I currently have a LifeLike set with 23 foot of track. If I wanted something bigger what should I get?

The answer depends a lot on what you want to accomplish when you expand your track.

If you are looking for a road course with many turn options, Tomy track is a good option. This is especially true if you are aiming to build a four lane road course. My current track is based largely on the contents of Tomy's AFX Super International and 4 Way Split race sets. Both are four lane sets so you end up with enough track to make a nice 4 lane layout on a 4x8 table. You also end up with 8 great Super G-Plus cars - four formula cars and 4 GTP cars. See Greg Braun's great web site for further details:

http://www.hoslotcarracing.com/

Russ the Hutt :drunk::hat::freak::dude:

I'd have to second the Super International idea. I got mine and ended up with very little track I didn't need to build my layout and only have to order a bit more. It's by far the best value out there for what you get.

The 4 way split set looks to have more track.

The Super International has more track than the 4-way split and with four cars, two power packs and four controllers it's a great value. Here's a very good summary of that set... http://www.hoslotcarracing.com/RaceSets.html You might also want to visit the "Layouts" section under the Track link at www.hoslotcarracing.com for ideas.

What's your goal? What size table will you have? What types and ages of racers will you have using it? If you have room, a four-lane is great. If you go with a four-lane layout, the variety of available curves gives Tomy/AFX the advantage over LifeLike track.

To build my layout I purchased:

Two 4 lane internationals

One 4 lane fuji (japenese import)

4 "Big D" sets...

and a slew of individual track on cards locally...

The two most noteworthy sets of quite sometime are both on the market today and are by Racemasters:

1) Long Beach set - best 2 lane set ever offered in my opinion. Huge layout, layout options and realistic concept.

2) Super International - best 4 lane set offered today. Great concept, series of layout options and just an exciting set to take out of the box.

These are two sets I would certainly buy again!

Jim Norton
Huntsville, AL

The Super International was my first set, and I also would not think twice about doing it again. The open wheel F1 cars that came with the SI are still my favorite runners. This set totally turned me into a slot addict and since then, I haven't stopped acquiring more and more and more. I have to have 'em.

Well, I set up the LifeLike set tonight and fired her up. I scuffed up the rails and found some cars were hanging up. I filed the rails at the connectors and the cars ran pretty good.

i would also have to agree the international set is a good set to start out with, and then add the big one to it or any others, afx/tomy,shon

What's your opinion of the Big Block Battlers set? Looks to have lots of track.

Lots of track, but no much turn variety.......heavy on 9" radius curves.

I don't know, that Mattel figure eight looks SWEET. AND it comes with a Speed Racer Mach 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I replaced the Lock and Joiner Aurora track, I went with two of the TOMY Internationals. It gave me the track pieces i need, plus some, and extra cars I was able to epay and recoup some of the $s. ;) rr

I don't know, that Mattel figure eight looks SWEET. AND it comes with a Speed Racer Mach 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that's a REAL track. Great idea Rich.

Well, I set up the LifeLike set tonight and fired her up. I scuffed up the rails and found some cars were hanging up. I filed the rails at the connectors and the cars ran pretty good.

go to the ho racing site these guys suggested.life like simply does not offer enough variety in curve sections to anything interesting with in the long run.tyco and tomy both offer a very large selection of curve radii,that will make for a more interesting layout,and more expansion options later.basically with the tomy track you can find your perfect two lane course,and then wrap another layer around the perimeter later to go 4 lane!these guys know their stuff!

Now that's a REAL track. Great idea Rich.
lol!lol!plus you get your garage back...:)

The biggest downside of Lifelike track is the lack of curve variety. Lifelike only produces, right now, a 9" 1/4 curve and a 12" 1/8 banked curve. That's it. They do have the molds for 9" 1/8 curves and 9" 1/8 banked curves (I believe) as I have some of them from older sets. Hopefully Walthers will address the track issue down the road.

Lifelike track snaps together tightly, but I am not a fan of the electrical connection design. It uses the same method as Aurora MM and AFX track. I much prefer the way Tyco and Tomy do it, although even that isn't the best solution.

I've heard there are a lot of broken track returns with Lifelike. It is probably a lot like the old Aurora AFX track, whose connection tabs we have all broken from time to time. Just be careful when assembling and disassembling.

The rails on Lifelike, I'm told, are taller than the other brands. This is apparently an issue for magnet cars since they depend upon a close tolerance to the traction magnets. Mixing Lifelike and other brands on a track which uses magnet cars can cause tuning issues.

Lifelike and Tyco use even lane spacing, while the lanes on Tomy two lane track are closer together. You may or may not care about that.

Lifelike and Tyco/Mattel can usually be purchased in bulk lots from people who bought sets but don't want the track. Tomy usually must either be bought at retail prices by the piece, or the more economical way which is buying a large set.

Lifelike and Tomy are widely available. Tyco/Mattel, while still easily available, is not being produced in any great quatities by Mattel at the moment. That may or may not change in the future.

I personally use Tyco/Mattel as the even lane spacing is important to me. Plus, although others have complained about the poor electrical connections of Tyco track, I have not experianced any electical related problems or dead sections with my Mattel track. My small track is 65 pieces long and I ran the cars around without the use of jumpers and didn't see any noticeable drop off in power around the circuit.

Joe

Hi guys!

Let me throw my experience with the various tracks over the years into the discussion also.

I've owned/ran on tyco/mattel,tomy and life like(which I have currently).

All 3 tracks have their pros and cons to them that many of you have already covered.

I would say Tomy has the best variety in various track sections and sets available.

The only thing I absolutely hated about tomy was if you didn't secure the track down permanently it would work itself apart constantly.

Also with tomy if your using the set controllers for anything other than super g plus/srt/tyco 440s the controllers are basically on/off switches for xtractions and t-jets.


I liked tyco because the track was cheap to buy(still is even through mattel) has a good variety of track pieces and has decent set controllers for a wide variety of cars.

Currently I have a big Life Like 4 lane banked oval which I really enjoy!!!

Like many said Life Like is limited to the track sections/curves available but I think it is a very nice track system depending on the type or size layout you are trying to build.

I am currently working toward building the Life Like 4 lane "paperclip" in the track layout section of ho slotcarracing.com.

It fits on a 4 x 8 sheet and gives you plenty of track length to run on.

You can acquire Life Like track fairly inexpensively also plus it stays together well when snapped together. I don't take mine apart often.

Overall it just depends what you have currently or the cash you want to spend on a set.

Tomy by far has the best 4 lane track sets for the price but honestly I have my 4 lane life like and I am more than pleased with it and I sold off what Tomy track I had awhile back.

Good luck to you on whatever direction or set you decide to buy.

They are all good and bad in their own ways!!! HA HA HA!!!

Wayne :thumbsup::thumbsup: