Weight placement on a 32ft to 54ft Track
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Scoremaker
- Master Pine Head
- Posts: 123
- Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2003 2:28 pm
- Location: Watauga,Texas
Weight placement on a 32ft to 54ft Track
Okay need a little help here. I been reading alot of post here and I have seen alot of people asking where is the best place's to put your weights. The back the middle etc. Then you have track's that are 32ft long to 54ft long. Where is the best place to put the weights on those Tracks? I know everyone has a different place to put there weights. So let see if someone can tell us where is the best place's to put the weights on a 32ft Track and a 54ft Track.
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Mike Doyle
- Master Pine Head
- Posts: 275
- Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2004 2:26 pm
- Location: Kansas
Re: Weight placement on a 32ft to 54ft Track
Here's my 2¢, for initial slope / transistion to flat tracks (most typical), put the weight in the back. Back weighting will maximize the potential energy available for conversion to kinetic energy (your weight is higher up the slope and thus can fall farther).
There are extreme track examples such as the 110 ft monster and "S" shaped tracks that my Sons and I have no experience running on, this advice should not be construed to work on every track type.
Center weighting is a safe compromise that may mask alignment issues, but nobody ever won it all by compromising
If you need further proof, just look at every winning WIRL design.
There are extreme track examples such as the 110 ft monster and "S" shaped tracks that my Sons and I have no experience running on, this advice should not be construed to work on every track type.
Center weighting is a safe compromise that may mask alignment issues, but nobody ever won it all by compromising
If you need further proof, just look at every winning WIRL design.
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2kids10horses
- Master Pine Head
- Posts: 424
- Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 11:57 am
- Location: North Geogia
Re: Weight placement on a 32ft to 54ft Track
Mike, I ditto your remarks.
I just ran on a 54' track at Council. We were fifth, and very rear weighted. The winner was, too.
There a guy there who told me he had the "perfect car for that long track" because it was mid weighted. He was adamant that mid weighting was the way to go on a long track.
He ran last.
So... I would build whatever design would give you maximum velosity coming off the transition. Great alignment and friction reduction will maintain that speed. The concensus here is that RailRiding - properly set up - works.
We're proud of our 5th place finish at Council. Our alignment was less than perfect. We don't have a track to tune on. We had some shimmy that I couldn't get rid of.
2K10H
I just ran on a 54' track at Council. We were fifth, and very rear weighted. The winner was, too.
There a guy there who told me he had the "perfect car for that long track" because it was mid weighted. He was adamant that mid weighting was the way to go on a long track.
He ran last.
So... I would build whatever design would give you maximum velosity coming off the transition. Great alignment and friction reduction will maintain that speed. The concensus here is that RailRiding - properly set up - works.
We're proud of our 5th place finish at Council. Our alignment was less than perfect. We don't have a track to tune on. We had some shimmy that I couldn't get rid of.
2K10H
