Here we go guys, Let’s talk shoes.
Tools needed:
Flat settup plate
Tweezers
Duck billed pliers
Shoe Sanding block
Small flat blade scewdriver
First off: choices, choices.
Let’s list the options we have.
#1 stock Aurora shoes, We all have a bunch of them, heavy weight, won’t get bent in a rail hook, legal pretty much everywere.
#2 early Aurora small window. These are VERY hard to find, but they are different. I’m not shure they are an advantadge, but they do weigh a little more than stockers.
#3 BSRT: The first to repop shoes. They are very light weight and can be easy to set up. They also can be delicate in a wreck, and require and totally different spring settup.
#4 Slottech: The second to try his hand at the shoes. They are very similar to BSRTs offering. The hook area is different, but they also are delicate and thin.
#5 Wizzard: The most recent entry into the sweepstakes, and the most different from any came before. They are wider, and thicker gauge copper. The hook area is VERY similar to what I will try to get you to do with the other offerings.
( In the spirit of full diclosure, this writer had a small hand in the design, and manufacturing recomendations of the Wizzard offering. I will try to be as evenhanded in my tips and adjustments.)
The main goal here is to lower lap times, and make your car more of a winner. So you need to try different things and think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to mix it up from left to right. And from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The first thing to star with is the hangers. Be shure they are tight on the rivets, and they are clean.
Let’s do stockers first: 
Choose a set that has not been screwed with and is clean and free from corrosion. We will need to pay very close attention to the hook area.
Find a stock shoe spring, unmolested, and install your shoe. Look at the chassis from the side, there are three area we will be changing. The hook, the area where the spring makes contact, and the very front, or “window”.
We will also be adjusting the hanger in two ways. As you look from the side, the gap between the plastic and the copper, and as you look from the bottom, the “twist” of the hanger.
Now as you can tell by now, there are multiple adjustments. Just do one thing at a time, and you will be rewarded.
First thing to try is the hook. Remove the shoe, take your pliers, and grab the tail. Bend the tail so it points straight down. Reinstall the shoe and check your adjustment by trying to move the shoe from left to right. You want this movement to be as minimal as possible.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/ssrinkc/DSC005831.jpg
If there is too much, you will need to bend the hanger down, towards the plastic. Remove the shoe, Place your screwdriver into the hanger window and gently bend the front end of the hanger down. Just go a little at first, at try the shoe for fit, repeat as needed, until the shoe has free up and down movement and small side to side movement.
Be VERY carefull when you are bending the hanger, it very easy to break the hanger so go slow!
This adjustment can be maddening, so be patient. You will probably go thru a couple of shoes before you figure it out, That’s why we start on stockers, they are cheep.
Once you get this where you want it, it’s time for the limiting bend. This limit’s the travel and is also a very important adjustment. Once again, grab your pliers and stand the shoe on the tail, pointing straight up. You are looking down the shoe, thru the window. Grab the very top of the copper, lining up the tip of the pliers with the top of the opening, then bend the tag so it points forward, bend it as far as you can,
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/ssrinkc/DSC005841.jpg
we will end up with this tag folded over, forming a hem.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/ssrinkc/DSC005861.jpg
Now, you can simply install the shoe and spring and adjust for contact as normal. At this point be sure to get the twist right, this sets the flatness in the left to right plane. Then manipulate the tag so you have the limit you want. Be sure that the front tires are the size you want. If you change the tire sizes, you will need to adjust the shoe limit accordingly.
As you lift the front end and set it back down, you want to see the smallest movement.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/ssrinkc/DSC00589.jpg
As you get this close, you need to get out the shoe sander and get that contact patch flat. The last adjustment is for spring tension. I always leave the spring alone and adjust tension on the shoe. Try to run the lightest tension you can. This will increase cornering speeds, and reduce the braking distance. The better the chassis/power combination, the lighter tension you can run.
Your tension is too light if:
Power is intermittent
Shoe(s) get a black residue
Right and left turns react differently.
Your tension is too heavy if:
Car deslots on entry of a corner,
Off the corner, or at the start. Car “front end hops”
Front tires are off the setup plate.
To adjust the spring tension,remove the shoe. Place the tip of your pliers in the bend closest to were the spring sets. then close down and bend the hook down, increasing the distance between the chassis and the shoe. to increase tension, simply bend the other direction.
Now it may be easier for you to play with the spring. If that is a more comfortable adjustment for you that's fine. As you play with that, keep in mind, that the JL springs are a little heavier in tension. This can come in handy.
This is the basics of shoe adjustment. From here on out, we will simply use these basics to adjust the other brands.
As for American Line shoes, they are my “go to” shoes. If nothing else is working, I go to these. They are VERY close to stock shoes in weight, thickness, and shape. You can tell them by the sharp corners on the hinge end.
You will want to bend the rear tang, and limit the fronts as usual. You can usually get away with a little less spring tension on these. Also, they tend to stay adjusted and not get tweeked in a wall shot, or by hooking a rail.
OK,
That does it for now. I will get into the BSRT and Slottech shoes in the next installment.