Scalextric Inline Gear Ratio

[Bobbybolognie]

Has anyone ever used a different rearend gear ratio in the Scalextric Inline car?  I saw a pinion variety pack C8403 (8,9,10,11,12T) which I think is for the FF Motors?  Are the F-130 motor inlines fixed at 9T Pinion and 27T Crown?  Seems like they would because the motor shaft runs in the crown gear groove.  Thanks

[Andy P.]

Ahh gearing.. I think the only other slot car topic besides runing in motors and tire truing that will cause no end of (good) discussion.

Gearing can help with parity, like you said, the FF motors are very high RPM.

They can also make a car more drivable or reach a higher top speed.

If you google you should be able to find all kinds of info on it.

Like so many things though it really depends on your set up and what you are driving.

If you are using stock tires on Sport track then the standard gearing should be OK on a mildly twisty flat track.

If you have lots of long straights and mildly banked curves you can go for higher speeds.

Swapping out for grippier tires may also make a difference and require different gearing.

I always remind people of a bicycle... the pinion being the crank gear and the crown being the spindle in the back. Big in front, snall in mack: High top speed but it will take a while to get there.

Etc ...

Let us know what you are racing on and maybe we can come up with some better ideas.

[Bobbybolognie]

Are the F-130 motor inlines fixed at 9T Pinion and 27T Crown? 

[woodcote]

Hi Bobbybolognie - welcome to the forum!

 

The standard Scalextric gear ratios (F130 S-Can & FF050 slim can) are...

 

• Inline: 9 / 27
• Sidewinder: 11/36

 

If you want to change the ratio by changing the pinion, it's important to find a pinion the same diameter as the standard one. Also, the motor shaft on the FF motors is 1.5mm and on the F130 S-Cans 2mm. Pendle Slot Racing would be a good place to ask - and I'm sure they have suitable spares in stock.

 

I hope that helps.

[AJ Gurney]

Something to keep in mind when changing gears is the "pitch" of the gears. If the pitch of the gears are different, then the gears won't mesh properly. The pitch defines the size and spacing of the teeth. When I raced 1/24 scale commercial track type cars, 48 and 64 were the two most common gear pitches. It is not possible to use a 48 pitch pinion with a 64 pitch spur. The size and spacing of the teeth are different. You could get the gears to mesh at one point but once you tried to turn them they would bind up.Also, the number of teeth defines the diameter of the gear, assuming the pitch stays the same. It would not be possible to have 48 pitch pinions with 8, 9 or 10 teeth that are the same diameter for example. It would require changing the actual size of the teeth to do this.

[gorp]

Other options when running the slim ff can is to replace it with a slower version, turn down the power, change the app or just dont buy toys with them in.