Vehicle Dynamics

Vehicle Dynamics the Second Edition includes both Vehicle Dynamics - Race Car Set Up & Suspension and Vehicle Dynamics – Suspension Design & Dampers included in one book. This Second Edition has 50% more new information and drawings surrounding vehicle dynamics. Most vehicle dynamics are difficult to read, use jargon and waffle on subjects that are not useful to the reader. The first third of this book gives the reader useful information and a deep understand behind a race car’s adjustable components and parts to set up the vehicle for optimum performance in dry conditions. Subjects explored include the ride height, ground clearance, suspension preload, camber, caster, toe, tracking, wheel alignment, set up sheets, checking readiness to race, handling characteristics of a single seater race car and much more. This book also looks at suspension systems commonly found on race cars (and some rare suspension set ups too!), including, double wishbone (inboard and outboard set ups), MacPherson strut , push and pull rod, monoshock and third damper set ups. The book aims to give the reader knowledge around suspension design and dampers focused within a motorsport environment. The second third of the book gives the reader useful information and a deep understand behind a roll centers and double wishbone suspension design, by looking at suspension geometry. Subjects explored include roll centers, equal and parallel double wishbone layout, equal and non-parallel double wishbone layout, non-equal and non-parallel double wishbone layout, looking at camber change, horizontal change, vertical change and the instant roll centre. The best double wishbone layout is stated and an explanation why this is. This book also looks at rear axles – lives axles, Panhard suspension, Watts linkage, Mumford suspension and Woblink suspension. A section dedicated to dampers delves into preload, bump and rebound settings (low/high speed bump and low/high speed rebound), monotube dampers, twin-tube dampers, external reservoirs, Inerter dampers (also known as mass dampers of J-dampers), damper compression and testing methods for dampers. These testing methods include a damper dynamometer with results and explanations. The last section of the book gives the reader new information exclusive to the second edition including the sections listed below:•Basics•Wheels and Tyres•Chassis•Weight•Vehicle Adjustment•Suspension•Weight Distribution •Polar Moment of Inertia •Suspension Development – regarding double wishbone suspension•Anti-Roll Bars•King Pin Inclination (KPI)•Steering Axis Inclination (SAI)•Scrub Angle•Rear Suspension•Motion Ratio and Wheel Rates•Springs•Car Set Up and Handling Issues•Steering•AckermannIncluding many subsections within these topics. Containing useful references for more background reading if desired, this book is your one stop shop on covering race car set-ups and suspension systems on a race car!