by smithspeedway » Tue Nov 24, 2015 1:31 pm
We run on wood. Observations here are that super smooth grippy silicones (like Pro Track) have too much grip for big horsepower motors. The car tends to lift the nose on launch and can chatter in turns. Having said that, racers who find the right balance of chassis weight and gearing to smooth this effect out are hard to beat. Personally, I run natural rubber tires. Properly prepared, they are almost as good as silicones and are more forgiving when I make mistakes (often). It is totally a style thing. We also find that silicones are harder to fine tune in the summer (here in the US northeast), but start winning a lot towards the colder weather (we end in November each year).
This all probably invalid in other climates, or better insulated buildings than ours. For whatever reason, the only thing that does not work well on our track are urethanes. They are invariably slower and have less than satisfactory grip, regardless of brand. You'll find that contrary to most other experiences here.
No silver bullet, and no one else's track will feel like yours... which makes it all very interesting.
Steve