TSRF Customers Express their Opinions

"After huge delay, I finally got round to trying the 1/24 TSR car fitted with an injected Porsche body at Club Ecurie last night. Lance quickly trimmed the slightly over long guide ( Note: ALL TSR24 "Home-Racing" and ALL Club Racing versions are fitted with a longer guide, part # TSC12. To run the cars on Carrera track, you must trim the guide or use another, part # TSC1. For tracks with even shallower slots such as SCX, Scalextric "Classic" etc. you must trim the guide to the depth of the slot.) which had me fooled for a while and four of us were smoothly and easily circulating in 6.0-second laps. Any doubts about the ultra simple guide system were quickly dispelled (have we been fooled for so long... ) the car was a gem to marshal and handled in every respect with whisper-like performance. Who would have thought that with hard-body racing...?!

That only puts it time wise up there with the new 1/32 magnet traction Fly Lolas but, as Lance pointed out, with consummate pleasure for beginner and expert alike whilst looking really imposing with the Tamiya Porsche body, without the intimidating 1/24-scale usual speed and thus easy to see and follow. It is a surprisingly inexpensive high-quality option. Whilst a new club racing class would overload the large Club Ecurie active membership at present, its simplicity and strength makes it the ideal choice for a standard "club" car, coupled with some 15/20-thou Lexan bodies, especially for the popular club invitation social endurance races and also a must for promotional events like scouts etc. Simply magic.

All the waffle is leading to me to these questions of any one with long term experience of these magic cars:

1. What has been the long term durability experience over a long period of time?

There is now an itch to look at this, which may be an excellent consideration for chaps like the Hilton Club. Thanks and apologies to Gustav (the SA distributor) for the long overdue club trial.

Thank you for the kind words. It is our experience that durability over a long period of time has been excellent as long as minimal maintenance is performed. Please read the recommendations made to Jim of Volos, Greece, in a posting below. The 1/32 scale car uses all the same parameters, with little difference in handling. The majority of the critic is about the motors that are a bit too quick for the 1/32 scale home-racing version. So from Christmas 2003, a new, milder (and clearly identifiable) motor will be fitted to all the new home-racing RTR and kits, while the current "rocket" will be retained for the Club versions and both the 1/24 scale cars.

I have 2 1/32 chassis kits , 1 with a Fly Evo body on and another with a stock car body on it from a model kit . The problem I am having is the car will do about 3-5 laps and then just stop like the plug was pulled. I am referring to the one with the Fly body on it .I am using a Trackmate 0-30 volt 0-10 amp adjustable power supply. I took it apart and every thing seems to be fine. Then I bought a second one for the stock car body thinking maybe I got a bum motor, now this one does 10-15 laps then shuts down like the other one. I have tried different voltage settings high and low , the track is clean and the chassis are put together properly. I have about 60 Fly , Ninco and Scaly cars most with high mag down force and Slot-it motors and I don't have any problems like this with them. The track is a 70' SCX and Scaly track combination with 4 SCX power tracks and I am using 1 PM controller and 3 Parma (one 15-ohm and two 25-ohm )I have the traction magnet installed in the rearmost slot on the 2 chassis. I don't get it ,can you help , I have no answers to this problem but I do have over S100.00 invested in 2 cars that I can't run and I am not happy about that.

Dear Sir, Your power supply may be the cause of your problem. There is a built-in auto-reset circuit breaker that shuts off the power if too much amperage is drawn. The TSR motors draw a bit over one ampere, and this is more than most home-racing motors. While this is common with inexpensive wall-plug types power packs commonly found in home racing sets, it is definitely not normal with a Trackmate, and we suggest that you contact your retailer about it. In the meantime, you may experiment by jumping the breaker with a fusing wire such as a thin piece of solder to make sure that this is the actual problem.

Charlie responds:

"It turned out to be the SCX starter tracks that I am using and not the Trackmate power supply. I am told that the Trackmate unit does not have a circuit breaker. The SCX starter tracks have an auto-reset fuse chip installed and because of the power draw of the TSR motor it was tripping the fuse and shutting the power. To fix the problem, turn the track piece over and pry the cover off that houses the connections to the plugs. Locate the fuse and cut the ends off then connect the remaining bare wires together with solder. In the newer SCX track you will see 3 chips , 2 smaller ones that look like water drops and a bigger rectangular one, this is the fuse to be cut. In the older SCX track there is only that fuse, no other chips. After I did this modification the cars perform excellently like I always knew they would.

You guys have a class A winner here , keep up the great work"

Good for you Charlie, and thanks for the tip!

"Assembled car per instructions - ran great for roughly 25-30 laps. Loud whistling sound now apparent - car is also noticeably slower. Checked gear mesh / clearances - everything appears in order. When I turn the rear wheels by hand, a very faint whistle can be heard from motor. Possible I have a bad motor??? I put a drop of oil on both ends of commutator shaft before using the car.
I have a Scalextric "Sport" track - 110' length. Track is custom wired (positive polarity), run power supply at 12.5V, Professor Motor controllers.
Please advise.

