I've learned quite a bit about my cars since joining a day ago.

But I was comparing cars to the new one I bought for my kid. I just bought him an Tomy Aurora AFX. I noticed that the AFX has two traction magnets and my older Tomy Aurora on has one traction magnet that runs the full width of the chassis (a lot like the Tyco Magnum 440).

Are those the only differences between the AFX Aurora and the older Aurora? Or is the "motor" (can) different?

Also can someone explain the different ring and pinion sets? I understand them in a full size car but I can't grasp them in the smaller size. More teeth = more torque which means faster cars?

Again, sorry for the newb questions but I'm trying to learn more about them. Anybody know of any good books to pickup?

Here's what I've learned so far:

I have three old Tomy Aurora's, each with one large traction magnet. Two Tyco Command Control cars and related track (which I think are also TCRs? correct me if I'm wrong). I've got two Tyco 440x2's but I have the 440x2 chassis's that have the lower fins which I've read raise the body of the car and the traction magnets aways from the rails. These are part of the old Tyco Sparkin' Hot Rod set.

I personally am partial to the Sparkin' Hot Rod cars but they don't handle so well I've noticed, they tend to "spin-out" when going around corners.

I've learned quite a bit about my cars since joining a day ago.

Cool :thumbsup:

But I was comparing cars to the new one I bought for my kid. I just bought him an Tomy Aurora AFX. I noticed that the AFX has two traction magnets and my older Tomy Aurora on has one traction magnet that runs the full width of the chassis (a lot like the Tyco Magnum 440).

Are those the only differences between the AFX Aurora and the older Aurora? Or is the "motor" (can) different?

That new GT40 is a Tomy SRT (Super Racing Turbo). They are the same basic design as the Tomy Turbo, instead of a single ceramic bar magnet they use two very strong neodymium magnets for much stronger grip. The motors between the two chassis are interchangeable.

Tomy also makes the Super G+, which uses an integral motor design sort of like a 440 but incorporates a pair or long, stronger pair of light polymer traction magnets.

Also can someone explain the different ring and pinion sets? I understand them in a full size car but I can't grasp them in the smaller size. More teeth = more torque which means faster cars?

More torque is not always a good thing and definitely not a guarantee of being faster. Best to experiment here and figure what best fits your own style (deep into corners vs. heavy braking, etc). That said, it's always best to start with and get comfy with stock ratios cuz if you race production class (ie, box stock types) elsewhere you will likely come across gearing restrictions.

I've got two Tyco 440x2's but I have the 440x2 chassis's that have the lower fins which I've read raise the body of the car and the traction magnets aways from the rails. These are part of the old Tyco Sparkin' Hot Rod set.

The "finned" chassis is commonly known as the pan chassis (made of a hard dark black plastic) and was used for wide body cars. Near as I can tell they ride similar to the narrow chassis (light gray plastic), the performance difference is due to the softer material of the narrow chassis that allows it to "flex" thus pulling closer to the rails especially in cornering situations. There are wide chassis made of the same soft gray material but they can be tough to find, they handle on par with the narrow chassis too.

. . . There are wide chassis made of the same soft gray material but they can be tough to find, they handle on par with the narrow chassis too.

No Kidding?

I have never seen let alone heard of gray pan chassis. Wow -- learn something new everyday on this site. :hat:

Actually I too had read about the grey pan chassis, it was the same article I had read about the wide chassis. If I weighted the wider chassis would that help with the stability and handling? The bodies on the two wide chassis cars are huge. One's a '32 coupe and the other a '57 Chevy.

As for the ring and pinion gears I'm going to mess around with different ratios to see how it affects my cars.

No Kidding?

I have never seen let alone heard of gray pan chassis. Wow -- learn something new everyday on this site. :hat:

Not sure if there's any rhyme or reason to finding them, mine was in a Mattel twin-pack under a red T-Bird I got when just getting back into this stuff 4 or 5 years ago, never got why it handled so well compared to other pans cuz it was the only one I had at the time, back then as far as I knew they were all gray. :freak:

For 'doba...now ya have. :thumbsup:

http://i27.tinypic.com/2dsplef.jpg

Here's what I've learned so far:

Two Tyco Command Control cars and related track (which I think are also TCRs? correct me if I'm wrong).

Nick,
Tyco Command Control Track and TCR track are the same, the only difference being the color (CC is gray while TCR is black).

CC chassis have a "tail" out the rear and a worm gear on the end of the armature shaft. TCR chassis look somewhat like a 440-X2.

