A thorough guide to the DIY building and modifying of a car for racing or rallying. Describes champion circuit, rally and hill-climb cars from Formula 750 to Formula 1. If you are a serious competitor in either race, rally or hill climbing this is an excellent addition to the tool box. The guide is simple, easy to follow and it is a must for any club.
To make your car handle, design a suspension system, or just learn about chassis, you’ll find what you need here. Basic suspension theory is thoroughly covered: roll center, roll axis, camber change, bump steer, anti-dive, ride rate, ride balance and more. How to choose, install and modify suspensions and suspension hardware for best handling: springs, sway bars, shock absorbers, bushings, tired and wheels. Regardless of the basic layout of your car—front engine/rear drive, front engine/front drive, or rear engine/rear drive—it is covered here. Aerodynamic hardware and body modifications for reduced drag, high-speed stability and increased cornering power: spoilers, air dams, wings and ground-effects devices. How to modify and set up brakes for maximum stopping power and handling. The most complete source of handling information available. “Suspension secrets” explained in plain, understandable language so you can be the expert.
The first book to summarize the secrets of the rapidly developing field of high-speed vehicle design. From F1 to Indy Car, Drag and Sedan racing, this book provides clear explanations for engineers who want to improve their design skills and enthusiasts who simply want to understand how their favorite race cars go fast. Explains how aerodynamics win races, why downforce is more important than streamlining and drag reduction, designing wings and venturis, plus wind tunnel designs and more.
Illustrated profiles of the greatest motorsports pairings of man and machine, from the winner of the first Indy 500 race to the Audi R10 the dominated Le Mans for nearly a decade.
Revving engines, smoking tires, and high speeds. Car racing enthusiasts and race drivers alike know the thrill of competition, the push to perform better, and the agony—and dangers—of bad decisions. But driving faster and better involves more than just high horsepower and tightly tuned engines. Physicist and amateur racer Chuck Edmondson thoroughly discusses the physics underlying car racing and explains just what’s going on during any race, why, and how a driver can improve control and ultimately win. The world of motorsports is rich with excitement and competition—and physics. Edmondson applies common mathematical theories to real-world racing situations to reveal the secrets behind successful fast driving. He explains such key concepts as how to tune your car and why it matters, how to calculate 0 to 60 mph times and quarter-mile times and why they are important, and where, when, why, and how to use kinematics in road racing. He wraps it up with insight into the impact and benefit of green technologies in racing. In each case, Edmondson’s in-depth explanations and worked equations link the physics principles to qualitative racing advice. From selecting shifting points to load transfer in car control and beyond, Fast Car Physics is the ideal source to consult before buckling up and cinching down the belts on your racing harness.
Competition car suspensions are a vital ingredient for winning performance. This third edition has been fully updated to reflect the latest developments and revolutionary changes in racing technology, and in the rules of racing. Staniforth explains the theory and practice of successful suspension engineering, and explores in an easy-to-understand and readable style how and why suspension systems work. Includes coverage of the banning of active suspensions. Updated & expanded 3rd ed.
Much-needed fourth edition of strong backlist book first published in 1988 and continuously in print ever since. Reformatted to latest 'Competition Car' style and size. Now full color throughout. Most pictures new for this edition.
This set includes Race Car Vehicle Dynamics, and Race Car Vehicle Dynamics - Problems, Answers and Experiments. Written for the engineer as well as the race car enthusiast, Race Car Vehicle Dynamics includes much information that is not available in any other vehicle dynamics text. Truly comprehensive in its coverage of the fundamental concepts of vehicle dynamics and their application in a racing environment, this book has become the definitive reference on this topic. Although the primary focus is on the race car, the engineering fundamentals detailed are also applicable to passenger car design and engineering. Authors Bill and Doug Milliken have developed many of the original vehicle dynamics theories and principles covered in this book, including the Moment Method, "g-g" Diagram, pair analysis, lap time simulation, and tyre data normalization. The book also includes contributions from other experts in the field. Chapters cover: *The Problem Imposed by Racing *Tire Behavior *Aerodynamic Fundamentals *Vehicle Axis Systems and more. Written for the engineer as well as the race car enthusiast and students, the companion workbook to the original classic book, Race Car Vehicle Dynamics, includes: *Detailed worked solutions to all of the problems *Problems for every chapter in Race Car Vehicle Dynamics, including many new problems *The Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Program Suite (for Windows) with accompanying exercises *Experiments to try with your own vehicle *Educational appendix with additional references and course outlines *Over 90 figures and graphs This workbook is widely used as a college textbook and has been an SAE International best seller since it's introduction in 1995.
