26th-Apr-22, 03:37 PM
After some satisfying laps at WHO/digital last week, it was time to give the Porsche a spin on a typical home track - which will be the normal terrain for most of the production models sold... at least of those that get taken out of their boxes.
As the Porsche came back from the club in a non-mag set-up, I started with it that way. I removed the digital chip and changed the tyres to some NSR Supergrips, as that's what I've used when I've tested preview samples before. Simply removing the magnet and using the Scalextric tyres (designed for magnet racing) is a waste of time - the Supergrips and about 1.5g of weight in front of the motor gives a better car and a meaningful comparison to other preview models.
My test track is a typical 4x8 rug racing layout - essentially the Jadlam SL6 set, built with Scalextric Sport track and an ARC Air powerbase. It's very technical and gives a good indication of how a car will handle on a home track, plus there's a quick squirt of full throttle on the four-and-a-half foot straight.
The Porsche was very predictable on the track - no surprises, no weird understeer and just a gradual slide of the rear end, which was perfectly controllable. I could throw it into corners and get some big slides, but it was easier to drive it neat and fast. A first 2 minute run got me acquainted and then I set 22 laps and a best time of 5:15 seconds - a very decent non-mag time for a Scalextric car...
When compared with other Scalextric preview samples with the same tweaks (Supergrips, 1.5g of weight and screws loosened), the Porsche was slightly quicker than the Pagani Huayra Roadster BC (22 laps & 5:20 seconds) - a car I liked very much. It was a little off the Corvette C8R (23 laps & 4:96 seconds), but not by much... and the C8R was very impressive. Another recent Scalextric GT3 car - the new Vantage - managed 22 laps and a 5:32 second best lap. I suspect with some work on the body float, the Porsche will be up there with the 'Vette. How that translates to a club track is another thing, but non-mag speed and predictability on a twisty home track is a promising start.
Of course, most Scalextric cars will be run on Sport track and fitted with magnets, so let's now have a look at the Porsche's performance back in its original configuration. I have plenty of data to compare, but wanted a straight head-to-head with the previous Scalextric Porsche...
That Porsche 911 GTE is pretty much stock, the original tyres have been scuffed up and the braids re-profiled SCX-style. I delivered 27 laps and a best of 4:21, which is a good two-minute run for that car. I do like the 'old' Porsche - it's very predictable and can be pushed hard. The new 'Plaid' Porsche wasn't quite so easy to drive. Nor was it as predictable with magnets as it was without. There was good grip from the tyres and the magnet, although the rear stepped out a little too quickly for my liking, especially as the tyres got dirty. Scuffing up the tyres would certainly have helped. And then there was an occasional understeer moment, which is always frustrating. The best I could get was 25 laps and 4:46 seconds - and that was after three or four runs.
Without being able to tweak much on the car (it had to go back to Margate in its original state), I loosened the body screws as much as I could... Back on the track, the understeer was gone and the car was easier to drive. On my first timed run after the tweak, I set a new best of 26 laps and 4:23 seconds - getting much closer to the 'old' Porsche...
Compared with the other Scalextric preview cars I've looked at over the past couple of years, the Porsche sits right in the middle - interestingly on an identical lap score and best time as the Corvette C8R with magnets fitted and the new Vantage is just ahead of them...
Whether deliberate or not (and I suspect it is), the Scalextric team are producing cars in their different themed ranges that can compete with each other on track. The GT cars seem to be a little less stuck down than some of the other cars - partly because they are easier to drive with a wider track and are less tippy (the Mustang being an exception). The Porsche 911 GT3R certainly fits in very nicely to the range with its sharp looks and excellent track performance, with and without the magnet.
There are - of course - loads of fabulous potential liveries for this GT3R body shape. I'm sure we all have our favourites and I would like the KCMG car to go with my GTE model. White kit? I don't see it happening. I'm not sure if that's Scalextric or Porsche (or a bit of both), but having a proper licensed product does complicate many things!
