Looking for info on chassis for bigger and taller driver.

[Dan Lipperini Jr]

Good morning all, I’m looking for information on which chassis might be better for a bigger and taller driver. Possibly something where you sit more upright which would make it easier to get in and out instead of a more reclined/lying down position.

[S Lathrop]

You might consider another class than FV.

FV has a couple rules that make it difficult for a driver over 6 feet tall and 200 pounds to fit in. First there is a maximum wheel base rule. That means that the cockpit length is short by formula car standards. But some designs do allow the pedals to go to the front axle beam as the stop. Those cars have the steering system either in front of the VW axle or above and behind the driver's feet so that the cockpit is as long as possible.

I seen several of the cars that I have build, Citation / Zink with very tall roll bars. I consider this to be unsafe even though the rolls meet the technical standards for SCCA roll cages. The taller the roll bar, the more stress there will be in a fore aft impact at the top of the roll bar. When a car goes up side down, the roll bar will likely strike the ground with significant fore aft motion in addition to vertical motion. I question whether the attachment points to the main frame structure of the tall roll bars will withstand the forces described in the GCR.

Many popular FVs were built in the 1970's before the new roll care rules went into effect in 1984. Adding roll cages to those cars can be a challenge. I am currently working on a Zink Z12 and we are installing a roll cage, per the GCR that fits under the original body work that was on the car when George Fizel used the car to win back to back FV SCCA run offs wins. I am very comfortable in this car and my helmet will be below the top of the fan housing, if I were to install one. This is the original seating position for this model car. I am 6 feet tall and 210 pounds. And at eighty years old, I have no trouble getting in and out of this car.

The second issue with sitting tall in a FV is the increase in the height of the center of gravity of the car. The higher the CG the less cornering performance the car will have. Also with a high CG, the jacking effect at the rear of the car is increased. In short you will not be competitive sitting high in a FV when some one your size in sitting several inches lower in the car.

And finally, given the low horse power of a FV, someone sitting high in the car increases the frontal area of the car and as such, the top speed in limited by the increase in aerodynamic drag.

[DannyPip]

It depends on exactly how big and tall you are.

I am 5'9" and 225. I fit very well in my BRD.

Other cars that are for the bigger drivers are Mysterian and Womer. There may be others, I've seen some pretty big guys in Citations, too.

Go to some Vee races and try them on for size. Any one of the owners will let you. I'm sure of that. That's what I did.

[B Farnham]

There are a few options that would work for you.

Protoforms, Womers, Citations, and Mysterians should fit the bill. Best bet would be to go to a race and sit in some cars. Most people are more than welcome to let you try. The FV community is very welcoming.

And I'm not sure where the notion comes from that you can't be a bigger driver and be competitive. There are quite a few drivers well over 200lbs and over 6 foot that run up front. One of the recent runoffs Winners was 40-60lbs over weight and obviously made it work.

Brian

[DannyPip]

Dan,

I am about 2 hours from you. You are welcome to come and sit in my BRD to check fit.

There is also Hugh Maloney who is on here too, he lives MUCH nearer to you, near Long Pond PA. He has a Womer. Ed Womer lives in PA too(and still builds them AFAIK), as well as a bunch of Challenge Cup guys.

[Ed Womer]

I had to think for a second what the answer to if I still build cars but realized what it meant. I live outside Duncannon PA which is 15 miles north of Harrisburg on the west side of the river. I am still active in fabricating and I would entertain making another car but it would take a few months and not cheap. Those looking for cars find it easier to buy a used car then a new chassis and put it together.

You can find used cars for as low as 2K but realistically a good usable car would be 5-6K. The last price I sold a complete kit was just under 7K and that was just what I made. Now I would probably want closer to 9K. Just remember that you need a lot of expensive parts so to build a brand new car with all new parts will be into the mid 30K. That is unfortunate reality and the way it is now finding parts to build a motor is kinda hard to find. Yeah yeah, those who say there are plenty out there IF you can find them. That can be a very big IF!

The good thing is after getting a car the cost of racing is one of the lowest classes out there. Of course that cost is different for different people depending on what you think it takes. If you just want to go out and have fun it is not terrible but the entry fee's are really get up there and I don't see that changing.

I usually check this site daily and should notice if you sent me a private message but if I don't it might take me a few days to see that.

Ed

[BLS]

"might be better for a bigger and taller driver"

Actual numbers might be useful. 6'8", forget it 300 pounds, forget it

So, height and weight. There have been quite a few V drivers over the years as tall as 6'4 and 240 pounds or more. Taller and bigger certainly reduces your choices.

[DLRacing]

Look into a Tuttle or Autodynamics.I may know where there is a Tuttle if interested.

[Wheels]

I’m 6’4 “ and raced Vees for 15 years. All my height is in my legs. Even so there were two cars I could drive, the Zink C-4 and Citation Z-18B. The earlier Z-18 seemed a bit longer from roll bar to front axel. But moving the pedals as far forward as possible and wearing shoes with a very thin leather sole I did fit. It wasn’t the best designed car and needed some revisions to the rear geometry. Left foot braking was impossible. With the suspension changes and a newer body I was able to be fairly successful and set two lap records. I don’t if parts are available, it was difficult to get them even when I bought it new.