Are the Faster Than Ever (FTE) mainline Hot Wheels faster than non-FTE? Yes and no. At a technical level they are. The FTE cars have nickel-plated axles which do make the wheels spin a little faster and a lot smoother. But just because car is better equipped doesn’t make it better on the track.
Some simple FTE vs. non-FTE testing will show you very quickly that just because a car is in the FTE class doesn’t make it a winner. It all boils down to car balance. It’s about weight, it’s about body style, it’s about axle wobble…all the same stuff you need to consider when picking ANY car out as a racer. But if you can find an FTE that meets the well-balanced car formula then you WILL have car that will be winner every time.
When I spy a FTE car on the pegs I will usually grab it, even if it’s not a good car, just so I have the FTE wheels. If you do any mod racing or even just custom cars for fun, the FTE wheels are quality wheels. They are faster than non-FTE wheels. If you put those FTE wheels on a balanced car that doesn’t have an FTE-version, you’ll be in business.
The Faster Than Ever mainlines are also great because they’re mainline price – a dollar. As I’ve explored in the past, there are some cars marketed as being “made for the track” or whatever…and these are really just upsold FTE cars. The Race Aces from Target proved to be just that. Nothing more than an FTE with a plastic chromed body. However, you do have to pay attention to the mainline pegs to find the FTEs. They’re mixed in with non-FTEs and are only denoted on the site of the blister pack.
Having your race garage filled with FTE is not a bad tactic, but don’t be surprised when that F-150 mainline out drags your Nova FTE.
Are the Faster Than Ever (FTE) mainline Hot Wheels faster than non-FTE? Yes and no. At a technical level they are. The FTE cars have nickel-plated axles which do make the wheels spin a little faster and a lot smoother. But just because car is better equipped doesn’t make it better on the track.
It’s all about the car, not the wheels
This FTE is a fast car. Well balanced.
Some simple FTE vs. non-FTE testing will show you very quickly that just because a car is in the FTE class doesn’t make it a winner. It all boils down to car balance. It’s about weight, it’s about body style, it’s about wheel wobble…all the same stuff you need to consider when picking ANY car out as a racer. But if you can find an FTE that meets the well-balanced car formula then you WILL have car that will be winner every time.
When I spy a FTE car on the pegs I will usually grab it, even if it’s not a good car, just so I have the FTE wheels. If you do any mod racing or even just custom cars for fun, the FTE axles are quality. They are faster than non-FTE axles.
But this non-FTE Ferrari is faster.
The Faster Than Ever cars are also great because they’re mainline priced – a dollar. As I’ve explored in the past, there are some cars marketed as being “made for the track” or whatever…and these are really just upsold FTE cars. The Race Aces from Target proved to be just that. Nothing more than an FTE with a plastic chromed body. However, you do have to pay attention to the mainline pegs to find the FTEs. They’re mixed in with non-FTEs and are only denoted on the site of the blister pack.
Having your race garage filled with FTE is not a bad tactic, but don’t be surprised when that F-150 mainline out drags your Nova FTE.
how can i tell if the cars im looking to buy are fte cars
If the car in still on the card, then the card itself should say “Faster Than Ever” on it. If you’re looking at a loose car, the FTE cars will have a gold/bronze wheels. You can also look at the axle and it should be a shiny silver, opposed to the not-so-shiny non-FTE axles all other cars have.