Billy_the_Kid
September 19th, 2003, 12:56
Everyone knows the importance or advantage of building race vehicles light weight, but does anybody know of any actual tests that have been conducted to derive some sort of formula or get some hard data to support that? Here's what I mean. Coming from an asphalt circle track background, I was taught that removing 1 pound of unsprung weight (spindle, brake caliper, etc.) was the same as removing 4 pounds of sprung weight. And that removing 1 pound of rotating weight (crankshaft, flywheel, etc.) was like removing 10 pounds of non-rotating weight. And that when you combined the two, removing 1 pound of unsprung rotating weight (tire, wheel, brake rotor, etc.) was the same as removing 40 pounds of sprung non-rotating weight.
However, I have never been able to find any hard data or formulas that support these theories. It's easy to find stuff that says lighter is better, but that's about it. I'm also curious if everyone thinks this is a real important issue with off-road and desert racing, as much as it is to the asphalt circle track guys. Cause to them it's extremely important. Heck, we used to gun drill all our wheel studs for goodness sake. (I always thought that was like splitting hairs, but everybody else ended up doing it too)...
Also, with all this in mind, are there any Trophy Trucks or Class 1's that run the carbon/carbon or carbon fiber rotors? or inboard brake systems like on Chapman's Lotus cars? Or is all that too expensive compared to it's benefit even for a TT? Someone said in a different post that with the new 39" tires there was a lot of gyroscopic force when you are spinning a 100 lb. tire and wheel at 130 mph. WOW, that seems unbelievably heavy. Is that really necessary to have them that big? If you could cut 10 pounds off per wheel that's like (based on the above formula) taking 1600 lbs off the truck!!
However, I have never been able to find any hard data or formulas that support these theories. It's easy to find stuff that says lighter is better, but that's about it. I'm also curious if everyone thinks this is a real important issue with off-road and desert racing, as much as it is to the asphalt circle track guys. Cause to them it's extremely important. Heck, we used to gun drill all our wheel studs for goodness sake. (I always thought that was like splitting hairs, but everybody else ended up doing it too)...
Also, with all this in mind, are there any Trophy Trucks or Class 1's that run the carbon/carbon or carbon fiber rotors? or inboard brake systems like on Chapman's Lotus cars? Or is all that too expensive compared to it's benefit even for a TT? Someone said in a different post that with the new 39" tires there was a lot of gyroscopic force when you are spinning a 100 lb. tire and wheel at 130 mph. WOW, that seems unbelievably heavy. Is that really necessary to have them that big? If you could cut 10 pounds off per wheel that's like (based on the above formula) taking 1600 lbs off the truck!!