Do NOT read this if you get pissed off by newb questions!!!!

Son_Gokou · Post by **Son_Gokou** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 10:37 am

Umm...I was wondering about track surfaces, and barriers.
Here are the Q's.

What do you use for surfaces to race on? I want something hard, smooth, and perfectly flat to race on, something similar to a hardwood floor.

What is PVC pipe, or plastic? Is it bendable, and can it be put together/taken apart? If so, how easily?

What is the price range? Where can I buy the cheapest effective working material?

What about barriers? Is that what PVC pipe is for?

Sorry for all the newb questions, but I'm really desperate and I can't race on thick carpet....That's why I'm looking for "put-together and take-apart" surfaces to lay on the carpet......Again, sorry to piss peeps off.

Post by **CaboWabo** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 10:59 am

I'm using wood, particle board type.
you can get a sheet of that, build your track and when you're done racing, just lean it up against the wall or something.

sessiz had some rubber mat type things, looked cool, looked like you could easily take it apart and put it back together.

the PVC pipe is hard plastic, probably being used for railings.

we built the entire bitPimps Track for just over $30.00

you've got a lot of options here, it might be easier for you to take a trip to the hardware store and just browse through all the stuff, take a bit even so you can drive on the different surfaces and find which you like better.

Son_Gokou · Post by **Son_Gokou** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 11:08 am

CaboWabo wrote:I'm using wood, particle board type.
you can get a sheet of that, build your track and when you're done racing, just lean it up against the wall or something.

sessiz had some rubber mat type things, looked cool, looked like you could easily take it apart and put it back together.

the PVC pipe is hard plastic, probably being used for railings.

we built the entire bitPimps Track for just over $30.00

you've got a lot of options here, it might be easier for you to take a trip to the hardware store and just browse through all the stuff, take a bit even so you can drive on the different surfaces and find which you like better.

Wood, particle board....How big is that, and how much did it cost ya? And how well can you put it together?

As for rubber mats....I'm looking for something flat, hard, and smooth, rubber sounds like it has too much traction.

The PVC pipe.....is it bendable, will it stay hard and flat and smooth?

I don't have any bits....My SE is broken, waiting for the FETs to come in from cyborgzero...I think I'll just take the Xmod with me.

Post by **CaboWabo** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 11:30 am

seriously, go there - you'll get better answers.
well look at our track, it's that particle board - it's those railings - those nails, etc. all for just over 30.00, so that should give you a pretty good idea that most of this stuff is pretty in-expensive.

I can't remember the exact price of the particle board - we bought the best particle board they make and if I remember correctly that was around 15.00
particle board is just a big sheet of wood, usually 6 x 10 or something.
you can cut it whatever size you want.
there's nothing to put together - it's wood.

there are different kinds of rubber, some have more traction than others.

typically, if it's PVC pipe, no it's not bendable - though they do sell PVC that does bend - just not well. now plastic / rubber tubing does bend well.
remember, you're going to need to afix this pipe / tubing to the track.
there's all sorts of different pipe / tubing you can use.
again - go to the hardware store and look at the 30 or more different kinds and pick what you like.

Son_Gokou · Post by **Son_Gokou** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 12:02 pm

CaboWabo wrote:seriously, go there - you'll get better answers.
well look at our track, it's that particle board - it's those railings - those nails, etc. all for just over 30.00, so that should give you a pretty good idea that most of this stuff is pretty in-expensive.

I can't remember the exact price of the particle board - we bought the best particle board they make and if I remember correctly that was around 15.00
particle board is just a big sheet of wood, usually 6 x 10 or something.
you can cut it whatever size you want.
there's nothing to put together - it's wood.

there are different kinds of rubber, some have more traction than others.

typically, if it's PVC pipe, no it's not bendable - though they do sell PVC that does bend - just not well. now plastic / rubber tubing does bend well.
remember, you're going to need to afix this pipe / tubing to the track.
there's all sorts of different pipe / tubing you can use.
again - go to the hardware store and look at the 30 or more different kinds and pick what you like.

Cool....so, I'm guessing that PVC is just hard plastic....I think I'll just pick up some PVC plastic sheets....

The particle board.....What if the current boards aren't big enough, can I take 2 of em and put em together?

What I have in mind is a 15 by 20 feet square track, then I'll just get some pipe and make a barrier.

Well, my dad's gonna take me later, and I'm taking the Xmod wth me. Thanks C-dub!

Post by **CaboWabo** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 12:33 pm

you probably could just put them together and put something over the crack if you have troubles driving over it.
(I said crack)

good luck

ph2t · Post by **ph2t** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 4:27 pm

CaboWabo wrote:.........
(I said crack)............

dirty, dirty man!

betty.k · Post by **betty.k** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 5:44 pm

hehehehehehe.......crack!

poly vinyl chloride (pvc) tubing is used mainly in plumbing over here. it's cheap and easily available. you can bend it using a hair dryer to soften it or better still one of those paint stripper things which is like a hairdryer only 10 times hotter.as for surface i was going to suggest mousepads or equivalent type foam rubber, but you said you wanted to slide a little and it could get expensive covering the area you're talking about. good luck!

