Is Graphite or Oil Faster?

[jdb]

Overall is oil or graphite faster?

And what is your specific choice?

[derbydominator]

JDB,

For most pack races, oil is illegal so check your local rules first. Then, if legal, choose Krytox. Oil is also more persistent for multiple heats so if you are in a pack race that will be more than 8 heats or so, then oil may have some additional benefits. Krytox is more user friendly than Nyoil and is probably used 3 to 1 vs. graphite in the leagues. Do not use Nyoil for your pack race if you have not had some experience with it as too much will reduce your speed. There are a number of top racers who still swear by graphite and graphite is very easy to use so you should still feel comfortable with hob e lube. It is certainly way less expensive. We are currently out of krytox but expect a shipment in about 10 days or so. If you need it before then, I would suggest the following websites:

www.maximum-velocity.com
www.derbydoc.com
www.derbymonkeygarage.com
www.derbychamp.com

Just don't mix the two!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope that helps!

Darryl
[e-mail]

[jdb]

Thanks...and to be honest the rules call for graphite only. Just an idea to gain an edge. I thought 1 or 2 drops and then clean up but I think I'll just stick with the graphite. Any thought on the best type to use. Also is a straight or grooved axle better with graphite.

Thanks

[derbydominator]

I use grooved axles with graphite to take advantage of the storage area as much as I can but I know several league racers who use smooth with graphite as well. The one point I do not waver on is that I use straight axles on the forward dominant wheel for a rail rider. I use Hob E Lube on all graphite cars.

[jdb]

Thanks again!

[jsg]

Jan 18, 2011 19:34:35 GMT -6 jdb said:

Thanks...and to be honest the rules call for graphite only. Just an idea to gain an edge. I thought 1 or 2 drops and then clean up but I think I'll just stick with the graphite. Any thought on the best type to use. Also is a straight or grooved axle better with graphite.

Thanks

I guess I don't understand why you would even consider so blatantly cheating... Stick to the rules

[jdb]

Long story and just a thought.....easy boy!

[cycrunner]

jbd,
Regarding oil vs graphite - I just finished some tests on one of my pro mod cars. Testing something like this is difficult because variables creep in as changes in the lube are made, such as drift, axel to wheel gaps, how the wheel bores are prepped for each lube, etc. Results on one car may not necessarily apply to any other car. I have used both but mostly oil (Krytox 100). I was not pleased with my race results on my pro mod using oil, so I thought I would try graphite (Hobe lube) and compare results on my 39" track. My cars are all rail riders. For my test car I found that oil was faster by .006 seconds. I did 10 runs each for various configurations, but I only had one bore to axel clearance to work with which was .004". With less or more clearance the results may have been different! Anyway, you will find as others have said, that both lubes have good results and one or the other may be best depending on the particular car and its configuration.
I do like oil for one reason - less messy to deal with and it seems to last longer.
Good luck!
Good Luck

[longislandmike]

Derbydominator---can you clarify what you mean when you say straight axles on dominant wheel. I am new here so still catching up. I thought the front wheel axle is suppose to have a 1.5 pos camber in the front. I am sure I am missing something here. Thanks

[derbydominator]

Sorry about the confusion but I meant non grooved axles when I said straight. You definitely want the positive camber in the front dominant axle. My bad!

[5KidsRacing]

What have you seen that keeps you from using grooved axles on the DFW Darryl?

[derbydominator]

5kidsracing,

With the cant and toe in for the fdw, I had several cars that seemed to get a slight catch on the wheel during rotation while rolling the car on a smooth surface. You can't see what actually is happening obviously but it seems to be where the wheel is catching itself in the top groove near the axle head. I can't come up with any other explanation. I do not get the issue with non grooved axles. I was using 1/32" gap between the wheel and car body and going to a smaller gap would often fix the issue as well but it seemed to me that there was too much risk for any minimal gain I was getting from using grooved vs. ungrooved on the front wheel. I have not experienced the same disruption with the back wheels and they all have had grooved axles.

Have you experienced anything like this or heard of similar?

[5KidsRacing]

Yep Darryl...

I have seen the same thing. I haven't seen any great gains from using grooved vs. non grooved on the DFW. I still used grooved on the DFW but I use small gaps. I have had enough experience to know when a car is rolling down my tuning table whether the wheels are performing correctly. I think to the novice builder your rule about the DFW axle is good advice.

Thanks for responding.

Scott

[budster]

Does anyone have any experiences with the website www.pinewoodderbycoach.com/ and the "secret lube" they are selling? It applies wet but dries and remains dry during use. Anyone know what this lube is? Just researching - thanks.

[cycrunner]

Mar 10, 2011 19:04:49 GMT -6 budster said:

Does anyone have any experiences with the website www.pinewoodderbycoach.com/ and the "secret lube" they are selling? It applies wet but dries and remains dry during use. Anyone know what this lube is? Just researching - thanks.

This has been discussed over on PWDracing. I have some and tried it but have not seen any advantage over Krytox100.