Lakeshore Concepts Track

jaubery · #1 02-17-2005, 10:57 PM

Has anyone here tried one of their tracks yet? I am getting a little bored with my rcp wide L. The lakeshore tracks offer some neat things like jumps,banks,bridges,and lights.

I am concerned that they won't have wide enough lanes for xmods turning radius. The guide rails look too low to hold the cars in.

Can anyone provide advice on this?

Horshu · #2 02-17-2005, 11:17 PM

I ordered the figure 8 with bridge, plus some banked turns and a jump (about 42 feet, I believe), using the original surface rather than the sticky one (BTW: they said the sticky track *can* interlock with the original, but the stick one is shifted over an inch). Should arrive in a couple of weeks (got a race planned to break it in). I'll let you know what I think of it. I'm not even sure I have room to put it in my living room

Once I move into a house, I'm moving it into the garage and doubling its size.

jaubery · #3 02-17-2005, 11:32 PM

I am looking forward to hearing a review. I think the xmods will be okay on it as long as you don't include two turn section together to make a hairpin turn. With a straight between the turn sections the cars should have enough room to turn in. My rcp track is fun it's just a little boring. It's fast and you can pass anywhere on the track but the layout is ho-hum. I don't have enough room to add another wide L, but I have room for an impressive lakeshore track.

With 42 feet of track you plan on building an impressive layout!

I wonder how the original surface will be. If I get one it will probably be the grip surface. That's what I am used to using now with the rcp track.

Horshu · #4 02-18-2005, 12:40 AM

Basically, what I'm building is the standard figure 8 with the bridge, but at one end, I'm going to attempt to build another loop but a very tight 270 via banked turns that bridges over itself (would look something like this: ooo ) and *hopefully* there'll be enough speed coming back that I can place the jump section right before the central bridge and be able to jump it. If so, I'll post a video.

Horshu · #5 02-23-2005, 04:49 PM

My track came in today. I haven't fully set it up yet, but I put together the banked 270 as well as the jump-bridge combo together just to get an idea of proportions. The full course has 2 more loops, including an extra bridge, but no other banked turns. The surface isn't as sticky-feeling as I thought (it's foam rubber with a criss-cross pattern embedded in it), but I haven't put a car on it to test it. Also, I'm a bit worried that my antenna (custom one) is too heavy-duty to allow the car under the bridge easily, which gives motivation to make the jump, *IF* it's possible to clear the bridge. I'll be extremely pissed if my antenna won't work, but I have a really nice antenna post (#4 instead of #2 plastic screw going through an aluminum deck plate) that should handle an internal antenna quite easily, and I have some serious antenna work to do on my "final" ESC. I'll have video this weekend when I race my dad & brother on the full track.

jaubery · #6 02-23-2005, 10:33 PM

Thanks for posting the pic and your comments. I have some questions and comments:

Are there two more bridge supports that make it higher?

Will your car make it thru the banks without the bottom of the car hanging up?

Are you happy with the quality of the track?

The straight between the turns needs banked to go with the banked turns.

If you want a jump over the bridge I would make a whole tile section a ramp that way you can raise it as high as you need to clear the jump. Use yellow or orange tape across the puzzle end of the tile to make it look like a construction zone.

Horshu · #7 02-23-2005, 11:04 PM

I'm not aware of any other supports to make it higher, although it would be trivial to cut some foam rubber for a supplemental bridge.
Not sure on whether my car will make the banks, but I assume it will.
At first, I was disappointed with it, as it's just foam rubber, but the reality is, the versatility is the same as the RS track (at least judging from the pics), and the sheer number of features makes it worth it to me. But it would not be hard at all to duplicate the same thing with heavier rubber that is slick/sticky. I'm not a big fan of foam rubber myself, but all things considered, yeah, I'm happy with the quality of the track. I do with the sticky sections were fully compatible (they are an inch wider). I may order a section just for evaluation, as they're only about $20 with shipping
The problem with banking the straight sections is that the banked turns start to level out to handle a flat straight. I may send a suggestion to them for a super-bank turn for creating 4 foot 180s, 270s. I already sent them one for a corkscrew (twisting as you go forward), physics permitting, but this other banked turn could be cranked out in a week, easy. The thing about the jump that I like is that you've got an option as to what you want to do. Time it right, and you can land on your opponent who decides not to take the jump. My car is a tank (all aluminum), so I can trash an opponent with a good landing. If the jump proves faster than straight driving, then it is even more incentive.