Son_Gokou · Post by **Son_Gokou** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 8:55 pm

betty.k wrote:hehehehehehe.......crack!
but you said you wanted to slide a little and it could get expensive covering the area you're talking about. good luck!

Baby "crack" does the trick!

crazydave · Post by **crazydave** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 9:48 pm

Wood is seasonal, prices will vary. Particleboard, and ply is almost always the cheapest, and is usually sold in 4'x8' sheets.

I found that I get the best traction from a smooth slick surface, and haven't been getting good traction from wood. I've heard of several people trying chalkboard paint, but SilentWolv said that he felt it gave him almost too much traction. So I'm thinking about going over my track with wood filler, then block sanding to get a nice level surface, and covering it with enamel.

But the track you're talking about is pretty huge. I think my 4'x8' track takes up quite a bit of space. You might want to look into some vinyl flooring. You could find a place that lays flooring, and see if they got some left overs they'll sell you for cheap. Usually when they do a job for a customer they'll get more than they need, so they might have some mismatched left overs.

sessiz · Post by **sessiz** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 10:47 pm

betty.k wrote:hehehehehehe.......crack!

as for surface i was going to suggest mousepads or equivalent type foam rubber, but you said you wanted to slide a little and it could get expensive covering the area you're talking about. good luck!

Thank fuckin god!!!

That is the perfect analogy for these mats I got "mousepads" but felty-er.
I've noticed that the radioshack xmod tracks and the mini z rcp tracks (same thing I think) use the same or simular mats. They do provide awesome, some times too much grip though. No sliding unless you gots hard plastic for treads.

Son_Gokou · Post by **Son_Gokou** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 2:24 pm

crazydave wrote:Wood is seasonal, prices will vary. Particleboard, and ply is almost always the cheapest, and is usually sold in 4'x8' sheets.

I found that I get the best traction from a smooth slick surface, and haven't been getting good traction from wood. I've heard of several people trying chalkboard paint, but SilentWolv said that he felt it gave him almost too much traction. So I'm thinking about going over my track with wood filler, then block sanding to get a nice level surface, and covering it with enamel.

But the track you're talking about is pretty huge. I think my 4'x8' track takes up quite a bit of space. You might want to look into some vinyl flooring. You could find a place that lays flooring, and see if they got some left overs they'll sell you for cheap. Usually when they do a job for a customer they'll get more than they need, so they might have some mismatched left overs.

I'm thinking along the lines of, let's say, at least 15x15. It's for my Xmods, not any bits. The reason I want a smooth surface is not exactly for sliding, more like drifting....

My local home depot sells vinyl flooring.....I think I'll go pick some up.
But, the wood put-togethers also sound interesting....See, I'm thinking of something like, not exactly dry wood, like one from a karate board, but more of polished wood, shiny, HARD wood.....Anyways, sounds pretty cool of what you say. The reason my track is pretty big is that it's for an Xmod, and they only go so slow....I mean, with 4x8, I'll have to almost always keep the wheel turned!

But I haven't thought of leftover vinyl flooring...Thanks for the heads up CD!

Micro s2000 · Post by **Micro s2000** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 4:57 pm

some tips on building a track. 15 x 20 ft will be ok, you may want to expand on it later though. right now i built a track that was 10 x 20 ft. and you dont have that much space to really stretch your legs. expecially if you run 6 cells. for the surface i just run on my garage floor, but if you knwo of a good tennis court that is a real nice surface to drive on. also, the oportunities are endless on size.

a good barrier is pvc, and its reletively cheap. you'll also want to buy joints so you can easilly change it around. only problem with pvc is that it scrapes the body up. if you have a flashy body you'll want to cover it up a bit to keep it shinning.

another thing, make the lanes about 2 1/2 ft. wide. it should be enough to drive. but with the large turning radius it is sometimes hard to navigate if its smaller, expecially with all wheel drive. rwd is easy to throw the back end around for quick 180 turns.

hope this helps you build your track

Son_Gokou · Post by **Son_Gokou** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 4:59 pm

Micro s2000 wrote:but if you knwo of a good tennis court that is a real nice surface to drive on. also, the oportunities are endless on size.

I know....Bad Company, aka Ahh5hit, goes to the tennis court and drives there.....BUT, don't you have to get the tennis court's permition to drive there, of if you do it without asking.....isn't that....trespassing?

Micro s2000 · Post by **Micro s2000** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 5:06 pm

if its a public court i dont see why not, or if you have one thats part of your subdivision i'm sure you could.

check a park near you if they allow r/c's on the courts and if someone kicks you off they cant really do anything if there wasnt a sign posted, just say alright and leave.