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Arnie Loyning did the last rebuild of my carbed Toyota Atlantic engine for approximately $6000. This was several years ago, so prices might have increased a little since then.

FM's are very "soft" by formula car standards -- they roll a lot in the turns. The rear suspension geometry is such that the outside rear tire camber becomes much more negative when cornering. So...

Does anyone have a link to these results? I could not find them on Mylaps.

All FB designer/builders should give the above statement serious consideration. Outstanding advice from an experienced constructor.

What is the FB track record at VIR?

Hard to tell from the pic.....is there a damper with the 3rd spring?

There are at least 4 good tracks within a 4 hour drive from Charlotte.

VIR
Road Atlanta
Roebling Road
Carolina Motorsports Park

Barber is about a 6 hour drive.

FB is not an entry level race class. Going from track days in a Lotus Elise to racing an FB is a very big step. Do you have any past racing experience?

You should at least consider something a...

Jay,

Congrats.....very nice work.

Can you comment on how the CFD analysis was conducted? What software package was used? Any plans for track and/or wind tunnel tests to validate the CFD...

That's interesting. I walked down the grid at the Petit Lemans and EVERYONE was running either Pi or Motec (with the exception of the spec LMPC cars). Next time I will look closer and see if any...

You do not need a steering wheel mounted dash in an FM. I have owned several FM's, and I would recommend a nice large (easy to read) fixed panel mounted dash.

Take a hard look at the Motec...

This is an excellent summary from someone who has used both. Pi and Motec are both outstanding, and the software offers essentially identical capabilities. You could not go wrong with either a Pi...

The ADL3 and CDL3 have very different capabilities. What do you intend to do with the system? Specifically how many channels do you want to log, and at what logging rate? I think you will find...

Be careful what you wish for. If you increase performance very much you will find yourself merged with FA......guaranteed. Then you will have to deal with various types of "equalizing" devices in...

That's the great thing about Atlantics......always someone to race with! ;)

I agree with Wren on this one.

If I was going to buy a purpose built FB chassis it would be a new Phoenix. Otherwise I would go with a conversion car.......Citation, VD, or Piper.

That's one way of looking at it. Kind of like saying that an FB is just an expensive FV. :D

It is very well known that F3 cars are well-developed and very quick. You have nothing to prove there.

Who cares if you are faster than an FA, FB, etc.? You will not be racing against cars...

The data I was referencing was from a car equipped with what is most likely "moderate" wheel and ARB rates for an FB. Rates that are more than a typical FC, but less than a Stohr DSR.

And like I...

The FB data I have shows a typical maximum suspension roll of around 0.4 degrees at around 2g lateral acceleration. Note that this does not account for tire deflection, so the actual chassis roll...

I probably should clarify that I am not suggesting that tube frame cars are "unsafe"......just that a carbon fiber tub (e.g. Swift 016) is in many respects "safer" than most tube frame cars that you...

As has been pointed out by various posters here, it is definitely possibe to construct a tube frame chassis in such a way that it offers essentially equivalent safety to a carbon tub car. Indeed,...

Carbon tubs can be repaired at several facilities in the US......Algie, Crawford, etc. You should not have to replace the tub unless the damage was extensive. Any impact that would totally destroy...

Back when I ran the FM's we always used about 2 to 3 degrees more wing on the front than the rear (measured without the gurneys). If in doubt, it is hard to go wrong with 8 front/6 rear.

FM's...

Juan,

You need to carefully follow Mr.Lathop's advice here.....he knows this stuff better than most. You need to be thinking in terms of wheel rates instead of spring rates, so you must first...

How are you measuring the angles? With the standard FM, you normally want to run more front than rear wing. For example, if measuring across the top of the wings without the gurney flaps, you may...

This equation is correct if you define motion ratio as the ratio of wheel dispalcement to damper displacement (y/x). However, the inverse definition is more common in the industry, and I think that...

Steve,

Did the rig data indicate noticeable differences between the two bearing types?

Fortunately, my old Ralt uses the bias ply tires.....so not much more expensive than FB. :thumbsup:

Hope to see you at a race or two next year!

The best way to grow the FB class is to get out and race in SCCA events. Sitting around wishing for a "Pro" series is not going to do it.

The majority of FB owners are middle-aged, amatuer racers...

IMO, an open-wheel car is a poor choice for track days. But it you must have one, I would definitely not recommend an FB for your purposes. An FM would be a much better choice.

John,

Take Darryl's great advice and send your shocks out for service....it won't cost that much for a basic inspection and fluid change. For all you know one or more of them may be in pretty...

The Frog has summed up things pretty well. Any questions?

There is a great FF1600 support race at the Montreal event every year. If this is your dream, you do not need to wait for an F1000 support race (which definitely will not happen anytime soon). I'm...

There has been plenty of research which confims that this practice can indeed improve rear wing downforce. Of course it also increases wing drag, which can be a concern on some cars. Here is a plot...

Thanks, Josh. I looked at the series web site and somehow missed that pdf.

Anyone have a link that shows what type of chassis each driver is in (Stohr, Firman, Elan, etc.) ?

I would not be in favor of an SIR for any SCCA class. And I agree that F3 engines are insanely expensive. My point was that engine restrictions alone do not make for a spec class. It is possible...

Jon,

Restrictor use is not the sign of a spec class. F3, probably the best open-wheel developmental class in the world, uses inlet restrictors. This means that every car on the grid makes...

Seems to me that the FB owners have some tough choices to make about the future of the class. I have done some limited developmental work with one of the current FB chassis. I think it is a very...

In my opinion, it is in the long-term best interests of the FB competitors to somehow limit the performance of these cars so that they remain at least slightly slower than an FA. Restricting engine...

Despite what you may have been told, left foot braking is not required. If it is a major distraction....use your right foot.

Do you have a data logger in the car? If so, check and see how much...

Good point, Dick.....I totally missed that this post was in the "autocross" forum. Please disregard my previous post. :o

Is this car being used for autocross or road racing? If road racing, you do not want a "loose" set-up (oversteer).

Make sure you have decent tires, and are operating at reasonable hot tire pressures. Otherwise you are wasting your time......

Jesse,

Any idea how the CG height compares to the Suzuki?

The largest cost in most classes (including FB) will be tires, not the engine. In fact, most racing costs have nothing to do with the type of car you are running. That said, IMO you can expect...

Jon,

By "weight assessment", I assume that you are referring to an increase in the current 1000 lb. minimum weight? If this is correct, then this might be great news for the car/driver...

Compliance steer is mentioned briefly in Gillespie's vehicle dynamics text, but without any diagrams or detailed discussion.

Nice work, Jerry. :thumbsup: