<VV> Re: VirtualVairs Digest, Vol 19, Issue 95

[djtcz at comcast.net]

I think I read ( maybe in Roger Huntington's Indy car book)  that the early attempts at FWD had an(other) distinct advantage over RWD in that they permitted a much lower CG.  That is a basic advantage the SUV's have abandoned entirely, although based on Road and Track's slalom test ratings tek-nology has largely earned back.

At large steering angles the tire vectors give FWD an advantage.  Who cares?


--
Dan Timberlake

-------------- Original message -------------- 
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 00:11:42 -0400
From: Padgett <pp2 at 6007.us>
Subject: Re: <VV> Bordering Comical...(Little Corvair)
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Message-ID: <5.2.0.9.2.20060813235601.01acc268 at mail.bellsouth.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

1921 Duesenberg, 1936 Auto Union type C

More specifically, the engine belongs over the drive wheels. Now "in 
general" excess horsepower works best over or just in front of the rear 
wheels. Makes sense if you think of force vectors and particularly if you 
larn't to drive on dirt tracks (being a bit of a squirrel helps too) but 
coming out of a turn all the drive wheels are doing is driving with the car 
pointing the way you want to be going when the turn ends. Incidentals like 
whether you are going to clip the pylons/tires/curb/courseworkers on the 
inside are handled by the front wheels which have nothing else to do.

FWD is fine if power is limited or on dirt but an artist with an unstable 
car is going to beat the same guy with a stable one. ("Unstable" in the 
sense that an F-16 is unstable - why it can't take off from a carrier but 
don't try to outturn one, AFTI could fly sideways). However in a long race 
the unstable driver is going to be exhausted. Just depends on where your 
priorities are.

OTOH the engine hung out the back means a virtuoso can swing the tail 
through a slalom like a pendulum, a real art form.

Padgett