RCRyan

i would like to know if making you car lighter make your car a litte faster.

IhrtTamiya

yes....just like in 1:1 cars every ounce helps. take off as much weight as you can as long as the car is still controllable.

vizaracer

i know it will give you more accel, but i dont know about speed.

BOOCAKE4U

weight will have no affect on top speed, just acceleration...

R/C Dragon

I think it would affect both top speed and accel. but only a little bit

vizaracer

if it affects speed, it will only be rational (like 1 or 2 mph). it will mostly give you accel and it could make your car fly farther on jumps if you have an off road. it could also make your car spin its tires more because of the less weight on the tires to keep traction.

Bokuden

KE= 1/2 MV^2 or sq. rt(2KE/M) = V; reduce M, you increase V, same as F=MA ==>A=F/M

BOOCAKE4U

interesting...can we see the formula with some realistic example values plugged in? (i am unsure how to find the kinetic energy)

i am curious to see what velocities you arrive at with a few ounces difference (say 40g)...in a 1:1 car the aerodynamic and rolling resistance prevent the weight from making any difference in the top speed ie: a ferrari with a trunk full of bricks has the same top speed as the same car with the trunk empty...i suppose it makes sense that this may not be the case with a smaller vehicle, but without a formula that takes drag into account it is hard to say

BUGGIES_R_US

Good questions guys!

Ferrari with a trunk full of brick... Yes it will have the same top speed IF
1) Rolling resistance is not increase (in reality it is)
2) Drag coefficient is not changed (by sulking due to weight)


What weight will do:

1) Increase your acceleration LINEARLY!.. less the better!
2) CORNERING is GREATLY improved and obviously you can pull more Gs on the skidpad/slalom
3) Case studyFord FR500 (mustang) vs Lotus Elise. The lotus makes less than HALF the power of the ford yet bets it HANDS DOWN in every category! Why? Weight! Car & Driver had an article about a year ago.

So how do you get better grip on the tires without strapping bricks to your car? Simple! USE THE AIR!! Formula 1 cars are capable of driving UP SIDE DOWN because of the amount of downforce they produce!! (This is a fact...can be proven)

Porsche's Whale fin spoiler is a carefully designed airfoil which produces a lot of downforce/drag. UNLIKE other "look at me" spoilers like those found in Ford Mustangs which are for look only and they produce ONLY DRAG...(what a waste!)

In other words, were talking about Aerodynamically induced stability! (This is something american cars are NOT familiar with lol)

Check out this link: http://world.honda.com/NSX/technology/index.html

The NSX is all about low weight and aerodynamically assisted "kick ass handling"

ram

RCRyan

My dads Porsche Carrera has the whale tail. Not only is it a carefully desinged
spoiler created to produce downforce at speeds well over 100mhp (top speed is 192)
but it also houses the intercooler for the twin turbos. really a great design.
here is a pic of our car -oops it didnt up load or something
I put it in the gallery

BUGGIES_R_US

YEP!!!

Thats true.. Also, its interesting to note that in a few tests.. the whalefin spoiler didnt noticeable increase drag!!!
I personally find that hard to believe.. but thats what the test results say.....

I REALLY dont understand why people dont bother making cars more efficient and less damn boxy..

Nissan has it down with their 350Z.. Why cant we have more cars shaped like the LOLA boy with a nice 8 liter straight 6 turbo diesel in there!!!

Allegedly the Lola body has exceptional handling characteristics..
Theres even an article on how to make your normal 200mm body more aerodynamically efficient. The dude gued on air dams and air diverters from the wheels and reported a 2-3 Mph increase in speed!

ram

RCRyan

I havent seen a Lola. My dad is mad at Porsche becuase they
dont make cars are rounded as they used to. His is s 993 911
or a 1997, last of the aircooled 911's. he doesnt like the newer
longer less shaped 911's. He says the 993 911 is the best ever.
I have seen a picutre of the Elise though somewhere.

IhrtTamiya

here in america, spoilers do create downforce. the ricer burner ****s that they are strapped on dont have enough speed to get the spoiler used effectively. and the f1 car theory(about one running upside down) can not be proven. it is just said because the downforce on the car is close to four times the weight of the car. if you take out weight your final speed and acceleration will increase as long as you add something that creates downforce to compensate for the weight loss.

spoilers and air dams are designed to create as little wind resistance as possible while still creating down force. this is why wind resistance did not increase with the whalefin.

also: id rather strap a v6 instead of an inline 6 on a car anyday.

to decrease drag on your car, all you need are vents. mustang cobras have them but they are mainly used to cool the brakes. but if you add vents to your ground effects(body kit) then there is less blockage of air and therefore less drag. you can also add a vent through the grill, down the side of the body(on the inside) and straight out the back. all of this ends in a decrease in drag which increases speed and acceleration.

