Not being able to retain maximum control and comfortability of a road car on a race t

[yousafjdmx]

I have a set of questions for my research at university and was wondering if any of yous could give your personal opinions..
Would really appreciate it.

What styling would you use to increase your performance vehicles aerodynamics?

What is the best and material to stitch and use on a performance vehicle steering-wheel and why?

Would bigger air vents on the front bumper of a car allow it to cut differently through a corner?

What 3 main vehicle handling factors to consider on a race track?

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by yousafjdmx

I have a set of questions for my research at university and was wondering if any of yous could give your personal opinions..
Would really appreciate it.

I infrequently visit this forum, but I stumbled upon this post and I can't help to post a reply. I will say that in general your questions are so broad as to potentially be pointless (sorry). It is also not clear (given the post title is chopped off) what you actually are looking for. I assume you are asking about a road car (stock) when used on track (such as a track day) and not a purpose built race car (even if based upon a production car).

Originally Posted by yousafjdmx

What styling would you use to increase your performance vehicles aerodynamics?

I have having a hard time getting past the combination of "styling" and "aerodynamics" in the same sentence. I am not sure how this fits with my assumption of a stock road car. Road cars aerodynamics are mostly about visuals, but if are adjusted to have purpose then I expect they are typically focused on predictable handling (via some downforce at high speed) and low drag to help with fuel economy.

If you are talking performance cars, then (depending upon budget) it can range from basic wings, flat under-bodies, rear diffusers and even active aero (typically rear wings).

Originally Posted by yousafjdmx

What is the best and material to stitch and use on a performance vehicle steering-wheel and why?

There is no best. It depends upon what you are looking for. Basic plastic/rubber is very functional. Leather is good, looks good and typically is long lasting. Something like Alcantara is nice, but doesn't last as long and may not look good as it ages. It also depends upon if you are using gloves or not as well.

Originally Posted by yousafjdmx

Would bigger air vents on the front bumper of a car allow it to cut differently through a corner?

I assume you mean high speed corners in which aero would have an influence. At low speeds it would not. And "air vents" by themselves is not specific enough. This comes across as a "style" vs. "function" issue. To be honest I am not sure I understand the question.

Originally Posted by yousafjdmx

What 3 main vehicle handling factors to consider on a race track?

Again, assuming a stock road car, then the handling will have been engineered to be very predictable so as to suite an average driver. Build in understeer as most know how to deal with that vs. oversteer. Basically you get what the designer gives you.

If you are talking about being able to adjust suspension, then it will be very much driver preference. Such as what does the car do at the limit? Oversteer or Understeer? Even then those characteristics might show up differently depending the corner or even parts of the corner. Overall I would expect having a car that is predictable, consistent and confidence building is paramount. If you are unsure what the car will do at the limit, then you dare not drive at the limit.

Richard

[djr81]

I have a set of questions for my research at university and was wondering if any of yous could give your personal opinions..
Would really appreciate it.

What styling would you use to increase your performance vehicles aerodynamics?
If by performance vehicles you mean road cars the answer is basically none. It is very difficult to meaningfully reduce the amount of lift an average road car makes at cornering speeds on race tracks without making it look like a race car. Some performance cars eg high stuff like McLaren, Lotus etc do offer overall downforce. But it is a low % relative to the vehicle weight and is difficult to proportion to the front and rear of the car in line with the weight distribution.

Sure you can bolt a big GT wing on the back but it is much harder to get a front splitter to work well in proportion.

What is the best and material to stitch and use on a performance vehicle steering-wheel and why?
Alcantara.

Would bigger air vents on the front bumper of a car allow it to cut differently through a corner?
Downforce comes not from the bumper but from the undertray. So, no.

What 3 main vehicle handling factors to consider on a race track?
Stability under brakes.
Understeer/oversteer aka balance through the corner.
Traction on corner exit.