Rico, Very nice job! Looks like a really clean and sanitary build! The laps times you ran with it are about two tenths faster than what I could run with my HRS based Porsche 917. Are you going to try it with a sidewinder offset pod to see if you can improve it's performance?
5,652 June 27, 2008 6:50 am
Re: Speed Secrets of the Insanely Fast (5 replies, posted in Cars)
Rico, I'm sure Monte can help you out there! Looking forward to seeing some photos! ---------------------Bill
5,653 June 26, 2008 9:42 pm
Re: Speed Secrets of the Insanely Fast (5 replies, posted in Cars)
Monte, I'm glad you brought the short wheelbase topic up. Let's start some discussion here. That seems to be one thing I am good at. I've heard some guys say "the longer wheelbase is better for a fast track with sweeping type turns". I believe that, and I know it is true for 1/24 as well. BUT, personally I have never seen a 1/32 plastic sectional track (in person or in photos) that had more than 1 or 2 sweeping type turns (excluding banked turns. That's a whole different critter!). Come on, it's plastic sectional track, they're ALL tighter turns!!!! A fast sweeping turn would require 8 really BIG pieces, each of which would not fit in a small to medium size box. Marketing taboo!!! When you talk about a fast sweeping turn in 1/24 scale it is a very large radius turn, definitely in excess of a 3 foot radius. Viewed as a complete circle that would be a turn in excess of 6 feet wide. I know this as fact because I had a 1/24 routed track with turns that were 2 foot radius. They were pretty tight corners in 1/24 scale racing. The 6 lane track I presently have does have some sweeping type turns (ok, granted in my opinion), but only two. The smallest of the two, I consider only the 2 outside lanes to really be fast sweeping turns. That 5th lane out is roughly 7 feet in diameter, or approximately a 3.5 foot radius. Slot cars are instruments of physics and geometry. I'm not by any means a scientist, mathmatician, or engineer, but I have done a lot of experimenting with slot car chassis and motors in all the scales. What I do know is a long wheelbase 1/24 car (we'll use a 4.5 inch wheelbase as long wheelbase), gets around that lane 5 corner pretty well. Granted other factors weigh into the cars handling, but compared to a 4 inch chassis the 4.5 inch chassis are less twitchy. So if the theory of "a long wheelbase works best on a course with fast sweeping turns" is true, one of the factors must be; chassis wheelbase in relationship to turn radius (if all turns are flat and equal). In this case the the turn radius to chassis wheelbase ratio is 18.66 to 1. So, you show me a 1/32 plastic sectional track with a turn that has a 2.5 foot radius turn (that would be a 180 degree turn with a 5 foot diameter) and I'll show you a fast sweeping 1/32 scale turn (might be able to do it with Carrera track? Glenn?) where a longer wheelbase car may have an advantage. Now if that course only has one of those corners and the rest are tighter, I'll still stick with the short wheelbase car........So hey, this is just my point of view.......But then again, I challenge anyone to show me even a photo of a plastic sectional track where a longer wheelbase car would have an advantage!
5,654 June 26, 2008 2:15 pm
Re: Speed Secrets of the Insanely Fast (5 replies, posted in Cars)
Nice job on your Ferrari build! Great info! The secrets are out, everybody should be up to speed by the next race!!! ----------Bill
5,655 June 25, 2008 6:32 am
Re: Professor's 4-hour Enduro (9 replies, posted in Events)
Monte, What time are we meeting Saturday morning? Shari's for breakfast? What exit was that? --------------------Bill
5,656 June 23, 2008 6:42 pm
Re: Professor's 4-hour Enduro (9 replies, posted in Events)
The Toaster is now full up. Jack signed up for the last seat to Saturday's Enduro in Auburn... --------------Bill
5,657 June 21, 2008 9:30 pm
Re: Airfix Porsche 917 project (1 replies, posted in Cars)
Hey Jack, Your post worked fine. The photo in the link is a little small, but I also got the email from you with the PDF file. I'll take a look at the PDF file. --------------Bill
5,658 June 19, 2008 8:04 am
Re: Congrats (5 replies, posted in Cars)
We're working on the photos as we speak.....er, type!!!
5,659 June 19, 2008 8:02 am
Re: Professor's 4-hour Enduro (9 replies, posted in Events)
I'll be driving the "Toaster" up to the race. So far I have seats assigned for my son John and Flyin' Bryan. I still have one seat available. -------------------Bill
5,660 June 18, 2008 3:07 pm
Re: Congrats (5 replies, posted in Cars)
Thanks John. Monte is doing a great job on this site! I agree about the MSN Group. It will be much better having it all here on one site! It's just going to take awhile to get everything together! --------Bill