Friction produces heat which softens plastic surfaces - particularly thin Mylar. As they cool, the can become minute.y misshapen.

I’m stating this as a theory against.

With aggressive play it’ll be like gummy orifice.

I think.

Tightness counts. Jiggling will slow the ball down.

The best solution is to keep them clean. Careful of metal polish which has shiny chrome-specific chemicals that you wouldn’t want anywhere else.

I disagree with waxing newer playfields. It slicks it up for a few days, reduces the appearance of fine scre=atches (by filling them), but in the end it’s messy, spreads through your game and picks up dirt.. I agree with vacuuming and the use of NAPHTA to keep things clean. Dirt drags.