Pflugerville is not officially opened back up yet, but Tom will let people test-n-tune as long as the Paintball park is open. I plan to go back on a regular basis. (@3/26/21)

________ Notes for the Curious __________
SETUP AND TUNING
GTP & LMP:
Run the lightest “Cheta” style chassis that is legal; including replacing the OEM outer floating “pans” with Aluminum upgrades.
LMP – Mid-America Hawk-7 motor (48k rpm)
GTP – Mid-America Phoenix motor (60k rpm) or Eagle motor (50k rpm)
Use the thinnest, lightest lexan (polycarbonate) vacuformed body (but if they are too thin (i.e. 0.005) they can crack and cause lost laps trying to unpin it and replace. 0.007 is the lightest I use, 0.010 is relatively ‘heavy’)
Use “High-Downforce” bodies with deep grooves on either side of the cockpit.
Cut the body so it barely meets the minimum height template, (to keep the Center of gravity low).
Before each heat, ensure that the chassis is Flat, esp. after any crashes. Ensure the guide is flat and tight. Use the thinnest (aka cut-down) guide possible.
Run the smallest possible diameter tires/wheels (appx .75in) (to keep CG low)
Gearing options are typically limited to two pinions 12-13 and two spurs 36-37. A combination of angled (2deg) and non-angled Spurs in combo with angled Pinions(5deg), allows 1-tooth Spur changes without requiring a Re-soldering of the motor (to be avoided unless changing the motor!)

NASCAR (sedan and truck series)
Heavier flexi chassis are used, basically stock or low cost “Cheta” style with steel pans. Some 2-4gm leads are added near the back wheels.
Mid-America Hawk-7 motor (48k rpm)

WING/GP-F
Use a solid (no floating pans) triangular chassis (brass or laser-cut steel)
Mid-America Phoenix motor (60k rpm) or Eagle motor (50k rpm)
The easiest thing is to buy a good RTR GP-F legal car for $120-180 and replace the motor and gears when needed. Buy an alternative body for cosmetics or style – altho the wing bodies last much longer than the LMP or GTP.

BETWEEN EACH ROUND (race)
Replace the braids since they are the front tires.
Straighten chassis and guide. Clean all oil, goop, tire dust, solder flux.
Fix or replace body (Paint another spare body or two for race-ready replacement)
Ensure body pins are tight; wheels and axles straight; pinion soldered tight; spur has good teeth and grub is tight; no broken solder mounting the motor.
Every 3-6 months, replace a sealed-can MA motor (depending on how many hours it has on it). Replace brushes on open-can (ProSlot, Koford) motors.

DURING 3-MIN PITS (within a 8-stint (3min/heat) round)
Cool and clean motor (comm and brushes) with Performance-Pro4 spray
Lightly clean braids with Voodoo and toothbrush
Check guide, axles, gear grubs; re-tape/re-pin body as needed.
Drop of silicone on axles.
Lightly dope tires with traction glue; ‘clean/drain’ on phonebook pages
Cool on a computer Fan (up to 2min 30sec)
Re-sticker with next lane dot
Take a swig, calm down. Hand car to marshal 30 sec before the green light.

THROTTLES
For the Group-F I use a simple 4-ohm Koford resistor controller (KOF562-4) with 10-bands and a simple 5-ohm brake pot. It’s full throttle most of the way, except (a) feather in the extreme internal hair-pin, (b) 3/4-throttle going into the donut/climb, (c) feather coming out of the climb before entering the bank. It requires a very fast and fine finger. In the bank (at least 1/2 the track) if you don’t go Full-throttle your car may fall, and will not even place mid-field.

For GTP and LMP classes, I use a Koford 25-band electronic controller (KOF641) with sensitivity and brake control and a blast-relay (KOF642). My ‘backup’ is my Difalco DD304, with a 180 or 218 chip. For NASCARs the only controller that works for me is the Difalco. Most of the guys at Tom’s have similar Difalco or Koford controllers.
1-24 racers in Houston (P.A.’s) and SanAntonio (Jim’s) use +$400 customized Difalcos with voltmeters, chokes, and traction controls.