Stock class does not necessarily mean 100 percent stock.  Most commercial tracks allow tire, axle, and pick-up shoe changes, some allow electical parts changes and even 'hot stock' armatures.  Rules vary from track to track.  So if you intend to race at a commercial track make sure you inquire about the rules for the class you intend to race.

There are many companies who manufacture great products that you can use to improve every
characteristic of you car's performance.  Check with you local shop for parts from companies like
WIZZARD, BSRT or others.

There are no exact cut and dry answers.  You will find that each car is somewhat unique and
requires a slightly different setup than the next one, but these guidelines will give you a good
baseline to start from.  Don't be afraid to experiment.

Motor brush springs -- remember that as your brushes wear down, the spring tension weakens.  The heat cycles that your motor goes through can also weaken your springs, especially in non box stock classes.  Spring maintenance should be a priority in your regular between race checkups. You can purchase hi-performance motor and pickup shoe springs in different thickness' and materials (Copper, Silver plated, etc.).  Always remember to check with your local club as to what changes are allowed.  (approximate cost: $1.25/pair)

Remember, no matter if you run the softer stock type brushes, or the harder silver brushes, always take the time to keep the gaps in the armature commutator clean and free or worn material.  Taking note as to how hot your motor is running can tell you volumes about yur setup.  A hotter moter can mean tighter (too tight?) brushes, or that your car chassis and magnets are dragging (tires too small).  Gearing can also effect motor tempurature.

(approximate cost: $1.25/pair.  Note: On Super G Plus you must replace the entire end bell assembly -- approximate cost: $4.00 each)

The ride height will vary from track to track, depending on rail height.  The optimum goal is to lower your car so that it the magnets lightly touch the rails, improving handling, but without creating excess drag.  A good way to check your ride height is to use a felt tip pen or marker to "paint" the bottom of the magnets and chassis.  After marking the chassis, a couple laps will show whether the chassis is rubbing the track rails or not.  The goal is to adjust the tire height until the chassis lightly rubs the rails.  A nice, light even wear mark along the entire length means the tire height is correct.  If not, you can go up, or down, on the front, or rear, as needed.

Theoretically, independent front axle assemblies help car performance by allowing the front tires to roll independently through their different radiuses.  Another advantage of independent front axles is that size front tires are available in five thousands of an inch increments for chassis adjustment.

Front tires blanks that can be put on a mandrel and sanded size are also available.  When assembling your  front axle, make sure you check for either excessive horizontal play between the chassis and wheel, or the opposite, friction between the wheel and chassis.  The car must fit cleanly through the club's tech block after mounting tires.   (approximate cost: $6.00 - 8.00 for complete assembly)

After market rear tires are constructed from a lightweight plastic wheel, with a glued-on foam inner tire that is covered with an outer silicone-type rubber.  These tires significaltly increase traction over stock tires or even press-on silicone tires.  Since these tires are so tacky, they are also collect dust and dirt.   Two-sided tape is handy for keeping tires clean.

Tires also come in different degrees of softness (hardness).  Tire softness is indicated by tire color.  Check with you tire supplier for color/softness codes.  Generally, softer tires work better with stock cars on segmented tracks.  Harder compounds may increase performance in non-stock classes where magnetic downforce is stronger and the track may be continuous.

A wheel puller and a wheel press are used to make tire changes easier, faster, and proper.    Always remember to check to make sure that you have proper clearance between the wheel and chassis and that your car fits through the tech  block.   (Average cost: $7.00 - 8.00 / pair)

For faster class cars, stronger plastic (polysteel?), and metalic (brass and aluminum) are available for $6.00 to $20.00 dollars each.

There are however characteristics that make one stock armature better than the next stock armature.  These characteristics are balance and electrical resistance.  Some race clubs allow what is referred to as a "hot stock" arm.  A hot stock arm is a stock armature which has naturally low electrical resistance and is balanced.  Epoxied may be applied to the wires in the armature to keep them from coming out of balance.

(approximate cost for a replacement stock armature: $3.00 each)

Some contollers also have adjustable ohm control.  Likewise, controllers may also have adjustable "coast" (delays in cutting power to the car when letting off the trigger), and adjustable voltage (power) for over-powered cars or super tight tracks.

