This section describes what I feel to be the best values in HO Slot Car Racing. These are my personal opinions and choices and, as such, should be taken with a grain of salt. My criteria in selecting The Best are based upon quality of construction, authenticity, cost, availability and general overall value.

The Tomy AFX Super G-Plus cars are currently the fastest available in box stock form. They cost a few dollars more than other HO slot cars such as the Mattel Tyco and Life-Like cars, but I feel it is money well spent. Parts are plentiful and available worldwide. They require very little in the way of maintenance. Pickup shoes are about the only item that will need to be replaced on a regular basis, and these can be purchased for as little as $1.00 a pair.

See the Tomy AFX Cars for Sale section for a complete listing with pictures of all the Tomy AFX slot cars currently available. See the Tomy section for a full line of Tomy AFX spare parts.

My second choice would be the Mattel Tyco 440x2 cars. These cars, while not quite as fast as the Super G-Plus models are still a lot of fun to race. They cost slightly less than Super G-Plus cars. If you had a stable comprised entirely of 440x2 cars, you might never miss the additional speed and handling that the Super G-Plus chassis provides.

The Tomy AFX Super International Challenge race set is by far the best buy in boxed sets. This set can be purchased for less than $200 dollars.

This set includes a good assortment of track pieces. Enough track is included to build a 4-lane racing layout with a 25-foot lap length. Four Tomy AFX Mega-G slot cars are included in this set. See the Race Sets page for more information about this excellent starter set.

The cars included in this set alone can cost as much as $25.00 each when purchased individually, making this perhaps the best value in HO scale slot car racing today. See the Tuckaway section of this web site for a sample layout based on this boxed set.

The Tomy AFX line of track is currently the best available. A good selection of turn radius sections and straight lengths make is possible to build a very interesting layout using this track. The way track sections are joined makes for good electrical conductivity and smooth racing. Tomy AFX track is very well made and should last for many years. Tomy AFX track is also widely available.

Mattel Tyco track would be my second choice. The track section variety is not nearly as great as Tomy AFX, but a realistic racing layout with up to 4 lanes can still be built using Tyco track.

Visit the Track section of this web site for a table of all track sections available from the various manufactures.

The controllers supplied with AFX and Tyco sets, while usable, are probably the weakest part of most HO racing sets. A high-quality controller however will make your racing more enjoyable. Parma controllers are by far the best replacement controllers made. Parma manufactures several styles of controllers specifically designed for HO scale slot car racing. Replacement parts are abundant and inexpensive.

Parma has been building controllers for all of the slot car scales for over 35 years and it shows. Go to any commercial slot car track and look at what serious racers use. You will inevitably find the Parma to be the controller of choice. See the Controllers section of this web site for a complete listing of Parma controllers suitable for HO Scale Slot Car Racing.

HO scale slot cars run on 18-22 volts of direct current (VDC). The wall-outlet power packs included with most boxed sets will eventually need to be replaced. When they do fail, and they will, investigate a high-quality DC power supply.

Astron Corporation is a good source of DC power supplies producing the 18-22 VDC required. Most DC power supplies only produce 12-13.8 VDC and will not work properly with HO scale slot cars. 12-13.8 VDC is just not enough voltage to run a modern HO slot car. See the Power section of this web site for a good power supply suitable for HO scale slot car racing layouts.

HO slot cars can easily be modified to run much faster and handle better. BSRT high-performance racing parts are some of the best available. BSRT parts are available to improve the performance of box stock cars as well as all-out super-modified racers.

The sky is the limit when it comes to improving an HO slot car's performance. You can spend as little as $5.00 to well over $100.00 depending upon your Need For Speed.

See the BSRT Parts section of this web site for a complete listing of BSRT high-performance upgrade parts. BSRT parts specifically suited to Tomy AFX slot cars can also be found towards the bottom of the Tomy page.

BSRT also offers its own line of high-performance, Ready-To-Race slot cars. The BSRT G3 line of slot cars and chassis are what racers worldwide rely on to win at sanctioned HO race events.