Lakeshore Concepts Track
 

Has anyone here tried one of their tracks yet? I am getting a little bored with my rcp wide L. The lakeshore tracks offer some neat things like jumps,banks,bridges,and lights.

I am concerned that they won't have wide enough lanes for xmods turning radius. The guide rails look too low to hold the cars in.

Can anyone provide advice on this?

I ordered the figure 8 with bridge, plus some banked turns and a jump (about 42 feet, I believe), using the original surface rather than the sticky one (BTW: they said the sticky track *can* interlock with the original, but the stick one is shifted over an inch). Should arrive in a couple of weeks (got a race planned to break it in). I'll let you know what I think of it. I'm not even sure I have room to put it in my living room :) Once I move into a house, I'm moving it into the garage and doubling its size.

I am looking forward to hearing a review. I think the xmods will be okay on it as long as you don't include two turn section together to make a hairpin turn. With a straight between the turn sections the cars should have enough room to turn in. My rcp track is fun it's just a little boring. It's fast and you can pass anywhere on the track but the layout is ho-hum. I don't have enough room to add another wide L, but I have room for an impressive lakeshore track.

With 42 feet of track you plan on building an impressive layout!

I wonder how the original surface will be. If I get one it will probably be the grip surface. That's what I am used to using now with the rcp track.

Basically, what I'm building is the standard figure 8 with the bridge, but at one end, I'm going to attempt to build another loop but a very tight 270 via banked turns that bridges over itself (would look something like this: ooo ) and *hopefully* there'll be enough speed coming back that I can place the jump section right before the central bridge and be able to jump it. If so, I'll post a video.

My track came in today. I haven't fully set it up yet, but I put together the banked 270 as well as the jump-bridge combo together just to get an idea of proportions. The full course has 2 more loops, including an extra bridge, but no other banked turns. The surface isn't as sticky-feeling as I thought (it's foam rubber with a criss-cross pattern embedded in it), but I haven't put a car on it to test it. Also, I'm a bit worried that my antenna (custom one) is too heavy-duty to allow the car under the bridge easily, which gives motivation to make the jump, *IF* it's possible to clear the bridge. I'll be extremely pissed if my antenna won't work, but I have a really nice antenna post (#4 instead of #2 plastic screw going through an aluminum deck plate) that should handle an internal antenna quite easily, and I have some serious antenna work to do on my "final" ESC. I'll have video this weekend when I race my dad & brother on the full track.

Thanks for posting the pic and your comments. I have some questions and comments:

Are there two more bridge supports that make it higher?

Will your car make it thru the banks without the bottom of the car hanging up?

Are you happy with the quality of the track?

The straight between the turns needs banked to go with the banked turns.

If you want a jump over the bridge I would make a whole tile section a ramp that way you can raise it as high as you need to clear the jump. Use yellow or orange tape across the puzzle end of the tile to make it look like a construction zone.

I'm not aware of any other supports to make it higher, although it would be trivial to cut some foam rubber for a supplemental bridge.
Not sure on whether my car will make the banks, but I assume it will.
At first, I was disappointed with it, as it's just foam rubber, but the reality is, the versatility is the same as the RS track (at least judging from the pics), and the sheer number of features makes it worth it to me. But it would not be hard at all to duplicate the same thing with heavier rubber that is slick/sticky. I'm not a big fan of foam rubber myself, but all things considered, yeah, I'm happy with the quality of the track. I do with the sticky sections were fully compatible (they are an inch wider). I may order a section just for evaluation, as they're only about $20 with shipping
The problem with banking the straight sections is that the banked turns start to level out to handle a flat straight. I may send a suggestion to them for a super-bank turn for creating 4 foot 180s, 270s. I already sent them one for a corkscrew (twisting as you go forward), physics permitting, but this other banked turn could be cranked out in a week, easy. The thing about the jump that I like is that you've got an option as to what you want to do. Time it right, and you can land on your opponent who decides not to take the jump. My car is a tank (all aluminum), so I can trash an opponent with a good landing. If the jump proves faster than straight driving, then it is even more incentive.