(approximate cost: $20.00 & up)

Type (i) is just fine for stock cars.  It is better to have a dedicated power pack for each lane to minimize power surges as cars from other lanes deslot.  Type (ii) and (iii) are really better for faster classes.  Type (ii) is less expensive but requires more maintenance, type (iii) is safer, requires less maintenance, but can be more expensive.

Wet cell batteries require certain maintenance and safety steps.  Recharging batteries can be dangerous if not done properly!  For a basic diagram how to convert to battery power, go to: tba

The gang got together after the first Panther/Patriot II race of the season at the SLOT CAR AND HOBBY CENTER (5642 Olde Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, 303-431-6065) to swap tips on building these cool racin’ machines.  John Barvik, Butch Bowden, Mark Herold, Scott Johnson, Dan Pierce, Roger Thompson and Eric Wenzel contributed the following:

Electrical
1. limit pickup shoe travel to keep your racer in the slot; bend the shoe at the top of the shoe slot that the front chassis pins go into......be sure to leave enough travel to ensure good contact on those sections of track with a low rail
2. to optimize horsepower, run fairly firm pickup shoe tension (the magnets are stout enough to allow it); these cars come with ‘U’ shoe springs, that can be adjusted by bending the straight sections at the open end of the ‘U’ (these are the sections that make contact with the bulkhead on the car)
3. Check armature balance; static balance can be checked using (2) razor blades mounted edge up in a piece of wood or foam – lay the armature shaft perpendicular to the blades, with the winding between the blades - the best arm is the one that tends not to roll at all, or to roll very slowly to the dreaded ‘heavy-spot-down’ position... remember, armatures must be unmodified in this class so if you have an arm that is spinning instantly over onto a major heavy spot, don’t balance it, just tell everybody it’s yor new #1 arm and wait for the offers to come rolling in...
4. set front-to-rear armature position so that you keep the pinion (small) gear from contacting the crown (large) gear or crown gear boss
5. these cars come with threaded brush barrels; to keep the set screw in the brush barrel from backing out a very small amount of blue Loctite thread sealer can be used, but keep the quantity small to optimize conduction and to ease set screw adjustment later
6. When setting brush tension with new brushes; you should see approximately 1/8” of  the setscrew sticking out of the brush barrel (away from the commutator), this allows a clean, moderate break-in without sacrificing power or brush life.... note that if the commutator doesn’t stay fairly shiny where the brushes are contacting it, you can screw in a little more spring pressure; if this doesn’t help, check to see if a brush spring has collapsed.

Chassis +
7. if the guide pin is loose in the chassis you can experience unpredictable handling; consider thread sealer or a touch of superglue
8. Tyco rear axles can be used in these chassis, allowing quick changeover from other class cars; they may seem loose in the Patriot II, but no axles have been reported popping out yet
Post-Race Pit Talk, cont’d
9. the following tire sizes were used successfully in Arvada:
? front - .345” and .350”
? rear - .454” to .458”
10. run an .062” drill or reamer (gently, by hand) through the armature bushings to be sure they are of sufficient size to keep the arm from binding.

OTHER ACCUMULATED TIPS
11. Debur the front pick up shoe tab.  (This will help eliminate the occasional sticking of the front pickup shoe.  Buff the edges)
12. Replace the original pinion and throw away.  As per car designer the mold was out of round a little.
13. You may experiment with .007 and .008 brush springs to help speed.
14.  When you have a track with good down force you could try to use a heavier pickup shoe spring.  Use .010 double pickup shoe spring will give you better consistency that bending the spring.  The car designer is changing the angle of the pickup shoe spring for future cars.  The current spring is bent at a 38-degree angle and the new spring will be bent at a 25-degree angle for a little more stiffness.
15. When setting up the arm attempt to center the arm in the motor magnet field. Some have even sanded the motor bushing  (up to .010) to accommodate this. Just add another spacer.
16. Some have had good luck running a little stiffer tire than the traditional black sponge of Wizzard.
17.  For the 440 people, most of the set up techniques that worked on that car works on this one too.  The more the car is run the more it can handle the bumps of the plastic tracks.