cla5675

iTrader: (49)

Hey, all. I was watching some vids of the Midwest Champs race last night and the track looked smoother than ozite!! So, that got me thinking. The current trend in the US is to run 1/10 electric on tracks that are groomed so well that most people run slicks or tires with worn down tread. Why not go all the way and run carpet like a lot of our counterparts in Europe do? Our local carpet track has an off-road night where we put out a few jumps and run 1/18 off-road cars and 1/10 trucks, but I'm more interested in seeing a track made out of carpet (or something other than dirt/clay). It's been a long time since I've run off-road so maybe I'm way off base, but it just seems to me that running on a carpet off-road track will give more consistent traction and less work to "groom" the track to perfection. I think a carpet track would also allow for easier changes in track design and make for a cleaner track and car. So, what do you all think? Am I nuts or is a carpet track used specifically for off-road an alternative other Americans have thought about?

acyrier

iTrader: (8)

We do just that... www.michianarc.com. See the video and picture sections, should be plenty of stuff there.

johnnyboy

iTrader: (28)

The best carpet off road track in North America is www.fastcats.ca. You can youtube fastcats for videos of their racing. The carpet is some heavy duty type (not an ozite at all) and you run euro style with Schumacher pin tires.

OTE_TheMissile

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, the definition of what an indoor "dirt" track consists of nowadays is pretty depressing to guys like me who know what the real thing looks & drives like.



The place I race at now is your average carpet onroad track, the owner keeps the road course layout for the week but on Friday nights we take whatever chunks of infield wall and other random bits of wood we have lying around, randomly arrange them around the track, cover them in pieces of old rugs and race Slash.


Here's a vid of one of our race nights from this past fall

Dave H

Yep, there are a few up our way that do that too. Nothing new either, they were around over 20 years ago when I was just starting out in this insanity.

They typically don’t reproduce the whoops or off camber turns very well. And there is still a significant difference in traction, not much counter steering on carpet.

Also they tend to be much harder on vehicles. Guess they wouldn’t have to be, but in my experience they are lined with unforgiving boards. Some guys reserve an old vehicle for that type of track.

Fortunately we still have real off road in the summer. I like roostertails and sliding around!!!

henry

I know this is done in the cold weather states. I've raced indoor offroad/carpet racing before. (Geez that sounds like an oxymoron). It definately has its pros and cons. It's nice because you don't have to clean the car when you are done. Plus, being this is somewhat common in cold-weather states, you can actually race in the winter. Plus I imagine for anyone trying organize R/C racing in the winter it allows a greater selection of venues for doing just that as you aren't limited by trying to find a place that would allow you to bring a bunch of clay into the building.

The cons are this.... From my personal experience it is actually rougher on equipment than normal off-road racing. There is no give in a solid floor and with all the suspension components on an off-road R/C being somewhat stuck out from the rest of the car the potential for breakage is greater. Plus, for the sake of realism you don't get that ability to really powerslide through corners like you do in normal off-road. Plus, setup approach is different because once the cars setup if figured out for that particular track it's figured out, there is no accounting for changes in weather or track conditions.

OTE_TheMissile

iTrader: (2)

Well I wouldn't say conditions never change; I'm finding the block tread tires on the Slash get that layer of built-up spooge on them after a bunch of packs, and where you might start with a truck that traction rolls without even trying, once that stuff gets on the tires it's like an ice skating rink.

So it's kinda like changing conditions, only it affects individual trucks instead of the track as a whole.

henry

Aaah I see. I've never raced the Slash only 1/10 buggy on carpet on I ran Holeshots on the back and never had problems with any buildup.

hupo

http://www.rc-carpetfun.typo.at/Fotos.html

cla5675

iTrader: (49)

Some pretty cool links, pics and vids guys!! Keep 'em comin.

Hupo, that track is awesome!! I really think the Euro-style tracks are the way to go, but I bet I'm one of very few Americans who share that thought!

Dave H

Most, not all, of the "offroad carpet" (yeah it sounds funny) I've seen is with foam tires. Especially on buggies. Even farther from "real" offroad.

OTE_TheMissile

iTrader: (2)

@henry - Right, and I've also learned that when it gets so slick the truck's undrivable, you don't necessarily want to break out the sandpaper and clear it all off the tire, or you're back to traction rolling.

So it's a little like the way real CORR teams add their own grooves to their tires. You have to make the right cuts (or in our case, filings) in the right places to get a good handling tire. Too little and you slide. Too much and you flip.

hupo

best tires for offroad on carpet:
http://www.racing-cars.com/products.asp?recnumber=11950

no foam, no slicks, no additive - really good fun!

Dave H

As referred to earlier, generally the U.S. tracks are ozite, dual use "stadium" offroad and standard on road. Pin tires are absolutely forbidden, it pulls the carpet up. Normally have to cover the bottom chassis screws with tape too, to avoid snags.

I can see where with the right surface that would be fun in a way though. Definitely thanks for sharing!

B4 Racer1

iTrader: (2)

that just defeats the purpose of off road..