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  #16  
Old 06-05-2009, 08:28 PM
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What is this 'Skid Pad'? Is it a lap timer and software?
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  #17  
Old 06-05-2009, 10:21 PM
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skid pad? timing system?
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  #18  
Old 06-06-2009, 05:19 AM
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One thing to try is PLASTI DIP by Performix. It is used to, you guessed it, to give extra grip for hand tools. It comes in a spray can and in a paint form. The best is the Spray version for tracks like Realtracks. We tried both the paint and spray versions on a track that we had laser cut back a few years ago to see if we could get better grip when racing the Epochs. We had a lot of blanks from frames we were cutting for a rear window in trucks that was removable and we had all this Black pastic with a mirror finish laying around and thought lets laser cut some track out of it..

The problem at the time was when we tried to race the Epochs on it it was like driving on ice. So we tried like I have read here just about everything to put grip down when we came across this PLASTI DIP in Home Depot. Had we tried The Realtracks plastic which has a Hair sill finish we might not have had to use the PLASTI DIP. Anyway after trying this stuff oh my god.. good by grip problem and I mean by by. The Epochs if you tried to turn to hard would filp over right now! Now the Realtracks has as I mentioned a hair sill finish and I personally get plenty of grip with my dNaNos and I did not try putting on the PLASTI DIP on the Realtrack surface. This track is the 16-inch 24pc set.

That said I have two dNaNo's the Porsche 962 C LH and the Mazda 787B.
Now my two dNaNo's are stock in every way excepte for the tires and rims. When I recieved the cars, I thought as some of you may have, that the Auto Scale tire and rims could also be used on the dNaNo's. If your laughing at this point and are thinking what an dumb ass.. don't give up on me yet... and read on! I was able to convert the Auto Scale tires and rims on both of my dNaNo's and man what a blast to race on the Realtracks. I did not use the PLASTI DIP on this track because using the Auto Scale wheels did and does the trick to get grip! And I mean the cars fly! I can only guess how well the car would hold if I added the PLASTI DIP.

For grip it seems the more I drive the dNaNos' with the Auto Scale tires and rims the better the grip gets. The same is also ture with the stock tires on the dNaNo's after a while of driving on the Realtracks the cars seem to get better grip as the tires start to ware. The other thing I like about the Auto Scale tires is they to date anyway have not worn down and I've been racing them for almost a year now, on the Realtrack for about 3 months. I drive them just about every day.

The other advantage with the Auto Scale tires and rims in my humble opion is they look great and the car really drives great. I can also race the dNaNo's on my cement driveway. I mean it is a blast there as well. Try the stock dNaNo foam tires on any cement and good by tires. The conversion of the Auto Scale tires and rims is not real easy yet it's not impossible either. Yet in the end it was well worth the effort and you will ask yourself as I have a hundred times since what the H was KYOSHO thinking? My only guess is they assume you are only going to race on a carpet or foam track.

I have four RCP tracks and if anyone wants to buy them let me know because in terms of how the Realtracks look, the time it takes to set up and the way the cars rip around on it, I can't ever see myself using the RCP tracks again. If you want to convert your dNaNo let me know and I will do the best I can to help. To date I have only tried to convert the 787B and the 962 C LH. Yet I'm sure I could convert any of the dNaNo's now. email me @ mike_ross_558@hotmail.com if converting your Auto Scale tires and rims from your dNaNo has any interest to you.

The last thing I will say is I personally like to drive my cars to the point of having the cars slide a little around the turns. Yet I know like everything in our hobby that everyone has their own thoughts as to what is good grip and what is not good grip. Lap times being the great divider and I suppose the Hallmark of this thread. So if its zero slide and great grip your looking for on your Realtracks, racing either the Epochs or the dNaNo's, try this PLASTI DIP and you may well come away one happy camper regardless of which tires you run or which car for that matter. Or do the conversion if its the dNaNo's you race, either way you will end up loving that realtracks and those dNaNo's and Epochs all the more!
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  #19  
Old 06-06-2009, 08:37 AM
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good read, thanks for sharing

could you please post a description on how to convert the asc wheels/tires in the parts subforum?

