Can we talk about a sensitive subject?
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a tech-related piece on this blog, and I want to be careful here in not trying to sound like I know more than I really do about this topic. Lubrication, however, is an important issue, and one that we slotists have to talk about sooner or later.
I won’t pretend to understand the chemistry of the various lubricants because I really know no more about it than I’ve read online, which anyone can do. So I will limit this post to the products I’ve used and describe the ones that have worked for me, and the ones that haven’t, and why. I have tried 4 different types of lubricants for my slot cars before finding that “magic one” that really works for me, and in case there are any other n00bs out there who are trying to find the right oil for their own slot fleet, perhaps my experience will offer some guidance.
First, its important to recognize that the type of slot cars you are racing, and the type of racing you are doing, influences what will work for you. Hyper-performance formats like the Wizzard Storm and Patriot, the BSRT G3, or even the more commonly found Tomy Super G+ will benefit from a very thin oil because they are almost always used by those who are involved in serious and highly competitive racing. A thinner lubricant will have less of an effect of bogging down the motor, thus saving you those precious 1000ths of a second on your lap times, but the trade-off is that you are oiling almost every other race; thin lubricants evaporate quickly from friction and heat and don’t last long.
For the vintage Thunderjet platform, however, you may be better off looking for something that is longer lasting and provides better protection while also being thin enough not to noticably slow your car down, while still accepting that an infinitisimal amount of drag will be introduced by using it. What I had to find was the perfect blend of viscosity and protection so that my cars still ran well when cold but also so that I wasn’t disassembling them every other race to lube them, especially since-as mentioned ad naseum here at T-Jet Heaven-anything that lengthens the intervals between servicing is a benefit to the lifespan of those easily stripped body screw posts.
My first attempt seemed like a good idea at the time; as a n00b just starting out with a handful of T-jets and learning where they most needed to be oiled, I tried Wahl oil, a thin mineral oil used for clippers. My understanding (this may be wrong, no hate mail please!) is that this product was originally developed by Chevron and does have a petroleum element to it. The advantage to Wahl oil is that it is thin, and at first I was quite happy with it as it seemed to be lubricating well. But, within a week or so of using it, I found it wasn’t lasting for more than few races; my cars quickly started to run hotter and needed another dose.
So, I came up with a new idea. Smarter kids may have known better, but I am bull-headed and tend to do things on my own, so I tried my own blend: what would happen, I wondered, if I added just a trace of white lithium grease to the Wahl oil?
What happened was that the oil seemed to lubricate better and it certainly lasted longer. This time I was happy for a couple of weeks before the problem became evident; after some time and heat, the mixture began to coagulate and thicken, and I soon had cars that were sluggish when cold. Once they warmed up they ran fine, but I knew I was straining the motors with this situation, so I took them all apart and cleaned them thoroughly and started looking for a better solution. Lesson learned: white lithium grease is awesome for lots of things; its not awesome for slot cars.
My next try was one of the types of oils specifically formulated for high-performance slot cars called (amongst other things) Piranha Oil. This is synthetic oil which is packaged under many different names, and I bought it both as both “Piranha Oil” and as “GT Slots Super Lube.” That’s a bit confusing, because I believe this is a different product than my final hit, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
These oils did not work for me because, as with the Wahl oil, I was re-lubricating every 3rd race. I’m sure these oils are great for competitive racers, but I was unhappy with their longevity: my assessment is that they are too thin and evaporate too quickly for my needs.
Doing some more homework brought me to the final product I tried, which I am extremely happy with and am still using now: none other than Super Lube…that being used as brand name rather than a description.
Super Lube makes different kinds of oil, but the type I’m using is their synthetic PTFE oil, which is thin enough not to bog down my motors but viscous enough to keep everything slick and cool for hours of happy racing. I now oil my cars no more than once every 2 weeks or so, and since I tend to race my fleet often-usually running them multiple times a week on a long track-these longer service intervals are just what I need to stay focused on racing rather than oiling, while knowing my motors are protected. This product is easy to find and affordable, and this is my recommendation for T-Jets if you are looking for stable, long lasting lubricant.
https://www.super-lube.com/multi-use-synthetic-oil-with-syncolon-ptfe
In conclusion, you know what people say opinions are like! My intent here is not to claim that any one product is “bad” or another is “good.” Everyone has slightly different wants and needs, and so the reality is you will probably have to experiment a little to figure out what works for you and your circumstance. Be prepared to try different things and to do some cleaning on your chassis and motors when you decide something doesn’t work and want to try something else, but I found it worth the effort to find the product that works!
This is an important topic and I’ll try the clipper oil on my trains. The maintenance is absolutely necessary and often forgotten, at least for me!