Beginner: how do I select a good speed running road?

[Hector_Fisher]

I'm in the process of selecting a road for speed running. I'm a beginner. In the name of safety for people and safety of the car... yada yada.... what tips should I keep in mind for selecting a good speed running road? So far for myself I've figured out:
-low traffic from autos/pedestrians
-smooth surface as possible
-good visibility (straight, can see if cars are coming)

But I feel like those are given. What else? How much distance should I plan on needing (like 100mph run equals X,XXX feet, and 120mph needs Y,YYY feet)? Do I want curbed roads? Roads with ditches? You get the idea.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

I would say use google earth and measure out what distance you have available.

I like 1200 ft for 100mph
I like 1350+ ft for 120 mph.

-Minimal obstacles like trees, fire hydrants, curbs, gutters, road reflectors.
-Zero pedestrians or bring a spotter with 2-way radio to warn you.
-No curbs is best so the car can go off into the grass in a worse case scenario
-Little to no traffic
-Smooth as glass
-No radio interference (look for power lines, radio towers, airports)

A wide road with shoulders is very helpful. My current speed road is 3+ lanes wide (30+ ft), which leaves room for error although I keep the car within a 10ft wide lane.

I really like standing on a ladder or on top of a vehicle for visibility and most of all safety!

*Feel free to PM me if you need any guidance on the car, setup, etc...

 

[K-BASH]

IMPACTS AN TRAFFIC ARE MY MAIN THINGS..Best thing to crash into is grass...look around industrial parks..little traffic on the weekends..early mornings an weekends are best for me...keep looking,I looked for 6 months before I found the perfect road...right under my nose the whole time..try to resist the quik little neighborhood hits,they'll get ya....I've crashed alot of cars doing this....an I still do it
Rc speedrunning is my therpy..I must have at least 2 cars ready to rip an to get the speedrun shakes.....more hits ya make the harder it is to get the hands -a-shaking.... kinda similar to someone with a drug habit..lol

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Took me 4 years to get my ideal road and it will be short-lived.
Right now I am using a 3 lane stretch of highway that is not open to the public yet.

 

[Hector_Fisher]

Awesome! Not many straight roads period where I live, so I might not get to be too picky right now. There is one stretch of road that i had already measured on Google maps at around 1800 feet, stop sign to stop sign. It might have to work for now, even with the curbs. The rest of the roads have trees off the side For beginners running up to maybe 100mph, I'm thinking this might do okay initially? Just need to go during early morning on the weekend to avoid traffic? The good news is the little rise off the side of the road would be great for visibility in both directions.

How does this one seem??

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Awesome! Not many straight roads period where I live, so I might not get to be too picky right now. There is one stretch of road that i had already measured on Google maps at around 1800 feet, stop sign to stop sign. It might have to work for now, even with the curbs. The rest of the roads have trees off the side For beginners running up to maybe 100mph, I'm thinking this might do okay initially? Just need to go during early morning on the weekend to avoid traffic? The good news is the little rise off the side of the road would be great for visibility in both directions.

How does this one seem??

View attachment 237454

View attachment 237455

1200 ish feet should be good for getting your feet wet.
That looks like a smooth road if it still is in that good of condition.

google maps is often a few years outdated on their street view. Just triple-check both directions before starting your run and taxi your rc car along that shoulder for safety in case a car comes!

 

[K-BASH]

Awesome! Not many straight roads period where I live, so I might not get to be too picky right now. There is one stretch of road that i had already measured on Google maps at around 1800 feet, stop sign to stop sign. It might have to work for now, even with the curbs. The rest of the roads have trees off the side For beginners running up to maybe 100mph, I'm thinking this might do okay initially? Just need to go during early morning on the weekend to avoid traffic? The good news is the little rise off the side of the road would be great for visibility in both directions.

How does this one seem??

View attachment 237454

View attachment 237455

I'd advise starting on 3,4s...or ya could start out like I did on 8s destroying cars,an wasting money....it's not all about throwing volts at a car.do that an you will not enjoy it very long..good luck brother...I tell everybody to expect a total loss on your ride,so when it happens ya somewhat are expecting it...this is 70mph curbige,90% total loss.....

 

[LibertyMKiii]

@Hector_Fisher

Tell us about the car and setup?

Starting on 3s or 4s would be ideal. You can go 100+ on either one and much safer than learning on 6s or 8s as @K-BASH mentioned.

 

[K-BASH]

All ya got to do is take a look at my UT channel ...lots of vid of what NOT to do..lol...80% time it's a $hitshow usaly ending in a crash..you'll be fine ,,just don't crash....

 

[Moirae]

You can probably hit 100 mph in a big parking lot. I know I can hit it in mine.

 

[K-BASH]

Take it slow,research,setup car to go strait,ask questions,lots of fun to be had if ya do it right....speedrunning is 90%wrenching,researching others,adjusting, 1 step forward,5 steps backwards..soooo much gos into it,way more than I ever expected.i still have so much to learn...hrs an hrs of preping cars for 3 mins of pure adrenaline.once ya hit 100,your hooked

 

[Moirae]

The adrenaline rush is so awesome lol. I just broke my pb a few days ago. I had never been to the 100 club, and I went right from 94 mph to 113, crushing my pb in the process. I'm a bit scared to do anything over 120 though but I'd like to hit 120 with as many of my rigs as possible.