Initially, after driving the track, I hated it. My car would not go straight, and it is a VERY narrow track, really. 3 feet wide would be ideal. However, I readjusted my drive train tension all around and put on foams. The experience is much improved. I can drift again + I have adjusted my track to take better advantage of drifting and the banks at appropriate times.
One thing: the bridge really isn't worth it, IMO. It's just a bunch of supports + it's a low bridge than can hang heavy antennas. My bro and I made a much better bridge with couch cushions and DVD cases.
His Kyosho Mini-Z can't handle the track for anything, though. He needs foam + the lack of AWD kills him. If you go full throttle on that track, you will 180 within 3 inches of driving.

My rcp track has 30 inch lanes. Now that I've been racing on it for a year it seems really wide and open. It was an adjustment though. The fastest xmod motor I can use comfortably is the drag motor. Car setup is very important to get good track times. The right combination of tires is a priority. Thanks for the tip about the bridge. How do you like the banked turns?

The banked turns are actually really nice, but it isn't the end-all, be-all. This is another area where you *could* use pillows to make your own, but I do prefer their setup. The catch on the banked turns is not to use 2 in a row or at the end of a long straightaway. I had initially set it up for long straightaways, but the drift turns (regular) work much better there, with the banks good for when your speed is lower, post-drift.

How's the jump working out?

Well, I asked Lakeshore for a return. I decided that it is really too narrow + its inability to handle rear wheel cars makes it difficult. My car handles really well with foam tires, but it's a decked out car. The other cars I'm running aren't faring as well. I'm gonna end up going with a wider track,either the radio shack or rcp after checking specs and getting some closeup looks at the tracks with cars on them. I like RS's dual-sided surface...would give me some flexibility depending on whom I race (my brother's Kyosho is really undrivable on the track right now...any kind of throttle on it spins it out).
The jump wouldn't handle the bridge (too low), but it is great as a hazard *under the bridge*. It comes off a banked turn directly under the bridge, but if you don't cut the turn right, you jump up under the bridge, coming out unpredictably. Makes for a neat twist.
All in all, I like a lot of the stuff, but I think it's better suited for 1/32 scale than 1/24 or 1/28.

rcp makes the radioshack tracks. They are both double sided. My enzo mini-z would spin out on my rcp track without the right tires. I use 20 degree rear and 50 degree front. Your brother needs the right tires then he could get around.

We're gonna do a few things to his Mini-Z (although I told him he should just adapt the Enzo body for his XMODS and deck out the XMODS, since it's closer to a real car in terms of how it works. The Mini-Z rear suspension seems to be terrible for cornering & that gear diff doesn't help.
He's going to be ordering a bunch of aluminum parts as well as a ball diff & some weights for it to make it better for the type of racing we do. Hopefully the next time I race him, his car will be ready, and I'll have my track issues sorted out, because I've a 4-5 man, 50 lap race set of races planned (I really can't go any higher without a lap counter...Lakeshore is coming out with a lap counter, BTW. Hopefully, it's a simple, but RF-based, one that's relatively inexpensive (I'll take a $200 simple scoreboard over a $2000 USB-based one with track software)

I think you'll be happy with the track once you get used to it and get all your cars setup for it. The enzo or any mr-02 mini-z with the right set up and the x speed motor will be hard to beat in the hands of a good driver. I don't race mine with my friends. They all have xmods so I use xmods to in order to keep a level playing field.

Did you get a time frame on the lap counter? I am with you concerning something simple. Something fun and user-friendly that is easy to setup and reasonably priced would be perfect.

They just said that they are "looking into lap counters now." I'm going to wait another month or two on finding an inexpensive RF one (I'd prefer one that takes the regular 27MHz crystals just like the cars) before working on building one. I've got an electromagnetic induction-based "ping" transponder idea I want to get working, but it's been ages since I've built any circuits, so I've got some work to do on theory.

