5LikesIndoor Asphalt vs. Indoor Carpet
08-02-2003, 07:09 AM
#1
Indoor Asphalt vs. Indoor Carpet
Just looking for some input folks. Wondering which track you personally prefer and why. Always been a bit curious why carpet is even necessary. BTW....this also includes Indoor Concrete as I know there are some out there, especially in Europe. If you prefer,please PM me. I could really use your advice. Thanks
08-02-2003, 11:41 AM
#2
Everyone has a different opinion, but for me it's CARPET!!! There simply is no other surface that offers such consitently excellent grip, day in & day out, & really isn't very hard on cars, either. It is kind of expensive & needs to be installed & maintained properly, but IMHO it's more than worth it.....
08-02-2003, 12:14 PM
#4
robert is right.
ha. carpet has an insane amount of traction. for me, i would like to play with one ways etc, which lend themselves better to hard surface racing. however, you just can't beat running an entire season and still having your car look like the day it was built. the debris level is low and more importantly, it is not abrasive when running on carpet.
booyah!
ha. carpet has an insane amount of traction. for me, i would like to play with one ways etc, which lend themselves better to hard surface racing. however, you just can't beat running an entire season and still having your car look like the day it was built. the debris level is low and more importantly, it is not abrasive when running on carpet. booyah!
08-02-2003, 02:32 PM
#6
Most people I know would say their ideal track would be an indoor tarmac track. Proper smooth tarmac though, not concrete.
Tarmac gives good levels of grip but you rarely have silly grip where you have to avoid grip roll. Indoors you'd normaly have some form of heating and even if it does get very cold you just run soft tyres, like CS22's, I doubt the tarmac could get so cold that these wouldn't work. Yes you get dust build up, but that gets pushed off the racing line quick enough, especially if the track is used regularly and I'm pretty sure an indoor tarmac track would get plenty of use.
Admitedly not many people I race with have raced on carpet, I haven't, but from what I hear it's great for grip can cause setup problems and you have to learn to drive a little different since the car will stick almost too much in corners. If there was a nice carpet place around here I'm sure I'd go, beats wooden floors anyday
even beats the outdoor tarmac racing which is called of from rain half the time in Scotland 
Carpet is probably my second to a good indoor tarmac track, if the tarmac is poor or it's concrete than I'd rather have carpet.
Tarmac gives good levels of grip but you rarely have silly grip where you have to avoid grip roll. Indoors you'd normaly have some form of heating and even if it does get very cold you just run soft tyres, like CS22's, I doubt the tarmac could get so cold that these wouldn't work. Yes you get dust build up, but that gets pushed off the racing line quick enough, especially if the track is used regularly and I'm pretty sure an indoor tarmac track would get plenty of use.
Admitedly not many people I race with have raced on carpet, I haven't, but from what I hear it's great for grip can cause setup problems and you have to learn to drive a little different since the car will stick almost too much in corners. If there was a nice carpet place around here I'm sure I'd go, beats wooden floors anyday
even beats the outdoor tarmac racing which is called of from rain half the time in Scotland Carpet is probably my second to a good indoor tarmac track, if the tarmac is poor or it's concrete than I'd rather have carpet.
. Remember it's easier to dial-out traction than to dial it in (and still be fast, that is).
08-02-2003, 09:35 PM
#9
I see all of these Carpet votes, and yet I wonder has any of you actually raced on indoor asphalt???
From the replies I can say I seriously doubt it!! I have had the pleasure of racing indoor asphalt and carpet, and asphalt just makes much more since....
1- you pay a little more now, however w/o the regular parking lot traffic, weather, and spilled chemicals the track surface will easily last for 30 years or more.....
2- The indoor track I raced on is in Hanover, PA and in the winter time it gets below 0 deg..... and traction is always plentiful... hell I was traction rolling and it was 10 deg. outside!!! and the heating isn't that great in the building.... besides we are talking Melbourne, Florida....
3- Indoor asphallt has much more consistant traction week to week.... and there are traction tricks ....
4- Asphalt is much more forgiving of a racing surface
5- We are talking INDOOR asphalt... where are you gonna get alot of dust on it???? there isn't gonna be any wind blowing the crap on it!!!
6- track surface clean-up wil be completely taken care of in 10 min. with a $60 electric leaf blower found at the Home Depot.... Carpet requires a shop vacuum type cleaner which costs roughly the same (beater bar living-room vacuums will ruin the rug)
Please be thoughtful and give you opinion on which you prefer to race on, but also remember don't down the other if you have never raced in those conditions!!
