Post by johnbalich on Jul 19, 2008 12:55:15 GMT -7
Thunderjet Hop up Primer
1. ORIGINAL AURORA T-JETS/ MODEL MOTORING “CLONES”Race a T jet very long, and you will soon begin to think, “how can I make this thing faster?” I am going to cover the basic ground that most of us covered one way or another over the years of racing, tinkering and ruining many T jets, as we learned to make em go!
I’ll try to do these a SOMEWHAT in order (as I see them)
A. Tires. To go faster, and to begin to feel a sense of control for road racing (which I dabble in as well,) the skinny hard rubber T jet tires must go.
1. The first thing we all tried is to make the skinnies hook better. I have tried all sorts of chemicals to soften the rubber. This would only be a viable solution for Pure Stock Jets
2. At one time Aurora made sponge rubber slip on tires, if you can find these at all. They weren’t awful, but reacted best to some kind of traction compound as I recall. If you run across these, they are like very dried out, and not a great choice. As far as I know, there are no NEW sponge tires for Stock T jet wheels.
3. The next option would be replacing the tires with slip on tires on the original T jet wheel. There are more a few choices. Silicone is the magic bullet that first appeared for HO slotters. It is a much softEr and grabbier compound. Rocket Science sells a THIN silicone slip-on that approximates the original t jet tire in width. They are slightly lower profile, which is a good thing for road racing and doesn’t seem to matter much for drag racing, though a taller tire would seem to be advantage as it would allow higher top end speeds. They also sell a LOWER profile version. Also sold are a slightly wider silicone slip on for the stock wheel in both lo and LOWER profile. (white walls too!) These tires really begin to make a difference in performance. A well tuned Jet on these tires will surprise you with its SCOOT! Similar tires are sold by Frank the Racer on ebay, which is also where I generally buy my Rocket Science tires. Jel claws are another tire type but I am not sure of the sizes they offer. Check vendors as well. (hobby stores online and local) Some may have proprietary brands. Check your local rules. . Should NTRA sanction a truly STOCK CLASS at some time, all of the above tires would be legal. As for NTRA SUPERSTOCK, all of the aforementioned tires are legal, but may not be competitive.
4. Ok we have moved beyond the simple slip on. All the above tires should be bonded to the rear wheels and all wheels for road racing. The softer the tire the more important this is. Any slip will waste horsepower, and deformation can and will cause them to de-wheel themselves.
5. Next in line in performance would be the Road Race Replica setsand simlar. They are wider still and come with a matching wheel. These wheels are quite attractive and have the correct vintage appearances. They have several tire widths with the 821 tire/wheel set being the standard for NTRA Superstock. You may use another tire, but not exceed the 821 dimensions. Super Stockers look great on these. These will make some serious Superstock horsepower. Jets that are road raced on these tires still handle much like a Stock jet but better. That means they are predictable in traction handling and will fishtail controllably under power.
6. Bigger tires. Another tire that is popular and wider still is a soft silicone slip on tire for the original AURORA ‘Tuff Ones” wheel profile. This is also the familiar Johnny Lightning/Auto World profile. Replace that hard rubber with a soft silicone and you’ve got a good racing tire. Sets get bigger in size from there and you need to keep local rules in mind. NTRA gassers use these aftermarket tires up to specified dimensions. For 2009 even silliifoams.) Once you get to these tires, (and likely higher voltages in these classes) you will need traction magnets for the car to hook, and that will begat the need for wheelie bars.
7. Other options include the original AURORA AFX wheel with aftermarket silicones and lastly the AURORA ‘4 gear” wheel sets. 4 gear sets are BIG. Check local rules. (The four gear AURORA chassis were called “specialty chassis” and including the dragster tire, and a few others. If rules allow them, such as permitted in NTRA Sportsman Funny Carand Pro Modified classes, use them! For Hodra and USDRA racers check their rules or local rules. Also generally permitted are aftermarket aluminum wheels and tire sets as long as class dimensions are not exceeded for all classes above SUPERSTOCK
8. Remember any slip-on tire should be bonded to its wheel. I recommend trying silicone ADHESIVE (not just caulk), but would like to hear from the racers on this one.
9. The real heavy hitters in the tire market are silcone coated sponge tires. Check your vendors. NTRA requires BLACK or white wall tires, not green or red or purple! These arent cheap, and don't become a must tell you begin to ramp up the horsepower.
