Race Car Handling Optimization: Magic Numbers to Better Understand a Race Car

This book gives a very clear description of the calculation of the magic numbers regarding roll, roll resistance, load transfer and total wheel load. The reader will first learn to measure his racing car himself in order to ultimately get to know and understand the car's setup better. This is followed successively by the teaching of the basics with the claim of immediate applicability of the knowledge. First, the most important properties of the tyres are described in order to convey how to optimally utilise the properties of the tyres. Only then are the mass-spring system, shock absorbers, anti-roll bars, suspension geometries and aerodynamics dealt with, with the aim of making the best possible use of the tyres' potential. What has been learned is optimally applied to driving through a curve, divided into five essential phases of the corner, and an analysis for possible causes of understeer and oversteer is carried out for each phase, and solutions are given.

Also examples of lap time simulations are described. Finaly an extensive example is given of the calculation of load transfer, roll, roll resistance, wheel travel, roll angle, pitch, and the final wheel loads.

Prof. Dr. Ralph Pütz teaches combustion engines, transmission and racing car technology at Landshut University of Applied Sciences. As a former race driver up to Formula 3 level, he also regularly passes on his experience to his students in the practical courses Motorsport Practice and Chassis Setup.

Ton Serné is a trained mechanical engineer who has spent more than 40 years working on the subject of the handling of racing cars. He has not only been a mechanic, race engineer, team manager and designer, but also a racing driver in formula racing cars and touring cars. He is teaching Vehicle Dynamics at the Minor Motorsport Engineering at the Fontys University of Applied technology in Eindhoven, NL.