11LikesCarpet/Astro tracks in the US
11-25-2014, 02:00 PM
#1
Carpet/Astro tracks in the US
Why hasn't carpet or astro caught on in the US? At least in the North East people are always trying to chase traction on dirt/clay tracks by using compounds, heating tires, lighting them on fire, using a "special blend" of dirt or a sugar mix.....
Why the aversion to using carpet or astro for indoor off-road. Is it simply about "offroad is supposed to be dirt"? Looking at a lot of the dirt tracks around today people do their best to make them look smooth to the point that they might as well be paved. That's not "dirt" either.
Why the aversion to using carpet or astro for indoor off-road. Is it simply about "offroad is supposed to be dirt"? Looking at a lot of the dirt tracks around today people do their best to make them look smooth to the point that they might as well be paved. That's not "dirt" either.
11-25-2014, 02:24 PM
#2
I think because we just are different here than Europe the carpet/Astro tracks started there and its offroad to them so it has more of a following. Here we just like offroad dirt better and that's how most offroad indoor tracks started here i noticed this season there is less people racing on carpet and more going to clay indoor tracks.
I like racing on carpet but the fibers from the ozlite is not a favorite of my and strings from the carpet getting wrapped up into axles etc.
I like racing on carpet but the fibers from the ozlite is not a favorite of my and strings from the carpet getting wrapped up into axles etc.
Last edited by tc5 man; 11-25-2014 at 02:42 PM.
11-25-2014, 03:13 PM
#3
I normally run carpet offroad and ran my first dirt race last weekend and I have no idea why anyone would want to run on dirt all the time. My cars came off dirty my pit table was dirty my tires where dirty my shoes where dirty, everything was dirty. The traction wasnt really an issue ounce i got the right tires but before the right tires it sucked.I for one am not a fan of running on dirt.
11-25-2014, 03:33 PM
#4
I normally run carpet offroad and ran my first dirt race last weekend and I have no idea why anyone would want to run on dirt all the time. My cars came off dirty my pit table was dirty my tires where dirty my shoes where dirty, everything was dirty. The traction wasnt really an issue ounce i got the right tires but before the right tires it sucked.I for one am not a fan of running on dirt.
Yea that is from over wetting the clay to late in the day . Happen once last season to me but 90% of the time the cars come up clean for the most part and shoes/pit table also lol they heard the complaints and fixed it.
The right tires and wear on them traction is not a issue but if the clay gets tried with warn tires you gota use traction compound on 2wd at least.
11-25-2014, 03:51 PM
#5
Yea that is from over wetting the clay to late in the day . Happen once last season to me but 90% of the time the cars come up clean for the most part and shoes/pit table also lol they heard the complaints and fixed it.
The right tires and wear on them traction is not a issue but if the clay gets tried with warn tires you gota use traction compound on 2wd at least.
The right tires and wear on them traction is not a issue but if the clay gets tried with warn tires you gota use traction compound on 2wd at least.
11-25-2014, 04:15 PM
#6
We in Canada have a limited outdoor season, so we run 8 months of the year on indoor carpet. It's bloody awesome! Traction stays consistent, never need to chase your setup, stays clean, indoors mean you're never rained or snowed out. The Europeans have it right. I don't see the downside
11-25-2014, 04:22 PM
#7
I'll be honest, there was quite a divide here in our local area when there was a change from Clay to carpet.
(at the time, the new owner of the clay track wanted to make the change to carpet and moved to a different location, and abandoned the dirt all together, but another group stepped fwd to lease the previous track space and maintained kept the indoor clay).
There is still some division among die-hard dirt and those who have made the switch to carpet. The biggest advantage is cleanliness. The next thing we have found is those old clay dirt tires (Gold Barcodes etc) are working on the carpet. In fact, Slicks have become the GO-TO tire. The TIRE WAR is over. Slicks mixed with the allowed SXT Traction compound are working great. Initially the carpet Pin tires were used, but since our carpet track is used for both ON and OFF road, the Onroad guys would complain about the fuz. After Jan 1, Pins aren't allowed at all.
