HO versus 1/32

[johnsonpgj]

I am trying to decide between buying an HO or 1/32 slot car set.

Is HO a lot faster than 1/32. I love speed but all I am concerned about is whether the 1/32 sets are too slow. My brother bought an old HO scalectrix set (so thats all I have seen) so I was just wondering about the new sets I have seen (Ninco).

For example when racing on a home ninco set you won't have the situation where you can just hold the controller at full throttle and the car won't even come off the track.

What are the actual fastest speeds (actual speeds not scale) of each of these scale types on average that they can reach.

Maybe what I have asked is not the greatest question but any other advice you can give me before I purchase my set will be great.

Thanks

Paul

[Prof Fate]

Well, not really.

About 20 years ago, HO cars commonly had enough stick that I had cars that you just held the trigger down and let the car fly. Using a small set track.
I am not aware of any 1/32 ready to run car on a set track which is so STUCK that you no longer drive it.
As for which is absolutely faster or faster in scale. That sort of depends on the conditions. with full scale cars, for instance, if you asked wether a Go Cart or a NASCAR were faster, it would depend on weather you were running on a Go Cart Track with the Nascar, or running a Go Cart at Daytona.
A 1/24th Gp 7 on a Blue King, 155 feet, does a lap in 1.7 seconds, but not on a 34foot plastic home track! An HO on a 34foot home track might indeed do a 2 second lap and blur around the track, and running on a King, be timed with a sundial.

Prof.Fate

[Ramcatlarry]

It depends what is available to you in sets.. The small HO tracks will seem faster than the 1/32 due to the shorter straightaway in most sets. If you can get a large set from TOMY/Racemasters with the G-PLUS cars they will be very fast with lots of magnets to hold them down on the track - something only very modified homeset 1/32 can do. A common TYCO or Lifelike (in USA) are relatively slower with less magnetic grip.

20 ft of HO track is a LARGE layout on a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood.
20 ft of Ninco/SCX/Scalextric could be a bit ho-hum and 2 - 3 times the cost of the HO system.

To me, bigger cars are easier to work on and keep running.