Big thanks again to the Scalextric team for sending me another preview car to play with and write up here at SlotRacer Online.
As the Porsche came back from the club in a non-mag set-up, I started with it that way. I removed the digital chip and changed the tyres to some NSR Supergrips, as that's what I've used when I've tested preview samples before. Simply removing the magnet and using the Scalextric tyres (designed for magnet racing) is a waste of time - the Supergrips and about 1.5g of weight in front of the motor gives a better car and a meaningful comparison to other preview models.
My test track is a typical 4x8 rug racing layout - essentially the Jadlam SL6 set, built with Scalextric Sport track and an ARC Air powerbase. It's very technical and gives a good indication of how a car will handle on a home track, plus there's a quick squirt of full throttle on the four-and-a-half foot straight.
The Porsche was very predictable on the track - no surprises, no weird understeer and just a gradual slide of the rear end, which was perfectly controllable. I could throw it into corners and get some big slides, but it was easier to drive it neat and fast. A first 2 minute run got me acquainted and then I set 22 laps and a best time of 5:15 seconds - a very decent non-mag time for a Scalextric car...
When compared with other Scalextric preview samples with the same tweaks (Supergrips, 1.5g of weight and screws loosened), the Porsche was slightly quicker than the Pagani Huayra Roadster BC (22 laps & 5:20 seconds) - a car I liked very much. It was a little off the Corvette C8R (23 laps & 4:96 seconds), but not by much... and the C8R was very impressive. Another recent Scalextric GT3 car - the new Vantage - managed 22 laps and a 5:32 second best lap. I suspect with some work on the body float, the Porsche will be up there with the 'Vette. How that translates to a club track is another thing, but non-mag speed and predictability on a twisty home track is a promising start.
Of course, most Scalextric cars will be run on Sport track and fitted with magnets, so let's now have a look at the Porsche's performance back in its original configuration. I have plenty of data to compare, but wanted a straight head-to-head with the previous Scalextric Porsche...
That Porsche 911 GTE is pretty much stock, the original tyres have been scuffed up and the braids re-profiled SCX-style. I delivered 27 laps and a best of 4:21, which is a good two-minute run for that car. I do like the 'old' Porsche - it's very predictable and can be pushed hard. The new 'Plaid' Porsche wasn't quite so easy to drive. Nor was it as predictable with magnets as it was without. There was good grip from the tyres and the magnet, although the rear stepped out a little too quickly for my liking, especially as the tyres got dirty. Scuffing up the tyres would certainly have helped. And then there was an occasional understeer moment, which is always frustrating. The best I could get was 25 laps and 4:46 seconds - and that was after three or four runs.
Without being able to tweak much on the car (it had to go back to Margate in its original state), I loosened the body screws as much as I could... Back on the track, the understeer was gone and the car was easier to drive. On my first timed run after the tweak, I set a new best of 26 laps and 4:23 seconds - getting much closer to the 'old' Porsche...
Compared with the other Scalextric preview cars I've looked at over the past couple of years, the Porsche sits right in the middle - interestingly on an identical lap score and best time as the Corvette C8R with magnets fitted and the new Vantage is just ahead of them...
Whether deliberate or not (and I suspect it is), the Scalextric team are producing cars in their different themed ranges that can compete with each other on track. The GT cars seem to be a little less stuck down than some of the other cars - partly because they are easier to drive with a wider track and are less tippy (the Mustang being an exception). The Porsche 911 GT3R certainly fits in very nicely to the range with its sharp looks and excellent track performance, with and without the magnet.
There are - of course - loads of fabulous potential liveries for this GT3R body shape. I'm sure we all have our favourites and I would like the KCMG car to go with my GTE model. White kit? I don't see it happening. I'm not sure if that's Scalextric or Porsche (or a bit of both), but having a proper licensed product does complicate many things!
Big thanks again to the Scalextric team for sending me another preview car to play with and write up here at SlotRacer Online.
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