Dear Sir,
We have as yet to see one bad motor, so let's first analyze other possible problems. Please apply a small drop of oil on each side of the inner part of the front axle holder, then a bit on the outside of the front wheel.
Please try the car again and report. Other possibilities exist including excessive lubrication of the commutator side, causing oil to coat the commutator, causing arcing and slowing the car.
Also the Scalextric power pack may not provide adequate amperage, but if the car was running OK, this may not be an issue at this time.
Please read the first posting at http://www.tsrfcars.com/Ttestimony.htm and read this thread in the technical section at http://www.tsrfcars.com/TTROUBLESHOOT.htm

The small drop of oil on each side of the front wheels quieted the car
right back down. Thank you."

"Just wanted to let you know that after all these months I finally did a tear down on 2 of your chassis. The reason I did this was because performance had fallen off slightly in recent weeks. What I observed was the following.

1. Brush to contact interface had become "resistive". The contact/brush interface on the left contact (looking from the back) showed signs of arcing. I cleaned up the contact and installed new brushes and power returned to normal. It's possible that I assembled these wrong but having the exact same failure mode is a little suspicious.

2. Both wheels and tires were slipping. I noticed that this has been identified and corrected already. I just glued everything and it was okay.

3. On one car I needed to clean oxidation from the motor at the contact point on the can side. This may just be because of the climate here. I added a touch of Molykote and this has fixed the problem for me (if it can be called a problem).

4. I trimmed the guide pin slightly because they would wedge in my Artin track slot when the car spun out. (Not a big deal)

That's all. Everything else was perfectly good. The tires are just about worn out from normal wear and tear but that's to be expected. At least they don't melt like the ones on most of my FLY GT cars.

As a note of interest, I've converted all my FLY sidewinder cars to the TSR plastic gears and I'm slowly changing out most of the stock guides with TSR units. TSR spare front wheel assemblies, rear axles and wheels, tires, guides, and gears are now standard in my "parts" box.

The bodies I've setup for them are Ninco McLaren GTR, Ninco BMW LM, Scalex Jaguar 220, and Artin Mercedes CLK. I have several more I want to setup when I get some time.

The stainless steel contact rails are covered with a light oil film from the manufacturing process, and we have found that this "cooks" over time. So we are now washing the contact rails in "mineral spirits" solvent before assembly, and recommend users to do so. We also recommend to use Blue Loctite on the rear axle before installing the wheels, and will tighten the grip on future production. This is only necessary on the TSR32 cars.

"Just Thought I Would Share A Little Bit Of What We Are Doing Out Here In Clovis CA ... The Track Is Called The Thunder Dome. Its A 120 Feet Of 4 Lane Carrera Track With 4 Adjustable Power Packs To 20 Volts ( 1 for Each Lane ) Computerized Timing & Scoring, 4 Power Taps Per Lane So We Can Run Just About Anything. The Table Is 30' X 8' And Is Very Strong! We Just Got The TSR Cars And Love Them, ( Thanks Mr. P Great Job ) If You Live In The Area And Want To Race Send Me an e-mail rdsdan@attbi.com ... Hope You All Like The Pictures, Dan"

"Well I got my first TSR chassis in the mail over the weekend and here is what I have learned so far. First it is everything it was said that it would be and second it is everything it was said it would be! It is the fastest car I have driven since my HO days and the first pin guide that I have ever seen on 1/32 car. The first time that the car de-slotted and did its donut, I immediately thought of my HO days. I was using a Parma 35 at the time. Next I tried it with my PM controller and all I can say is stand back, this thing is ready for the Bonneville salt flats. What a difference the PM makes!!!! I tried the magnet in all 3 positions and the further back you move the faster you can go. The tires seem to grip really well and this car has the lowest center of gravity that I have ever seen. My only complaint is that I haven't got a body to put on it. I am not as advanced as most of the rest of you in doing this. I was hoping to put it under my Carrera or Ninco LMV but it was not to be. My next quest is to buy the Bentley and mount it to it. I hope that it fits (NOTE from TSR: it does....) You guys/girls that will be building cars on this chassis should have some great races with them. All I can say it that I really like this new toy and I can't wait to get my 1/24 chassis which should be in this week."
Kevin, USA

Ooops!
"I have 2 1/32's and 1 1/24.
The 1/24 the guide pin is longer, had to trim it for my 4 lane sport track. Wish the 1/24 chassis was a tad longer, my only real complaint.
The AMT Snap-Tite Lambo Countach is perfect for the 1/32's, just have to paint it. A 80's Firebird also fits well. The Porsche 935 is too short a wheelbase by 3/8ths easy, custom chassis time. Very fast, handle well with or without magnets. Hope they make larger diameter tires for them, at least the 1/24 to fill NASCAR wheel wells better. I can live with it easily though.
Great job, you have to hand it to them, first time out and a winner.
Plus, I was shorted parts in my kit, sent an E-mail and had the parts in 2 days!"

