You don't know it, but sometimes I question myself...alot. That I hit the send button is some indication of how much like chickens we are - in this Skinner Box sometimes I just want to be Done and what the hell...

Last weekend I watched Sunday Morning on CBS and some/most of the segment on Charlize Theron - "she's real nice". The conversation necessarily touched somewhat on the new movie she stars in "Young Adult" which sounded interesting enough.

Then just the other day I was listening to Morning Edition on NPR and heard this interview with the screenwriter: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2...in-young-adult

And it got me to thinking...and questioning myself...about things in my life...Not on Honda-Tech... or any such place...(sorry...just had to...something somebody said)...

And then...Finally...Today...in Racecar Engineering's December 2011 issue...(still doing it...can't seem to stop...trying...giving up...)...page 37...Honda BTCC...AND I QUOTE:

"Coupled to this is the problem that the front wheels on a Touring Car are saddled with most of the work...In contrast, the rears of the car are underutilized. 'The problem is they generate too much grip'...'The usual approach is to lose as much grip as possible to get a balance.' This is traditionally done by picking the inside rear off the track completely, or generating large amounts of camber change. 'Our approach has been to keep both rear wheels generating grip, but to employ it usefully.' To achieve this, the Honda rear beam has been cleverly designed to steer in roll, moving the rear of the car around the front, helping the front wheels acheive their objectives. This is, in fact, what happens in the production version of the car, but is much harder to achieve on a race car as the loads are bigger and much less compliance can be tolerated, yet all the geometry has to be achieved through compliance of the beam. Optimising this has been an ongoing process since 2007 and Crolla admits, 'this is the first year it worked perfectly'"

Alrighty Then...that last part is rubbish inasmuch as production cars to the opposite, and Charles Armstrong-Wilson needs a better technical editor. But the main thing is that they admit to steering the rear axle Out of the turn in roll or in response to lateral load. Oh how clever of them to think of that (it said they were clever). Way better than losing as much grip as possible (by picking the inside rear off the track completely) - quite right of course, losing any more than that would seem to be clearly beyond the possible. Hmmm, if you think about it, they're underutilizing the rears even more. Looks like they didn't divulge the Real Secret of keeping the inside rear planted though. This is the kind of thing that keeps bringing me back to town!!!

Scott, who is looking forward to seeing the movie...no matter how much it creeps me out...

 

Ahhhhh, yes.... Charlize Theron...my favorite African woman

 

She does look really good.

 

4 tires on the road for a FWD is faster. Race Car Engineering says so. I wonder who else said that? Can't seem to remember. As for Charlize, nice....

 

i wonder if she can keep all four tires on the ground as good as she looks?

 

It didn't say that exactly...

Scott, who finds glimpses of eternity in the most amusing places...

 

Vauxhall Vectra used a beam rear suspension many years ago.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...-53560487.html

By using flexures they could make it work very well.

As for the rear steering, that is not uncommon on race cars. A slight amount of tow compliance can contribute to a more drivable car. It tends to lend stability. The issue I could see here is how to compromise the rear suspension steering characteristics to benefit the front wheels and still all the driver to be at ease when driving at the limits.

This is the issue. Can't see inside though. Racecar Engineering's Website sucks.
http://gb.zinio.com/browse/issues/in...69319186&pss=1

I have this issue somewhere. Guess I could scan it.

 

Just watching the BTCC races that Speed channel has been nice enough to replay. More coming this week. Lots of FWD action with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden in their Honda Racing Team Civics. Even some nice in-car shots following the rear end of their competitors. Gives you a good idea of how flat these cars corner. Some spectacular action from Jason Plato's Chevrolet, over and over and over.

I have that issue in RCE somewhere too of the design of that rear suspension with all the 3D CAD drawings. Always amazed at how much work they put into the design of the rear suspension of FWD racecars.

 

How can I start getting ahold of this RCE? I think it'll be useful going into my first all engineering semester.

 

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/ is the site. They have a paperback version which is about $100 a year or a digital version (pdf files) at around half the price.

 

FTFY.

 

too much nascar bar?