Slot It Alfa 155 Martini

[Peter Gunn]

Was not sure about this car but have the Calibra so thought give it a go and see what's it's like.

Well looks very nice a good finish all round seemes quite light think this is a thinner slightly wider lower body , the motor is the black bell end 21k inline geared at 9x27 or 3 to 1 whatever you fancy , tyres look like C1's to me, right let's get it on the track , firstly with magnet in and yep like a locomotive so hard to get a feel of a car with magnet in but useful for running the motor and tyres in, after 50 laps of my Carrera circuit decided time to take magnet out.

Right and of we went again now straight away you get a feel for the car , firstly i don't like Slot it copper braids to hard in a standard car for me as they made the front light and i deslotted a couple of times because of this , after getting the front wheel height right ( for me ) the car settled down this car needs weight up the front anyway again in my opinion and i have got a slightly wonky wheel front right the front wheels are plastic ( not for long ) , the rears are alloy, gave it a good run of two 50 lap segments and my thoughts are looks good going round the track a lot of potential in the car to make it perform better for the price of £53-95 p it,s about it,s money.

At the moment i am fitting front alloys to it , thinner braids and some weight up front and a bit along the sides and a set of MJK's on the rear as i want to run it against the Calibra which is set up this way , sorry for no pictures as i cannot post on here but most of you will know roughly what a slot it car/ chassis set up looks like

[munter]

I just bought the Opel white kit for a local event and have put it together. It runs well but the most difficult area for me is setting up the front axle/wheels for running on wood tracks....I have it mostly sorted but I am not 100% with it yet.

 

Any tips anybody?

[SlotsNZ]

Should be dead simple John

 

3mm grubs above, 6mm grubs below. Same as other Slot.it cars

[munter]

Where are the instructions for that?

 

So the small plastic "riders" under the axle and on the end mounts are discarded?

[Peter Gunn]

Yes Munter grub screws much better

[munter]

So this information is available where?

You were going to tell me weren't you, Mark?

 

Bah, these guys who want to win!

[SlotsNZ]

Um er - ahem - it says so in the DTM Classic rules, in the article on tuning DTM cars in my April Newsletter which refers to tuning them for the DTM Classic, which was also copied as a car tune article here.

 

But then you already commented about choosing grub screw lengths here in the DTM thread a couple of weeks back

So far as I know we have all been using 3mm at top and 6 or 8mm underneath on all our Slot.it cars for about 8 years, and tossing the little sleeve riders as we fit the grub screws.

 

For the record:

 

I pick Mac as most likely to win, and a young(er) bloke from Wellie club to fight out the other podium spot with a bloke from Westport club . . . but then, I haven't seen Tony and Paul from Whakatane going for the doctor, and I think they will be pretty quick.

 

Then there is Monsignor Doo from Orakei/Panmure. He and I spent most of the second race at Nelson about half a metre apart, as if there was piece of string between our cars.

not to mention Rob and Mike from Wellie. They both finished ahead of me (and Mike Doo) in Nelson. ah Trent and Nelson (by name) from the 'Naki, last time they raced in HB they were better than mid pack, starting from blind on the Black Widow, which is a dang difficult track to learn, compared to a day to test and learn at Macs

 

Did I mention a cookie monster from Nelson.... he's going to be towards the pointy end.

Then there is that joker covered in resin dust, no matter how hard you push him, he hardly ever falls out, [ dreadfully annoying when you spend 10 laps to squeeze half a metre on him then fall out trying too hard and lose half a lap while he saunters off into the distance] and he's quick anyway.

 

I will be very lucky - and surprised if I qualify in the top roster, I'll most likely be somewhere in roster two.

I could very well end up mid pack, but if the gang are having a fun weekend - I'll be happy.

[charlesx]

Hi Mark.

 

Did not think grub screws in Slot-it (Group C) were legal until after 2015 Nats. Think that was the last one in Napier. Think Tony Cook introduced grub screws for his first RTR Nats but not aware NZSCA rules have been changed. Not formally anyway.

 

Interesting reading about the DTM cars. Have started putting my Alfa DTM together. Interesting you are using MJK tyres. Are these better than N22? What ones are you using. I have MJK 4219 on my rally cars as they are good for Aussie tracks.

 

Regards Chas Le Breton

[munter]

Well I read the DTM rules again but if you are a novice they are not that clear...you are tossing out 4 standard pieces of chassis but there is no mention of that in the rules.

 

Charles/Charlesx where are MJK tires mentioned? It is Slotit product all the way.....dont tell anyone but my grubscrews are actually lightened racing grubscrews from the munter skunkwerks.

