I just built a two lane tyco track. It has several banked turns that are 9" radius. I bought my first T-Jet just so I could say I had one. Out of the box it was awful. I knew they werent great but man are they slow lol. Im no expert on tweaking them for handling or speed so Im not having much luck. At first it didnt carry enough speed to even make it to the middle of the banked curve before falling off the track. It makes it thru one of the banked sections but always falls off in the same corner. So my question is two fold. First off, is there much I can do to get it handling a little better w/out going to extremes so that it might make the banked corner? And secondly what all SHOULD I be doing to get some extra zip out of the motor? I did put the better magnets in it (blue & yellow) and that livened it up a little but still nothing compared to what Ive seen others do with their T-Jets. Any advice or comments would be helpful since Im just starting out with the TJet stuff. Thanks in advance!

Step one, lose the stock tires and replace them with silicone...

The stock tires aren't silicon? If they arent they must be a pretty sticky rubber. But I guess that is the right thing to do. Even if they were silicon I Could still get a softer compound. Good idea! Too bad the only thing I have now is AFX stuff that wont fit.

Rare is the tjet that comes out of it's box ready to rock. That's the nature of these beasts. This message board and others like slotcargarage.com and scaleracers.com offer some tips to gettin'em going a little better.That having been said, from what I've read about these banked sections there are multiple factors involved in seeing to it that they work for you with non-mag cars. I wanted to put one/some in my layout, but I could not fit them into my dimensions. I wish I had been able to, because you can landscape them and make them look pretty cool. With tjets they say silicones are key and driving these banked sections sounds like it takes some practice. More of a running start going into them is better and I think even the controller you're using might make a difference. Stock "set" controllers for mag cars work fine, but when used with tjets they sort of give you an abrupt stop-start feeling. I don't think that's not gonna help you much on a banked turn regardless of how well tuned the car is. A controller with higher ohms like (maybe 60, 90, or 120) would probably accelerate or decelerate more smoothly. When entering these turns and then again half way through them, having better control seems to be pretty important. With non mag cars I don't think it's just a matter of muscling through. One of HT's members ( "Slot V" ) runs on a layout called Vargo Speedway. It's a landscaped (nicely done I might add) and pretty aggressively banked layout from what I remember. This has come up before and I think he "might" run tjets on it sometimes too?? (not sure :confused: but maybe you could contact him... just a thought :confused: ). Good luck though, because if you are able figure it out they'd probably look great as part of your layout and tjets tearing through them would be even cooler. tjd

On most of the new tjet 500s that I have picked up, I give them a few laps, tear them down, wipe out all of the heavy white lithium grease and reassemble. After a light oiling, the speed improves dramatically.

Rare is the tjet that comes out of it's box ready to rock. tjd

So very true.
Thats why I have to bite my lip when I hear the tjet "purists" out there complain about the new AW cars.

Mike

to hold the backend on the track a little better, glue a rare earth magnet on the back end of the chassis. their sold at Radio Shack about 2 bucks for 2 .

Racer X-
Jim, aka T-jet purist here. With the tips that I have gathered from this Board, I can tune-up my T-jets in about 10-15 minutes for a radical difference in performance. I have a 35-45-60 adjustable ohm controller. I do believe that I will never get the enjoyment out of a JLTO until I have at least a 90 ohm controller. Hence, they tend to sit without racing (and I certainly would voice my complaints about them). At 60 ohms, they are still too jerky to control effectively. However, since I received the modifed JLTO from MKING on the Christmas exchange, I can see how a few adjustments can make these cars more fun to drive for me.

Still a purist
Jim

Racer X-
Jim, aka T-jet purist here. With the tips that I have gathered from this Board, I can tune-up my T-jets in about 10-15 minutes for a radical difference in performance. I have a 35-45-60 adjustable ohm controller. I do believe that I will never get the enjoyment out of a JLTO until I have at least a 90 ohm controller. Hence, they tend to sit without racing (and I certainly would voice my complaints about them). At 60 ohms, they are still too jerky to control effectively. However, since I received the modifed JLTO from MKING on the Christmas exchange, I can see how a few adjustments can make these cars more fun to drive for me.

