useless full spikes and a new surface to race on..

branstonpickle · #1 03-04-2011

I no its not just me that gets annoyed with haven to spend loads of time getting my full spikes to wear down and then when they are ready only lasting a few weeks before i need to start a new set again when after visiting outher in door tracks it seems obvious to have carpet we can lay down the lenth of the hull and leave the shiny floor for an added challange rather than trying to get the cars to work the other way round with shiny floor and then some carpet on the jumps we would all so save money on tyers as they last so much longer on carpet and can be run till there bold i no the carpet would cost money to start with but id rather donate money for some carpet then have to spend more money on tyers each time just thought id put this up to see if people agree or are happy the way it is thanks.........

Hog · #2 03-04-2011

Many years ago the club invested in enough Primafelt to carpet the whole hall each week. There's still odd pieces of it laying about under the stage I think......

Back then we used to run 13 week leagues, and there was call for the club to try something different to the regular slippery floor.

After 2 leagues the unanimous verdict was that racing on carpet was boring and could we go back to the slippery stuff.......it seemed too much like touring car racing. Having said that - that was back then - if the club wanted to try something different "again" I'm sure it would be given consideration.

How about another idea - how about a harder control tyre? Would save on wear, would slow everyone down as the grip available would be reduced, and would probably also do away with the current trend of super boosted ESC's.

Just a thought.......

s22jgs · #3 03-04-2011

Why not just say all esc's to be run stock, no boosting

rc_penguin · #4 03-04-2011

The quality of the full spikes atm seems to be shocking, quite a few of you will say that its because of the amount of timing we now run and just the speeds are far greater than what they used to be so the tyres wear is greater, which is right but we used to get 5 odd months out of a set whilst they were worn in, now we can only get 2 to 3 weeks after 3 weeks of running em in?

I ran one set which i had from when i first started at the club from the 1st round of the winter series, they lasted through to the fourth round inc all the week nights in-between before they were worn out, i ran dads set at the 5th, then i ran a new set in for the last round, they were completely slick the Wednesday after. (And i ran the same, speedo/motor combo on the same advance settings throughout the series)

I've even had a set were the they wore were one side of the tire would be slick and the other would have a good 3/4mm of spike, it was like half the tire was a different compound.

Carpet would be nice, as the tire choice would be much much larger, but obviously this means an extra ten mins laying the carpet down when the track iis built and the original cost of the carpet.
But i agree with Jamie, im a bit fed up of full spikes...

Team No Idea · #5 03-04-2011

something else to consider. The choice of tyre for most racers on carpet would probably move to minipins?? we know from maritime that they will last 2 practice runs, 3 qualifiers and 1 final before they are ready for replacement. so that amount of runs equates to just 2 weeks of racing at faversham.......so new tyres every 2 weeks??? that makes it a tad expensive for some of the drivers.

whissstle · #6 03-04-2011

The thing is maritime's hall is 2-3 times the size of ours so we cant put the power down as much, also at maritime we use modified motors where as at faversham we stay with 13.5t motors so less power.

I also agree with Jamie for carpet.

branstonpickle · #7 03-04-2011

with a 13.5 and carpet tyers will last a lot longer im still useing mine from maritime and silverstone with tread on them still.....

Hog · #8 03-04-2011

The yellow spikes I do think are having a wayward time at the moment. Mine have worn really weirdly which makes for some random handling characteristics at times.

Either that or I'm just becoming more s**t as I edge towards 40

Edit - my tyres have been on for a fair while now. Yes they've worn but I'm no-where near killing a set every few weeks.

Tractor Boy · #9 03-04-2011

I would have to go with hog on this one, talking as a driver when we had carpet down all those years ago and run on foams the car went where you wanted it to go and set up was well just show up and put it on the track, which as dave has said after 3 or 4 months of this we where all bored stupid and the £800 pound carpet was stuck under the stage never to see light again. As i remember we had a vote on the use of the carpet at that time and 95% of the 70 odd drivers at the time said get rid of it.

