I'm here in SoCal also and trying to decide on which way to go also. What did you end up doing?

Our local track in Sydney used a mix of 5 to 1 Molasis and boiling water. Sprayed the track and it works beautifully, heaps of grip and reasonable tyre wear. 10th scale Electrics only.

Molasis the stuff horses eat, comes in 20lt pales from the local stock feed supplier.

Its cheap as well.

Track has held together very well for 3 months so far.

What is the best equipment to use to be able to spread 100% clay over the track? The claay that im getting is from a freind who is digging out a large basement for a building. After i get the clay spread how long should i wait before i compact it with a roller?

Well I'd suggest using a steel tine bow rake, spreading the clay THICK across the surface you plan to pack it into.

Also make sure you're not just spreading it over an already packed surface.. Otherwise, it won't set up properly or stay put over any amount of time. Till up the surface you're planning on putting the clay onto, then dump said clay over those areas, mixing it into the surface, then putting more fresh clay on top as the final layer.. Then compact it all with either a roller, a 4wheeler, a hand tamper, or best yet, a powered walk-behind vibrating plate packer.

Don't pack it dry, pack it with a little water mixed into it, not just on the surface.. Otherwise the top layer will peel off of chunk up, as you're packing. Let it dry just a little bit, to where it doesn't stick to your equipment, but not dry enough to where it causes dust when pushed around.

Good luck and post some pics dude! Cheers!

We've had pretty good luck using "Pond Liner" for our surface. Its mixed with stuff from 20 years ago(I have no idea what it was, just clay/sand I assume). Our track was moved from its original location a couple years ago. So we transferred as much as we could. We often use Cheap Soda to help strengthen the surface. It still gets beat up a bit, but offers pretty impressive traction. We have to do this because here in Florida, it rains... allot. Check it out:

+ YouTube Video

http://youtu.be/_7sJYrLu9Us

The local Track Farmers plan to try sugar and water this weekend. Some of them are watching this thread to see what other options we have. Its always fun to experiment.

Hi all - old thread but are there any new thoughts on what the best dirt/soil/composition is for an outdoor 1/10th scale electric track in Southern California? Right now I'm thinking of finding something with a very high clay content (80%?)...

Thanks for any tips.

-Steve