Making a more efficient, aerodynamic soapbox gravity race car

[Frank Lee]

But the Rumpler does pretty good with it.

[orengomotors]

Well after doing 2 races i can say that the front bodywork WORKS. Now i feel more the air into my face.
In the other hand i failed to make more roundish those edges i only was doing ugly vents to the metal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv3KRNy8E1U

[Frank]

Flying!

[freebeard]

Heh. Loose straw on the track.

Somebody's been in the hay bales.

[Xist]

It's Downy soft!

[orengomotors]

It's been a long time!!

i had no time because the university admission exams but those last days i had been modifying the suspension.

First i designed a new geometry:





Next i started to build it:






And finally, doing the pushrod system, with a smaller, thinner rod than before (small aero benefit here! ):

[freebeard]

Nice work. It's sort of a T-arm instead of A-arm suspension? Why the heck not?

Edit: The software; could it lay out a dual traverse [airfoiled fiberglass] leaf suspension? With two pivot points instead of one to provide anti-roll?

[orengomotors]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Nice work. It's sort of a T-arm instead of A-arm suspension? Why the heck not?

Edit: The software; could it lay out a dual traverse [airfoiled fiberglass] leaf suspension? With two pivot points instead of one to provide anti-roll?

It's an T-arm because its strong enought ( 25mm diameter, 2mm wall) and adding another tube will make it heavier, the idea is to make an A-arm with smaller tubes to reduce unsprung weight on the future.

Are you referring to a dual wishbone system, but with leaf spring instead of shocksabsorvers, or to a dual wishbone where the wishbones are leaf springs?

The two are good ideas, and had been aplied to winner soapboxes on Spain.

[freebeard]

The latter. Like a Corvette leaf spring held at the 1/3rd points, but A-arm shaped. I found an article where something like it is discussed on a recumbent forum:


http://www.recumbents.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6182

[orengomotors]

Originally Posted by freebeard

The latter. Like a Corvette leaf spring held at the 1/3rd points, but A-arm shaped. I found an article where something like it is discussed on a recumbent forum:


http://www.recumbents.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6182

on this, it has normal A-arms but with leaf spring instead of coilovers: