Anyone in Miami area that can help a new local?
04-06-2016, 10:18 PM
#1
Anyone in Miami area that can help a new local?
I recently moved to Miami and decided to get back into RC cars after 10 years of watching my cars collect dust. I picked up a Serpent Cobra GT (Desoto is awesome BTW and have better customer service than any hobby shop I've ever been in). So I'm looking for other on-road enthusiasts in the area. This is my first on-road car ever, and I feel like I'm starting from scratch. Basically here's where I stand with my questions:
- I'd like to get involved in racing but not super hard core. I went to the track at Homestead and it seems like the track is only available for races or organized events. How do people practice? Also, why is the track not like an rc flying field where members can go there whenever they want? The memberships start at $250, but I don't see the value if that gets you 10% off race fees and you can rent the track for $150. It's not like the track needs to be prepped and MyLaps set up just to go turn some laps to practice driving technique. If the track isn't available to members basically whenever, outside of actual events, where is the value in the membership fee? I mean it's not like car racing where you rent the track for the day and that comes with flaggers and emergency medical on stand-by. Do they really have 20+ events a year where I will re-coup the membership fee with the entry fee discounts? I'd gladly pay $500/yr for the premium membership if I could go turn laps for an hour or so whenever my schedule allowed.
- Based on the aforementioned, how can I practice with my car to get used to how it handles before jumping into an organized event? What does everyone else do to practice without spending a fortune constantly renting the track for a day (when I really only want an hour or two)? Is my only option to try and find an empty parking lot? If that is the case, does anyone know of one reasonably close to Cutler Bay? Should I just deal with pissing off the neighbors running on my street? Being out of the hobby for so long and also only owning off-road cars I need to spend some time just getting used to the car. And since I've only been here a couple months I don't know the area at all really.
- What tires are decent for just running around on the street? I bought Arrowmax slicks (45s) with the kit that I've been using during break-in. Traction is decent putting around in the street out front, but now that I'm starting to tune it I don't think they will last that long and I don't want to kill a set of tires every 7-10 tanks of fuel just ripping around the street.
- Back to racing.... I'm going to try and register for the Homestead race next week 4/14 when my transponder gets here since I need the # to register. So I'm going to be that guy that is still tuning the motor and working the bugs out of a brand new build. So if you are there please have patience for the noob. But from my experience in racing real cars, I have an idea of how to stay out of the way on track. So hopefully I won't be a PITA to the seasoned drivers. Regardless, what spares should I bring? What do these cars go through on race day aside from fuel and tires? What is prone to breaking? Also, how many sets of tires should I expect to tear up and how much fuel should I bring?
- Prior to buying the car I stopped at the Homestead track which is what prompted my to go on-road for a change. The guys there that day were nice and all, but seemed 'serious'. I'm more of a casual rc enthusiast. Is there any on-road clubs/groups in the area that are more laid back (and probably more welcoming to a newcomer)? Basically, the rc car gives me something to tinker with and get out of the house for an hour or two since I'm in an intermission period with car racing.
- Anyone know of a BMW M3 body that fits this thing? I've spent hours online and can't seem to find one. I'm a huge Bimmer guy so the McLaren and R8 looking bodies just don't do it for me. If one does not exist, I'd like to go with a prototype style body like a Porsche 917 or 962. Do those bodies work on a GT chassis?
OR, is the moral of the story that I jumped into the on-road car without doing my due diligence and I should sell it and get the Serpent buggy since there is a much larger off-road crowd down here so it would be easier to be a casual participant? I hope not because I'm really enjoying the GT so far and am dying to see what it's capable of.
Thanks in advance.
- I'd like to get involved in racing but not super hard core. I went to the track at Homestead and it seems like the track is only available for races or organized events. How do people practice? Also, why is the track not like an rc flying field where members can go there whenever they want? The memberships start at $250, but I don't see the value if that gets you 10% off race fees and you can rent the track for $150. It's not like the track needs to be prepped and MyLaps set up just to go turn some laps to practice driving technique. If the track isn't available to members basically whenever, outside of actual events, where is the value in the membership fee? I mean it's not like car racing where you rent the track for the day and that comes with flaggers and emergency medical on stand-by. Do they really have 20+ events a year where I will re-coup the membership fee with the entry fee discounts? I'd gladly pay $500/yr for the premium membership if I could go turn laps for an hour or so whenever my schedule allowed.
- Based on the aforementioned, how can I practice with my car to get used to how it handles before jumping into an organized event? What does everyone else do to practice without spending a fortune constantly renting the track for a day (when I really only want an hour or two)? Is my only option to try and find an empty parking lot? If that is the case, does anyone know of one reasonably close to Cutler Bay? Should I just deal with pissing off the neighbors running on my street? Being out of the hobby for so long and also only owning off-road cars I need to spend some time just getting used to the car. And since I've only been here a couple months I don't know the area at all really.
- What tires are decent for just running around on the street? I bought Arrowmax slicks (45s) with the kit that I've been using during break-in. Traction is decent putting around in the street out front, but now that I'm starting to tune it I don't think they will last that long and I don't want to kill a set of tires every 7-10 tanks of fuel just ripping around the street.
- Back to racing.... I'm going to try and register for the Homestead race next week 4/14 when my transponder gets here since I need the # to register. So I'm going to be that guy that is still tuning the motor and working the bugs out of a brand new build. So if you are there please have patience for the noob. But from my experience in racing real cars, I have an idea of how to stay out of the way on track. So hopefully I won't be a PITA to the seasoned drivers. Regardless, what spares should I bring? What do these cars go through on race day aside from fuel and tires? What is prone to breaking? Also, how many sets of tires should I expect to tear up and how much fuel should I bring?
- Prior to buying the car I stopped at the Homestead track which is what prompted my to go on-road for a change. The guys there that day were nice and all, but seemed 'serious'. I'm more of a casual rc enthusiast. Is there any on-road clubs/groups in the area that are more laid back (and probably more welcoming to a newcomer)? Basically, the rc car gives me something to tinker with and get out of the house for an hour or two since I'm in an intermission period with car racing.
- Anyone know of a BMW M3 body that fits this thing? I've spent hours online and can't seem to find one. I'm a huge Bimmer guy so the McLaren and R8 looking bodies just don't do it for me. If one does not exist, I'd like to go with a prototype style body like a Porsche 917 or 962. Do those bodies work on a GT chassis?
OR, is the moral of the story that I jumped into the on-road car without doing my due diligence and I should sell it and get the Serpent buggy since there is a much larger off-road crowd down here so it would be easier to be a casual participant? I hope not because I'm really enjoying the GT so far and am dying to see what it's capable of.
Thanks in advance.
04-07-2016, 03:56 AM
#2
Miami tracks
Homestead is it in the Miami area. They have practice some weekends. This weekend is a practice weekend.
DJ Apolaro
DJ Apolaro
04-07-2016, 07:28 AM
#3
Tech Fanatic
I recently moved to Miami and decided to get back into RC cars after 10 years of watching my cars collect dust. I picked up a Serpent Cobra GT (Desoto is awesome BTW and have better customer service than any hobby shop I've ever been in). So I'm looking for other on-road enthusiasts in the area. This is my first on-road car ever, and I feel like I'm starting from scratch. Basically here's where I stand with my questions:
- I'd like to get involved in racing but not super hard core. I went to the track at Homestead and it seems like the track is only available for races or organized events. How do people practice? Also, why is the track not like an rc flying field where members can go there whenever they want? The memberships start at $250, but I don't see the value if that gets you 10% off race fees and you can rent the track for $150. It's not like the track needs to be prepped and MyLaps set up just to go turn some laps to practice driving technique. If the track isn't available to members basically whenever, outside of actual events, where is the value in the membership fee? I mean it's not like car racing where you rent the track for the day and that comes with flaggers and emergency medical on stand-by. Do they really have 20+ events a year where I will re-coup the membership fee with the entry fee discounts? I'd gladly pay $500/yr for the premium membership if I could go turn laps for an hour or so whenever my schedule allowed.
