Testing times on a short "best track"

[XLR8]

Greetings all,
I am new to this site and hoping to learn new ideas to teach my cub scout about how to make his car go faster.
This year we bought a test track from "best track" and really like it. Nice to be able to make little adjustments and actually see if it changes the time at all.
The track is a little short because of available room. It has the full length start, curve, & two , seven foot sections.
So far, the best time I can get is 2.099.
Can anyone tell me if we are even in the ball park to play with you guys?
This is a 3 wheeler, stock BSA nails polished as good as I can get. Stock BSA wheels, rail hugger, long wheel base, using dd4h oil with DuPont Teflon on the axle.
Don't know what I am doing with the oil so far, my first attempt with it.
I just ordered John's video ! Can't wait to see it!
Anyway, I just wanted to say "hello" to everyone.
I'm sure I'll have more questions.
-Kurt

 

[Quicktimederby]

Kurt, Welcome. You ask a very tough question to answer. Due to all the different variables it would be impossible to try and compare times from track to track. The only way to know is to send one in and see how it does. I too less than a year ago thought I had a fast scout car because it was running 2.953 on my 42ft best track. When I sent it in it was running 3.05X's, at that point I felt crushed but now I knew the difference between the two tracks and where I had to be to be competitive. The guys on here have made it very possible to get fast very quick. So my best advice would be send it to a race and see where your at.

 

[Kinser Racing]

Kurt, Welcome. You ask a very tough question to answer. Due to all the different variables it would be impossible to try and compare times from track to track. The only way to know is to send one in and see how it does. I too less than a year ago thought I had a fast scout car because it was running 2.953 on my 42ft best track. When I sent it in it was running 3.05X's, at that point I felt crushed but now I knew the difference between the two tracks and where I had to be to be competitive. The guys on here have made it very possible to get fast very quick. So my best advice would be send it to a race and see where your at.

+1000

http://forums.derbydad4hire.com/post/Is-this-a-good-time-for-my-car-Track-times-5684274

 

[datnr]

Any idea of the ration of times between a 28 and 42' track? I too am space limited

 

[DNA RACING]

it is not a science, the difference is more than just a couple of track sections, cars start slowing down more as they get closer to the finish line. if your prep is good and your staging is PERFECT every time, you can adjust the times and be ballpark. the problem is in a proxy race you are not staging the car. even though you might leave directions for staging, it wont be 100% the same. and without that there are too many variables to take into accvount. is the temp the same? to hot or cold will give you different times. i never thought humidity had a big effect, boy was i wrong, last year we had a race when it was VERY wet, the whole field ran slow.i tuned alot with a 35' track, it would run very fast with no wiggles. when it hit the 42' track it did the DNA shuffle on the last 7 or 8'. lost quite a few races from that. I would love to help out, but i dont think there is a good reliable way to figure it out. if you send a car in and watch what it runs and then run it down your track 6 times for a ave. right after you get it back then you will have a good baseline.

 

[Kinser Racing]

It's an impossible question guys. You cannot know. Example: I have a Fezzari T5 HED Jet 6 C2 road bike and I can run a quarter mile in 37.34 seconds, on flat ground. Do you guys know how competitive I would be with the leaders of the first stage of the Tour de France? Do you see the futility of the question?

I'm really not trying to be negative here but there are far to many variables involved. I've seen cars launch off of the gate, lead most of the race, only to be passed at the end.

The only way to know, and there is no other way, is to send your car in to race and then make your own comparisons. Even then, there will be many variables involved./images/boards/smilies/smile.gif

 

[txchemist]

Kurt- If your track were 42 ft. and everything else stays the same, and you do not get the wiggles, your time would be 3.10 sec For all the stated reasons that may not mean that would be your time on the real 42 ft. track at Johns..

A way to test for wiggles on a short track is to find a lower spot to let your car go so you can stretch out your time to 2.5 sec ( timing by hand now) and again lower to get a 3 sec run. Now your car will cover the lower speed and forces it will see on a longer track.
Tuning out the wiggles on these slower runs does not guarantee no wiggles on the real track, but if you do NOT get rid of them on your slow runs, you will have them on the big track.

 

[datnr]

Good practical answer. thanks. I understand it's not an exact science!

 

[cozybldr]

The nice thing is that 35' Best Track times average with a starting section @ 27.1 degrees between 2.53-2.58 seconds. That is not a fast car. That is a standard. As many of us Dad's have discovered, getting that time down further takes a lot of work. For example, one of the cars I recently did with just drilling with the Block, outer hub step cut out, 91SGA axles, 4.75 oz and poured in rear weights resulted in a 2.57 the first run and a 2.54 on the 3rd run. Is that good? Nope. The car wiggled right before the finish. Note that I had not set the steer for Rail Running yet. Nor had I done the prep/polish of the bores or axles or even the balancing of the wheels. Was it faster than most of the Pack? Yep. I now realize that I can take this car, even with graphite, down to the 2.4 something range.Would I beat Pro's? ROFL, I am not even close to their level.The nice thing is that I am getting better. Of course, that means when I do get it down there, I will have to *gulp* send it in so I can secure last place and get a read on my prep. Who knows? I might get lucky and be above the last place. DD4H was once the low man in the standings too. Now look at him.

Oh, my son polished his axles last night. In fact, his car is mostly done and has been done by him, not me. He is a Wolf. I keep trying to teach him how to do it and what he needs to do. Maybe he will do it all by himself when he is a Webelos and will beat me. Here's hoping! I try to keep in mind that I want him to learn the skills and not be dependent upon me. My Derby Dad status is in real jeopardy.

 

[XLR8]

Thanks for all of the input guys.
I understand that, at some point, I'll just need to send one in to get a feel for what the base line is to compare to. At least then I will have an idea of what times I need to see on my test track.
I keep picking up little bits and pieces and am looking forward to putting them all together in one car.
This has been a fun process for me and my boys.
Bouncing ideas/thoughts off of you guys is helpful.
Thanks again
-Kurt

 

[Crash Enburn]

Thumbs up, Cozy! Mega thumbs up!

Oh, my son polished his axles last night. In fact, his car is mostly done and has been done by him, not me. He is a Wolf. I keep trying to teach him how to do it and what he needs to do. Maybe he will do it all by himself when he is a Webelos and will beat me. Here's hoping! I try to keep in mind that I want him to learn the skills and not be dependent upon me. My Derby Dad status is in real jeopardy.