NEXT Installment: MAGNETS
1. ORIGINAL AURORA T-JETS/ MODEL MOTORING “CLONES”Race a T jet very long, and you will soon begin to think, “how can I make this thing faster?” I am going to cover the basic ground that most of us covered one way or another over the years of racing, tinkering and ruining many T jets, as we learned to make em go!
I’ll try to do these a SOMEWHAT in order (as I see them)
A. Tires. To go faster, and to begin to feel a sense of control for road racing (which I dabble in as well,) the skinny hard rubber T jet tires must go.
1. The first thing we all tried is to make the skinnies hook better. I have tried all sorts of chemicals to soften the rubber. This would only be a viable solution for Pure Stock Jets
2. At one time Aurora made sponge rubber slip on tires, if you can find these at all. They weren’t awful, but reacted best to some kind of traction compound as I recall. If you run across these, they are like very dried out, and not a great choice. As far as I know, there are no NEW sponge tires for Stock T jet wheels.
3. The next option would be replacing the tires with slip on tires on the original T jet wheel. There are more a few choices. Silicone is the magic bullet that first appeared for HO slotters. It is a much softEr and grabbier compound. Rocket Science sells a THIN silicone slip-on that approximates the original t jet tire in width. They are slightly lower profile, which is a good thing for road racing and doesn’t seem to matter much for drag racing, though a taller tire would seem to be advantage as it would allow higher top end speeds. They also sell a LOWER profile version. Also sold are a slightly wider silicone slip on for the stock wheel in both lo and LOWER profile. (white walls too!) These tires really begin to make a difference in performance. A well tuned Jet on these tires will surprise you with its SCOOT! Similar tires are sold by Frank the Racer on ebay, which is also where I generally buy my Rocket Science tires. Jel claws are another tire type but I am not sure of the sizes they offer. Check vendors as well. (hobby stores online and local) Some may have proprietary brands. Check your local rules. . Should NTRA sanction a truly STOCK CLASS at some time, all of the above tires would be legal. As for NTRA SUPERSTOCK, all of the aforementioned tires are legal, but may not be competitive.
4. Ok we have moved beyond the simple slip on. All the above tires should be bonded to the rear wheels and all wheels for road racing. The softer the tire the more important this is. Any slip will waste horsepower, and deformation can and will cause them to de-wheel themselves.
5. Next in line in performance would be the Road Race Replica setsand simlar. They are wider still and come with a matching wheel. These wheels are quite attractive and have the correct vintage appearances. They have several tire widths with the 821 tire/wheel set being the standard for NTRA Superstock. You may use another tire, but not exceed the 821 dimensions. Super Stockers look great on these. These will make some serious Superstock horsepower. Jets that are road raced on these tires still handle much like a Stock jet but better. That means they are predictable in traction handling and will fishtail controllably under power.
6. Bigger tires. Another tire that is popular and wider still is a soft silicone slip on tire for the original AURORA ‘Tuff Ones” wheel profile. This is also the familiar Johnny Lightning/Auto World profile. Replace that hard rubber with a soft silicone and you’ve got a good racing tire. Sets get bigger in size from there and you need to keep local rules in mind. NTRA gassers use these aftermarket tires up to specified dimensions. For 2009 even silliifoams.) Once you get to these tires, (and likely higher voltages in these classes) you will need traction magnets for the car to hook, and that will begat the need for wheelie bars.
7. Other options include the original AURORA AFX wheel with aftermarket silicones and lastly the AURORA ‘4 gear” wheel sets. 4 gear sets are BIG. Check local rules. (The four gear AURORA chassis were called “specialty chassis” and including the dragster tire, and a few others. If rules allow them, such as permitted in NTRA Sportsman Funny Carand Pro Modified classes, use them! For Hodra and USDRA racers check their rules or local rules. Also generally permitted are aftermarket aluminum wheels and tire sets as long as class dimensions are not exceeded for all classes above SUPERSTOCK
8. Remember any slip-on tire should be bonded to its wheel. I recommend trying silicone ADHESIVE (not just caulk), but would like to hear from the racers on this one.
9. The real heavy hitters in the tire market are silcone coated sponge tires. Check your vendors. NTRA requires BLACK or white wall tires, not green or red or purple! These arent cheap, and don't become a must tell you begin to ramp up the horsepower.
NEXT Installment: MAGNETS