"Hi! the car is brilliant, well-made, easy construction and very serviceable and I have tried no less than six different bodies from Fly, Scalex, Proslot and a couple of resin bodies. They all fit with some slight adjustment to the interiors. Superb. I must congratulate you on a very successful venture. Well done chaps."

"I first saw the proto last June and was impressed with the design, but was optimistic about how they would run. I'm one who is very hard to please and if I don’t like something I’m first to let others know. I have raced Fly, Carrera and Scalextric, Parma on my track. But I waited for 6 months to buy one of the TSR cars, because I wanted to read reviews and what other said about them. (did my homework) some good comments about TSR and some bad. I will have this to say:
They are the best I have ever raced on my track.
They are not a toy.
They have set records on my track.
They are easy to build.
They are the fastest, that I own.
Anyone who does not own one of these is missing the boat. For a $30-$40 cost you would be a fool not to own one."
Rick, USA

Test drive OK.
"Okay here are my first impressions of the chassis....
I bought the chassis kit. After reading the directions, I found that it took me about a half an hour to build it.
I would suggest for the directions some diagrams be added to help the less mechanically inclined among us... I know that there are references to the TSR web site but that means you have to build the car at you computer. The chassis was fairly easy to put together.... The fit of all the part is top notch.... And the wheels are perfectly round.
And the pin guide is very nice. I have a routed track and there was no problems using the pin guide...
The gear mesh is glass smooth. the only ones I have seen mesh as well are the Slot-it gears.
I did have to put two spacers on the axle to get the side walls of the tires away from the gear. The tires over hang the wheels a fair amount.
The front axles E-clips went on with not problem.... They are a bit small for these tired old eyes. But they work great, it is good to see that some time went into the design of the chassis and that a independent front wheel set up was used.. And unlike the Fly set up this one really works... No slop or up and down play in the set up.
Okay onto the track. The chassis is SMOOTH. I tested the car with the wheels and silicone tires at first. But got little or no traction. This is not the fault of the tires. It is my track it just does not like silicone tires....
So off came the stock tires and on when some sponge tires.
The chassis now hooks up and is lightening fast. Too fast really for my track...
But it was smooth. and that is what I look for in a chassis.
The chassis needs weight for my track and later tonight when I have some time I will dial in the chassis...
Over all I will have to give the chassis an A.... this chassis is something that has long been needed..."
Chris, USA

"Here are some photos of my first car I built using the TSR chassis. Not quite from scratch. I Still need to add the driver and mount the body a little better.

I got the 1/24 chassis running smoothly. I built the 1/32 chassis in 12 min. Once you build the first one, it's a piece of cake. You Got a winner!"
Tony, USA

"Got my TSR car today. Put it together using only the written instructions in about 15 minutes (not including body mounting). Using the web site with pictures, it should even be faster. Of the two concerns the I've read most common, tires and pin guide, neither are a problem. The tires are excellent, very round and without a magnet the car shows no hopping or other undesirable behavior on my Sport track. As you'll see below, the pin guide does not cause any ill effects on handling or lap times.
With no magnet and on the slippery Sport track, even the TSR struggles to find traction. It is much better than other non-magnet cars I've tried however and with some patience, I think that even a magnet user like me could learn to like driving it with no magnet. Lap times were in the high 11 second range. For reference, my range of Scalextric TA cars average around 7 seconds/lap as a group (8 in all).
With the magnet, forget about it. This is hands down the fastest car to have run on my track. Those who don't like magnets will probably really dislike the TSR with a magnet. With the silky smooth running gear and tires, a magnet just turns this car into a rocket. This car averaged about 5.9 seconds/lap with a fastest of 5.7 over a 50 lap run. My fastest, tuned TA Mustang turns about 6.3 and my Fly Viper about 6.1.

There you have it, I'm very happy with the car and will be ordering several more after Christmas. Finally some of my favorite cars will be real runners."
Travis, USA

"Got mine too today, thanks ABSlotSports for the good service. I had no problem with assembly but had to change the direction of travel as our track is wired to BSCRA standards and that is currently opposite to the rest of the world ,but this will change this year when BSCRA reverses its direction.
The car itself is excellent but perhaps for a first time builder the instructions should have pictures included, as not every one is on line. I have yet to try it on my routed track but my quick test on Poly track proved to be very good with the magnet in its rear most position. Without the magnet grip was poor. The overall quality is excellent. I used the pin mounts with one of my own vac-formed shells and also tried the plastic mounts with a Scalex body. Good product, just what was needed."
Graham, UK

"You got a winner there! Just put my 3 chassis together and couldn't believe how easy it was after the first one. (Last one took 10 minutes and would have been much less had I been a little younger and could have
seen and handled the "e" washers better. Chassis run great both with and without magnets."