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The Original Online Racing Reference.
You have found the original! Many other websites have copied many of these pages and tables, but you have found the source and most likely more and newer references than the copycats.
Below, there are several groups of pages. The first group is the Combustion-Bytes section covering engines in race cars, hot rods, Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro and Corvette, roadsters and just about anything with piston engines.
Section 2 is the Circle Track Suspension and Chassis Setup section and is applicable for everything from stock car racing on pavement tracks to dirt track modifieds and just about anything else that races on circle tracks.
Section 3 is full of helpful charts and tables
Section 4 are Chassis Newsletters by Mark Ortiz. These are packed full of great information from a well known Professional Racing Engineer.
Section 5 is The Physics of Racing Series by Brian Beckman, PhD.
COMBUSTION - BYTES
These pages have many racing tips, and tech info for performance engine parts.
Engine Science 2 Basic induction
How Accurate are Engine Simulators
CIRCLE TRACK SUSPENSION & CHASSIS SETUP
These pages provide chassis and suspension setup info covering everything from weight transfer to suspension geometry and other items to improve you race car's handling.
Handling Trouble shooting Guide
Chassis Setup at the Rear for Cornering
Dirt Track Chassis Setup at the rear for Cornering
Front Suspension Setup for Cornering
Front Suspension and Slip Angles
Ackerman Steering and Racing Circle Tracks
Reading and Analyzing Camber Curves
Friction Circle (The Basic Theory)
Understeer (push) in the Middle of a Corner
Weight Distribution and Cross Weight
The tables below are helpful for race car, hot rod, custom car builders, professional fabricators and home mechanics.
Brake Fluid Boiling Temperatures
Drill Size For Tapping Threads
Drill Sizes; Numbers, Letters, and Fractions
Drill Speeds For Various Sizes and Materials
Melting Temperatures of Metals
Small Block Chevy Head Casting Numbers
Standard Transmission Gear Ratios
Weight of Tubing; Round & Square
Mark Ortiz Automotive is a chassis consulting service primarily serving oval track and road racers. Often several subjects are covered in a single month.
December 2017 - More GP midgets, Model T roll center, bind in roll 4 link axle.
November 2017 - Spring split w/ upward jacking, UK GP midgets.
October 2017 - Anti squat with torque arm & asymmetrical trailing links.
September 2017 - 3 vs 4 link & torque wedge RWD, springs bars & caster jacking.
August 2017 - Anti Squat in strut rear suspension.
July 2017 - Control arm length ratios.
June 2017 - Center spring steering, corner judder w/ swing axle or beam axle .
May 2017 - Dirt late model pinning RF & heavy axle tube.
April 2017 - Bracketing settings, 4WD high speed pavement vehicle.
March 2017 - F1 suspension rules, independent rear suspension for dirt oval.
February 2017 - Suspension design process.
December 2016 - More proportioning valves, Front/Rear weight distribution.
November 2016 - Hysteresis with brake proportioning valves.
October 2016 - Sprint car on road course.
September 2016 - Calculating spring rates, Outlaw figure 8
August 2016 - Lotus link rear, more on exit understeer in Porsches.
July 2016 - Steering effects and coilover/push rod connected to upright.
June 2016 - Anti-squat from drive shaft angularity.
May 2016 - Corner exit understeer.
April 2016 - Self piloted and remote piloting vehicles.
March 2016 - Leaning trike, Effects of widening track of existing vehicle.
February 2016 - Designing off/on road buggy.
January 2016 - Macphearson geometry and strategy for modification.
December 2015 - Impact protection...spinal compression.
November 2015 - FWD hillclimb car w twist beam rear suspension.
October 2015 - Brake calculation.
September 2015 - Sign convention of camber gain, More on trikes, Design & analysis methodology.
August 2015 - Camber gain/recovery and design of tricyles.
July 2015 - Off the beaten path or paved one.
June 2015 - Nismo brakes, Mumford axle lateral linkage, Differentials for FSAE.
May 2015 - Logic of Nissan Nismo
April 2015 - Weight transfer fundamentals, weight transfer w/ arb vs. springs.