A loca shop just had asphalt layed for a permanent track, it cost about $4 per square yard (this includes labor and materials and should be concidered a rough estimate at costs will differ between areas and contractors)... Ozite costs between $3.75 and $4.75 Sq. yard is only available from 1 company in the US and can take upwards of several month to get hold of.. 3-4 years is pushing it for Ozite, and you also incure the costs of labor and materials to lay and secure the rug...... Not to mention you must walk the entire area bi-weekly at minimum to ensure all snags are repaired before they ruin a very large area of the carpet. Ride height and "objects protruding from the bottom of the chassis" rules must be strictly enforced...... Barriers must be constructed that will remain stationary on the rug and yet ensure they will not snag it.....
So all that being said why would any shop/track owner go for carpet over aphalt???? Simply put you need to poll the racers that will be attending, make them aware of why you would want to use each and how much extra it will cost them weekly if you are forced to use carpet, and see if they would still be interested in racing caroet or would mind racing indoor asphalt.......
Remember most of the complaints you have read and that will be stereotyped as "this is what an asphalt track will be like" are due to the many parkinglot tracks in the US..... Edjucate the racers and then let them make an intelligent vote.....
Just some food for thought.... now all the rug rats will flame me!!!!!
From the replies I can say I seriously doubt it!! I have had the pleasure of racing indoor asphalt and carpet, and asphalt just makes much more since....
1- you pay a little more now, however w/o the regular parking lot traffic, weather, and spilled chemicals the track surface will easily last for 30 years or more.....
2- The indoor track I raced on is in Hanover, PA and in the winter time it gets below 0 deg..... and traction is always plentiful... hell I was traction rolling and it was 10 deg. outside!!! and the heating isn't that great in the building.... besides we are talking Melbourne, Florida....
3- Indoor asphallt has much more consistant traction week to week.... and there are traction tricks ....
4- Asphalt is much more forgiving of a racing surface
5- We are talking INDOOR asphalt... where are you gonna get alot of dust on it???? there isn't gonna be any wind blowing the crap on it!!!
6- track surface clean-up wil be completely taken care of in 10 min. with a $60 electric leaf blower found at the Home Depot.... Carpet requires a shop vacuum type cleaner which costs roughly the same (beater bar living-room vacuums will ruin the rug)
Please be thoughtful and give you opinion on which you prefer to race on, but also remember don't down the other if you have never raced in those conditions!!
A loca shop just had asphalt layed for a permanent track, it cost about $4 per square yard (this includes labor and materials and should be concidered a rough estimate at costs will differ between areas and contractors)... Ozite costs between $3.75 and $4.75 Sq. yard is only available from 1 company in the US and can take upwards of several month to get hold of.. 3-4 years is pushing it for Ozite, and you also incure the costs of labor and materials to lay and secure the rug...... Not to mention you must walk the entire area bi-weekly at minimum to ensure all snags are repaired before they ruin a very large area of the carpet. Ride height and "objects protruding from the bottom of the chassis" rules must be strictly enforced...... Barriers must be constructed that will remain stationary on the rug and yet ensure they will not snag it.....
So all that being said why would any shop/track owner go for carpet over aphalt???? Simply put you need to poll the racers that will be attending, make them aware of why you would want to use each and how much extra it will cost them weekly if you are forced to use carpet, and see if they would still be interested in racing caroet or would mind racing indoor asphalt.......
Remember most of the complaints you have read and that will be stereotyped as "this is what an asphalt track will be like" are due to the many parkinglot tracks in the US..... Edjucate the racers and then let them make an intelligent vote.....
Just some food for thought.... now all the rug rats will flame me!!!!!
08-02-2003, 10:38 PM
#10
No, no flames neccessary. Like I said, everyone has their own opinion, but to answer your question, yes, I have run on pretty much ALL types of surfaces in the 14 years I've been racing(from outdoor asphalt to indoor asphalt, out & indoor concrete both treated & untreated, dirt, Astroturf, tennis courts & of course carpet), & carpet has always been my favorite. And anyone who's worried about gip roll really shouldn't, if you have too much grip, just go to a harder tire & use firmer springs(as well as thicker shock oil or try pistons for heavier damping). And of course, when using firer tires, your tires will last longer, & won't lose performance very quickly(so you get more usable life from the money you spend on tires). As long as you have a good setup on your car, you'll have nothing to worry about(except making driving mistakes, which I still do a bit too often..
).
).
