinking of consolidating and extending races. Yesterday I ordered the Carrera Lap Counter, so I'll get much more precise times out of it. So with that happening, I'll be doing more lap comparisons and races within smaller groups. I'll of course get to everybody; I just might take awhile to do it. I have a lot of cars running right now, and I need to figure out a way to get them all on track. I can leave a layout out for close to a week if it isn't too obtrusive, which it usually isn't. After all, I gotta live here, too. 

So there will be the addition of timing as well as an eventual upgrade in power, which is in the process of happening now. I bought a power supply, and am going to be sending my start track down to Overdrive SlotService for a custom wiring job. Looking forward to that.

Black Friday Invitational SuperSprint

This was going to originally be a 50 lap sprint for every car, but while practicing on Black Friday in preparation for the race, I accidentally disconnected my controller, stripping wires and needing to do some soldering. Fast forward to now, and the controller has been repaired and tested, and the field has been shortened significantly. I'll take two cars from each brand and run them 50 laps each. I've made a pretty fast, yet curvy, layout which might slightly favor short-body cars. 

It started out a pretty fast track, but then I couldn't leave well enough alone and started adding a bit more curves. It's pretty fishy back there.

The cars I chose, in particular, for this race represent the best of the best from each brand, yet different body styles. 

Each car will have their tires scrubbed with tape before the race. All cars are otherwise tuned and ready to run. 

Alfa Romeo 33/3 #2

Naturally you couldn't have a race like this without inviting the Alfa. It's one of the best Slot.it cars, and I've upgraded it into a serious contender. Short tracks work best for this car, as its wide stance and low center of gravity rips it through the turns.

Car                               Time                 Lap        

Alfa Romeo #2           3:14.72              3.88

Overall the race felt pretty good. The car very much liked this track and didn't get weird. It stayed grippy and quick. This might likely be the low overall time, however. 

__________

Matra Simca 670B #10

In the early days, the Alfa dominated. Until the Matra came along. This is the fastest overall Slot.it car I have, and with the added weight and resetting, it came alive. Drives las fast as an NSR car. 

Car                               Time                 Lap        

Matra Simca #10        3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2           3:14.72              3.88

I thought for sure that the Alfa would run a better time than the Matra, so I'm glad I chose both cars for this race. Seemed like a smart thing to do in retrospect. Overall the Matra ran well and didn't fishtail nearly as much as I thought it would. 

__________

Rothmans Porsche 917K #9

The Rothmans Porsche 917K was a natural pick to run this race. While yes, I could have picked another 908, I still wanted there to be enough variety to give others a chance. I'll do a 908 comparison later. And since the Rothmans pretty much hangs near the top all the time, I figured it was a no-brainer.

Car                               Time                 Lap        

Rothmans 917 #9       3:07.90              3.74

Matra Simca #10        3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2           3:14.72              3.88

While faster than the other two cars, the 917 isn't that much faster. 2/100's of a second per lap. That ain't much. And while I expected a bit of fishtailing after the Matra's run, it wasn't all that bad. It was there, but not as bad as I was expecting.

__________

Gulf Porsche 908/3 #1

I'm most curious about this car, naturally, as this is the first time it has been under any kind of pressure to perform. In practice it's running great. It's set up very loose, but seems to be enjoying it. 

Car                                Time                 Lap        

Gulf Porsche 908 #1    2:55.73              3.50

Rothmans 917 #9         3:07.90              3.74

Matra Simca #10         3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2            3:14.72              3.88

Absolute screamer of a car. Totally grippy, planted and quick. Effortless, really. At first you think it's going to come off, but it takes corners perfectly. Very fast with virtually no loss of power down the straight.

__________

Lola T70 III #7

Also had to add the fastest car lately. Need to see just where everybody is. And if this car wins, then so be it. Either way you kinda have to include the recent ass-kicker.

Car                                Time                 Lap        

Lola T70 III #7            2:50.47               3.40

Gulf Porsche 908 #1    2:55.73              3.50

Rothmans 917 #9         3:07.90              3.74

Matra Simca #10         3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2            3:14.72              3.88

I wouldn't call this a longtail, but a medium tail. I think that helps this car separate itself from the disadvantage of a longtail. It's also a damn fast race car. Totally amazing how easy it runs. No weirdness, so looseness.

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McLaren Elva Mk1 #47

I'm enjoying practicing with this car very much, and I suspect it has the potential to be a real track burner. I don't know if it's exactly ready at this point, but I'm running it anyway. It's important to note that it got all the basic treatments before, so it's already roughly in racing shape. 

Car                                Time                 Lap        

Lola T70 III #7            2:50.47               3.40

Gulf Porsche 908 #1    2:55.73              3.50

McLaren Elva #47       2:57.41              3.54

Rothmans 917 #9         3:07.90              3.74

Matra Simca #10         3:09.99              3.78

Alfa Romeo #2            3:14.72              3.88

This guy is also very fast, but not quite there yet. Just barely getting beat out by the Gulf 908, but beaten nonetheless. I think the other Elva is a bit quicker at this point, but that's only because it's had more tuning time than this one. Either way, respectable finish, even if it wasn't Top 2. 

__________

So here's your winner:

A great race run by everybody. There were no wrecks, and everybody ran their fastest pace. Good to see a little mixture between brands in there as well. And everybody being within .4 of each other is pretty impressive. 