March 2015 -Offset front engine for road racing, Revised lower A frame Lotus 7
rear suspension, Coping w/ tighting turns in autocross.
February 2015 - Scrub radius, Offset control arms w/ offset engine, Big wheels.
January 2015 - Speedy & public trials, Upright geometry and related considerations.
December 2014 - Scale effects, FSAE student ideas.
November 2014 - Spindle inclination slpit, Canceling driveshaft torque.
October 2014 - Size/performance tradeoff in dampers.
September 2014 - Diffusers live axles & Mumford link.
August 2014 -Mumford link, FARB reduced understeer, General road race set up
Push rod just at rear.
July 2014 - Pin lead/trail steering geo, FRIC suspension ban.
June 2014 - Third spring configurations.
May 2014 - Lateral CG & load transfer, Raised links on live axle.
April 2014 - Double wishbone vs strut suspension, Rear caster.
March 2014 - Highly modified FWD car on sticky tires.
February 2014 - Upper link geometry to cancel roll torque, Stagger & anti-squat.
January 2014 - Suspension Interconnection.
December 2013 - Powerslide Dynamics, Anti-Lift in Front-Drive car.
November 2013 - Supermodified rear ends.
October 2013 - Inertia tire damping.
September 2013 - Camber change due to compliance, driveline offset w/ live axle.
August 2013 - Off road suspension.
July 2013 - Effects of damping on load transfer.
June 2013 - Similar cars except different track widths.
May 2013 - Roll Thrust.
April 2013 - Do most cars have higher R roll ctr than F, Front pushrod on upright.
March 2013 - Angular roll stiffness in special cases.
February 2013 - Loose in sweeper tight in tight turns.
January 2013 - Small load transfer Delta Wing car, US tight turn OS high speed turn
December 2012 - Unequal half shaft length, Beam axle roll center
November 2012 - Frame torsional stiffness, Live rear axle suspension design
October 2012 - Rear Steer and Hiking (dirt track)
September 2012 -Static deflection in freq calcs, Theory of traction on dirt.
August 2012 -Gas spring force & rate in shocks.
July 2012 -Front percent & turn in, Adjust rool resistance w/ geometry & bars.
June 2012 -Sim programs & tire data, Roll Center beam axles.
May 2012 -F1 & anti-dive, Upper control arm plane on struts, 3 link & DS torque.
April 2012 -Anti-dive idea, U joint angularity and handling.
March 2012 -More active Anti-dive,control arm forces during cornering.
February 2012 -Anti-dive and the Lotus reactive ride height system.
January 2012 -Equal wheel rate R&L or equal freq, 2 wheeler weight shift.
December 2011 -More/less anti-squat to fix wheel spin/ rear tire wear.
November 2011 -1st gen RX7 4 link, unified theory of suspension setup.
October 2011 -The Deltawing Car.
September 2011 -Anti-roll bars on FVs, general advice on setting dampers.
August 2011 -Toe, Ackerman, cornering force and related puzzlements.
July 2011 -Mumford linkage, toe-out for turn in.
June 2011 -Caster effects on scrub radius, camber gain recommendations.
May 2011 -Why use swaybars at all.
April 2011 -Why more negative camber at front than rear.
March 2011 -Follow up to Feb ARB.
February 2011 -Swaybar / spring rate equivalency, wheel rate for damper calcs.
