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Old 06-15-2015, 11:52 PM   #42 (permalink)
GreenHornet
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xist View Post
Are normal steering wheels fifteen inches?
I have had quite a few Triumph Spitfire and GT6 cars over the years and all of them with the exception of one GT6 had 15" steering wheels. The GT6 had a 14" wheel. So I think the 15" size is by far the most common at least from my experience.

Another reason I would like to have a smaller steering wheel besides giving more room is turning effort lock to lock. Not that it will take much in the Centurion but the smaller the wheel the quicker your steering input. However there is two sides to this coin. By reducing wheel size your turning effort lock to lock is minimized as you do not need as much input to reach full lock. The turning effort however is increased as you have less leverage turning the wheel. So it is a trade off.

Ok Frank that makes much more sense LOL

Utilizing the smaller 2 cylinder Kubota also plays into this because I will have the advantage of sitting it back behind the axle line as well as sitting it lower in the engine compartment. This transforms Centurion #4 from a front engine rear wheel drive car into an front mid engine rear wheel drive (FMR). These types of cars are not as common but do exhibit quite a few advantages over the far more common front engine front wheel drive vehicles we see today. In general this modification will help the handling by keeping the engine lower which lowers the cars center of gravity. Less steering effort will be needed because the mass is centrally located rather than at the ends of the car over the driving wheels. Overall car handling will be improved also because again you are moving the majority of the weight to the middle of the car.

Here is a link that discusses mid engine design = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-engine_design

Here is a link that shows the Honda S2000 engine compartment which is similar to what the Centurion #4 will be like = Quick & Dirty: Understanding Powertrain Configurations - The Modified Lifestyle | Revvolution
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Last edited by GreenHornet; 06-16-2015 at 06:24 AM..
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