dnano track possibility

[tinyrc]

Originally Posted by edhchoe

Not here in the US. I can only find them on eBay for $10 for 4 tires including shipping.

I believe they are $4/pr at HTUSA.

[-J-]

Originally Posted by tinyrc

I believe they are $4/pr at HTUSA.

That's right.

[edhchoe]

Well, I just bought four 30° Kyosho fronts for $10.xx shipped from eBay. My area's HTUSA doesn't carry dnano or mini z stuff.

[popdada]

Originally Posted by tinyrc

Very cool! We've got one arriving tomorrow and are looking forward to sharing our feedback too!

did you get the track?

[RealTracks]

Originally Posted by NanoTrax

i saw these 2 while researching "competition"... i'm into aesthetics and his joint looks cheesy to me. plus i'd have 2 agree with sonik, the surface doesn't look smooth enough for dnano

NanoTrax
Great job on your store and site. It looks like you put a lot of hard work into it. I wish you the success you’ve worked hard for. We are also glad to hear that things have settled somewhat in Bangkok. I should have responded to your post sooner. When I read it I was initially surprised until I looked more closely at some of the photos online of RealTracks and realized you were right. The Track is very sensitive to flash photography and we get light bouncing back to the camera from the joints and surface. So it did in fact appear that some of the joints were "cheesy" as you put it . Anyway here is a close up, I just wanted to give you a better representation of the joint. Each edge connector is milled on CNC equipment and usually held to few thousandths tolerance. We designed in a moderate lateral tolerance to allow ease of assembly of track sections. The interlocking tabs of each section provide a completely smooth transition between sections every time. The only issue we are trying to improve upon is the width tolerance of each section. Our customers don't seem to notice but we do. Our vertical shear process can only hold about .030 tolerance. This shows up in the width of some pieces. Again, not really noticeable and is does not affect the performance but we notice it and are working to change the process to get within .005 every time. I know this was a lot of detail but this appears to be a very discerning group, and I like that. It keeps us on our toes and continually pushes product improvement. Please feel free to ask any questions or make recommendations and I will try and be more responsive in this forum.

Thanks for making us aware of the issue NanoTrax.

Miles
RealTracks RC Racing Systems

[arch2b]

nice close up of the texture. i'm waiting to hear from tinyrc and how he likes the realtracks he has coming.

it looks like a very stiff material. i assume this needs a very flat subfloor inorder to maintain a consistently flat surface?

how does this material handle exposure to sunlight?

[tinyrc]

We've had two group testing sessions so far, and I don't recall their being any bumpiness at all, the transition is quite seamless. Working on the full-blown review, happy to answer any quick questions in the interim though!

[RealTracks]

Originally Posted by arch2b

nice close up of the texture. i'm waiting to hear from tinyrc and how he likes the realtracks he has coming.

it looks like a very stiff material. i assume this needs a very flat subfloor inorder to maintain a consistently flat surface?

how does this material handle exposure to sunlight?

Thanks for the questions Arch2b

Yes you are correct. If you want a flat track you need a flat surface. RealTracks will follow what ever the surface is under it. It is best used over low pile carpet. The green indoor/outdoor carpet you see in the photo is $15.99 for a 6’x8’ section at Lowes Home Centers. It is very lightweight and is easily stored. We just got some of the heavier plastic indoor/outdoor carpet that looks like grass that we are going to test. RealTracks is hard surfaced like you said, but each section is moderately flexible. A 16” straight can be easily flexed to a 90 degree angle with about 4 lbs of force. You can place items under the carpet or track to simulate Road Atlanta style racing. It is very interesting how the cars behave coming off a rise into a turn or taking banked or off camber turns. The banked turn picture is just to illustrate the tracks flexibility. The material we use is UV rated. You can leave it outside but it will warp from time to time based on several factors. If it is on the ground the bottom of the track will absorb moisture causing the lower surface to expand more than the top surface and the track edges will raise slightly. As soon as the moisture content stabilizes the track goes back to normal. A similar but opposite effect will happen when the sun initially hits the track If the sun gets hot quickly it will initially expand the upper surface of the track more than the lower because the lower is in contact with the cooler ground or material. This time the center of the track will raise. Again once the track temperature stabilizes the track returns to normal. While it is OK to leave the track outside temporarily, we don’t recommend it for the long term in the sun, day after day. We have had a small oval set up outside in the sun since September 08. One section has lightened up slightly but is has held up remarkably well the last time I checked it. By the end of this summer we should have more definitive data in this area and we will make recommendations accordingly. If it is under some sort of cover and off the ground the track will be fine.

Thanks again for the questions,

Miles
RealTracks RC Racing Systems

[run4fun]

I have a large set of realtracks I bought for my dnano. I was disappointed with the traction when I first used it. It was good practice though, and I used a bit. But, then I got bored with it and put it away.

Then, I had occasion to use it again and I had an idea! I used the same approach to traction we use in 10th scale outdoor racing... ROOTBEER!

You really need to try this. Traction goes through the roof! In fact, you don't want to lay it down heavy at all. All you need to do is wet a cloth with the rootbeer and wipe the track down. A light film is all you want. Wait for it to dry. If you do it right, you will find it barely, barely feels sticky, or not at all. If it feels sticky, use a damp (water) cloth and thin it out. If it feels sticky, the car will feel like it's on velcro, too much traction... really!

Now, clean your tires and try it out. It RIPS. Go get the x-speed you can use that now!!!

The light coating will last days. You may notice the traction fading after an hour or so of running. Clean your tires with damp (water) cloth and let them dry. The traction comes right back. I guess the sugar on sugar is not good. The rubber seems to love the sugar! Keep the tires clean and have fun.