
High quality video
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Low quality video |
Introduction to
what we do with suspension set up. We've verified our
ideas through track testing. What is the "bounce
test"? |
Dial Up. Click to download
(right click
and "save as") |
High quality video |
Low quality video |
Demo of the Racing Car Technology
"bounce test".
Nobody else does it. |
Dial Up. Click to download (right click
and "save as") |

High quality video
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Low quality video
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"Suspension Frequency".
Why? Suspension frequency is
the best measure of suspension stiffness. It is directly
comparable between all road and race cars. |
Dial Up. Click to download
(right click and "save as") |
How to Set Up Your Suspension
(Just like a professional race team)
Using our Weight Transfer Worksheet you can do the
necessary calculations to determine
a balanced set up, and then find a direction for
set up changes to try in testing. It is a very much a practical
exercise - do the baseline set up in the workshop, then test.
When your flat out racing, it is hard to get the
time to learn what you need to know to understand the set up on your
car. (Neville and I know this all too well. Years ago, we
struggled with the set up on a PRS Formula Ford. We couldn't
work out why it was slow. While doing our best to find out, we
crashed the car in testing with a spring change that was way too soft.
The chassis contacted the ground under brakes, unloaded the front tyres,
and put it straight into the wall.)
In the late 90's, after 20 years in racing, we
began our search for ideas, and started our systems based suspension set
ups in the workshop, followed by track testing to check our work.
April, 2009 - New Consulting Program.
Racing, Self Constructed/Modified Cars
We are offering an accelerated learning program,
where we will consult with you and assist you to develop the set up for
your particular car. Initially, we will ask you to study some
concepts, then we'll get stuck in on specifics for your car.
Our past internet based offer of completing a WTW,
did not provide enough information about your specific vehicle. It
is too hard to get on top of this stuff by attending a seminar or
reading books. We can cut through to what you really need to know.
If we don't know, we probably have the sources to find out.
Much of what we do is simplified so you can use
the ideas straight away. Some is unique to us, and some has become
common practice in professional racing. We've had the privilege
of working with some very smart people. We have learnt from their
developments. But we have also earned our fee, by providing sound
technical information, ideas and processes.
I am confident, based on past experience, that we
can get your project moving in the right direction. This alone
will save you time and money. You will also have a better set up
and faster race car. And if we can save you making an unsuitable
purchase of say shocks, and/or other expensive items, then there is yet
more payback for you.
Professional race teams do weight transfer
calculations like these, and keep a running comparison of their "magic
number", as they progress through testing and racing.
To enquire, email
Dale Thompson
1. Suspension Set Up Concepts and Preparation of
the Weight Transfer Worksheet -
$300 AUD + GST
2. Complete Support for Development of the
Car - including the Weight Transfer Worksheet as above, plus shock
absorber calculations and details of the shock selection process.
Help and advice for
testing and racing. Details of any of the developments we have for
particular models. -
$900 AUD + GST
Suspension Set Up Theory
In undergraduate vehicle dynamics courses around the
world, engineers are taught how the car
works by analyzing a model known as the "bicycle" or "single track"
model. Motor manufacturers have taken this on board,
leading to more complex software applications that engineers use, such as
the MCAdams model.
The bible of race car handling, Racing Car Vehicle
Dynamics, by Bill Milliken
fully explains the bicycle model. In fact, he instigated the
development of the model in the 1950's. But it seems that readers
pass over the mathematical concepts, seeking to get into the "how to"
sections of the book. So it is that the bicycle model is not recognized as useful
by the racing and performance aftermarket.
Explaining Handling and How the Tyres
Work
We have developed explanations, based on the
bicycle model, that are useful to
a broad spectrum of people in racing and the automotive aftermarket -
race drivers, race engineers and technicians, performance driving
schools, automotive product development and marketing, and training for
technicians in the performance aftermarket.
"How Does the Driver Control
the Car?" This important new presentation in the
Technical Pages explains what is happening at the tyres, how
the car corners and how the driver gets feedback from the car.
Following that is another article with more specifics on tyres, the most
important component of the race car.
A new perspective on car handling.
The core idea is a new graphical representation of oversteer and
understeer, that you can see in the intro below. It could change the way you think about car handling. It is a
practical model anyone can use - whether your interest is in race
driving, or, the engineering side of suspension set up. You might appreciate
from the videos and the intro below, that you will not see
material like this anywhere else.
