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Where do I find 1.5mm plastic pinions for FF motors? I've looked in the usual places and can't seem to locate them. Are the brass ones just as good/recommended?

John

Slot Car Corner stocks 1.5 to 2.0 mm tubing. I have lots of FF motors with 2.0 Slot.It pinions on them. They work good and last a long time.

I think I have 1 or 2 you can have but they are brass, I will look in the parts bin Sat, after work

Scalextric make a mixed pack of plastic pinions for 1.5mm shaft motors....but I prefer the brass ones available from other producers.

Slot.It sells brass 1.5mm pinions in both 9 tooth and 10 tooth versions. With the range of crown gears available, having 9 or 10 tooth pinions gives you, pretty much, all of the gearing options that you're apt to need with most motors under normal racing circumstances: 9:30 = 3.33 / 10:23 - 2.3. I've used them and they have worked well for me.

Allan

We do have the Scalextric pack that has I think 4 different pinions in it 8,9,10 and 11. I never put it on the website.
Mike

Hi John, with the 1.5 I use brass, and follow Harrys sage adviceabout the splines.
You will need a method to center the axle and pinion for lash.
The 1.5 to 2.0 tube works well, or spacers on the axle works too.
If you go brass pinion the lash is critical if using a plastic crown.
a small section of the 1.5 to 2.0 tube on the end of the 1.5 shaft using loctite works a treat.
it also keeps weight off the rear axle, but spacers will do the job.
Good luck
Bob

If you pull the original Scaley pinion off, you can sometimes save the tubing for the end.

If not, MT Racing sells it by the stick.

This is why you need the sleeve on the end.



IF you are allowing the motor shaft to center and hold the rear axle that is.

If not, and you are using shims on the axle or you have used tubing for setting your exact width, then no need for it.

Thanks Chappy, I forgot about that point and it is CRITICAL.

I try not to use the motor shaft to center the rear axle/crown. Doing so causes drivetrain friction, which slows the car down and makes the motor work harder than it needs to; even with a well lubricated crown slot. Spacers between the left face of the crown (in Harry's pic) and the left axle bushing work best, but are challenging to install. Spacers between the outer facings of the bushings and the rear wheels also work, but it's more difficult to remove the slop when you're that far away from the crown.

In practice it's more difficult to get a friction-free mating of the crown slot and the armature shaft using a 2.0mm shaft, since it's a tighter fit. There's simply more space to "play with" with the 1.5mm shaft, but you have to get the spacers right or the axle will move side-to-side, which makes the car want to tail-out due to chassis/body motion/weight transfer in the turns. That's one of the reasons why I think that getting a good drivetrain tune on an IL car is harder than on a SW car.

Allan

I wholeheartedly agree with the above. I always thought using the motor shaft for gear mesh/alignment was such a cheap option.
I always use spacers, usually between the hubs and bearing faces. Slotcar Corner sell a nice mixed bag of spacers too.

When I scratch build I cut the width of the tubing to the size I need to set width. So then no need for the shaft to sit inside.

But my standard inline models are some of the smoothest and fastest in my collection. I prefer them for the simplicity myself and don't see them being difficult at all.

Guess it's just another aspect of the hobby, and different strokes for different folks as they say.

Yep, the motor shaft in the gear groove does work.

Just in case it comes up, I think I should mention that when you solder the tubing to the motor shaft in order to use standard pinions, there are a few things that absolutely must be done to be successful the first time...
-Splined or not, the motor shaft must be cleaned and roughed up; I use a small diamond file to do this, with the motor running.
-For what Harry is talking about, which is what I use most of the time, careful attention must be paid to the end of the shaft to round AND smooth it to prevent friction against the crown. The friction of contact with the plastic or bronze crown is too small to be noticed if the motor shaft is properly prepared. Remember, one side of the shaft is helping, one side is against you- if you shim the wheels against the chassis in such a way as to allow contact only on the side that helps you, even that insignificant contact is on your side.
-All of the above is to be done before the pinion is placed, of course, which brings up the last point; soldering the tubing needs to be hot- 850 degrees or more to assure a good flow. Lots of flux. When you are satisfied with the bond, de-burr thoroughly so the pinion can't be distorted when pressed on.