Found out from Lakeshore that they're announcing a new double-wide track tomorrow. I figure the double-wide track with the sticky surface would be pretty nice, although I already ordered the RCP track. I'm still trying to arrange a return on the Lakeshore track, but I haven't gotten a definition of what they consider "used" to be.

I own the rcp or radio shack track (rcp makes the radio shack track). I don't own a lakeshore track so I have limited information to help with that. I have the rcp wide L. The track is fun but it is limited by the space I have to change my layout. It's fast and relatively easy for first timers to race on. Rcp doesn't offer banks, bridges, jumps, pinch sections, lights, etc... If you want a more realistic layout that would look cool but may be more difficult to race on than the original width lakeshore track may work. The rcp track is slightly more difficult to set up- you have to assemble the rails to the track. The lakeshore track original has 22 inch lanes and the rcp track has 30 inch lanes. That is a pretty big difference. Lakeshore rails are lower too. Hope that helps Triple xMod.

For the tracks, you're best off running with an 8 or 9 tooth pinion gear to maximize torque. I have room to set it up for a 14x12 figure 8,with 2 straightaways long enough for building up speed. On the RCP feature part, even though it lacks built-in banks and bridges, you *can* build them by using either pillows, boxes, or even DVDs on their edges. It isn't as sturdy as the Lakeshore track in this regards, but since I *did* finally order the RCP track (2 wide Ls, to be exact), I'm building some supports for various features (definitely want to keep banked turns and the bridge, although I've got to double the height of the bridge, as it snapped off my bro's Kyosho Enzo antenna and got my car (Dean's whip antenna) completely stuck). So really, as long as you are willing to cut some supports (and they only have to be rigid), you can build your own stunt areas.

So I got my tracks today (free shipping, and the thing still got to me in less than 24 hours from the time RS called me to confirm the shipment). WOW! Much, much wider (closer to 40 inches than 30, from appearances, though). I like the borders a lot. The only thing about that caught me off guard was that I assumed the edges would be jigsaw'ed, too, so that each tile is a lane extender. They are smooth, so you are stuck with 40 inches, unless you buy lane extender pieces. I don't foresee needing any extenders unless I'm running 6 or more, but I'm curious where one buys them, as the only online retailers I know of are RS and minizracer.com. Anyone know if RCP track pieces are relatively common in RC shops?

I did my homework on premade tracks, before I ultimately went with RCP. I just couldn't see spending so much money on the other tracks that are nothing more than a homestore mat with cut and glued rails at a highly marked up price. I wanted something more professional and unique. The RCP rails are very tall and wide and I like having the option of removing them to store and to use the opposite side surface. Most of the mini-z organized races that I noticed in the last few months were using RCP and the expert drivers seem to have only positive things to say about it. How could you go wrong with such a highly praised product by expert drivers throughout the forums and better yet I paid less for my RCP tracks than all the other mat tracks out there. Better product for less, that doesn't come too often in RC.
I bought my two Wide L's from www.mini-zracer.com, but I bought a kit to make the lane wider from my lhs. I think most hobby stores can order any RCP products. I had a little trouble at first, but contacted the company RCP Tracks and they help me by giving me the hobby store part numbers for the extra pieces and then it was very easy. I would contact them direct if you need help. The guy I dealt with (Brian) was very helpful. I also asked Brian about lap timing systems and he gave me a link to a great system that will be available soon, I think at mini-zracer. The website for the manufacturer is www.corespeedway.com. Some of the members at mini-zracer have been testing the system as well as I belive RCP has too.

Just crossing my fingers that it won't be too expensive. The downside to every one of these RF systems is that they are so damn expensive. All I'm interested in is using RF to count high #s of laps, but they all want to interface with PCs, jacking up the $$$. Hell, I was gonna try to build one out of a Hall effect switch that triggers an RF pinger, but I dunno how much current I'd have to pass through a 6 foot wire loop to get 300 gauss + I'd rather hold out for an inexpensive RF one, if they ever come to pass.