i've used plasti-sip for years to insulate rc antenna's and other things. i didn't know it came in a spray can.

this could be used in the manner we were talking about earlier to coat racing lines in turns. i have to go to the home depot soon anyway and i'll pick up a can if i find it.
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  #20  
Old 06-06-2009, 12:28 PM
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dNano track test

After getting all of your emails and speaking with you Mike I was wondering when you were going to share with the masses. I only had a few minutes this morning to shoot some video. I had to do it with a digital camera because my computer with firewire is down. They are not the smoothest of laps but a few good lap times. Around 4.2’s average with a best of just under 3.7. You should be able to see each lap time in the video. Next time I will put a few more sections of removable guard rail where I occasional cut some corners. My KT-18 is set up with the throttle all the way back to the multi beep stop and 3 beeps from solid left and right travel. This allows me to apply full throttle to the stops coming off turn 7, followed by a quick lift and back on entering turn 8. Forget the training mode. Make the max throttle and lock to lock travel for each race course. Greg this should take care of the hair trigger you mentioned. I like the gradual power curve to full power that the KT-18 puts in. It’s almost like electronic limited slip. With the proper tire combinations I really don’t feel that any coatings will be required. Although I do like the thought of adding it to the racing line. I am an average to crappy driver and more limited by my skill than the traction and handling of the car on the track. I forgot how much fun a small set-up is and how quick it goes down. I think some you tube HFAY may be in order. Or since that’s already taken how about “RealTracks Time Trials”. We have been moving slow with the timing system. It’s been 99 percent done for awhile. We were trying to get the online portion complete before the release. I am thinking of adding that portion later and we could just use the “Video Recording” or “Skid Pad” screens with the big numbers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDVUqyGsq-Y
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Last edited by RealTracks; 06-06-2009 at 01:11 PM.
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  #21  
Old 06-06-2009, 12:33 PM
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i look forward to seeing the timing system. it sounds and looks very interesting.

have you tried some of these surface treatments?

Last edited by arch2b; 06-06-2009 at 12:59 PM.
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  #22  
Old 06-06-2009, 01:09 PM
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Arch,
No I have not tried them. When I get some time I am going to try both methods on the racing line for fun. I am going to get a few macro close ups from the bottom of of my tires, if you have minute could do the same and email it to me. My mazda was a U.S. purchse and I am wondering if export or later production got different tires. That might explain the varying performance. I would like to compare the profiles.
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  #23  
Old 06-06-2009, 01:19 PM
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sure thing.

i'm uploading video files of my first couple runs on the 34 pack track right now
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  #24  
Old 06-06-2009, 02:06 PM
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as promised, HERE is the first video of my first test drive with a stock mini-z on my 34 pack 24" tile RealTracks. as you'll see the batteries died on me toward the end.

i was very surprised that the mini-z behaved almost exactly as it does on my RCP mini-96. there is a little bit more push in the runs under power but that is was expected. i happen to have the standard RCP tire setup for a mini-z which is Kyosho 20 front and 30 rear. this, in my opinion is very good starting point for a stock mini-z. anything faster will need some adjustments. maybe 20 fronts...
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  #25  
Old 06-06-2009, 02:19 PM
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HERE is some video with fresh batteries. please excuse the wild driving. this was the first time with my mini-z on a track without rails so there is added responsibility to keep the car on the track.

