View Poll Results: What side of the RCP track should be run for HFAY
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Textured Side
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10 |
55.56% |
Smooth Side
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3 |
16.67% |
Club preference, Clubs pick whatever side the want.
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5 |
27.78% |
2013.03.06, 11:45 AM
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Jordan, Utah
Posts: 6,877
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HFAY - RCP track side? smooth or textured?
So with some of the clubs around the world switching things up what is your feeling about what side of the RCP tracks HFAY Races should be run on? Does it really matter as long as the layout is the right configuration? We all know tracks vary from place to place and it really comes down to your setup for the track you are running.
Please answer the poll and leave some opinions. If it's something that the group is good with we would just implement it with the current season being run. Let me know what you think.
Last edited by briankstan; 2013.03.06 at 11:54 AM.
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2013.03.06, 12:02 PM
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Reading Pa.
Posts: 4,124
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I voted textured, it's always seemed like the easier side to tune to. It just gives a racer a bit more leeway with their setups in the sense that they don't have to fight a traction roll situation nearly as much as they would with the smooth side. Plus, in the incidence of collisions it seems that it's much less brutal on the cars when running the rough side. New sticky slicks on a clean, smooth-sided RCP and a high-speed T-boning on the backstretch will produce a much louder pop than it will on the rough side.
This is all based on my experiences, some racers may have experienced other-wise. The smooth side can be just as fun but to me it always seemed to add just a bit more intensity to the racing... which was fine when you had a race with a group of excellent drivers out there but for the "mixers", it just felt like the wrong direction to go.
Of course, running harder tires on the smooth side may solve a bit of the sticktion issue and setups may last longer. As always, there's two sides to every coin (RCP) I guess.
Personally, I'd like to see a comparision run on both by the same driver on something like one of our TT layouts just to see if there is any real noticeable difference.
Last edited by imxlr8ed; 2013.03.06 at 12:12 PM.
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2013.03.07, 06:42 AM
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#3
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 35,480
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a little change now and then can be a good thing i don't mind a change to smooth and honestly would be willing to try it just to say we tried it. we all know how to tune for the rough side, i don't mind another learning curve to adjust to smooth. you get complacent after years on a single surface type in my opinion. a little variety can be good. takes more work, a bit more money to tune to various conditions for sure.
the main thing i love about RCP is the ability to share layouts with other clubs. it's not really about 'identical' tracks as you don't even get that with carpet or painted surfaces. it's about running a layout that someone else can setup, exactly the same (layout) and compare times. you will NEVER get 'identical' surfaces so no matter the material so all the bickering about this track wasn't the same as that one is just like your buddy complaining the xbox controller button is sticky someone always needs an excuse...
the down side, 2 hours of removing pins and putting them back in
you can always add a drop down menu option for track surface
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2013.03.07, 09:08 AM
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#4
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 35,480
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I voted for club preference btw. Easiest method if selection of track side can be added o qualifications for results.
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2013.03.07, 09:11 AM
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Jordan, Utah
Posts: 6,877
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there is some good info being posted in the PNCW thread about the difference between the smooth and textured side. This is where the question was brought up about what side we run on.
http://mini-zracer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38961
I haven't had time to change my track to try the smooth side. to be honest I never even had the desire to do it. I've been perfectly happy with the performance of the textured side.
it seems that most places in Europe are running the smooth side of the track, but also they are allowing traction compounds. If we do allow the smooth side, traction compounds will NOT BE LEGAL. I personally don't want any kind of traction compound on my track.
from some of the information that I have gathered there seems to be some tires that work better than others on the smooth side, and a lot has to do with the fact the compounds were used, weren't used, or had been previously used on the track surface.
Keep posting any info, opinions or experiences that you have had with the track on both sides. thanks everyone.
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2013.03.07, 09:12 AM
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Jordan, Utah
Posts: 6,877
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arch2b
I voted for club preference btw. Easiest method if selection of track side can be added o qualifications for results.