08-03-2003, 09:15 AM
#11
I think carpet is lot more popular due to the fact that once asphalt is in, it's in. Not all landlords would allow you to lay asphalt (such as in a retail area, mall etc.). Also, a club can roll out carpet in a gym or rec center, tape it down, and roll it back up. You can even semi perminently install carpet with double sided tape, since you can't always glue it due to lease restictions, etc.
I guess I have reservations about asphalt because i have seen carpet tracks(!) change due to outside weather conditions. Mostly because the carpet was right on a cement floor.
The other thing is 99% of the tracks that are indoors are carpet. Notable exceptions that spring to mind are RCO and SoCal.
Yeah, carpet has its drawbacks, but I like it.
I guess I have reservations about asphalt because i have seen carpet tracks(!) change due to outside weather conditions. Mostly because the carpet was right on a cement floor.
The other thing is 99% of the tracks that are indoors are carpet. Notable exceptions that spring to mind are RCO and SoCal.
Yeah, carpet has its drawbacks, but I like it.
08-03-2003, 10:12 AM
#12
Tech Regular
Originally posted by IMPACTPLAYR
I see all of these Carpet votes, and yet I wonder has any of you actually raced on indoor asphalt???
From the replies I can say I seriously doubt it!! I have had the pleasure of racing indoor asphalt and carpet, and asphalt just makes much more since....
1- you pay a little more now, however w/o the regular parking lot traffic, weather, and spilled chemicals the track surface will easily last for 30 years or more.....
2- The indoor track I raced on is in Hanover, PA and in the winter time it gets below 0 deg..... and traction is always plentiful... hell I was traction rolling and it was 10 deg. outside!!! and the heating isn't that great in the building.... besides we are talking Melbourne, Florida....
3- Indoor asphallt has much more consistant traction week to week.... and there are traction tricks ....
4- Asphalt is much more forgiving of a racing surface
5- We are talking INDOOR asphalt... where are you gonna get alot of dust on it???? there isn't gonna be any wind blowing the crap on it!!!
6- track surface clean-up wil be completely taken care of in 10 min. with a $60 electric leaf blower found at the Home Depot.... Carpet requires a shop vacuum type cleaner which costs roughly the same (beater bar living-room vacuums will ruin the rug)
Please be thoughtful and give you opinion on which you prefer to race on, but also remember don't down the other if you have never raced in those conditions!!
A loca shop just had asphalt layed for a permanent track, it cost about $4 per square yard (this includes labor and materials and should be concidered a rough estimate at costs will differ between areas and contractors)... Ozite costs between $3.75 and $4.75 Sq. yard is only available from 1 company in the US and can take upwards of several month to get hold of.. 3-4 years is pushing it for Ozite, and you also incure the costs of labor and materials to lay and secure the rug...... Not to mention you must walk the entire area bi-weekly at minimum to ensure all snags are repaired before they ruin a very large area of the carpet. Ride height and "objects protruding from the bottom of the chassis" rules must be strictly enforced...... Barriers must be constructed that will remain stationary on the rug and yet ensure they will not snag it.....
So all that being said why would any shop/track owner go for carpet over aphalt???? Simply put you need to poll the racers that will be attending, make them aware of why you would want to use each and how much extra it will cost them weekly if you are forced to use carpet, and see if they would still be interested in racing caroet or would mind racing indoor asphalt.......
Remember most of the complaints you have read and that will be stereotyped as "this is what an asphalt track will be like" are due to the many parkinglot tracks in the US..... Edjucate the racers and then let them make an intelligent vote.....
Just some food for thought.... now all the rug rats will flame me!!!!!
I see all of these Carpet votes, and yet I wonder has any of you actually raced on indoor asphalt???
From the replies I can say I seriously doubt it!! I have had the pleasure of racing indoor asphalt and carpet, and asphalt just makes much more since....
1- you pay a little more now, however w/o the regular parking lot traffic, weather, and spilled chemicals the track surface will easily last for 30 years or more.....
2- The indoor track I raced on is in Hanover, PA and in the winter time it gets below 0 deg..... and traction is always plentiful... hell I was traction rolling and it was 10 deg. outside!!! and the heating isn't that great in the building.... besides we are talking Melbourne, Florida....
3- Indoor asphallt has much more consistant traction week to week.... and there are traction tricks ....
4- Asphalt is much more forgiving of a racing surface
5- We are talking INDOOR asphalt... where are you gonna get alot of dust on it???? there isn't gonna be any wind blowing the crap on it!!!