again, this common RCP tire setup did very well for the stock mini-z. i would advise that no more than 2 be on the track at the same time unless your racing with experienced drivers where 3 would be ok. passing skills and traffic avoidance skills are crucial here.
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  #26  
Old 06-06-2009, 03:25 PM
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I actually like the tile floor. It looks like Miller Motor Sports Park in UT during the summer. Great video and I liked the multi-tasking conversation with your son. I think we can all relate to that. I also liked the way the car spun when you got wide and put 2 tires in the tile. I am glad to hear your standard tire set-up for RCP performed well. Did you run tape over them to remove the dust before the test? When you get some time if you could take another picture of that gap with the mini z tire straddling it, or include a ruler from above. It looked really wide and there is no way to judge in the picture. The Gap should be a max of 1/32nd and is usually 1/64th. That has not changed with the production units as that component was made on production tooling. The gap is for ease of asm, as well as taking into account the worse case environmental conditions and our vertical sheer. That’s while it will vary from no gap to 1/32”. What you should not have is any vertical change in height between sections. It is possible on the outer most 1.5 in of the track to be raised if there is an object under the section that is lifted for disassembly. Again the video looked great and I think when your club races on it in a few weeks that will provide some of the best feedback and data.
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  #27  
Old 06-06-2009, 05:17 PM
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nah, i don't waste tape cleaning tires. i just rub them on my shirt like most kids do to clean things off they were rather clean though as i had just finished some laps on the rcp track. i have used tape to great success many times. i even had an rcp tile pit lane that had removeable packing tape roll off area so you could pit the car and simply drive over the tape section. worked great. for the most part, unless i'm in a serious race, i don't bother with cleaning much. i ran nearly the intire season 6 of HFAY without cleaning my car. needless to say it was filthy. i do change tires every couple months so i try to clean then.

yep, the tile is a slippery surface. once you get more than 1 tire off the track, you can easily loose it.

i have the batteries charging again and as soon as they are done i'll get more pictures. the gap was rather small in my opinion. the extreme close up may make it look larger than it really is.

multitasking is putting a good spin it it's often difficult to concentrate with 2 kids running around, doing other things and or trying to watch what they are doing at the same time.
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  #28  
Old 06-06-2009, 05:40 PM
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here is a picture of that same gap.


i actually found a couple others since i took the time to look over them all. this one in particular was even wider


it may appear misleading large due to the tapered edge finish, better seen in this image. this causes more of a gap than the 1/32" clean gap. you can see how the finished surface is cut back from the tile edge.


these were the minority occurences. a vast majority of the tile connections looked just like this.


i will clarify this with the statement that neither caused any bump, miscue or anything else in use.
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  #29  
Old 06-07-2009, 09:28 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RealTracks View Post
Greg got me curious about lap times. I pulled out some 16” Flat Track and set up his same layout. I am an average driver. The dNaNo tires are stock. Now to be fair, Flat Track is 1.5” wider than the standard track. I was able to pull consistent 4.2’s with a 3.79 best. I am running the Mazda with the mid motor. My car and tires appear to handle completely different than yours. I will try and take some video and get it up tonight with the timer in the shot. My tires are well worn and I am wondering if that affects performance. I did have a few European customers who initially reported they thought the surface was slick and both responded a few days later that the cars were “gripping up really well now”. I have some more dnano tires on the way and I am anxious to compare the profiles. I seem to recall they were very rounded when new.

Here is a quick skid pad test:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4CyTKoLICI
I've had the TrackPack 20 since I first heard it was available. So a year or so??? Did anything change since the first batches? I have run many thousands of laps on the track with Epochs and later with the dNaNos. I've wiped the track down with damp cloths to keep dust off but the surface always seemed very slick. I am most likely an above average driver. I have had top times in the HFAY Time Trail comps plus have been driving RC Cars for over 20 years. I suspect, for some reason, my track may have been slipperier than the norm. When I get the new track from you I'll be able to compare the grip to what I remember from the old track.

Greg
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  #30  
Old 06-07-2009, 01:26 PM
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We now specify the exact facility and tooling the raw materials are manufactured on. Our first shipment of raw material was slightly different than what we originally tested. I think some units may have shipped that came from the wrong facility, but I can't confirm either way. It was a very subtle difference but noticeable. I checked and it looks like your Track Pack 20 was the 6th set shipped after the release date. The dNaNo's were not out then so I don't have any data on their performance. The epoch performance was only marginally different. However it may be exacerbated by the dnano's increased performance. Your new Track Pack will tell all.
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Last edited by RealTracks; 06-07-2009 at 04:52 PM.
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