January 2011 -Coil bind and bump stop set ups in stock cars
December 2010 -Hybrid Semi-Independent suspension
November 2010 -High, low speed balance and torque arm
October 2010 -Roll Center Theory
September 2010 -When one is a very small animal: considering an RC car
August 2010 -When lots of front roll stiffness helps and when it doesn't
July 2010 -Tuning transient behavior FWD autocross car
June 2010 -Torsion bar tube hgt, twin I beam susp, tire size & weight dist
May 2010 -Selecting rear end ratios, torque tube front engine w/ IRS
April 2010 -Banked turn puzzle, reverse-cant rear leaf springs
March 2010 -Rocker suspension, De Dion design, Lateral location of live axle
February 2010 -Sprinter wheel spacing, effects of droop limiting
January 2010 -Ride hgt vs ARB tuning, roll ctr & anti lift in 4 link, measuring grip
December 2009 -Wheels tilting into turn
November 2009 -Launch drag car on hot slick track
October 2009 -Longitudnial anti in independent suspension w/ drop gears
September 2009 -Leading and trailing wheels for oval track
August 2009 - Chasing a push
July 2009 - The unsprung component in load transfer
May/June 2009 - The anti controversy - explanation of geometric anti- effects
April 2009 - 2009 F1 suspension, pull rod F1, rate numbers on torsion bars
March 2009 - Trailing arm suspension, ride & roll rate rates monoshock suspension
February 2009 -More on camber gain and camber recovery
January 2009 - Damping ratio
December 2008 - AWD front/rear torque split, is there too big tires
November 2008 - Yaw moment front wheel drive, turn-in on slippery surface
October 2008 - Differentials and yaw control
September 2008 - Monoshocks, Z-bars, stock cars with bump rubbers
August 2008 - Dirt late model tricks on asphalt, Porsche 993 rear suspension
July 2008 - Front to rear track relationship
June 2008 - Camber gain and recovery, gyros for roll & pitch stabilization
May 2008 - 60s Mustang prototype rear suspension, really quick steering
April 2008 - Late Corvair rear suspension
March 2008 - Oval track cars with 3 right wheels and 1 left
January/February 2008 - 6 and 8 wheel cars
December 2007 - Ackerman effect
November 2007 - Handling different turns (road course), camber for radial & bias
October 2007 - Shaker rig use
September 2007 - Drop-limited rear suspensions, roll center Satchell link suspension
August 2007 - Lifting a wheel, hollow vs solid anti-roll bars
July 2007 - More zero droop setups and spring split, high or low Panhard bars
June 2007 - Triangulated 4link, large vs small tire & wheel diameter
May 2007 - Roll axis road/hillclimb car, rear axle rotation & roll steer
April 2007 - Roll steer and anti-squat/anti-lift in strut suspension
March 2007 - Diamond car layout
February 2007 - Driveshaft joints vs rubber doughnuts, zero droop setups
January 2007 -Tall vs short sidewalls, brake distance, brake torque, tire traction
December 2006 -Coil-binding setups stock cars, falling-force shocks
November 2006 -Stiff rebound damping
October 2006 -Roll center & camber properties of twist beam & related suspensions
September 2006 -Roll center trailing arms front suspension, roll axis & analytical
August 2006 -Effects of Panhard bar fore-aft location, slope and offset
July 2006 -Beam Axle front suspension pros, cons, and design issues.
June 2006 -Effects of spring rate & damper settings during cornering
May 2006 -Rear percentage or polar moment
March 2006 -Worm gear vs. clutch pack differentials
February 2006 -Roll axis inclination
Janaury 2006 -Tires in the snow
December/November 2005 -Optimizing engine over drive wheels cars
September/October 2005 -Load transfer case with added rear ride compression
July/August 2005 -Dynamics of three wheeled vehicles
June/May 2005 -Can oval track cars have too much left percentage
March/April 2005 -Finer points of anti roll bars on stock cars
January/February 2005 -Steering axis inclination & scrub radius
December 2004 -Roll center below ground, roll moments from lateral anti
Sept/Oct/Nov 2004 -Tire sensitivity trail braking, wide tires better?, weight dist vs yaw inertia, preload in monoshock suspension, why so few rear monoshocks
August 2004 -More Roll center based on lateral anti
July 2004 -Low grip setup, truck arms, high freq shock, front shocks, swaybar links