- Based on the aforementioned, how can I practice with my car to get used to how it handles before jumping into an organized event? What does everyone else do to practice without spending a fortune constantly renting the track for a day (when I really only want an hour or two)? Is my only option to try and find an empty parking lot? If that is the case, does anyone know of one reasonably close to Cutler Bay? Should I just deal with pissing off the neighbors running on my street? Being out of the hobby for so long and also only owning off-road cars I need to spend some time just getting used to the car. And since I've only been here a couple months I don't know the area at all really.
- What tires are decent for just running around on the street? I bought Arrowmax slicks (45s) with the kit that I've been using during break-in. Traction is decent putting around in the street out front, but now that I'm starting to tune it I don't think they will last that long and I don't want to kill a set of tires every 7-10 tanks of fuel just ripping around the street.
- Back to racing.... I'm going to try and register for the Homestead race next week 4/14 when my transponder gets here since I need the # to register. So I'm going to be that guy that is still tuning the motor and working the bugs out of a brand new build. So if you are there please have patience for the noob. But from my experience in racing real cars, I have an idea of how to stay out of the way on track. So hopefully I won't be a PITA to the seasoned drivers. Regardless, what spares should I bring? What do these cars go through on race day aside from fuel and tires? What is prone to breaking? Also, how many sets of tires should I expect to tear up and how much fuel should I bring?
- Prior to buying the car I stopped at the Homestead track which is what prompted my to go on-road for a change. The guys there that day were nice and all, but seemed 'serious'. I'm more of a casual rc enthusiast. Is there any on-road clubs/groups in the area that are more laid back (and probably more welcoming to a newcomer)? Basically, the rc car gives me something to tinker with and get out of the house for an hour or two since I'm in an intermission period with car racing.
- Anyone know of a BMW M3 body that fits this thing? I've spent hours online and can't seem to find one. I'm a huge Bimmer guy so the McLaren and R8 looking bodies just don't do it for me. If one does not exist, I'd like to go with a prototype style body like a Porsche 917 or 962. Do those bodies work on a GT chassis?
OR, is the moral of the story that I jumped into the on-road car without doing my due diligence and I should sell it and get the Serpent buggy since there is a much larger off-road crowd down here so it would be easier to be a casual participant? I hope not because I'm really enjoying the GT so far and am dying to see what it's capable of.
Thanks in advance.
- I'd like to get involved in racing but not super hard core. I went to the track at Homestead and it seems like the track is only available for races or organized events. How do people practice? Also, why is the track not like an rc flying field where members can go there whenever they want? The memberships start at $250, but I don't see the value if that gets you 10% off race fees and you can rent the track for $150. It's not like the track needs to be prepped and MyLaps set up just to go turn some laps to practice driving technique. If the track isn't available to members basically whenever, outside of actual events, where is the value in the membership fee? I mean it's not like car racing where you rent the track for the day and that comes with flaggers and emergency medical on stand-by. Do they really have 20+ events a year where I will re-coup the membership fee with the entry fee discounts? I'd gladly pay $500/yr for the premium membership if I could go turn laps for an hour or so whenever my schedule allowed.
- Based on the aforementioned, how can I practice with my car to get used to how it handles before jumping into an organized event? What does everyone else do to practice without spending a fortune constantly renting the track for a day (when I really only want an hour or two)? Is my only option to try and find an empty parking lot? If that is the case, does anyone know of one reasonably close to Cutler Bay? Should I just deal with pissing off the neighbors running on my street? Being out of the hobby for so long and also only owning off-road cars I need to spend some time just getting used to the car. And since I've only been here a couple months I don't know the area at all really.
- What tires are decent for just running around on the street? I bought Arrowmax slicks (45s) with the kit that I've been using during break-in. Traction is decent putting around in the street out front, but now that I'm starting to tune it I don't think they will last that long and I don't want to kill a set of tires every 7-10 tanks of fuel just ripping around the street.
