Track marking: Cones

[skom25]

Hi,

Now I use chalk to mark track on asphalt. It is totally fine because it is cheap, can be easily removed etc. However, there are three issues:

1. In sunny day, despite I tried different chalk colors, quite often marks are barely visible

2. Marks which are farthest away are not clearly visible at all, even on cloudy day

3. Sometimes when there is too much chalk, car looks like a rainbow after few runs  

I started to think about something like cones. Something, because I prefer "lens" shape. They have to be low at edges, so I they will not damage car. Because of that, they also cannot be super light, to not change position often if I touch them.

I checked Decathlon, found some Online, but it is hard to tell anything looking only on Photo. Some of them are really expensive and I want to avoid this.

Do you have any experience and can at least tell me, in which category I should search? Football, Roller Skates? 

[Ray_ve]

In the old days, a buddy and I used small plastic water bottles, or AA drink bottles. Those would sit stable with some water in them, and give a nice water spray when you'd hit them just right causing a rupture. 

[skom25]

I used the some time ago, but it is not fun to see damage on the car + they take up a lot of space  

[Nick-W]

I searched for football cones on Amazon. These are pretty lightweight and will move if you touch them but I’m not bothered by that. 

[OoALEJOoO]

Anything that the car can touch will get pushed and you'll spend more time resetting it than actually driving. That's the beauty of chalk, it really can't be moved.

The best alternative to chalk is probably flat rubber markers (also called agility dots). These are made of a fairly dense & grippy rubber that doesn't move too easily. Most of the time the car will just run above them moving them only a little bit. Over time you still need to reposition them though. I tried them for a while and then moved to chalk.

*EDIT: Another alternative could be court line markers. Similar material but in different shapes other than dots:

[Pylon80]

+1 on @OoALEJOoO 's suggestion.

For the OP: the Racing by Post has been going on for 4 years now so there is a bit of a knowledge base on this topic. Like most people I bought training cones only to realize that if you so much brush against them with your inside tire they fly 10m off the track, ruining your stint for good. If you hit them with both wheels they even act as a launching ramp and your car will end up on its roof, damaging the body which is a bit ridiculous when running all by yourself without walls or curb on the track! I believe anyone who has attempted RBP has hit markers, at the very least with the inside wheel. This is completely normal rather than the result of poor driving.

Since then I have switched to using fluorescent colored Duct Tape. It's expensive and I use/waste a lot. Think 10 markers of 6 to 8 in long every time you want to practice. It's a pain to cut but easier if you make two 1cm cuts at opposed positions on the roll of tape. This way it is sort of precut for RC track use.

Next I am trying the flat markers suggested by OoALEJooO but there are ridiculously expensive for what they are on Amazon.com so I am still shopping around. The ones on the picture above would be very nice.

I think @Andreas W is using some sort of "chalk paint" although I do not know what that actually is! One thing I will say about regular stick chalk: it is extremely slippery. So it's a bit of a shame to contaminate your small track with something slippery when the enjoyment in on-road driving and racing in general is proportional to the level of grip you can get  Back when I lived in rural Washington state my only spot for on-road was a school yard, on the week-ends. After a good rain it was great, but when the kids had been drawing on the ground with chalk the entire spot was unusable and I had to wait for the next rain

Hope this helps.

[skom25]

In that case... what color do you prefer?

In my case, on grey asphalt, it seems that pale green works the best. However, maybe there is something I do not know

"The best" does not mean "good", so that is why I ask.

[Andreas W]

4 hours ago, Pylon80 said:

I think @Andreas W is using some sort of "chalk paint" although I do not know what that actually is! 

That is correct. When I am running on private property I prefer to not leave any tracks behind. Maston chalk paint can be washed off with water and a brush. It is said to be durable enough to withstand upto 3 rainshowers. Mine has been fine after one at least and you don't get it off by only pouring water on it. You have to wear it off mecanically. Here you get them in white, red and light blue. I prefer white. 

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.maston.fi/en/product/chalk-spray/&ved=2ahUKEwiVncGjj5WGAxW-CBAIHaolA88QFnoECBEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1mj3-O8rBWa9wZD_EMOWTf

 

During winter or if I'm fir example is on a resting area I just use cheap marker paint in fluoriscent colors. Different color for each round,  if the markings hold up good.

[Rinskie]

I've used all sorts of stuff but I like the foot ball agility cones. I picked up a set for $9 on Amazon. They work great but will move when you hit them. I'm ok with that as I move when I am hit also.