June 2004 -More F1 arm angles, lateral anti concept & roll center, clutch downshift
May 2004 -April correction, Cup tires & geometry, F1 arm angles, Arms in 4 bar rear
April 2004 -Brake caliper mounting, weight dist, spring split with big bars
March 2004 -Types of differentials and their effect on car behavior
January/February 2004 -Reverse Ackerman on ovals, Road racing setups, Independant or beam axle front suspension for ovals
December 2003 -Front drive, load transfer, 1 or 2 brakes on rear FSAE
November 2003 -Weight dist and tire size, car width vs drag
Sept/Oct 2003 -Shock research, end-of-stroke phenomena
August 2003 -Load transfer basics
July 2003 -RR spring on Cup car, pushrod ang, motion ratio, wheel rate, roll angle
April/May/Jun 2003 -Shock & spring forces and tire loading
March 2003 -Tire warmers, independent rear suspension on dirt
February 2003 -Shock research, rear wheels & traction, gyroscopic precission
January 2003 -Shocks, tire warmers, springs on triang 4-link, roll center w/ J bar
December 2002 -Ackerman, torque & power distribution with differentials
November 2002 -Push rods, pull rods, trail & steering, tire care tip
October 2002 -Effects of wheelbase, CGH and rear % on traction & corner exit
September 2002 -Bumpsteer & HP, finding CGH for car, unsprung and sprung
August 2002 -Steering geometry, rack placement, bumpsteer ackerman, HP and engine torque - acceleration and axle torque
July 2002 -Braking and downshifting technique
June 2002 -Oil applied to tires, diag % and tire stagger for road racing, narrow rear
May 2002 -suspension freq, quads on pavement, space frame or monocoque, tires
April 2002 -Quads on pavement
March 2002 -Update Cup harness installation, racing front drive cars
February 2002 -Winston Cup harness installation, spring changes working backwards, shock questions
January 2002 -Suspension natural frequencies
December 2001 -Analyzing shock traces
November 2001 -Big track wrecks, factors in spring selection
October 2001 -Balancing car with camber & tire pressure
September 2001 -Stock car safety Earnhardt report, tire data
August 2001 -Things that make spring changes work backwards
July 2001 -Chassis troubleshooting chart & 5 phases of cornering
June 2001 -Weight transfer in wing sprint cars
May 2001 -Chrome moly in stock cars, rear stagger vs cross
April 2001 -5th coil location & rate, soft wall update, soft nose cars
March 2001 -Safty issues, HANS device, soft walls
Februrary 2001 -Required frame stiffness, making ballast weights
January 2001 -Wind tunnel testing short track cars, rear caster, stacked coilovers
December 2000 -Springs, roll, and corner balance, short vs long Panhard bars
November 2000 -Suggested off-season reading
October 2000 -Checking rear axle straightness, torque arms vs pull bars
September 2000 -How to string a car for 4 wheel alignment, effects of caster
August 2000 -Shock dynamics
July 2000 -Brake failure pevement LM, polar moment of inertia
June 2000 -Rear spring split, using brake floaters
May 2000 -Rear sway bars, wheel & axle offsets, consistant handling, gear ratio & RPM
The following pages provide a scientific glimpse of racing and should be enjoyed by Engineers and a must read for all students in the FSAE program.
Intro to Physics of racing Series PhoRS
Part 2 Keeping Your Tyres Stuck to the Ground
Part 4 There is no such thing as Centrifugal Force
Part 5 Introduction to the Racing Line
Part 8 Simulating Car Dynamics with a Computer Program
Part 12 CyberCar, Every Racer's DWIM Car?
Part 13 Transients (The missing episode)
Part 16 RARS, A Simple Racing Simulator
Part 17 "Slow in, Fast out!" or, Advanced Analysis of the Racing Line
Part 18 "Slow in, Fast out!" Advanced Analysis continued
Part 19 Space, Time and Rubber
Part 21 The Magic Formula: Longitudinal Version
Part 22 The Magic Formula: Lateral Version
Part 26 The Driving Wheel, Chapter 1
Part 27 Four-Wheel Weight Transfer
Part 28 Hazards of Integration
Auto-Ware's Reference Library
The information contained on this web site is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge.
Your interpretation and application of this information is beyond our control; therefore, we expressly disclaim any and all liability incurred from the use of this information.