- Back to racing.... I'm going to try and register for the Homestead race next week 4/14 when my transponder gets here since I need the # to register. So I'm going to be that guy that is still tuning the motor and working the bugs out of a brand new build. So if you are there please have patience for the noob. But from my experience in racing real cars, I have an idea of how to stay out of the way on track. So hopefully I won't be a PITA to the seasoned drivers. Regardless, what spares should I bring? What do these cars go through on race day aside from fuel and tires? What is prone to breaking? Also, how many sets of tires should I expect to tear up and how much fuel should I bring?
- Prior to buying the car I stopped at the Homestead track which is what prompted my to go on-road for a change. The guys there that day were nice and all, but seemed 'serious'. I'm more of a casual rc enthusiast. Is there any on-road clubs/groups in the area that are more laid back (and probably more welcoming to a newcomer)? Basically, the rc car gives me something to tinker with and get out of the house for an hour or two since I'm in an intermission period with car racing.
- Anyone know of a BMW M3 body that fits this thing? I've spent hours online and can't seem to find one. I'm a huge Bimmer guy so the McLaren and R8 looking bodies just don't do it for me. If one does not exist, I'd like to go with a prototype style body like a Porsche 917 or 962. Do those bodies work on a GT chassis?
OR, is the moral of the story that I jumped into the on-road car without doing my due diligence and I should sell it and get the Serpent buggy since there is a much larger off-road crowd down here so it would be easier to be a casual participant? I hope not because I'm really enjoying the GT so far and am dying to see what it's capable of.
Thanks in advance.
trying to answer some of your questions..:
1) Homestead is open for practice almost every Saturday. They have a SMS system where they can text when the track is open, etc. Just send a text to EZPXR63623 and you will be n their database. Unfortunately during the week the track is closed.
2) Sorry i don't know any parking lot. to be honest, most of the people don't have the time during the week to run.
3) The slick tires work better on prepared track. If you like to run on parking lot, its better to get threaded tires and hard compound.
4) Most of the guys are really helpful. Don't worry, we where all beginners at some point. If you need help you can come by and ask. Register in sportsman and have fun. Regarding the tires, you will need 2 to 3 sets for practice (track is open from Wednesday so you can have plenty of track time). For racing, the tires will be sold at the track since is a control tire event. If u plan to practice a lot, maybe 2 gallons is not a bad idea. As far of spares, your car is really durable. You may want to have a couple of spurs, clutch bearings and shoes. It is always a good idea to have one of each of the plastic pieces (suspension parts) and front body mount. You can call Ricardo @ Desoto and he can help you.
5) I am sure you will be able to find yourself welcome at homestead. As i said, you can go on Saturdays, do a few laps, enjoy the track etc. Most of the guys are hard core but there is enough space for everybody.
6) There are some realistic looking bodies available but they don't fit this car or any of the modern GT.
Moral of the story, come out, have fun. Do it at your pace and enjoy. This is the idea.
04-07-2016, 04:41 PM
#4
Great, thanks for the responses!!
04-07-2016, 04:45 PM
#5
I tries to text the number above and it was rejected stating it's a land line. Is there another way to get setup for the notifications?
Nevermind, figured it out
Nevermind, figured it out
04-08-2016, 06:01 AM
#6
Tech Apprentice
iTrader: (1)
MrWOLF,
I found myself in a similar situation a few years back and with the help of just about everyone I was able to have fun and go at my own pace. You asked a ton of questions and Paolo did a great job answering most of them so I won't go one by one, but I did want to reply and say that everyone down here is great and although we take things serious we always have a good time. Try to come out on Saturday and work through the bugs of the new build.
I found myself in a similar situation a few years back and with the help of just about everyone I was able to have fun and go at my own pace. You asked a ton of questions and Paolo did a great job answering most of them so I won't go one by one, but I did want to reply and say that everyone down here is great and although we take things serious we always have a good time. Try to come out on Saturday and work through the bugs of the new build.
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