6- track surface clean-up wil be completely taken care of in 10 min. with a $60 electric leaf blower found at the Home Depot.... Carpet requires a shop vacuum type cleaner which costs roughly the same (beater bar living-room vacuums will ruin the rug)
Please be thoughtful and give you opinion on which you prefer to race on, but also remember don't down the other if you have never raced in those conditions!!
A loca shop just had asphalt layed for a permanent track, it cost about $4 per square yard (this includes labor and materials and should be concidered a rough estimate at costs will differ between areas and contractors)... Ozite costs between $3.75 and $4.75 Sq. yard is only available from 1 company in the US and can take upwards of several month to get hold of.. 3-4 years is pushing it for Ozite, and you also incure the costs of labor and materials to lay and secure the rug...... Not to mention you must walk the entire area bi-weekly at minimum to ensure all snags are repaired before they ruin a very large area of the carpet. Ride height and "objects protruding from the bottom of the chassis" rules must be strictly enforced...... Barriers must be constructed that will remain stationary on the rug and yet ensure they will not snag it.....
So all that being said why would any shop/track owner go for carpet over aphalt???? Simply put you need to poll the racers that will be attending, make them aware of why you would want to use each and how much extra it will cost them weekly if you are forced to use carpet, and see if they would still be interested in racing caroet or would mind racing indoor asphalt.......
Remember most of the complaints you have read and that will be stereotyped as "this is what an asphalt track will be like" are due to the many parkinglot tracks in the US..... Edjucate the racers and then let them make an intelligent vote.....
Just some food for thought.... now all the rug rats will flame me!!!!!
So far I had ran on outdoor asphalt, that's rough, smooth, semi smooth.
I wish in the Bay Area, (San Francisco), have a indoor asphalt to race on, and I hear good things about indoor asphalt. But I know, the land here is quite expensive.
Indoor Carpet, I like it alot
08-03-2003, 12:23 PM
#13
IMPACTPLAYR - Bingo!
I've only run at RCO in Hanover once and it's an absolute blast. Indoor asphult is the way to go. Traction is great (I was running foams without compound). Really is better then anything else out there in my opinion. Pity it's 2 hrs away.
I also like outdoor asphult alot even if crap does get on the track. I've run carpet once and it wasn't as good as indoor or outdoor asphult, why? One thing was TC compound, when I came out of racing indoors my eyes were watering like crazy and I reeked of the stuff. With Indoor asphult there is little need for stinky compounds (due to high grip) and it didn't stink half as much.
In general I like asphult/bitumen tracks that allow foams.
I've only run at RCO in Hanover once and it's an absolute blast. Indoor asphult is the way to go. Traction is great (I was running foams without compound). Really is better then anything else out there in my opinion. Pity it's 2 hrs away.
I also like outdoor asphult alot even if crap does get on the track. I've run carpet once and it wasn't as good as indoor or outdoor asphult, why? One thing was TC compound, when I came out of racing indoors my eyes were watering like crazy and I reeked of the stuff. With Indoor asphult there is little need for stinky compounds (due to high grip) and it didn't stink half as much.
In general I like asphult/bitumen tracks that allow foams.
08-06-2003, 12:29 PM
#14
Ok, I've read this from top to bottom and have a few questions. I am just starting to race, but have been in the hobby for more than 3 years (piddly to all you). Ok, now here's the question, I just bought Jack Smash's FT TC3 with a whole bunch of stuff and the thing looks like it's brand new. I live in AZ and the closest track is an hour away, SRS. All they run is outdoor asphault. They set up the track every weekend in the parking lot, so it is full of crap. I've came to the conclusion that everyone is partial to indoor, wether it be carpet or asphault. Now it kinda scares me to race outdoor asphault. I'm not sure if I want to run my car at the track or just save it till *praying* an indoor track makes it's way to town? I want to keep my car n really good condition and know that it can really put some wear on your car. Can I get some of your opinions on if I should just play it cool and pray a track opens or just run the outdoor asphault? Thanks-Mike
08-06-2003, 12:59 PM
#15
It is really your call if you want to run your car outdoors on asphalt. If you like to keep your chassis like new, get the associated chassis protector or go to a ski shop and get the same material they use on snowboards. If an indoor carpet is not available to you, then your only choice will be on the street in front of your house which I assume is asphalt or your very own indoor carpet track...your living room. Be careful though, tire scuff is hard to clean...your mom or wife will kill you... Running your car on asphalt is better than it sitting on the shelf waiting for something that may not happen (indoor carpet). Just my .02.
Running your car on asphalt is better than it sitting on the shelf waiting for something that may not happen (indoor carpet). Just my .02.