“Faster, faster!” your kid is yelling at his just-bought toy car and you know he might very well ask for a new one in no time. Instead of pleasing him unnecessarily with a new expensive but equally agile one, it is time you work some magic and prove that his dad is a hero in truly making his car move faster.
No matter what type of toy car it is, it can move much faster once its weight and internal friction are reduced while the traction is increased. In this article on how to make a toy car go faster, we will delineate some actions you can take immediately to achieve such adjustments for your toy car. So, read on!
Table of Contents
How to Make a Toy Car Go Faster
1. Trimming Weight
Like any full-sized car, toy cars only run on certain components, which means that anything that is not linked to the operation section is decorative and removable.
Most of the cover of the toy car is useless because there is no linking between it and the chassis, while the outside part often takes up to more than half of a car’s weight.
If your kid doesn’t mind, you can simply trim off any outside part to reduce the overall weight and at the same time, give the car a new appearance. We suggest removing the front and the rear windscreen as well as side glass and rooftop glass. This not only reduces the overall weight but also makes the car much more aerodynamic. Use a sharp knife and carve off those parts.
2. Reducing Internal Friction
Turn your toy car upside down and use a vacuum with a small pipe to blow out any dust,hair, or string that is stuck to the chassis and is the culprit behind your slowed-down car.
Just like your full-sized car, the miniature one that your child plays with also needs lube. Dip one head of a Q-tip into some silicone lubricant and carefully apply it on the axles and every joint of the chassis. Slowly spin the front and back wheel to make sure every surface is coated with lube.
Check if the car is rolling in a straight line by having it run forward on an even surface, such as your dinner table or wooden floor. However, you should avoid rugs of all types. If the car is moving slightly side-to-side, you need to fix the wheels and the axles to their correct positions until a straight line is achieved.
3. Increasing Traction
One very important thing you need to do to make a toy car go faster is to strengthen the power that pulls a car forward. Old plastic toys tend to have worn out wheels where traction is decreased. This is because of a deficiency in rubberized treads.
Choose a clean and even surface to work on and cover the area with unused paper. Then, use a toothbrush and some cleaning soap to scrub all the wheels thoroughly. Rinse everything with clean water and let the toy dry for a few minutes. Tape the wheel and every part of the chassis well, except for the tire area. Your best bet is masking tape.
Make sure no oil persists on your hands after applying alcohol to the wheels with a soft cloth. Dip a small pin paintbrush into some synthetic rubber to form a thin coat on the uncovered area of the wheels. In this step, you should remember to use gloves for protection.
Wait for 8 hours until the coating is dried and redo the process two to three more times. This will ensure that the coating is optimally durable. Lastly, remove the tape and any rubber coating from the other parts carefully with a small knife.
To know if what you did works, check to see if your toy car goes faster down a ramp!
Tips
Don’t forget to check if there is any speed improvement by recording the time the car runs over a fixed distance before and after your adjustments.
In addition to increasing the traction, you can give your little one’s car a new appearance by applying the front and back wheels with different colors or patterns. Also, try rubbing some colored sand on each time you coat to create a 3D effect on your toy’s wheels.
Warnings
You should put on a face mask or respirator while working on the toy car because the strong odor of the rubber coating can easily disturb your respiratory system, especially if you have sensitive lungs and airways.
Children should not follow these instructions without a close supervision of an adult.
Conclusion
So, now you know how to make a toy car go faster. You can greatly make a toy car go faster by doing only one of the above steps, or you can do all of them and achieve the best result. Let us know what works for you in the comments!