give me a ford gt40 anyday over a lotus elise

vizaracer

heres my car, its my muscle car. its a 1969 dodge super bee with a 383 cubic inch engine (6.3 litre) and 390 hp with 450 ft. lbs. of torque. its more boxy than a porche but its alot cheaper and has style. it has a 140 mph top speed but it only has a 3-speed auto. cant wait till i get my 4-speed manual with overdrive

RCRyan

Mr Tamiya the gt40 is a great car but you can have 3 elises for one gt40
My dad would like a GT3 to go with the turbo but my mom would beat him
up if he got another one.

vizaracer

i love my muscle car. ive got 5k to waste in parts as of right now and im only a teenager. shes got a 5.5 sec 0-60 and a 13 sec 1/4

RCRyan

Viz
take care of it. keep it as close to stock as you can.
I saw a 69 charger with the large wing and slanted nose
sell for $200, 000 on speed channel.
enjoy it and take care of it!!

IhrtTamiya

i didnt think you needed an overdrive with a manul. oh well, could be wrong but ive only seen them on automatics. and isnt the charger with the wing and nose another car that was designed for early NASCAR?

id still take a gt40 over an elise. THE FERARRI SLAYER

RCRyan

Mr Timiya
yes that was it, the charger.
the gt40 can whoop a ferrari! so can a $110K Porsche GT3
at least the 360 modena

popuptoaster

there is a limit on how much you can reduce drag on a car i think, im sure i read somewhere that you have more and more problems with sidewinds as you get slipperyer! lol

also seem to remember seeing in a race prep book that loosing 10 kilos is equivelent to adding 1 horse power.

vizaracer

actually the charger that had the wing was called the daytona and the superbird. that car is amazing. in a book i read its top speed was around 220 and it had a 440. what i have is the super bee, im gonna get an overdrive probably with the 4-speed manual. but im keeping the old transmission to switch back if i was ever gonna sell it. i dont want to sell it, its my baby. this summer im gonna repaint it gold because it has a couple of scratches and im gonna get the 4-speed, ill get the overdrive if i can afford it. that car is a great daily driver and has tons of power to cruise with. im thinking of doing like a flow master 3 inch exhaust with a balancer in the middle. getting a new intake manifold, maybe a bigger and possible 2 carbs. right now i have the six-pack fiber glass hood to put on it and im gonna paint it black because thats how they were back then. those pics are not updated in the engine compartment. right now i have chrome "mopar performance" valve covers. im gonna keep the car as stock as i can because its a super bee. i wont change stuff like the paint or anything unless its like a new coat of the gold. it has a new radio right now but i moved the new one to the glove box so it has the stock looks.

IhrtTamiya

i love 60s and some 80s era cars. excellent machines and you can find nothing like them in the world. the only reason i dont want one is because im into modding cars. love working on them and the feel of brand new exhaust and a blisterin V8 through the pedal. wonderful experience.

but yea...lighter=faster to a point and there is a limit to reducing drag unless you can turn a car into the air itself.

vizaracer

yea, im gonna mod this car some, but the stuff i mod is going to be easy to change back. i love working on the older classic cars also. they have great power and i think the sound of muscle is the best. all the old parts i take off ive been putting them on the shelf so i always have it to put back on. the only parts im keeping that is. ive replaced its entire front steering and everything cause that thing was worn out bad! and the car only has 50,000 miles on it. it has not turned over. i guess alot of the parts got bad and dryrotted was when people left them in thier garages and just let them sit for years. i cant stand not to run my car everyday, i have to have it running and hear the muscle. my friends say muscle cars are only good for going straight but i know they are wrong. they are import honda and stuff lovers. that car turns great and they say to get low profile tires for it. i just wonder one reason why i should get low profiles? so if i hit a speed bump i break the rim and have to buy a new one? my friend hit a curb at like less than 30 and destroyed his low profile rim. i think the rims i have on there right now will hold up better than that. they are magnum 500's and i think they look pretty good. im gonna get red lines though as soon as i have the money and figure out if its worth it or just to buy some raised white letter tires for it. i found red lines are $500 for a set of 4! thats alot of money for a tire. i guess its because they arent as popular now like before and now most teens have imports which dont take red lines.

BUGGIES_R_US

V6??
Well actually I dont have the facts but I heard that I6 is a more efficient approach..

Most high end 6s seem to be inline. Most diesels, BMWs..
One major advantage with the V6 is that its more compact. But I dont know enough to really argue.

That F1 chillin on the top of a tunnel story was a brain teaser.. not to be taken seriously lol..

Ok.. hows this.. IT doesnt take anything to stick a freakin 12 liter engine in a car and be proud because its powerfull..Thats american philosophy..
Get 120Hp out of a 1000cc and you've accomplished something.
Fuel efficiency is another thing I think is "beautiful". Then again beauty is in the eye of the beholder.. so lets stop there!

So how does this tie to his argument again? lol
ram

vizaracer

i have no clue?? LOL.