Horshu · #8 02-26-2005, 01:52 AM

Initially, after driving the track, I hated it. My car would not go straight, and it is a VERY narrow track, really. 3 feet wide would be ideal. However, I readjusted my drive train tension all around and put on foams. The experience is much improved. I can drift again + I have adjusted my track to take better advantage of drifting and the banks at appropriate times.
One thing: the bridge really isn't worth it, IMO. It's just a bunch of supports + it's a low bridge than can hang heavy antennas. My bro and I made a much better bridge with couch cushions and DVD cases.
His Kyosho Mini-Z can't handle the track for anything, though. He needs foam + the lack of AWD kills him. If you go full throttle on that track, you will 180 within 3 inches of driving.

jaubery · #9 02-26-2005, 08:45 AM

My rcp track has 30 inch lanes. Now that I've been racing on it for a year it seems really wide and open. It was an adjustment though. The fastest xmod motor I can use comfortably is the drag motor. Car setup is very important to get good track times. The right combination of tires is a priority. Thanks for the tip about the bridge. How do you like the banked turns?

Horshu · #10 02-26-2005, 10:51 AM

The banked turns are actually really nice, but it isn't the end-all, be-all. This is another area where you *could* use pillows to make your own, but I do prefer their setup. The catch on the banked turns is not to use 2 in a row or at the end of a long straightaway. I had initially set it up for long straightaways, but the drift turns (regular) work much better there, with the banks good for when your speed is lower, post-drift.

jaubery · #11 02-26-2005, 01:00 PM

How's the jump working out?

Horshu · #12 02-26-2005, 02:57 PM

Well, I asked Lakeshore for a return. I decided that it is really too narrow + its inability to handle rear wheel cars makes it difficult. My car handles really well with foam tires, but it's a decked out car. The other cars I'm running aren't faring as well. I'm gonna end up going with a wider track,either the radio shack or rcp after checking specs and getting some closeup looks at the tracks with cars on them. I like RS's dual-sided surface...would give me some flexibility depending on whom I race (my brother's Kyosho is really undrivable on the track right now...any kind of throttle on it spins it out).
The jump wouldn't handle the bridge (too low), but it is great as a hazard *under the bridge*. It comes off a banked turn directly under the bridge, but if you don't cut the turn right, you jump up under the bridge, coming out unpredictably. Makes for a neat twist.
All in all, I like a lot of the stuff, but I think it's better suited for 1/32 scale than 1/24 or 1/28.

jaubery · #13 02-27-2005, 01:45 AM

rcp makes the radioshack tracks. They are both double sided. My enzo mini-z would spin out on my rcp track without the right tires. I use 20 degree rear and 50 degree front. Your brother needs the right tires then he could get around.

Horshu · #14 02-27-2005, 02:06 PM

We're gonna do a few things to his Mini-Z (although I told him he should just adapt the Enzo body for his XMODS and deck out the XMODS, since it's closer to a real car in terms of how it works. The Mini-Z rear suspension seems to be terrible for cornering & that gear diff doesn't help.
He's going to be ordering a bunch of aluminum parts as well as a ball diff & some weights for it to make it better for the type of racing we do. Hopefully the next time I race him, his car will be ready, and I'll have my track issues sorted out, because I've a 4-5 man, 50 lap race set of races planned (I really can't go any higher without a lap counter...Lakeshore is coming out with a lap counter, BTW. Hopefully, it's a simple, but RF-based, one that's relatively inexpensive (I'll take a $200 simple scoreboard over a $2000 USB-based one with track software)

jaubery · #15 02-27-2005, 08:43 PM

I think you'll be happy with the track once you get used to it and get all your cars setup for it. The enzo or any mr-02 mini-z with the right set up and the x speed motor will be hard to beat in the hands of a good driver. I don't race mine with my friends. They all have xmods so I use xmods to in order to keep a level playing field.

Did you get a time frame on the lap counter? I am with you concerning something simple. Something fun and user-friendly that is easy to setup and reasonably priced would be perfect.