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Interesting how you equate wider track with increased roll stiffness.
Further interesting how you equate understeer stability characteristics with rear suspension design, and actually consider a lateral rear swing arm suspension a good thing. How would one go about building a lateral swing arm suspension, along the lines of old VW bugs for a mono rear tire? Most people considered the Corvair and early VW bug "unsafe", and Ralph Nader actually became famous for his opposition to it.
The traditional solution for straight line stability in rutted pavement involves attention to static camber, and keeping the front rollcenter lower then the rear.
As I am sure you are aware, it is relatively easy to get the front roll center below ground level, and the rear roll center of a trailing arm suspension, with the pivot perpendicular to vehicle travel, is by definition ground level. Therefore, it "feels" steady.
Another way to make a car feel stable is to make it narrow, and long. I think I have succeeded in this case.
Your recommendations on rollcages are just silly. Spectacularly silly. I hope you mistyped your recommendation for a 1.75 cage of .125 for a 1000 pound car.
Heck, I don't think NHRA requires more then 1.5" for a 2000 pound car into the 9's. SCCA says if I wanted to race it I'd be fine with 1.5 .095 even up to 2200 pounds.
As for weight, I certainly hope I can get the completed car lighter then 2500 pounds.
My goal is actually less than half that.
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