faster than ever (FTE) research
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Research Approach
Study updated December, 2025
I was curious about why some FTE cars are faster than others. My curiosity started by noticing the big disparity in speed times of the FTE's (applied the same graphite to all) knowing they all shared in the famous nickel plated axels. Although none of them are very heavy, I knew there was still some differences in both weight and body length, but some of the lighter and shorter cars were just as fast as the longer and heavier ones. So what gives? To help quench my curiosity I conducted some analytics correlating speed to various characteristics of the cars.
I went through my collection of 135 different FTE cars (out of 140) with the intent to understand the relationship between features of the cars and track speed. Features of the cars included weight and length, for example. So I documented as many factors of each car that I could think of that might explain their speed:
I generated a multivariate regression model to see what factors predicted track speed (updated in 2025). The result was a model that enabled me to compare projected speed to the actual speed. The correlation between the actual and predicted speed was .72 (with 0 zero meaning no correlation and 1.0 being perfect correlation), which is considered a good to strong correlation.
I went through my collection of 135 different FTE cars (out of 140) with the intent to understand the relationship between features of the cars and track speed. Features of the cars included weight and length, for example. So I documented as many factors of each car that I could think of that might explain their speed:
- Weight (in grams)
- Car length (cm)
- Presence of a metal base
- FTE wheel type (the standard 5-spoke FTE wheel or the later FTE2)
- Height of the car (cm)
- Width of the distance between the tires (cm)
- Presence of wheels being set in from the car frame
- Wheel size
I generated a multivariate regression model to see what factors predicted track speed (updated in 2025). The result was a model that enabled me to compare projected speed to the actual speed. The correlation between the actual and predicted speed was .72 (with 0 zero meaning no correlation and 1.0 being perfect correlation), which is considered a good to strong correlation.
FTE Car Factor Evaluation
Here is a break down of the factors impacting the predicted speeds.
Model Factor (starting with the lowest P-value) |
Direction |
1. Weight of the car |
The heavier the car the more energy that's created and the faster the car. The average FTE car is 35.9 grams. The heaviest car is Hot Tub at 47.4 grams and the lightest is the '81 DeLorean at 29.3 grams. 9 of the 13 cars that are at least 40 grams were in my top 30 (out of 135). |
2. Presence of set in wheels |
Cars that have wheels set inside the frame were as a rule not fast. This can create drag with the wheels touching the car and is also indicative of narrow wheels, although that's another factor. There are 12 cars like this including 8 Crate, Steel Flame and Nissan Titan, |
3. Car length |
The longer the car (all else being equal) the faster the FTE car. The average FTE car is 7.2 cm long. The longest is 8.4 cm (Plymouth Superbird) and the shortest is 5.7 cm (Scion Xb) |
4. Distance between the wheels |
Cars with wider separation of the wheels have more stability on the track and avoid wobbling which slows them down. This was measured from the distance between the insides of the wheels. The narrowest wheels are approximately 1.25 cm apart, others are 1.55 cm apart and the majority are 1.85 cm apart. If a car has front wheels 1.85 cm apart and the rear wheels at 1.55 cm, I counted the lower number. 55 of the 135 FTE cars tested have at least one set of wheels that are less than 1.85 cm apart. 4 of the 5 slowest five cars are all at 1.25. Cars at 1.55 are hindered significantly, but can still be fast with good weight and body length. |
5. Presence of an FTE2 wheel |
The FTE2 wheels are not as fast, even when considering all the other factors. There are 14 cars with FTE2 wheels. None of the them are in my top 50. The characteristics of the FTE2 cars (weight, length, etc.) suggest they should perform better. Not sure if the axle changed or the wheels themselves changed in quality. |
6. Height of the car |
Borderline factor, but in general cars with a lower center of gravity were faster (again, all else being equal). Cars like Boom Box, Dodge M80 and VW New Beetle Cup will have some potential drag associated with their height. Formul8r and Speed Bump benefit the most as they are lower to the ground. |
Presence of a metal base and wheel size were not factors (or rather the information they bring is already accounted for in the other factors like weight and height).
Assessment
I split the cars into five groups based on how the model expected the cars to perform. As you can see with the "Avg Actual Speed" column, the model directionally ranks the cars correctly and has good accuracy on the actual times themselves.
Model Quintile |
Avg Predicted Speed |
Avg Actual Speed |
Fastest Predicted 20% |
2.536 |
2,542 |
Next 20% |
2.560 |
2.553 |
Middle 20% |
2.572 |
2.561 |
Next 20% |
2.589 |
2.597 |
Slowest Predicted 20% |
2.620 |
2.624 |
When looking at specific predictions, it showed that there might be factors unaccounted for or might be vulnerable to the randomness of any specific car.
Based on the model the fastest FTE cars should be:
The Escalade is my 6th fastest, the Way-2-Fast is my #28, Boom Box is #30, Nissan Titan is #7 and Cadillac V-16 is my #1. I keep trying to upgrade my Way-2-Fast as this suggests it should be faster, same with the Boom Box. Way-2-Fast is among the heaviest FTE cars at 43 grams, is 8.0 cm long (tied for 8th longest), has open wheels, has the original FTE wheels, a wide stance for both front and rear wheels and is not overly tall. All of these characteristics are positive factors with its height being neutral.
Based on the model the slowest 5 cars should be:
4 of these 5 finished among my slowest 10. So it seems like it's easier to predict the slowest cars more so than the fastest ones.
In comparing actual vs model ranks there were 7 results that were significant errors.
Cars I have over-performing (run much faster than the model suggests):
Cars I have under-performing (run slower than the model suggests)
I hope you found this interesting. Let me know your experience with FTE cars and if you have any suggestions for other factors to evaluate. Also, do you have any ideas that explain the over or under-performing cars? Perhaps there is another factor I'm not thinking of.
Based on the model the fastest FTE cars should be:
- 2007 Cadillac Escalade
- Way-2-Fast
- Boom Box
- Nissan Titan
- Cadillac V-16
The Escalade is my 6th fastest, the Way-2-Fast is my #28, Boom Box is #30, Nissan Titan is #7 and Cadillac V-16 is my #1. I keep trying to upgrade my Way-2-Fast as this suggests it should be faster, same with the Boom Box. Way-2-Fast is among the heaviest FTE cars at 43 grams, is 8.0 cm long (tied for 8th longest), has open wheels, has the original FTE wheels, a wide stance for both front and rear wheels and is not overly tall. All of these characteristics are positive factors with its height being neutral.
Based on the model the slowest 5 cars should be:
- Hummer H3
- Camaro Convertible Concept
- Nissan 370Z
- '70 Dodge Challenger Hemi
- '65 Impala
4 of these 5 finished among my slowest 10. So it seems like it's easier to predict the slowest cars more so than the fastest ones.
In comparing actual vs model ranks there were 7 results that were significant errors.
Cars I have over-performing (run much faster than the model suggests):
- '64 Riviera
- Audacious
- Bon Voyage
Cars I have under-performing (run slower than the model suggests)
- VW New Beetle Cup
- My biggest deviation. My car finished 116th out of 135 castings and the models says it should be 10th. It had above average weight (39.5), a wide wheel base, original FTE wheels, just below average length. Might be worth finding another one to race.
- Bye Focal II
- '69 Corvette
- Ferrari 512M
I hope you found this interesting. Let me know your experience with FTE cars and if you have any suggestions for other factors to evaluate. Also, do you have any ideas that explain the over or under-performing cars? Perhaps there is another factor I'm not thinking of.