Show Me YOUR Tracks (and videos) Please!

[BoostedLoser]

Just wondering what all of your tracks look like!? Also would like to see your videos! Perhaps to get em all in one location!

What are your tracks made out of? How does the car handle on them? What would be the BEST material in your opinion?

I used the Track Maker program to make a close replica of "Special Stage RT 5" from Gran Tourismo 3! I'll attach the picture of the track below! I'll probly build this in my grandmas basement because i dont have enough room in my APT. but her basement is big enough!

I will get TONS of video as soon as i get my car and electronics!

whoops...

[BoostedLoser]

Looks like a cardboard track, am i right? What did you make the edges out of? What cars/scales do you run on the track?

Woops??

Sorry, posted in wrong forum so I removed my original post and replaced it with the 'whoops'.
The main track surface is a 1/2 inch solid piece of wood (particle board). Not particle board in the traditional sense, the wood sheet is made up of very tiny, sawdust type-sized pieces of wood, and glue. The banked ramp leading to and from the bridge are a solid piece of cardboard, but that is the only piece of cardboard used on the track as a driving surface.

** RE-RE-EDIT
Here's an image of our first track in its beginning stages. Hopefully soon, you be able to see more and read more when we release our website, but for now, here's what our track looked like a few months ago.


We drive the Bit-Char-G cars on it.
Normal, stock tires work fine. Of course a 3.0 motor and high-torque gears coupled with 'hard' tires (slicks), you could produce some doughnuts.

[BoostedLoser]

Lol thas ok... i was looking for a WIDE variety of tracks... I just wanted to see TRACK pics in general! So your ok! Because it gives me ideas for what everyone uses. If there were a "general mini rc" section on the forum i would have posted this there!

So how do the cars drive on the materials on your track? What kind of tires they have?

[gertman]

I do have a track in my basement. The details of it are STILL at another fourm. I will be moving it over here shortly. Also, I do have many videos and even timed laps with all of my different cars that I will try and post in the coming weeks. Stay tuned

[BoostedLoser]

Gertman... seen your track... looks really cool! Im surprised that those shop towels hold up... I know they are strong. I use them when working on car, but i figure one good roll over or spinout would tear em up! Although if you buy that "Box Of Towels" you get a CRAP LOAD of track! lol!

[killboy]

Photo Album

A few pix:





Comments: This is a new track and we are not finished. We used canvas-type work uniform fabric stapled to particle board sheets to create an 8'x12' track. This stuff offers serious grip with stock tires...enough to flip the cars at top speed. Keeping the track tight or using slightly harder tires keeps them from flipping.

4 long strands of copper wire are connected together over the center of the track and branch out to the 4 corners of the track. Each has a loop at the end to hook the controller's antenna into. This creates an "umbrella" of antennas and there are no dead spots. (we all use booster contollers) Interference is not a problem.

We used rope lights for the outer "walls". We have had a car leave the table 2 times, both due to having the ramped track pieces too close to the edge, allowing the car to jump the wall.

I recommend using the track kits so you can change/create new tracks. No matter how good your track design is, it will get old. Plus designing new tracks is half the fun. We are using 2 sets of DigiQ "Chicane Mania" track sets. There is still about 25% of track pieces left over.

The DigiQ track pieces connect together quite firmly, but the cars can drive over them fairly easily. This is a good thing if you have honest drivers, since the cars do not flip or get stuck very often.

We are currently using clear boxing tape to hold the track pieces in place, but we will be switching to "rug tape" which is a thin mesh tape that is mildly tacky on both sides.

Video coming soon...

[BoostedLoser]

Killboy, great track!
What are the rings for? Driving figure 8's around?
Also that border stuff you have... with the red and white stripes, how big is that? You think it would work well with a 1/24 scale? Would be a great realism add on!


ALSO! I just got a great track material idea... What about "Tar Paper" that you lay down before you do roofing? Its reletivly in-expensive and it wouldnt tear that easy BUT give great traction and look like REAL asphalt!

I don't know if I would go with tar paper.
My reasoning is that fast cars need a little 'slip' to handle the tight turning radius without flipping over.
Thoughts?

[BoostedLoser]

Well.. as long as the paper isnt in direct sunlight or in a really hot environment the paper is fairly slippery! Ive slid off a low pitch roof before when standing on it.

Doh!
What a way to learn, "the hard way", like me!

Let me know if you end up having set your track up in a climate controlled environment. j/k

Cool man, that's a good idea, let us know how it all works out!

[BoostedLoser]

Lol climate controlled... haha! basements should be good! the floor is always nice and cold!

I was also thinking if you staple it to plywood you could use a dremel and take out small chunks of the pywood and then paint them!! Tadaaa... Pot holes! Put them near the edges of your track where "track maintnance" is less worried about (but you know you or others might end up driving)

Realism is cool!

Yaw!
Excellent idea.
We toyed around with the idea of adding potholes, never did though.
We were also thinking of making the driving area look more like road. Bare driving surface in the lanes (where cars contact the track most often), then on the outsides, near the where the 'shoulder' would be, adding fine grit sand or sandpaper. Just enought to allow a little slip and slow, but not crash. Like on 'touring' tracks IRL.
I also have another idea for 'short-cuts'. Just like in games, the short-cut would be extremely hard and daunting, not inviting at all, so most would prefer the normal route. However, if there happens to be some egocentric driver that thinks he can do it all, he has the opportunity to take the short-cut. But, he had better be as good as he thinks, because 1 mistake means the short-cut turns into the longest section of track in your life.
And yet another idea is to create 'scenes'. Like driving on a normal track, then suddenly there's a clear, round, plastic tube, leading off the track - through an aquarium - and back out the other side!
I think that would be awesome. If you did it right, the tube would be just slightly larger than your bit, and it's round, so theoretically, as long as you were lined up correctly for the entrance, you could floor it in the tube, not have to worry about steering as the tube would force the car into the path of least resistance, which would be straight on down the tube!

Okay, back to reality.

[BoostedLoser]

*jaw drops*

Thats an awesome idea! I love it... sand, or some grit on the track edges. You could also use pieces of waxed tile pieces, counter top laminent (or somthing similar) that look like the same track material for slippery sections! If you wanted to make lane lines you could get a sponge and cut it to the size and shape then sponge stamp the lines on the track... that would give them the worn look!
I want to go for a fully realistic track, with all the grandstands and so on... If you have ever played Grand Tourismo the track that i made a image of above (Special Stage RT 5) is a layed out street coarse... so you could make the track and lanes go off as they would if it were a real street before parts were blocked off for the race track!! Having fire hydrants, regular cars - plastic models, buildings and even mailboxes on the street parts that arent blocked off for the track.
This would probly be easier for the 1/24th cars!

Anyone know where to get scale buildings??