Scalextric cars wobbling along the track

Occasionally we come across a strange phenomenon whereby a Scalextric car does not appear to have round rear wheels or tyres and the car will wobble as it travels along the track.  This isn’t a good look for any Scalextric car and doesn’t do well for track performance either.



So what causes this?  There are 3 potential causes of this problem:

• A bent rear axle
• A damaged wheel hub
• An out of shape tyre

A bent rear axle can be difficult to straighten but can be done with skill and patients.  It’s simply a case of removing the damage and getting the axle straight again.  On the other hand Scalextric axles are readily available.

A damaged Scalextric wheel hub will need to be replaced as repairing a plastic moulding of this type is not readily possible.

An out of shape rear tyre is common, especially those moulded by Scalextric themselves.  There were many tyres produced that were out of shape in just about every dimension you can think of.  If the tyres are old and are not giving the best grip then it’s best to replace them.  Our unique Scalextric tyre finder makes this an easy task.

If the tyres offer good grip and are only slightly out of shape then sometimes they can be brought back to round by running the car on course sandpaper.  To do this stop the car from moving forward on the track and make the rear tyres spin on the sandpaper.  This sometimes works but not always and make sure you do not overheat the motor and damage it.

Another great insight from Scalextric Car Restorations