 

[morrjr71]

This is the road in front of my house. There's very little traffic, but there is an Amish farm at the end, and I have to watch out for the occasional horse and buggy. Those white marks on the shoulder are from horseshoes.

 

[Sirkensirlot]

This is the road in front of my house. There's very little traffic, but there is an Amish farm at the end, and I have to watch out for the occasional horse and buggy. Those white marks on the shoulder are from horseshoes.

View attachment 237459

I dream of a place like this but living in the UK will always be a dream.

 

[Hector_Fisher]

@Hector_Fisher

Tell us about the car and setup?

Starting on 3s or 4s would be ideal. You can go 100+ on either one and much safer than learning on 6s or 8s as @K-BASH mentioned.

I know I'll probably get some laughs, but this is my setup. I have a subconscious goal of trying to be the first 100mph HPI Bullet, but nothing actually serious right now. I'll eventually change my set up for something more powerful as I'm experimenting.

Was previously running a 3660 3150kv spektrum with a 130a esc on 4s (like i said, I'm not a serious speed runner yet). Currently moving over to a 4068 surpass motor so I can use a larger pinion. It may not be the standard chassis for speed running but that's kind of the appeal to me.

With the 3150kv spektrum on 4s I was doing back to back to back 60mph runs in front of my house and the motor/esc were barely warm when I was done. So I'm pretty sure 80mph is my goal right now and likely achievable with this setup and the new pinion. I just need more space because my 500ft long street gets small real fast! I'd like to first get down consistent 80mph runs before I buy any sort of bigger power setup.

My entire approach here is repetition and incrementally raising speed. So I have no intention of sticking in 6s or 8s and shooting for the moon. My first hurdle was the tires. HPI made some interesting design decisions with the Bullet that limit wheel options. Luckily for me the vendetta and 3s infraction came out so I can use the 14mm hex wheels in the mean time! Long term will be jconcepts speed claws wheels with 12mm hex.

Now I'm in the process of finding a road and just getting in lots of time under the belt at lower speeds and working up to higher speeds while seeing how the car reacts.

 

[K-BASH]

I

I know I'll probably get some laughs, but this is my setup. I have a subconscious goal of trying to be the first 100mph HPI Bullet, but nothing actually serious right now. I'll eventually change my set up for something more powerful as I'm experimenting.

Was previously running a 3660 3150kv spektrum with a 130a esc on 4s (like i said, I'm not a serious speed runner yet). Currently moving over to a 4068 surpass motor so I can use a larger pinion. It may not be the standard chassis for speed running but that's kind of the appeal to me.

With the 3150kv spektrum on 4s I was doing back to back to back 60mph runs in front of my house and the motor/esc were barely warm when I was done. So I'm pretty sure 80mph is my goal right now and likely achievable with this setup and the new pinion. I just need more space because my 500ft long street gets small real fast! I'd like to first get down consistent 80mph runs before I buy any sort of bigger power setup.

My entire approach here is repetition and incrementally raising speed. So I have no intention of sticking in 6s or 8s and shooting for the moon. My first hurdle was the tires. HPI made some interesting design decisions with the Bullet that limit wheel options. Luckily for me the vendetta and 3s infraction came out so I can use the 14mm hex wheels in the mean time! Long term will be jconcepts speed claws wheels with 12mm hex.

Now I'm in the process of finding a road and just getting in lots of time under the belt at lower speeds and working up to higher speeds while seeing how the car reacts.

View attachment 237469

View attachment 237470

Very cool,I also like to speedrun rides most others don't. Here's my oddball speed truck....truck runs 100mph on 4s an strait as an arrow every time..

 

[Hector_Fisher]

You can probably hit 100 mph in a big parking lot. I know I can hit it in mine.

This is what its like where I live. The biggest parking lot is probably the Walmart in the town. And that's usually full of cars
Everything else is basically residential or twisty turny and lined with trees!

What's the legitimacy of getting a speed run in on a down slope? There's a decent road not too far from me, but it's about a 5 to 10% grade for a 1/4 mile or more.

 

[K-BASH]

This is what its like where I live. The biggest parking lot is probably the Walmart in the town. And that's usually full of cars
Everything else is basically residential or twisty turny and lined with trees!

What's the legitimacy of getting a speed run in on a down slope? There's a decent road not too far from me, but it's about a 5 to 10% grade for a 1/4 mile or more.

View attachment 237523

Damn bro,you live out in the country huh..keep looking,you'll find it....my spot is 2 1/2miles from Downtown stl,less than 1/2 miles from stl Downtown airport..can run any day with minimal traffic.almost zero traffic on weekends...

 

[Hector_Fisher]

Found a good road! A side road next to our regional airport. Should be super low traffic. 2400 ft stretch and good visibility for oncoming traffic. Going to drive there tomorrow when I have time to check out the road conditions!

 

[Hector_Fisher]

Not quite what I was expecting, but I think it could do for something close. Terrain makes for a gradual depression during the first 400ish feet. But after that it levels out for a while. I might be able to work with that to start (get a "rolling start" if you will).