For those even thinking about it, I can only give you positives. I hear very little neg when it comes to the tracks OTHER THAN, its not Dirt. There are many who were skeptic at first but are seeing the advantage of carpet.
Since the majority of us can only race indoor in the winter (Its Oregon after all) esp the heavy moisture and the humidity that comes with maintaining clay, quite a few complained about mold mildew and troubles breathing. Not so with carpet.
The owners have built a variety of jumps, ramps, whoops etc. The nice thing is on the nights we run offroad, we can make a different layout. Setup and tear down is maybe 30 min, and most jumps are moved by 2 people. Not having the same configuration of 6 wks or more is nice, and traction stays consistent.
If you are on FB, I posted a few pics and links to some vids on the B5NATION thread. Its gotten quite a few looks and the feedback has been very positive.
Premiere RC in Portland OR. http://www.premierrcpdx.com/
Plus, the variety of running Onroad as well keeps both scenes happy.
Lets be honest, adding sugar to a clay track for added traction is practically ONROAD CARPET level traction anyway!
(check out footage from the Euro EOS on Youtube. Lots of great racing on Astro and Carpet mixed tracks as well.
MOmo
(at the time, the new owner of the clay track wanted to make the change to carpet and moved to a different location, and abandoned the dirt all together, but another group stepped fwd to lease the previous track space and maintained kept the indoor clay).
There is still some division among die-hard dirt and those who have made the switch to carpet. The biggest advantage is cleanliness. The next thing we have found is those old clay dirt tires (Gold Barcodes etc) are working on the carpet. In fact, Slicks have become the GO-TO tire. The TIRE WAR is over. Slicks mixed with the allowed SXT Traction compound are working great. Initially the carpet Pin tires were used, but since our carpet track is used for both ON and OFF road, the Onroad guys would complain about the fuz. After Jan 1, Pins aren't allowed at all.
For those even thinking about it, I can only give you positives. I hear very little neg when it comes to the tracks OTHER THAN, its not Dirt. There are many who were skeptic at first but are seeing the advantage of carpet.
Since the majority of us can only race indoor in the winter (Its Oregon after all) esp the heavy moisture and the humidity that comes with maintaining clay, quite a few complained about mold mildew and troubles breathing. Not so with carpet.
The owners have built a variety of jumps, ramps, whoops etc. The nice thing is on the nights we run offroad, we can make a different layout. Setup and tear down is maybe 30 min, and most jumps are moved by 2 people. Not having the same configuration of 6 wks or more is nice, and traction stays consistent.
If you are on FB, I posted a few pics and links to some vids on the B5NATION thread. Its gotten quite a few looks and the feedback has been very positive.
Premiere RC in Portland OR. http://www.premierrcpdx.com/
Plus, the variety of running Onroad as well keeps both scenes happy.
Lets be honest, adding sugar to a clay track for added traction is practically ONROAD CARPET level traction anyway!
(check out footage from the Euro EOS on Youtube. Lots of great racing on Astro and Carpet mixed tracks as well.
MOmo
11-25-2014, 04:49 PM
#8
I'm not sure. I know that in CT the weekly club race at RC madness pulls far bigger numbers for club race entries than the other two main tracks in our area. But for me the big races in the warmer months are on outdoor dirt so I like to get track time on dirt surfaces year round.
11-26-2014, 07:49 AM
#9
Tech Master
iTrader: (4)
I think carpet will be something that will become more prevalent. Because no grooming or watering and can also earn more revenue for a track because of removing the jumps easily so the track can be run for on road.
This is something very new in the US and of course will take awhile to catch on but I dont see any negatives to it
This is something very new in the US and of course will take awhile to catch on but I dont see any negatives to it
11-26-2014, 07:56 AM
#10
I think carpet will be something that will become more prevalent. Because no grooming or watering and can also earn more revenue for a track because of removing the jumps easily so the track can be run for on road.