The Slot.it cars held their own quite well, despite finishing fifth and sixth. Either way, they were competitive enough to catch other cars off guard and take advantage. There were just faster cars out there today. The NSR cars did well, although the Rothmans 917 could have ran a little faster, I think. After all, it was the NSR Tergal 908 that won the last race, beating the Thunderslot Lola T70 and the Elva #2. 

The Thunderslot cars handled themselves well, and I expected one of them on top. It's nice that it was the Lola. It's really a great car and is pretty unbeatable. 

Thoughts On New Cars

 Over the weekend I had setup and started running a race between all cars on a fast track. I wanted to see how the new cars performed, so I set them up and ran laps with them. Then a malfunction in my controller caused me to stop the race and work on that. But I did get a good amount of time with the two new cars before that happened, as well as got to compare them a bit with some others, so I thought I would talk about that a little bit.

My third Porsche 908/3 from NSR

While the model itself might be new, this isn't the first 908 I've had. But like all other slot cars, the three that I have all run differently from each other. I love that about slot cars. 

The Gulf 908 is extremely planted, rips through curves, and has enough to keep itself going down long straights. That's not the norm with most of the short-body cars that I have; they tend to be a little slower down the straights than the longer model cars [917, Matra, 962, etc]. But this one doesn't have that problem. The tires sanded nicely and the car has a good, solid structure. It doesn't feel too light or dainty, and there's no tightness out of the turns like the shorter cars tend to have. It almost has a little heft to it. Definitely different than the other 908 cars I own.

In the big picture, this is a highly competitive model that pushes all the right buttons. Not only does it look great, but it IS great. In its current state, it's more than capable of competing against the Thunderslot and Slot.it cars in my collection. 

But that's what makes a good slot car. You should start out with something that's well-built and built for racing, meaning: not a 150 gram clunker [I'm looking at you, Carrera]. And that's the difference. You can't, or probably shouldn't, go into it thinking you can take any ol' slot car off the shelf and it'll be competitive. There are lots of slot cars that can really only run against their own model/brand or there wouldn't be a place for them on race day. That would be like me buying the Scalextric Batmobile. As much as I love that car, I would inevitably try to race it against what I have now, be severely and soundly trounced by the competition, and ultimately let down by the car. I could never just put it up on the shelf and look at it. I'd have to race it. And that would mean either trying it and failing to get good results, or buying more models in that range that it can race against, effectively forming another class of cars in my collection. 

Today's track layout. Fast with a few 90° turns. Inside lane only.

As it stands now, with a couple of exceptions, I have mostly what would be considered LeMans Classics. Or just Classics. Mid-60's to mid-70's or so. Targa Florio. Can Am. And even if it wasn't the Batmobile. Let's say it was a Scalextric or Carrera Classic. It would still be the same result; cars not fast enough to compete against my Big 3 of Thunderslot, NSR and Slot.it. 

So it matters what you start with, and it matters which car in the class you start with as well. The Gulf 908 will be great on short and medium tracks, especially those with technical sections. All three 908s should do well at that stuff, as will the M6A and the Alfa Romeo, and to a certain extent the Chaparral. 

Now, about the Elva:

Beauty

This has the distinction of being my first black slot car. I was on the fence at first, as I wasn't sure the car would look like a shapeless, formless blob running around on the track. But this car has enough detail and color to highlight it nicely. The light gray underside gives definition to the wheels, and since that gray closely matches the gray of my race track, it also gives off a feeling of speed, in a weird way. 

Since all the Thunderslot cars are essentially the same, with a few chassis differences due to body shape, they theoretically should set similar lap times, and they do. This car falls right in with the others as far as performance and potential. It's such a good platform that any Thunderslot car is going to start off with the advantage over other brands. NSR cars are proving to be highly competitive with them, but in my experience so far, not all of the NSR cars are that way. But tweaking and tuning will continue, so I'll likely change my opinion there. But out of the gate, you definitely can't go wrong with Thunderslot.

This Elva's performance against the other Elva: the other one is a tad quieter, but I expect most of that is in the brushes, as it makes some contact noise while running. It's very fast, so it's not in the axles. Just has that new brushes sound. That'll go away after a couple hundred laps. Otherwise this Elva is every bit as fast as the red one.

This Elva's performance against other brand cars: I would say it's definitely at the top, but it could be beaten by an NSR like the Gulf 908 if the conditions were right. One of the Slot.it cars like the Matra could give it a run for its money, or the Alfa if the track was tight. 

I'm not a reviewer. I'm an end-user. I don't do any promotion or advertising here. I'm the guy reviewers do reviews for. And if I like a particular thing, I'll talk about it. I may not go into the detail that many reviewers will, but that's not my purpose. As an end-user, I want to get the most out of what I bought. And if that's something where results would show some kind of...well....results, then maybe I should talk about that too. Of course, many reviewers wouldn't want to badmouth a brand or car, so they often don't. But end-users can pretty much do or say what they want about it. I mean, as much as I love the track, I think anybody reading this can guess my opinion on Carrera slot cars. But that's not what this post is about. 

If you're a shopper on the fence, wondering if an upgrade like this is worth the money, I believe it is. Both cars are prime examples of great racing platforms.