Stop section for Piantedosi Freedom Aluminum

[tmbnorm]

Our Pack has a Piantedosi Freedom Aluminum track that has served us well for 6 years or so.
A few years ago, I noticed that the wheels of cars were getting really knicked up after several runs.
I figured it was the old style stop section the Piantedosi uses, so we purchased the new stop section.
The old stop section just layed on top of the track and raised the cars up.

The new stop section is much better. It screws down between the rails and raises the car up, but we are still having the same problem. The rear wheel is getting knicked up by the stop section as it raises the car off of the track.

The Best Track stop section appears to be the best, but it will not work with the Piantedosi track.
http://www.besttrack.com/stop_section.htm" target="_blank
I think the Piantedosi used to sell a similar stop section, but had to stop due to copyright issues.

Has anyone else had the issue of wheels getting knicked up?
Where you able to solve it?

Thanks

[gpraceman]

The new stop section is much better. It screws down between the rails and raises the car up, but we are still having the same problem. The rear wheel is getting knicked up by the stop section as it raises the car off of the track.

Actually, there is no raising of the cars with the newer Micro Wizard (they bought out Piantedosi) stop section. The top of the stop strips are pretty on level with the track surface. I hadn't noticed any wheel damage at all with the track that we use (multiple races per year). Are you up sloping that stop section? That is the only way that I could see it raising the cars.

Unless, Micro Wizard is using a different one than they had been providing with their tracks the last few years. Do you have any pics?

[gpraceman]

Is this more what your stop section looks like?



I guess they have redesigned their stop section a bit. I don't see how you would get wheel damage, unless the side of the stop strips are rough.

[tmbnorm]

I think that is it.
I have a picture of ours... I will try to post.

I think the rail riders must be whipped into the ramp as it raised the car from the track.
This whip causes the rear wheel on the dominant side to be knicked.
It could also be the lip of the stop section. It appears to stick above the rail of the track.

My son's car had several knicks on the rear dominant wheel... The new wheels do seem a little more fragile than the old as well.

You can also check out the cool Pirate Ship car that ran at our District.

[gpraceman]

Personally, I would modify it to be more like the one they had offered prior to this newest design.



See how it connects to the end of the track? The top of the stop strips are about on level with the top of the track surface.

I'm sure they did the redesign because of BestTrack patent issue.

[tmbnorm]

Do you have a better picture of that?

Thanks

[gpraceman]

That is the only one that I have handy. Basically, it is just has short tabs that connect to holes in the very end of the track. For your track, you would need to cut the ramp tabs back and possibly move the end bracket under the last track section back a couple of inches. The stop section itself will just sit on the floor.

[Kenny]

This stop section is mounted incorrectly in this photo and I could see how it would cause all kinds of problems at least as pictured here.

The stop section is intended to mate perfectly with one side of the finish section where the timer goes. I don't believe it will go anywhere else correctly because of hole placement.

When correctly mounted I should very gradually sneak up on the car bottoms with a very gentle rubber ramp.

Also, it's worth noting that is completely ineffective if you run a starting gate higher than 48 in above the flat. That extra height easily overwhelms this already borderline design with a "fast car"

[gpraceman]

Also, it's worth noting that is completely ineffective if you run a starting gate higher than 48 in above the flat. That extra height easily overwhelms this already borderline design with a "fast car"

The start gate shouldn't be any higher than that anyways for that track, unless you are doing a custom setup. It would be nice if it was a bit longer of a stop, but that is the only thing that I would consider "borderline". Even if it was longer, being that I am a bit paranoid, I would still throw something soft at the end to be one last stopping means. I have done that at the end of a BestTrack stop section as well.

[tmbnorm]

The timer is just out of the picture to the left. This is the finish section.
The timer was added after we already had the track and the timer was put a little to the left, so we could mount the old stop section that sat on top of the rail. The track was not predrilled for the timer. We had to do it ourself.

What can we do to correct the problems noted?

We did not have any problems with the cars not stopping. I dont remember any cars hitting the towel at the end when they remained on the stop section.
The only problem was with a few cars that had weight extending below the body of the car. These car could bounce off of the stop section and fall off.

I will have to look at the stop section again to see if the lip of it could be causing the knicks.

[gpraceman]

tmbnorm,

Something in that setup doesn't seem right. Where is the end bracket secured that holds all of the lane sections together? There looks to be a set of unused holes under the stop section ramps. It would seem that the last securing plate would go there. Also, the plate that you have under the stop section looks like the one that you would mount a timer to.

[tmbnorm]

I believe that the end bracket holding the lanes together is there. It is just not seen. I could be wrong.

You are correct that the tabs for the stop section are screwed down into a timer plate. As I stated, the timer is just out of the picture to the left. The new stop section came with that plate and we needed it to screw down the tabs to the end section.

I did not set up the stop section at this race.. perhaps something got done incorrectly.

[ah8tk]

It is supposed to mount off of the end like this picture (didn’t take it to show setup). Seems like your stop section is attached at a binding plate.



The stop section should be LOWER than the track. It works great (stopped 25 oz. Big Rigs).

[tmbnorm]

Thanks for the information. We can revisit that next year.
As I remember, the instructions were not very good at all.

It works pretty well as it is.. .We only have a few (with weights that extend below the body),
that come off of the stop section.

[gpraceman]

The stop section should be LOWER than the track.

If you look at the first photo that I posted, which is off of the Micro Wizard site, it looks like they mean for the long tabs to attach further in from the end, with the tabs acting as ramps. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense to me to make such long tabs.