Intro to "How Does the Driver Control the Car?"
(The link will open in Microsoft Power Point.)
Racing By
Numbers.......
What's Your Category?
Circuit Racing/Tarmac Rally/Hill
Climb/Historic/Drift/Club Car- Supersprint, Regularity, Track Day etc
Are You Building a Special, Show Car or
High Performance Road Car?

SuperCar Development Series Sports Cars Historic racing Formula
Ford
Whatever you race,
whatever performance car you build....
You need to know your
"Magic Number"!
Every racing car has a magic
number. In fact, everything on four wheels has a magic number.
The magic number represents the set up where the car is balanced mid
corner - where the driver reports the handling is to his liking - no
excess of oversteer or understeer.
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We calculate
the magic number in an
excel spreadsheet we have developed and used for some years - the
Weight Transfer
Worksheet (WTW). The WTW is the most accessible, easy to
understand set up information/tool available on the internet, or
in books, to allow you to quickly develop your car,
The Holden Monaro is set up on the
magic number from the Factory. This car is our
example, for the purposes of explaining the WTW process. |
The WTW represents the simple
roll stiffness model of weight transfer, as explained in our
presentation "How Does the Driver Control the Car?" It recognizes
the major tuning adjustments we use in suspension set up, eg roll centre
height, spring stiffness and anti-roll bar stiffness. We have concentrated on ease of use and practicality.
Anybody can use it. Racing and road performance car workshops, or owner/driver
preparing your own car, all will find it useful.
As an example of the way the magic
number works, say you have a rear wheel drive sedan with 55% static
front weight, such as our Holden Monaro example. This might infer a
magic number of 60. So we adjust the various inputs in the WTW to
reflect this magic number, and change the set up on the car accordingly. This is
your baseline set up.
If it's a road car, you'll find it
handles nicely on the road. For race cars, each time you go racing or
testing, when you make changes to the set up, you
re-calculate the magic number. It
gives you a direction with your set ups - a higher number
is more understeer than the baseline set up, a lower
number is less understeer.
You can spec the set up of your car by
using our Weight Transfer Worksheet. Decide never again to fit unknown spring
stiffness, anti-roll bar or shock stiffness to your car. You can be in control.
We provide email support for subscribers.
Email me, Dale Thompson
We offer
set up assistance via email with our
"Weight Transfer Worksheet" (WTW), now validated for all types of racing cars - sports racing and open wheeler
cars and particularly production based cars. To tune the
suspension set up on your car, the weight transfer calculations are an
essential first step....more
Let us do the suspension set up on your car at our
Batemans Bay workshop. This program is the key to developing your
race car, special, project, or show car.
We'll do a workshop set up, and then track test with you.
With our procedures, all customers have improved
better than 1/2 second to in excess of 2 seconds per laps. Some
have won races for the first time.
Origins of the
Weight Transfer Worksheet. Why would you want to do any
calculations? Why aren't these calculations in more common usage?
A
bit of history on weight transfer and vehicle dynamics.
Complete explanation of the calculations used
in the WTW is here.
What You Will Know (about the
car) if You Do a Weight Transfer Worksheet.
Ten Biggest Set Up Mistakes
Thought starters about set up issues.
Racing Developments in
Suspension Set Up .....lead
directly to new suspension set ups for sporting and performance road cars
To do a set up for a racing car, we analyze how we
see the car working, design and make/buy componentry, do the workshop set up, and then go
testing. Similar for tarmac rally. What we bring to the table is
experience over a range of cars and classes of racing, in-house shock absorber
development, and some ideas and procedures born of necessity - must be low cost, no big
team budget in amateur racing..... more
Working with production sports and classic cars, we
concluded the weight transfer theory we use for racing, can apply equally to road cars.
We could work out the "magic" number" (a term coined by Claude Rouelle)
for road car versions and design balanced suspension set ups. We
could do this
for any car. eg classic production sports cars such as MGB, MG Midget,
Sprite, A-Healey, Jensen, Triumph TR2 to TR6, TR7, Sunbeam Alpine, Morgan Plus4 and Plus8, Alfa Romeo
105 series, Alfa Romeo GTV, the American and Australian muscle cars such
as Holden Monaro and Torana, and Ford Esort. Cortina, Mustang, Falcon
XW-XY GT, XB,XC etc , and now the modern performance classics from Holden, Ford,
Nissan and Toyota.
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