Still a purist
Jim

You are right about the controller.I picked up two BRP Nitro 120s for mine.None of the other controllers(except my PM)work with the JLs except for those.
In all honesty,I too had given up on the JLs too.They all sat in either pieces or in my display case.
Then I got my chassis from Mike.And the way I look at the JL/AW chassis was forever changed.
They're a blast to drive,and tho they look like tjets,they're a thing unto themselves.

Mike

One way I could carry more speed into the corners would be gearing. But I dont know jack squat about gears on these things. My experience is solely based on R/C stuff. I did tinker with a XTraction gears until I found one that was more torquey. It made about a full second difference in lap times so Im impressed with what it can do. I know a Tjet isnt designed for crazy power but I would think gears could help my cause after I get silicon tires. I cant tell if its topped out onthe long straights or if its too much gearing. It seems to run the same speed all the way down our 10 foot straights, never picks up speed. I dunno! Anyone know of a place online that sells different TJet gears? It would be a good thing to have a few extra rear gears to play with on different tracks.

Getting a T-Jet to really run fast is a statement in it's self. Fast compared to what? They won't run with the mag cars or the Magna Tractions. They are a car unto themselves only produced as toys, never really mean to race. But they are my passion when it comes to this hobby. There is not enough room here to tell you how to make a T-Jet fast or handle well. It all comes down to motor and gears, tires and wheels. If you lap the gears, balance the motor and make sure your chassis rolls smoothly you are halfway there. Next would be to make sure all your wheels and tires are true and not out of round. Silicone on the back and small diameter on the front. Limit you pickup shoe travel so it won't deslot as easy. I know what your thinking but let me say it again. These were just toys not ever intended to be race cars. You wouldn't want to say that at the Fray. I have seen T-Jets that I wouldn't put my best Magna Traction against but they have be worked to perfection. As far as gearing the nine tooth works best on a small track or track with short straights, six to ten ft. The fourteen tooth is the gearing you will find on JL and AW cars. I use both but prefer the nine tooth. Go to HO world archives and you will get a lot of info on working over a T-Jet. T-Jet Man

Thank you for that sir! I did what Joez870 recommended and tore down the chassis and cleaned it out then relubed it all with good oil. That alone made a WORLD of difference in the speed. My track is pretty fast, it has 2 9ft straights and 2 6 footers, and it has 4 banked turns and the rest are still 12" radius. So overall its quick for all the cars. But Im definitely having the problem derailing from the pickups. Im going to try the shrink tubing trick and see if that helps. I bought a set of soft silicon wide rears and it helps accellerating a bit but the handling isnt any better on the one really high banked part where the car rarely makes it through. Im gonna work on the chassis some more and try to balance the wheels. Maybe all those things will equal a quick car. As is my TJet is just as fast as my AFX and Xtraction chassis in the straights so there's definite potential! :)

Well now that is great news. It is funny how well they respond to a little tender loving care. The grease that they come with coupled with the fact they have been sitting in a case for awhile really hurts performance. The work you have performed so far is all good. Get those pickup shoes fixed and you will see a big difference. Also make sure your shoes are making full contact the full length of the ski( part that actully touches the rail) I go as far as taking a wire wheel in a dremel and polishing all areas that make electrical contact. Good Luck with the little cars they will surprise you with there true performance. T-Jet Man

Hi, I'm new to the group. I too have experienced not hangin' the bank with the venerable t-jet. Keeping in mind that a T-jet is dinosaur they should still lumber through the high bank. A smooth drive train and driving style will get you through. Carry some speed on coast as you approach the corner and let the car settle, upon reaching the apex smoothly apply power out of the corner. The previous comment regarding a proper controller is right on! It can be done with a low ohm controller, but will require some serious practice. Smooth application of power is hard to achieve with the wrong wand! As the previous posts have stated run the checklist- free the drive train, check tires wheels and axles for true, check guide pin for snagging, check pickup shoe travel and geometry as well as spring tensions, try some low profile silicones to get that chassis air gap down! Blue and yellow super ll mags with a stock t-jet arm would not be my first choice. This setup might be a little tight/twitchy for an otherwise stock jet. The coast will lessen while braking will be exaggerated. Granted the super ll's will add some grunt, but I dont think thats what will get you through the corner. Upgrade magnets incrementally till you find the combination that provides both good power and coast. A smooth true running chassis with decent useable power is the ticket. Although I like the early hop up gear on slightly modified T-jets, I would again agree that stock gearing should be used initially. Use the checklist, it never lets me down. There is also a good possibility that your arm is just bogus.There's an awful lot of them out there. The performance gap between good and bad is considerable. Unless you've got a few to swap around and your not really familiar with t-jets; you might never know the difference and veto t-jets out of hand based on one car! Good Luck and keep us posted. Bill