RFID is "radio frequency identificatioin" I don't quite know the technical data on how it works in lap timing.

RCP is a company who makes modular tracks for Kyosho, Radioshack, Mini-Zracer and a few other companies. (www.rcptracks.com).

horshu at mini-zracer.com they sell a RCP track called the mini-96. It has a narrow lane that will give you much more track in a smaller area. You can see some pictures of it set up in a persons living room here. http://www2.mini-zracer.com/gallery/RCP-Tracks?page=4. Check it out. I was thinking of getting one of these tracks in addition to my bigger RCP's to use in my office at work.

I'd actually like to end up doing a lap counter with RFID (most out there are either IR, meaning InfraRed, or simply RF, meaning is simply oscillates some kind of signal to a receiver).
The problems with RFID are generally a) cost, b) distance required from sensor, and c) collisions, meaning that cheaper RFID interrogators/receivers cannot detect multiple tags passing at the same time, which is terrible for racing. I did find an RFID starter kit that uses 13.x MHz for better distance and anti-collision functionality, plus the development kit uses .Net (which I use professionally), so I could write a lap counter program in a weekend. THat particular kit is "only" about $600, so if the corespeedway one is close to that, I'm probably going to just get the RFID starter kit.

You could actually improve on the RCP design by making all pieces "lane extenders" (puzzle cut on all 4 sides), and make the rails as pieces that attach just like the other pieces. It'd be a more flexible design. That's something I don't like about the RCP one, but I'm cool with the money I spent on this one (as opposed to the Lakeshore one). I saw their new wide lanes and almost covered my monitor in juice when I saw the prices

I've been there done that and so have a lot of people for the last few years. It's nothing new and many make there own tracks using these exercise squares. I started out with mats from home depot and used PVC tubing wrapped in foam pipe insulation like you described. It worked ok for the small amount of money I spent but once I started modifying my cars with more speed the track became too slippery. My mini-z's would do donuts if you gave it too much throotle. I wanted something more and invested in the rcp. The rcp tiles are nothing like the exercise mats with regards to the texture. With the right set up and soft rubber tires even my fasted z's had no problem hugging the turns. I guess it depends on your budget and what your looking for in a track. My old exercise mat tracks never looked half as nice as my rcp's and that was important to me. Good luck and show us some pictures once you get it all set up. Instead of foam insulation why don't you just buy some extra mats and cut them in straight sections and then glue them to the mats for side rails? It might save you some time when setting it up and won't allow the cars to get wedged under the round insulation.

The rcp tracks have a rough texture that reminds me of foam tires on rc cars. This course surface reacts to soft rubber tires very well and gives it the grip. The mats at home depot and most exercise mats are smooth or have a real slippery finish pattern that makes it difficult to grip especially when they get dirty or dust collects on them. I guess you have to ask yourself why would Kyosho and RS use the rcp track if they could just make their own out of exercise mats. I think the answer is one is made for exercise use and the other is made for rc cars. With all that said, I still think if your on a tight budget and are just looking for something to run on rather than the driveway or kitchen linoleum, than the exercise mats will do just fine for know. What gets me is how people are using the standard exercise mats , cutting and gluing rubber edges on them and then selling them for 5 to 6 times as much as they cost at the store for the material alone. I guess if there is a buck to make!. At least with the rcp and the money invested, I knew this was not just an exercise mat track, but something used and tested by some of the biggest names out there like Kyosho and RS. I spend most of my time at mini-zracer.com where there are a lot of great posts on this very subject. You should visit it if you get the chance.

Basically, the sticky side of the RCP track has just been scored in the direction the car drives (for turns, the scoring is perpendicular). You may be able to duplicate the effect with some sanding.