[SlotsNZ]

Well it is impossible to set up a car with grub screws until they are removed, so I though that one was self-evident inclusion of the other.

[munter]

It is now so thanks for that

[charlesx]

Hi Munter. Mark talked about testing his DTM cars with MJK tyres. I know of others who are using untreated N22's.as provided for in the rules.

 

Appreciate grub screws are allowed in DTM Classic.

 

By the way talking of your Cartrix comment I would love to come to Napier for a run but have been away 4 times in the last 3 months and still have 2 trips to Wellington and 1 to Auckland between now and November. Also have several proxy cars I need to get away.

 

Taranaki racers are still waiting for Napier to visit us. I have probably been to see you guys at least 8 times. We race standard Scaly GT and NASCAR (glue and true tyres only),, Aussie V8's with open guide and rear wheels/tyres; standard Slot-it Group C with grub screws if you wish but no weight or tape, Sideways Group 5, Muscle cars and open GT as per National rules. Also local class Slot-it Group C based F1 (with clear painted body).

 

Regards and happy slotting. Chas Le Breton

[SlotsNZ]

Charles - I don’t recall ever mentioning MJK tyres

I think the OP on this thread mentioned setting up his Alfa with them to match an Opel he already had - but not me

I haven’t used an MJK on a car in years

[charlesx]

Thanks Mark. At least somebody used them. MJK tyres however are great for Aussie tracks.

 

Slowly gluing up my Alfa white kit. No hurry as cannot make DTM Classic unless I decide to enter in AUSSIE/CANADA?USA Touring Car Proxy. At moment using Scaly Holden again but possibly with brass or HRS chassis. Basic car with Shark 20 and PG XPG tyres went fairly well last year but could go much better. Cannot use body locally as had to install windows and interior.

 

Regards Chas Le Breton

[beastm]

i recently received the martini this week and did you notice if you have it, the wheels do not sit centre of the wheel arch. even in the armchair picture you can just slightly see the rear left in the wrong position. if fact mine was quite disoriented out of the box.

the only way to straighten it up is to possible shave off one side of the chassis

[r377]

I've driven both of these cars and were impressed. I know scaleys are a popular class for many clubs but these slot.it DTM are really nice and hope clubs run this category

[GRUNZ]

Once the merc is out, I plan to run a digital class based on these cars. I am not sure whether to ban the opel and go only for the Alfa and Merc.

I need to do some testing first.

[SlotsNZ]

Once the merc is out, I plan to run a digital class based on these cars. I am not sure whether to ban the opel and go only for the Alfa and Merc.

I need to do some testing first.

 

I suspect the Merc may come in about the same native speed as the Opel. [Don't hold me to this, it is just a guess] It will be about the same track as the Alfa, but similar height to the Opel.

Just set the rules so they run equitably, it isn't difficult using track width or weight.... but for digital on plastic, the difference will be even less than on wood, as native grip is lower, and rocking weight will create more bite for grip on the Alfa outside tyres to improve cornering speed.

[Orakei Racer]

I just finished reading the latest Scalextric mag issue which did a comparison between the earlier Jagmister Alfa and the later release Martini and Bosch Alfas. Appears they all have different chassis, the 2 latest models are wider in their rear track by 5mm compared to the earlier release Alfas, likely due to the wider wheel archers on the bodies, so that may make them a bit more competitive to the Opel.

 

Mark -this may make your equity performance standard a bit tricky to maintain for the DTM classic next year unless everyone upgrades to a new model of the Alfa.

 

Typical Slotit though - they are always improving their models which is not a bad thing.

[SlotsNZ]

Hi Mike

 

The Jager car is a CA35 the 1993 model Alfa

The Martini is a CA40 which is the 1995 model

The Bosch car is CA45 which is the 1996 model.

So they DO use 3 different chassis, but the difference is nothing like 5mm in rear track, someone has that entirely screwed up.

 

With wheels set just a poofteenth of tissue paper inside the outer line of the wheel arches the Opel is 1.5mm wider than CA35 and about .5mm wider than CA40 and CA45. They are only about 1 mm wider in the usuable track than the CA35 not 5mm.

All three Alfas share roughly the same cabin height at 6mm higher at peak than the Opel. It is this cabin height more than the rear track that gives the Opel a starting advantage without any other tweaking.

We had about 5 CA40 Martini Alfas in the field this year running the same rules as the CA35 car.

I didn't differentiate between them at the DTM Classic. There were no Bosch cars running as it was only released for sale a few days before the event.

But I had a couple of Bosch cars sent to me several weeks early for testing and had one of them set up - which I ran alongside the other models the night before the DTM - at club for comparison

I had 2 x ca35 set up, one being a Jager, the other my white kit custom livery.

