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Post by blackfox on Mar 5, 2012 13:30:58 GMT -6
Gents
I've used the rail riding technique to great effect. Now I've been told the optimal angle for rail riding is 5 to 6 ft. Meaning the when the car starts to role, the front rail riding wheel should turn into the center guide after rolling 5 to 6 ft. Just like to hear your thoughts on it.
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Post by 5KidsRacing on Mar 5, 2012 13:34:47 GMT -6
Gents I've used the rail riding technique to great effect. Now I've been told the optimal angle for rail riding is 5 to 6 ft. Meaning the when the car starts to role, the front rail riding wheel should turn into the center guide after rolling 5 to 6 ft. Just like to hear your thoughts on it. Your front rail riding wheel or dominate front wheel (DFW) will contact the center rail a lot sooner than 5 or 6 ft. I would say that a car set-up that way wouldn't have enough drift and would bounce back and forth down the track. Most of my cars probably contact the center rail in the first few inches at most. |
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Post by cashracing on Mar 5, 2012 16:39:52 GMT -6
I'm with 5 kids on hitting the rail within a few inches, but I do have one car that will go about 3 foot before it makes contact with the rail, and sometimes it wobbles too.
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Post by hotrod on Mar 5, 2012 20:20:30 GMT -6
I agree with 5kids and Cash!! I have cars that actually run faster if you have the fdw just touching the rail. If I pull it off 1/16" like some others, it might run ok, but more than likely it will wiggle just past the transition.
Ed
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Post by CycRunner on Mar 5, 2012 21:52:01 GMT -6
My cars typically run with a drift in the region of 6 to 10 inches over a 7 foot distance on my tuning board. This can vary depending on the car. I have found that when setting the car at the starting pin/gate it runs fastest with the dominant wheel off the rail (and against the car body)
with just a bit of daylight between the wheel and the rail. More than a 1/32" is usually too much for my cars. I really can't tell how far the car travels before the dominant wheel contacts the rail, but I don't think it is very far.
I relieve the width of the car for the dominant wheel so when the wheel is against the car and against the rail, with the rear wheels centered over the rail, the center line of the car coincides with the center line of the rail.
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Post by B.S.B. Racing on Mar 6, 2012 3:49:21 GMT -6
I have one car and only one, that can be set from 0 to 1/16" off the rail and it makes no difference. All the others seem to like the DFW gently resting on the rail. I wish I knew the answer why the one is so forgiving.
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Post by CycRunner on Jul 31, 2012 1:21:34 GMT -6
From and engineering standpoint a car with its wheel contacting the rail at the start will have to overcome static friction to get rolling. With too much space off the rail the car actually has to travel further than one nearer the rail. But logic does not always prevail with these cars as we see exceptions sometimes. Most of my cars do best with just a little daylight off the rail. My latest car, however, runs faster with about a 0.1" gap off the rail, and I don't know why! Steady and no wobbles with 0.45" COM and a drift of 4-5" over a 7 foot run on my tuning board.
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