Here's a thought. Now that Wes has freed us from slots... how wide do we want to make our tracks. We know that with 3.5 inch lane spacing we can easily get two cars by each other with a 7" roadway and we are limited only by the number of friends who want to race! This allows far more track in our layouts squeezed into our tight basements and garages.
However, to my minds eye many of the early tracks I've seen look unnatural with these narrow roadways. Let's call it the Tilke effect.
Doing some research shows that modern track design such as at our Track of the Americas requires a main straight of 49.2' width or roughly 18" @ our 1/32 scale and a minimum track width at 12 meters or 15"!!!
No wonder modern tracks are beginning to look more like slotcar tracks. Remember when 8 lane tracks looked weird.
Other than a small bullring or an oval with a kink in it i'm not fitting much track in my confined space with those track widths. So now we still find ourselves in the dilemma of balancing scale appearance and still fitting as much track into our limited allotted space.
I'm finding that at least 9-10" is necessary to allow the illusion that the cars are moving across the track in any kind of a racing line. another compromise between what is scale and what is actual.
Would be interested in other peoples thoughts on this.
Anyways we're making progress on our family room track up here in Covington, WA and hope to post some pics soon.
How wide do you wanna go?
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Re: How wide do you wanna go?
We used 4" spacing on our track, so the painted roadway is about 9" wide. But we've also allowed 3-4" of "dirt" to allow for running off the wire. We could have painted it all gray, then we'd have a 16-17" roadway.
I think it's important that cars coming off the wire don't block the "lanes".
With slot car tracks, we always want the longest possible track, but here passing and blocking is more important (or fun), so a long track will just spread the cars out more.
A huge bonus will be reverse, because now we don't have to worry about marshaling when we plan our tracks.
I think it's important that cars coming off the wire don't block the "lanes".
With slot car tracks, we always want the longest possible track, but here passing and blocking is more important (or fun), so a long track will just spread the cars out more.
A huge bonus will be reverse, because now we don't have to worry about marshaling when we plan our tracks.
Re: How wide do you wanna go?
Very good post.
Just homecoming from a very good Rumanian Wine Proving dinner, I need bigger (broader) rods.
We have to find out, bye testing and cheering results.
Today I start copying the track of Luf (OSR) and clip it in smaller detail's, just to make my own track.
And I could combine that with others good corners or nice parts, just to fit my room.
Sometimes It could be good just to make a mirror copy of a track before I put it in pieces.
But a have found that up to 300mm can be useful, on the straight its OK with under 200mm.
So take copy of good design, clip to pieces, make our own interesting design and fill in with straights parts.
Remember , its a new world, don't compare! Invent the best!
Just homecoming from a very good Rumanian Wine Proving dinner, I need bigger (broader) rods.
We have to find out, bye testing and cheering results.
Today I start copying the track of Luf (OSR) and clip it in smaller detail's, just to make my own track.
And I could combine that with others good corners or nice parts, just to fit my room.
Sometimes It could be good just to make a mirror copy of a track before I put it in pieces.
But a have found that up to 300mm can be useful, on the straight its OK with under 200mm.
So take copy of good design, clip to pieces, make our own interesting design and fill in with straights parts.
Remember , its a new world, don't compare! Invent the best!
Re: How wide do you wanna go?
I fully agree that runoff area is a new but vital concern so other cars are not blocked if possible... And now with the addition of a reverse to minimize marshalling.... Well this could elevate magracing to a whole new level.
Re: How wide do you wanna go?
I made my track to fit the 1970 can am racers, back then track was not so wide, very often road course, so that fit me to have around 20 cm.
but it may be wider in some parts of the track.
but it may be wider in some parts of the track.
Not sure we can be without anyway, but the most of the accident will be handed by the driver I hope, but I seen spin outs where the magnet hang on to the wire i 90° and the car couldn't get free.oldslotracer wrote: A huge bonus will be reverse, because now we don't have to worry about marshaling when we plan our tracks.
/Keld
Re: How wide do you wanna go?
Mid Ohio is 40' wide. With the same 1/32, i show that to be 15 inches. Am i right on that?
Re: How wide do you wanna go?
There is a LOT of diskussion about realistic tracks?. Nürnburgring has a nivelerring different on ca 350 mThat Will be ower ten meter in the race rom.
The fantastisk Spa is 7004 meter dividend of 32 Will be ower 200 meter.
The solutions
Take a Big room place good corners with selektiv raceline, bind them togheter with amazingslot straight.
The fantastisk Spa is 7004 meter dividend of 32 Will be ower 200 meter.
The solutions
Take a Big room place good corners with selektiv raceline, bind them togheter with amazingslot straight.
Re: How wide do you wanna go?
Lasp,
We are talking about the width of track not the length, of course length depends on YOUR space size and that's it. We are talking about if the width looks real or juse a city road to race on.
Chris
If I made my Daytona ti-oval to scale to 1/24 I would have to buy a warehouse to house it. just to show a comparsion of full size to scale size.
We are talking about the width of track not the length, of course length depends on YOUR space size and that's it. We are talking about if the width looks real or juse a city road to race on.
Chris
If I made my Daytona ti-oval to scale to 1/24 I would have to buy a warehouse to house it. just to show a comparsion of full size to scale size.
Re: How wide do you wanna go?
Sorry Chris.
It seens that all i put up is wrong.
If you think that 15 insch is realistic.I dont count on that.
You can dicuss I do the track
It seens that all i put up is wrong.
If you think that 15 insch is realistic.I dont count on that.
You can dicuss I do the track