R2/R3 or R3/R4 banks for superspeedway?

[chris_bomicino]

I'm building a large superspeedway track and I'm debating about the turns.  If I go with an R2/R3 turn, I gain about 2 straight pieces on the long side and about 1 on the short side of my layout.

If I go with R3/R4, then I lose a few straight pieces but the turns are more gradual thus I feel a bit more like a superspeedway...

The layout is a 12'x10' platform.  I like the longer straights but the more gradual turns seem more realistic.

Any suggestions?

[Andy P.]

The big question is if they have to be banked or not.

Officially there are only R2 and R3 curves tat are banked.

Having said that you can prop up R4s to approximate banking.

Are you trying to replicate a particular real-life track ?

A lot of them are actually tri-oval (Daytona, Michigian International Speedway, etc.) .

If I were to make a tri-oval (which I actually hope to do at some point) I would make the bump of the "D" R3 and R4 lightly propped up and the main corners banked R2s and banked R3s with only the back straight a true straight.

I would put at least a 1/3 87mm straight in between turns 1 and 2 and between 3 and 4.

Since I want to do it in digital I may modify an R2 curved lane-changer  for pit entry and possibly exit. Those would only be slightly propped and not banked of course...

If you are using ARC products you have funnel the traffic through the 2-lane powerbase.

[woodcote]

I've only run a couple of 1/32 scale ovals, but have built dozens of different four-lane ovals (and tri-ovals) for 1/64 scale club racing - we love them. What I would start from is what you want from the driving experience and think about some of the real-life ovals you like.

 

On a 12 x 10 table you are going to - at most - get an eight-foot straight. Which isn't that long, certainly not long enough to get up a huge amount of speed. Using R3 and R4 turns, you would be controlling a nice drift (especially with traction magnets removed) at the end of that straight. Although using the banked R2 and R3 combination would help you carry more speed into the corner. I think they work quite well.

 

On our 1/64 scale ovals, we often use quite different corner combinations to give each turn a different character. I like Pocono, where each of the three turns pays homage to a corner on other tracks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocono_Raceway). We also use compound corners - so something like R4-R3-R3-R4 to go 90-degrees on the outside (R3-R2-R3 on the inside).

 

Banking a four-lane track does need some skill and care, otherwise you get a ridge between lane 2 and 3. The Scalextric banked system with R2 & R3 banking turns comes with banking wedges that keep the four-lane track surface flat. You could try and replicate that by fabricating full-width wedges for the R3 and R4 standard pieces, but perhaps aim for a lower angle of banking. Using some gaffer tape under the track to hold the track pieces together can help.

 

Finally, consider using cars with or without traction magnets - they will be different to drive. With magnets, the cars will stick and then tend to fly off the track. Without magnets (and with trued or replacement tyres - plus a bit of weight), the cars will tend to slide when they break traction - overall the lap times will be slower, but the experience might be much more enjoyable and the cars more equal across the four lanes.

[chris_bomicino]

Thanks guys,   the track wasn't meant to reproduce any specific track, just a track.  I'm trying to utilize the space so it's basically a rectangle track with curved edges, of course the longer sides, 12', have a bit longer straights.

I also have a inner track for when people want to do road courses, and yes, I funnel 4 lanes down to 2 using pit lane pieces and have only one power base, this happens on one of the staights.  After the power base, I can physically remove a few pieces of track, and then connect the road course up and it remains a 2 lane road course that empties back onto the large outer track.

I already screwed up, as I had some C8296 and C8297 superelevated R2/R3 45degree turns thinking they were normal R2/R3 in my bins of track.  Ooof, and it looks like both have been discontinued.  I'm thinking the R3/R4, without the Magnets, would be a more fun overall experience and be able to "maintain" a more steady speed.

[woodcote]

Both the R2 and R3 banked corners have recently been re-released in new packaging - they are currently available from the UK Scalextric web store and UK retailers - looks like the R3s are on pre-order on the US website. My suggestion to think about oval tracks you like wasn't so much about copying them, but getting a feel of the driving experience you want - how much you are lifting in the turns, whether you want four identical corners or some that are more of a challenge than others. With digital, I suspect you'll mostly be racing in the middle two lanes and using the inside lane as a slowing down lane for pit stops.

[chris_bomicino]

Oh,  Forgot to mention, I purchased a boat load of the bank support wedges awhile back when they could be purchased separately as accessories.  I was planning on using those to give me the bank angle, I think it maxes out at 10 degrees....