plastic vs. metal

[Czar]

I don't want to hijack Modler Bob's post. Performance wise, what are the relative advantages/disadvantages of a metal chassis compared to a plastic chassis? Does stamped metal have any real advantage over soldered tube/pan chassis designs? Are current plastic progressive designs, like Black Arrow or Saleauto, better than metal? I am talking about no-mag scale racing on home sized tracks. But, I am also curious about the performance difference on a commercial raceway, or, at what length of track does a real (if any) difference manifest itself?

[HomeRacingWorld]

I am no expert on all the chassis out there, but I do have one of those non-magnet hometracks.

The advantage of the brass/metal chassis over plastic used to be precision. It was flat, straight, and true that allowed your running gear a good place to work.

On some of them the weight of the chassis itself, down low where it counts, also goes a long way to a nice handling slot car.

On the other hand, there has been a lot of advances in our hobby. Slot.it makes a great platform in the HRS2 system that is hard to beat FOR THE PRICE. That chassis, in my opinion is a great platform.

I have several different setups and the Slot.it is just as good as any other. At least on my smaller home track. All these other "Erector set" chassis out there with higher price tags mean little to me. I don't need all the options they built into them.

[Florida_Slotter]

[ElSecundo]

A chassis needs to do basically two things: keep the tires and the guide planted, and eliminate vibration. Once you achieve these things, it's pretty irrelevant whether it's plastic or metal, unless your car needs to fit in a particular racing class. In the old days, plastic chassis cars couldn't do these things very well, and metal was the preferred choice for a high-quality, smooth ride. Today, both materials are perfectly capable of that quality ride.

The value of a metal chassis is the ability to build it from scratch the way you want it.

This is kind of a simple take on things. :)

[Florida_Slotter]

ElSecundo,

Simple, short, sweet and elegant! I like it.

[ElSecundo]

[slothead]

All of the above, plus the adjustability of metal. Back in the 80's when I was just getting started racing at a commercial track an old timer built me a custom chassis by cutting up a Parma ((Womp) one up and reconnecting key pieces with piano wire. When I added stock running gear it was unbeatable. A small hinge, and a drop arm on the guide absorbed vibrations and kept it planted on the track. When setting up a car you could get a pair of needle nose pliers, and tweek it to get a perfect stance and balance.

I've seen old 'timers tell a guy with a terribly running metal chassis car, "let me see that for a minute", take a pair of pliers to it and have it running 100% better with a few bends.

My overall take is, plastic is easier and cheaper, but metal is more forgiving and workable. A metal chassis also lowers the center of gravity which makes it more stable.

Slothead

[Modlerbob]

I thought I had posted a reply but it vanished. In retrospect I kind of wish I had bought the slot.It Coca-Cola Porsche for $50 and saved some money. On the two tracks that I do 99% of my driving on the cars and other products from Slot.It give me the control I look for in a slot car. I don't exactly know what I will be doing with my new Pro-Track car other than running comparison laps against other unconventional set ups. It is a great chassis and meets all the criteria established by Marty and Elsecundo for a proper handling chassis. I never had much interest in building my own wire and brass chassis so I have neither the skills nor the tools needed to build one properly so that option is not open to me.

[Florida_Slotter]

Slothead,

Yep, racing Parma Womps is a great way to learn. Hey I used to carry a flat surface and a pair of pliers that I had modified specifically to straighten those Parma chassis.

BTW - do you know why they are called a "Womp"?

That is the noise you hear when they hit the wall! :lol: I've heard it so many times when running with a good set of tires on the cars and a motor that was above average! Something about short wheelbase and not letting you apply power when you normally would coming out of a turn.

I've found that the Champion "Thumper" - now owned by Parma - is a much better chassis. They stay straigher longer.

Great fun those Womps!

[jmsh54]

Greetings, as one who races nonmagnet on a plastic track I have found that if you set up a plastic chassis right there is not much difference between how the two run. But there is the fun that comes with building your own brass chassis. Can not comment on the difference between the two on a wood track other than awhile back I watched a young lady racing at Professor Motor on his big wooden track running what looked like an Eldon Ferrari mounted on a Ninco chassis just smoking the track against some old timers running brass chassis' . She had the most wonderful little evil grin on her face as she ran circles around the fellas in the other lanes. Regards, John

[Florida_Slotter]

[DAVE]

Marty;

That looks suspiciously like a JK kit. The great thing about that kit is that he supplies you with the folded
brass parts, and you do everything else. There is an infinate number of variations you can do while building
it. And it is as close to scratch building as you can get without having a lot of metalworking equipment for
the sheet brass pieces. I wish he would do a 1/32nd version of that and the Can-Am chassis. He doesn't
think it would fly at commercial tracks. But Dennis Samson has formed a group of guys who build and race
1/32nd scratchbuilt brass cars based on the 1/24th designs. Since more and more guys are building routed
tracks, these would be the nuts.

[Florida_Slotter]

Dave,

Actually it is a kit. A much better kit than the JK F1 kit.

This one is the DS/F1 kit. This is modeled - with permission - from a chassis built originally by Dennis Samson. RGEO Products produces the kit. It is laser cut, NOT stamped like the JK kit is. Rather then having to spend about hald the construction time straightening the front pan, all the parts are flat and square.

Something else that I like about this particular kit. All parts are cut from .050 half hard brass. Kind of halfway between .032 and .064 brass. You can easily build a chassis to meet the 100 gram minimum without having to add weight or having a heavier then 100 gram car. A great kit in my opinion.

Thanks for asking.

[Ember]

Marty, is there any chance of some pointers and labels on that photo just to be certain to which bits you're referring. The explanation is great, and the sort of information I was hoping for elsewhere. Thank you. There are a few things that I think I am starting to understand now.

However, I assume the position of flex is as important as the direction and amount of flex. I note most of the Aussie boys tend to add extra bracing to plastic chassis, particularly Ninco side or anglewinder ones. I gather this is to add rigidity between motor and rear axle ensure both move as one while retaining overall flexibility of the chassis.

Trouble is, any time I've tried to do it the car has turned from lively and manoeuvrable to slow dead lump (not due to weight). Wondering if you can shed any light?

Feel like I'm flying blind half the time and the rest of the time I can't see.

[smithspeedway]

Plastic vs. metal... what's better?

The answer is....

Totally depends on where you race. At our flat oval, metal beats plastic. Every time. Including SlotIt. The reverse can be true at other places. There is no better answer. Race what works, race what you like. Neither is superior everywhere.