Foam PVC for track?
Hello! I'm from Ukraine. I'm trying to build a track for competitions between 4-6 cars in the race.
- Is foamed PVC suitable?
- What angle should be for acceleration on the landing line?
- What angle should be after curve?
Discussion
I hand built all of my track out of Palight (which is a high density foam). Are you looking at making it laned or open track? If your speed isn't too high on the downhill sections you can get away with minimal banking on your track, but if you need banking use this method. This is waht I used and it worked fine.
In terms of your drop to make the cars work, you'll have to test. There's really no shortcut or magic formula for a handmade track. You need to cut out your pieces. set them up temporarily then run cars down it and tweak it each time till you get it working how you want
In fact, it is better to make a test version out of cardboard. The track is designed to be for rallycross, and composed for each race in different modules:
-directsegments of three types
-turns at 45, 90, 135, 180 degrees - different surface (imitation of asphalt and soil).
Therefore, in the near future (10 days) I will make the first necessary modules from cardboard and show my result.
Hello everybody.
I listened to your advice and started building a modular track out of cardboard.
In the first stage, my goal is to test the correct slopes of the starting line for acceleration.
And goal number two is to test combinations of turns. So far, I started with the combination of Right 135 + Right90. The result is one successful per 10 attempts. Cardboard gives its nuances.
- You could also try adding a small slope between the two corners, to allow the cars to carry the speed a bit more, it could also allow you to flatten out the tradition from your start ramp to the first flat section — Chaos_Canyon
Just a thought but it looks like the trouble starts just after the transition point from the drop to the flat. I'm wondering if the car front end bottoms out when it hits the flat track at that point. That little bit of an angle may be too much.
It is hard to really see as the video is kinda small on my iPad and I can't expand it so I could be way off base. Good luck on your project!
- Probably between the starting line and the first turn, I will try to add a straight section of the track, but with a more obtuse angle. — SergijGrytsak
What width of fattrack are suitable for turn??
- I made mine 3 car widths wide, that way if one car is sideways there is still enough room for another car to pass - in theory at least :) — Chaos_Canyon
While two turns, but there will be more. The main problem is to find a balance between the height of the starting point (60 cm) and the height of the first turn (45 cm) and subsequent. Each subsequent point decreases by 15 cm.
Hi. I continue to test the cardboard track. Most of the platforms have been made, their height and slope angles have been selected. Tomorrow I will start gluing a track on a template from the made foam PVC.
PVC testing.
- Looking good. — Chaos_Canyon
- Thanks. I didn't think it was such a painstaking job. Make each tilt angle, redo each turn 100 times. And how much more work needs to be done: raise the platform by 60 cm (add three more 160, 140 and 120 cm), and continue for two more turns. Decorate with tuan so that there are no voids, plant a little trees, put fences on the turns, spectators in the stands. And only then start making softboxes and buying cameras for shooting. — SergijGrytsak
I recommend browsing through the Archive and checking out the categories on track building and so on. Lots of great stuff and builds there you can reference.
But in general, track building is largely trial and error, especially when you're making a unique, specialized track like you are. Try prototyping with cardboard or something easy & cheap. Once you're happy with it, lock in your measurements and using the plastic, PVC, or whatever your material is.
Your layout looks really neat, if a bit ambitious...good luck...and share your progress!