You are right, when I added the superII magnets it got more twitchy on the throttle. It increased speed by at least 30% over its stock form, however it got faster after I regreased everything and now its getting broke in. I think it was a little tight at first.

It has too much brake right now but on the other hand this is my first and only T-Jet so I dont have spare stuff laying around to match magnets or get a different arm. This is pretty quick in my opinion so I think it just needs some TLC. I'll tweak some more tomorrow and let you know. Thanks for the help!

Sounds like you are on your way. If it has too much brake with the stock mags as well then your gear train is probably too tight. This will get better as you run it or you can lap the gears. I should have posted the warning before you got this far. Warning: T-Jets can become addicting in a very short time. If you find yourself talking to them it's too late. Good luck with your progress. T-Jet Man :cool:

Hi, I'm new to the group. I too have experienced not hangin' the bank with the venerable t-jet. Keeping in mind that a T-jet is dinosaur they should still lumber through the high bank. A smooth drive train and driving style will get you through. Carry some speed on coast as you approach the corner and let the car settle, upon reaching the apex smoothly apply power out of the corner. The previous comment regarding a proper controller is right on! It can be done with a low ohm controller, but will require some serious practice. Smooth application of power is hard to achieve with the wrong wand! As the previous posts have stated run the checklist- free the drive train, check tires wheels and axles for true, check guide pin for snagging, check pickup shoe travel and geometry as well as spring tensions, try some low profile silicones to get that chassis air gap down! Blue and yellow super ll mags with a stock t-jet arm would not be my first choice. This setup might be a little tight/twitchy for an otherwise stock jet. The coast will lessen while braking will be exaggerated. Granted the super ll's will add some grunt, but I dont think thats what will get you through the corner. Upgrade magnets incrementally till you find the combination that provides both good power and coast. A smooth true running chassis with decent useable power is the ticket. Although I like the early hop up gear on slightly modified T-jets, I would again agree that stock gearing should be used initially. Use the checklist, it never lets me down. There is also a good possibility that your arm is just bogus.There's an awful lot of them out there. The performance gap between good and bad is considerable. Unless you've got a few to swap around and your not really familiar with t-jets; you might never know the difference and veto t-jets out of hand based on one car! Good Luck and keep us posted. Bill

Bill.....
Welcome to HT.Great first post.

You seem to know what the hell you're talking about.So I'll ask this,to you and anyone else that wants to chime in.

What do you look for when sorting t jet arms??????I have found that colors of lams and wire and all that dont always make a dif.Same with the ohms.

Any hints on what to look for???????

Mike

A lot of speculation on this post so I'd like to revive it and ask this question.

Has or does anyone on this BB run stock T-Jets and stock JL / AW T-Jet clones on baked traks ?

I've seen this question several times and have never seen a conclusive answer.

Thx, GoneGonzo

http://i34.tinypic.com/125suus.jpg

Rich, I am not sure I understand your reply. Des it have anyting to do with AMY! COMET?

Baked or Banked? :freak:

Stock, like right out of the container, not really where it was any fun for a period of time.

However, yes with some minor modifications to the chassis. Silicones and chassis tweaking at a minimum and I've had them slinging around the MM Monza bank turn with no problem. Do some more mods (hot arm), and I have launched them from the same banked turn. :eek: But after awhile, I took them out because we lost interest with just full throtling down the straightaway into a banked 180. :thumbsup: rr