I have been converting my CC and TCR cars to slotted. The CC cars are real easy to do while the TCRs take a little more work. If you did this, they would need to run in their own class as they are different from other chassis.

The conversion is simple. Get some #18 x5/8" wire nails. You need to cut these down to size with a cutoff wheel on the Dremel. The easiest way I found to so this is to take a 1/4" piece of wood and drill some small holes in it (smaller than the nail head but bigger than the body). Then put the nails in the holes and hold the head of the nails by holding another piece of wood against them (I put the whole thing in a vise). Then just cut off the part of the nail that shows through. When you're done, you have guide pins 1/4" long.

For CC cars, just epoxy the pin into the center pickup shoe hole. You are done.

For TCR chassis, you need to drill a hole for the guide pin into the piece of plastic that runs across the front. Then, epoxy the front wheels straight and epoxy the guide pin into the hole you drilled. It works really well.

Joe

Joe, its funny you mentioned that about the CC cars. I had been looking at the chassis of one of them the other day and I thought to myself, "Man, it'd be real easy to put a guide pin in the center of this thing."

For 'doba...now ya have. :thumbsup:

http://i27.tinypic.com/2dsplef.jpg


I have got to try me one of those! I hate the way some of the black pans run. Did you say it was under the red '57 T-bird in the twin pack? I'll have to watch chassis at the next slot show.

Joe, I did the mod to one of my CC cars. The only difference in what you had said is that the CC chassis is clear. I took a Tomy guide-pin and cut the upper flange off and then I super glued it into the center hole where the wire is that holds the front axle centered.

The problem I'm having now, is that it doesn't stay on the rails. I got it to go around the track 3 times without stopping but it seems like the car has no weight or centered on the rails. I'm thinking about putting some magnets on the rear "spoiler" to keep the rear centered.

Also, is there anywhere I can get a new front axle with silicone tires (the one on the two cars I have are plastic tires) and rear tires? The foam ones on the rear are shot and just fall off.

440,
I realized after I posted that the CC chassis I converted (I've only done one CC car so far, but have about 20 more) is an obstacle car. These chassis are different than regular CC cars (for example, the front wheels are fixed in place and there is no axle) so you may be encountering problems which I have not. Until I do a regular CC chassis, I won't know. But, when you do stop by my house, bring it with you.

The converted TCR chassis run real well. The great thing about using them with Indy cars is that the front piece of the slotted chassis goes right under the front wing, which should add some protection to that fragile piece of the body. They are more challenging to drive than a regular Tyco 440 or 440x2 because the magnetic downforce is much less (maybe like an HP-7). Plus, they roll a lot after you let off the power. I think they are pretty cool.

Joe

The CC cars I have do have a solid axle. If I had a way to upload pics to the internet I'd show you, but alas I do not. :(

But, I did find a website that does have pictures of it. http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/tyccbl.jsp

You can see in the first pic the solid front axle. In the second pic, on the center of the front "spoiler" there is a hole that I super glued the guide-pin into.

I still can't get it to consistently go around the track.

440, move your guide pin. try it between the wheels. :thumbsup:

Nick is the "spoiler" or pin dragging on the track?

By the looks of the big honkin' "shoes", I'd be leary about putting a pin more than an eighth inch or so behind the front edge of the shoe, spin sideways and they'll short the rails.

Nick,
The picture of the chassis on that website is not the same as the CC chassis I am working with. Apparently, the Obstacle car chassis is quite a bit different (see if they have a picture). On my chassis, there is no clear piece in the front, no front axle at all and three holes across the front where the shoes hook into. Since the middle shoe is not used on a slotted track, I simply epoxy my pin into the center hole, which on my chassis is in front of the front wheels.
For you to do the conversion on the chassis you have probably requires you to drill a hole in the front clear plastic piece much as I did on the TCR cars.

Joe

Nick is the "spoiler" or pin dragging on the track?

By the looks of the big honkin' "shoes", I'd be leary about putting a pin more than an eighth inch or so behind the front edge of the shoe, spin sideways and they'll short the rails.
Gene, I never thought to check that. It does go in the straights but stops dead in the corners.

Joe, mine are the "passing" cars. I do have the three holes you are referring to but only two of them are used. One car has the shoes on the right and left side of the car and the other car I have has the shoes on the driver's side and the second shoe is dead center.

I'm going to move the pin to the center like it was suggested, I'll shave it down some more and then glue it into the center.