Now as for saying there is something wrong with the full spikes at the moment well pull the other one guys i watch some of you going round with these super fast ECS wheel spining on the straight for god sake and you ask why are my tyres only lasting 3 to 4 weeks at best. speed and wheel spin = wear so its a price you are paying to go the speed you all seem to think you must go nowadays so in my humble opinion slow down and the tyres will last like they used to and as for carpet apart from what i pointed out earlier who is going to get it out each week and lay it, i know the same few who do it now, i don,t think so from my angle we do anuff as it is with out more.

Pleas do not take this as my club my ways as i do not mean that atall just pointing out the facts.

Regards Alan

branstonpickle · #10 04-04-2011

i dont run these silly speed speedos and i no some people are even trying slower moters to try to get more grip its just the fact u can tern up one week and have grip then the next its like driveing on ice witch just causes more crashes i think its more predictability people are after to help people get closer races................i might be wrong just my view

LD RACE-TECH · #11 04-04-2011

In no form of motorsport or racing can you not get away with tyre wear that's the way it goes I'm afraid in racing if you want to be competitive you will push harder and wear them out faster.

colmo · #12 04-04-2011

I've raced at Clogher Valley MCC on and off over the last 2 years or so, which also runs on polished wood, in quite a small hall, with a 10.5 motor limit - generally with no or little timing advance, there's no advantage to it given the space available.

It seems there are quite a number of factors at play, including dust, what else the hall was used for that week, and surface temperature.

Who can forget the bouncy castle fiasco, which due to sand on the underside, sanded the varnish off and ruined the floor entirely for racing!

Hog · #13 04-04-2011

We run to a 13.5 brushless limit at FORCC.

Jamie - as you know we are at the mercy of other people using the hall. From what I know the hall is used on a Monday evening by the old time dancing brigade, and I believe they put down chalk dust to help their zimmer frames glide across the floor.

Unfortunately by Wednesday some of that dust remains and affects our racing. The only answer as I see it is for the floor to be mopped before the track is laid each week......and as has been mentioned previously getting people to step up and assist more seems to fall on deaf ears so that's not going to happen.

colmo · #14 04-04-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hog

We run to a 13.5 brushless limit at FORCC.

Jamie - as you know we are at the mercy of other people using the hall. From what I know the hall is used on a Monday evening by the old time dancing brigade, and I believe they put down chalk dust to help their zimmer frames glide across the floor.

Unfortunately by Wednesday some of that dust remains and affects our racing. The only answer as I see it is for the floor to be mopped before the track is laid each week......and as has been mentioned previously getting people to step up and assist more seems to fall on deaf ears so that's not going to happen.

I doubt it's chalk - that would be abrasive to the floor. It could be dance floor polish, which I think is a sort of wax - needless to say, not great for traction.

Hog · #15 04-04-2011

Thought it was something called French chalk?

Either way I'm no dancer so I wouldn't know lol.

But yes you can see something on the tyres when it's slippery.

branstonpickle · #16 04-04-2011

If i could get up there to help set up i would but kinda limited to what time i get there with getting a lift to raceing

colmo · #17 04-04-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hog

Thought it was something called French chalk?

Either way I'm no dancer so I wouldn't know lol.

But yes you can see something on the tyres when it's slippery.

It's not regular chalk, that's calcium carbonate -

Quote:

French Chalk

A natural compact talc made from a soft magnesium silicate mineral (MgH 2 (SiO 3)4) also known as Steatite or Soapstone.

It's a dry lubricant, so only way to get that off is wipe it off, maybe with a moist mop.

Rebelrc · #18 04-04-2011

8x4 sheets of ply?
lot of hassle to lay and pack up?

LD RACE-TECH · #19 04-04-2011

Is this class not off road? If we was outside it would be mud dust stones all sorts of abbrasive elements the results are pretty much the same every week so it's clearly not causing a problem

spud31 · #20 04-04-2011

17.5 anyone lol

Anyway my minipins did 3 runs at moto arena an thats on a 2wd so tyre wear at fav is less than normal.