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I'd need to talk to Jeremy and see if that is something that could be added without much trouble.
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2013.03.07, 09:41 AM
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Reading Pa.
Posts: 4,124
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When it's a clean track on the smooth side, there is a ton of traction with the usual rough-side tire setup (6s to 20s). Now when we tried the smooth side, I'm pretty sure it was in the warmer months and that may have had much to do with all that extra traction. The cars were pretty much on rails, but you had to be 100% behind the wheel or you were going to tag walls hard. I can't recall if we ever tried it in the colder months but I'm pretty sure that if the tiles were cold and dry, it would be tough to get any tire to be consistant.
Humidity and temperature change all track surfaces, put a dry cool breeze on one side of the track and a warm humid one on the other side and see what happens! When we were at the park, some of the crew would open up the door to the place and get scolded. Once the cold air got on the track by the door, you could tell right away. We used to race 2 times a week back in those days so we got to the point where we'd notice every little difference in the track.
I would bet that going from track to track, the rough sides would be closer to each other than the smooth sides would be (as far as setups go).
Last edited by imxlr8ed; 2013.03.07 at 10:00 AM.
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2013.03.18, 08:22 AM
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Jordan, Utah
Posts: 6,877
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let's bump this back up to get some more opinions from everyone running.
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2013.03.22, 02:20 PM
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 482
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if I were in HFAY I would be wanting to do both... just to mix it up a little, half a season on each side...
but ultimately if I planned on going to a PN race and they were only running smooth? then, I would use each limited chance my time allowed to be on that side all the time...
My boys just moved all the rails and I washed the smooth side for a fresh surface... now I need to set up and actually try it out....
p.s. after moving all the rails the thought came to me that maybe this might all be a early april fools joke from PN... could you imagine... haha oh I would be pissed!
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2013.03.22, 02:25 PM
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#10
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 35,480
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i'm estimating 3 hours to reverse the rails on a HFAY track... i wouldn't be happy either thats the only thing holding me back really from trying the smooth side again as i don't want to have to change all the rails. i do have some new track i can use, just no where to put it
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2013.03.22, 03:03 PM
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#11
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of both Time and Space
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Posts: 1,892
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If the smooth side of that limited edition track (if you still have it) is the same as the smooth side of regular RCP (I know the textured side wasn't), then you can use it as a dedicated track for smooth side racing only.
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2013.03.22, 03:15 PM
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#12
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 35,480
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i have plenty of track... the problem as always is space. i would love to setup a track for smooth side only but no place to do so. we have to pack up our track at our location (hobby shop) each time so i can't leave anything out, ever. the hobby shop does not have storage space for 4 wide L so i can't leave one HFAY of each either. I'll have to double check with the store manager to see if it may be possible to move stuff around to accommodate storage of 4 wide L.
once remnant moves back to their black tiles, not sure what i'm going to do with the grey tiles. if the rough side has less traction, the smooth side could be even worse. again, it's a real shame as we really like the color.
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2016.05.20, 12:21 PM
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#13
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 35,480
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i did not find this post in my previous search but if Brian does indeed decide to go smooth for season 22, please let us know as we will need to time to switch all the rails over.
anyone with 2 wide l smooth side setup tips? from what i've read so far, tire for rough are just as good for smooth, greater traction even with warm temps.
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2016.05.20, 12:40 PM
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Jordan, Utah
Posts: 6,877
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I'm good with whatever you guys want to do, right now it's just the 3 clubs running so might be a good time time test some new things out.
If we go smooth side for the point series for Season 22 that would give us until the end of June to get track switched over. I'd also need to do it for 2 of my wide L's for HFAY. If I like it I might have to switch all my track, tha would take some doing.
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2016.05.20, 01:03 PM
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#15
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 35,480
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i've asked members to post their opinion. we have the ability to run smooth hfay and rough club layouts if necessary so it's not all or nothing for us. we would have to switch over 2 tracks and bring 2 more out for club days.
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