This is something very new in the US and of course will take awhile to catch on but I dont see any negatives to it
This is something very new in the US and of course will take awhile to catch on but I dont see any negatives to it
11-26-2014, 08:06 AM
#11
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No thanks, it might not be "real dirt" like in the old days. But it's still dirt.
11-26-2014, 08:08 AM
#12
I would love to run on carpet off road. I use to run on a track that had a small 1/18 scale carpet track. I loved it! I am a fan of dirt. But real dirt. Not this super high traction eat your tires stuff. I have to also agree I am not a fan of wet clay. But in the end I will race and run on anything. At this point, I've lived in enough states to appreciate the value of any track within reasonable driving distance.
On a side note. If anyone in Arizona can point me to the nearest astro track that would be cool. Even if its not in state.
On a side note. If anyone in Arizona can point me to the nearest astro track that would be cool. Even if its not in state.
Last edited by vulcanbomber; 11-26-2014 at 12:59 PM.
11-26-2014, 08:21 AM
#13
Lived out in CT for a bit when Manchester Hobbies was still running. I remember setting up track configurations for "carpet" offroad when they ran Emaxxes indoors. Even did 19T buggy class on the carpet and it was very fun.
Out here in ND we have interesting dirt, not sure if its considered "real dirt" but it sure any clay or anything like that. When watered you can get mudded up pretty good on the vehicle, it blows around when its going to a dry state and then you get a surface that is somewhat firmer but will be loamy out of the drive line.
Tires for some of the classes in those conditions go right up to step pins, especially 1/10 buggy which with several companies not making tires anymore like that, gives very limited options.
A track north of me that is now defunct had indoor carpet for a bit and allowed both foam and rubber tires and it reminded me of the days back in CT.
after doing the carpet versus real dirt setups, I am game to run on carpet, astro, etc but with rubber tires. Guys cutting down there foam SCT tires to touring car size showed an advantage around the track and really wasn't in the spirit of what the owner wanted the class to be.
But in general, not having to remove the layers and layers of mud that accumulates on the vehicles to me is a plus, and it seems like less maintenance too.
Out here in ND we have interesting dirt, not sure if its considered "real dirt" but it sure any clay or anything like that. When watered you can get mudded up pretty good on the vehicle, it blows around when its going to a dry state and then you get a surface that is somewhat firmer but will be loamy out of the drive line.
Tires for some of the classes in those conditions go right up to step pins, especially 1/10 buggy which with several companies not making tires anymore like that, gives very limited options.
A track north of me that is now defunct had indoor carpet for a bit and allowed both foam and rubber tires and it reminded me of the days back in CT.
after doing the carpet versus real dirt setups, I am game to run on carpet, astro, etc but with rubber tires. Guys cutting down there foam SCT tires to touring car size showed an advantage around the track and really wasn't in the spirit of what the owner wanted the class to be.
But in general, not having to remove the layers and layers of mud that accumulates on the vehicles to me is a plus, and it seems like less maintenance too.
11-26-2014, 08:48 AM
#14
The long and the short of it is this; carpet is everything dirt is trying to be. Lots of traction and consistent. It is also easy on tires (carpet pins last quite a while) and easier/cheaper to build and maintain. Carpet will take over on indoor tracks in the coming years, especially as more people try them.
Personally, I've ran carpet and loved it. Throw a gear diff in your car and never worry about ball diff maintenance again.
Personally, I've ran carpet and loved it. Throw a gear diff in your car and never worry about ball diff maintenance again.
11-26-2014, 08:52 AM
#15
Tech Master
iTrader: (79)
There is a carpet track in st louis park, mn its called MMR direct that I race at some times. They race on road every wednesday and every other Sunday, oval on Thursdays and saturdays and off road every Friday. The off road they use astro turf with wood jumps. I like racing off road there because its cleaner, you only need one set of tires and you always have traction. This weekend is there annual gobble stopper off road race. Here is a picture of the track for this weekend I can't wait.http://www.rctech.net/forum/attachme...sizerender.jpg
Last edited by robertsmustang; 11-26-2014 at 09:04 AM.