I will have much to say on various track surfaces once I finish testing, but here are some more general observations from the test track surfaces so far:
EVA foam and its many formulations remains one of my favorites. Just keep it static-free by washing gently with water on occasion. Ozite carpet has mid-traction and a great "racing" feel (but don't use it for the d'nano - see below).
I have not tested plastic, but I can assure you there is a way to make almost any surface, including plastic, perform very well, given the proper tires, grain in the track, and if you like, track or tire "sauce".
For example, there is a permanent rubber 'spray' that I experimented with, with good results ... it can easily be applied to almost any less-than-ideal surface to increase traction. Another member liked Plastidip on the Realtracks surface, and I'm inclined to favour that type of traction "booster" because it is not an overly sticky dirt-magnet like sugar-water, rootbeer or tire sauce.
The only surfaces that are not suitable are those that are fiborous, so no carpet, or anything that is a static/dirt/hair magnet. (The jury is out on the high-end felt; I've had mixed results).
Just as there is no one perfect car for everyone (although a Ferrari 355 I once drove came damn close) ...there is no one perfect track surface. I'm enthusiastic about a surface one day, and "nah" the next day because humidity, temperature and minute setup changes all effect the d'nano's tires and the track surface. And unless I've driven a few hundred laps with different cars, on different days, I'm can only conclude that I can't conclude.
So a little "sauce" on your track or tires is fine -- if it's fun and it doesn't gum-up the car, then OK.
My biggest concerns with any track surface that is too sticky is: 1) traction rolls coming off the main straight and 2) wherever the "sauce" is, so too will be hair, dust and other yucky stuff -- for a 1/10th -1/18th scale car that's not going to make or break the race -- but for the d'nano I would certainly be concerned. (A track surface's ability to deal with dust and hair has been one of the biggest hurdles in trying to engineer suitable surfaces.)
With different tires finally available for d'nano, the 'type' of running surface is becomming less important - you just need to find the right combinations of "tuning" -- h'mmm ... sounds like full-scale racing. And considering that RCP, HTUSA, Realtracks, and the surfaces I'm now working with are all very different, there appears to be a variety of suitable surfaces.
Just look at tennis ... good to watch on hard-court, grass or clay, Federer and Nadal find ways to on all the different surfaces, just as Schmacher did at completely different tracks years ago.
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I can tell you what is being worked on with respect to track development by both myself and others is convenience, scale-like appearence, and a touch of realism. I, personally do not like too much grip on a track with the d'nano, as I found out with 1.0+ COF (coefficient of friction) rubber. It's just not realistic.
The more I drive, the more I realize that the most important "traction" upgrade after the prerequisite bearings/diff/tires is a new transmitter. The steering rates and loosy-goosy feel on the Perfex TX are awful ... I'm just not comfortable with that transmitter (although my kids like it). On a grippy track or with low degree (sticky) front tires, my 360 Modena darts around like the ShamWow pitchman on crack.
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The d'nano is a very special car; the traction coefficeints, CG, and scale speed are worlds apart from the Mini-Z. Making the car fun to drive on an ongoing basis on a smallish 14x6 track is also challenging ... the biggest uprade you can make on any track, whether that be RCP, Realtracks or homebrew ...is...more track.
In conclusion; don't go too sticky or attract dust in any way, buy more track so the d'nano can stretch its legs, upgrade the car ... and if you have a KO Propo TX that you are running with your D'nano ... please let me know if that helps your handling before I plunk down a grand for a few of those. - Lorne
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