Slowing cars down at the end of the track...need advice

DIY tracks.
PW Grasshopper
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Re: Slowing cars down at the end of the track...need advice

Post by PW Grasshopper »

A1nogoslo,

Thanks for posting the video, very helpful. I hope our pack will seriously consider it.

Just a theory, I think some boys in our pack may be adding to the problem by inserting the axles in the bottom of the slots. This small increase in clearance (as compared to a car that uses the top of slots or drilled holes) could make the cars ride over, or just skim, the traction tape. They then slam into the foam back stop full speed and fly back up the track.

The drop down feature would certainly take care of it.
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A1nogoslo
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Re: Slowing cars down at the end of the track...need advice

Post by A1nogoslo »

Grasshopper.......
We have some cars that run well into the 2.9's all of these cars are painted with basecoat clearcoat automotive paints even on the bottom of these cars. They are very smooth on the bottom and they stop way before the end. Even are modified's stop... Hope this helps...
Stephen's Dad
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Re: Slowing cars down at the end of the track...need advice

Post by Stephen's Dad »

PW Grasshopper wrote:
Stephen's Dad wrote:
I haven't assembled it yet but it looks to be very well engineered. I can't wait to try it out.
Did you get a chance to try it out and if so what do you think??
I finished assembling the new Piantedosi Braking System today. We ran a few old cars down it in the living room & so far so good.

Tomorrow is our Council Race where it will get a real test.
The man who stands tallest is the man who bends to help a child.
BestTrack
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Re: Slowing cars down at the end of the track...need advice

Post by BestTrack »

A1nogoslo wrote:Here's an excellent way to stop the cars with out banging the end of the stopping sections and with out having to put pillows, blankets and a big wad of foam around it...
We have a 42' Aluminum Best Track and they have a 40" stopping section that comes with the track kits.. But after running some really fast cars on it the 40 inches was not enough length to stop the cars without crashing into the end wall and foam... So now we ordered another 40 inch section and the cars stop nice and smooth way before end... Here a video of this setup and cars in action showing how they stop...
(I for one wouldn't like to explain to the kids and parents why there car got broke due to track setup after all the time they spend on there cars for the race.) hope this can help...

Hi, just a note on stop sections. The stop foam we use is very good at stopping cars on the BestTrack, usually in half the length of our stop section or less. If you find that the stop section has become less effective after a lot of use, just brush or vacuum off the graphite from the foam. It may worsen the problem if cleaners such as soap are used. And as always, the foam has a lifetime guarantee like the rest of the track.

Steve at BestTrack
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kwengerd
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Re: Slowing cars down at the end of the track...need advice

Post by kwengerd »

Here is a quick brake idea --- the track we use has a smooth raised center rail, and after finding that last year's truck rammed the wall HARD, we needed to put a brake in place. The quick solution was somoneone piled their coat at the end of the track... that worked, but I didn't want to rely on it in the future.

I took a tube of pure silicone sealant and ran a small bead on the lower side of the car, pretty thin. Silicone is very tacky when cured... not only was my car the first down the track, it was the first one to stop and stopped in shortest distance!

After taking this picture today, 6 months after the race, I find the silicone is very slick, almost like a wax on the surface of it, so I wouldn't apply the silicone too far in advance of the race.

Image
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