The Bosch car really had no advantage over the 1993 CA35 model I was driving, and my home decal and paint job was 1.5 grams heaver than a stock CA35, so I was forced to use 1.5 grams less weight in the chassis than anyone with a stock CA35 model or CA40 martini. As it turned out, by using the smoother CA35 chassis with my body kit, it was about 0.1 a lap faster than the Bosch car. 7.2s versus 7.3.

They all had identical tyre work.

Had I run the smoother chassis with the Jager body, I would have made a tiny gain in my weight balance. But of course I wanted to run the custom livery having put so much work into it.

I came 3rd, a margin behind Mac's Opel - (and he is dead hard to beat anytime on his own track), and was swapping door paint with Munter's Opel throughout the three races.)

Overall we had 4 Opels and 4 Alfas in the top 8 and I think it was 2 x CA35 and 2 x CA40 - So I think they are pretty close to even.

 

I did get to drive several other Alfas of both models, and the differences were really in the car and try setup, nothing worth spitting over between the models.

- Had I driven Scott Waite's Martini Alfa in the event, I would near as kept up with Mac. His car was silky smooth, really well developed. I should have re-scrutineered it to look for clues as to how he makes them so good. :)

 

My thinking about rules is that once the Mercedes 190 comes out, I will set one up - unweighted; see what sort of lap times I get, and how easy it is to drive, then re-balance the weight rules to equalise all the models. That enables the widest possible field of cars, liveries and is the easiest to scrutineer. It also keeps the cost down for guys who don't want to be forced into buying another car to stay competitive.

 

Fortunately the base platform is common - same pod and mechanics, that makes it fairly simple to formulate an equalising factor.

 

For me, having a tin top class which runs nicely, is moderately powered, and demands a little driver and setup skill due to being a higher cabin, narrower track, is the best thing we have added to slots in quite a while. Roll on BMW M3 and E36 models - and no, I don't have any secret advance knowledge, it is simply a no brainer that it will come in time.

[Orakei Racer]

Hmm Interesting Mark. Looks like you have done the leg work on the new Alfas. You may have done yourself out of some sales now, as I was eyeing one of the new Alfas to see if it performed better . Thanks.

[SlotsNZ]

I just want to see it become a really successful class like Group C - and to try and help drive the rules in a sensible direction, so clubs can pick up and run them the same as for the National event.

 

This way with weight, clubs can scrutineer very easily, and all they need to do is decide whether they allow tyre treatment - but I plan to keep the national event as untreated tyres. It saves a lot of debate about one secret juice giving an advantage, or affecting other drivers. - It also means that those who don't have a lot of chance to experiment, or juice tyres, can turn up and feel like the playing field is as equal as possible.

 

I helped about 4 guys? I think this year, whose cars were limping, as they either didn't have a track to test on, or didn't have a decent tyre lathe, or just didn't have a lot of experience in car setup.

The most time I spent on a car was about 30 minutes, and I knocked them into shape so that they were only 0.1 or 0.2 slower a lap than mine - with me driving, and "predictable" and easier to drive.

That level of "quick-fix" tuning is easy, and any of our club guys could have done the same for them - as well as a lot of other guys there.

 

That hopefully made the event more fun for those guys, and they left with a bit more knowledge on setup, and a car which is a "template" they can use in future to compare with their other podded cars.

I feel that is one of the benefits newer slotters get from attending events - along with discovering the camaraderie of the slot community.

[Orakei Racer]

I like your approach, otherwise agree it puts off the newbies from entering these types of events or even club races, as they see the old hands burning up the track and think they can't compete, so don't bother. And we need newbies otherwise this hobby will disappear again like the 70's and 90's.

 

Though in saying that, you and me started off as newbie's, been a long learning road, and we are still learning. Makes it easier when people are happy to share setup tips and not treat everything as a trade secret!

[SlotsNZ]

Exactly - Seeing the Whakatane guys - Les, Tony and Paul there along with Malcolm - who is an old hand and set up what is now Garden city, was great.

I have at least two likely to come from the new-ish Waikato area group next year, and others who aren't part of the usual inter-club scene, who just couldn't make the date this year due to prior commitments but really wanted to come, and will plan for it in 2019 if we hold one.

[GRUNZ]

At the moment I have the first alfa that came out set up for oxigen using PG tyres on the rear.

It was going quite well but when I add some lead as you suggested in one of your posts, it improved dramatically.

But I want to try it with P6 tyres (these are the standard tyres we use on my scalex sport now) to see how it goes.

 

If the merc is closed to the opel, then it is good news. If we do a digital series based on these cars, I am going to race the alfa so no one can complain that I have the best car available. ;-)