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Understanding Vehicle Dynamics is key to unlocking the performance of any racecar. So here’s how it all works A less understood but fundamental branch of motorsport engineering is racecar vehicle dynamics First, let’s obtain a clear definition by breaking it down into it’s constituent words – ‘Vehicle’, self explanatory, and ‘Dynamic’, which is an adjective indicating something that is in a state of change. So, vehicle dynamics refers to the characteristic behaviour of a vehicle in response to a change in its external environment. That change could be in the form of longitudinal or lateral acceleration, roll due to a steering input or a wheel deflection due to a road input – anything that acts to induce a change to move the car away from its equilibrium can be classified as vehicle dynamics. The fundamental task of a vehicle dynamicist when optimising a vehicle’s performance is to ultimately maximise the longitudinal and lateral accelerations the vehicle is capable of generating throug...

  Formula 1 cars are work of art. They have had some of the loudest, most powerful engines ever seen and grip levels unheard of anywhere else. The car can turn, squeeze and literally just manipulate normal air to make the car go faster than anyone around the corners. Whoever does the best gets to spray the elusive champagne on the top of that podium... they are engineering genius at it's brilliant best. 1. EACH CAR IS MADE UP OF EIGHTY THOUSAND SEPARATE COMPONENTS No wonder drivers say they always feel guilty upon crashing the car, those poor mechanics have to replace and reinstall countless different gizmos, wires and parts. An F1 car is an extremely compressed cocktail of hydraulic systems, carbon, fuel, tyres, inertia and mechanical devices which all has to package into a minimum of 720KG. That's why you can see so many bits hanging out or exposed after (a usually very expensive) crash; one slight misjudgement of the braking zone and the house of cards can come crashing down...

Want to go racing? Every kid who has grown up watching Formula 1, on indeed any four-wheeled form of racing, has always secretly harboured a wish to stop watching and get behind the wheel of the car in question. But even while we were growing up and secretly harboured a desire to hop into an Adrian Newey-built, Rory Byrne-engined racecar and try our hands out at tackling the tunnel at Monaco, we knew it was perhaps one step too much for us to handle. If you want to go become a racer, you might as well figure out how to do it right. Get your basics right: go-karting There's simply no escaping it. We've come across a lot of aspiring racers who seem to rethink at the thought of participating in karting. "What are these little things," they say with disgust and anger. Well, here's a caveat for the lot of you - karting will make you a better driver come what may. There isn't a single one among the current crop of F1 drivers who hasn't started his motorsport car...

Basic Function of an Exhaust System:  These little explosions from the exhaust aren’t just all lights and force, however. They create the energy your car uses, but they also create two other things: gases and sound. The exhaust system in your car handles two byproducts, by moving the gases away from you and your passengers, and reducing noise. That’s what it’s really all about. Essentially, your car’s exhaust system is a series of tubes and chambers designed to move gas away from the engine and reduce the noise that it makes. There are six gases produced by the basic function of your car’s engine: nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide, water vapor, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons. Those first three aren’t really much of a problem; they’re pretty benign to you as a person. Those last three, however, are very toxic and if they reached you in the cabin of the vehicle, then you’d have a very bad day. Components of exhaust:-  •The Exhaust Manifold •Headers •The Oxygen Sen...

So many choices - eco, normal, sport. So what exactly changes as you move over into "S" Sport Mode.   Sport Mode can vary by vehicle. Activating Sport Mode triggers a series of adjustments throughout your car from the gas pedal all the way to the tires. Sport mode is designed to enhance acceleration, so you’ll see a noticeable difference in how your throttle responds and enables your car’s ability to achieve more rapid acceleration. Most automatic transmissions are built to shift at lower RPM, but Sport Mode overrides this to allow the engine to rev higher. By shifting at a higher RPM, you’ll be able to accelerate longer and more quickly than your car typically allows. Most cars nowadays utilise electric power steering as opposed to a hydraulic pump. With electric power steering, the steering feel is able to be changed on the fly, to give it a sportier, and more weighted, feeling. Kind of like a race car. Adjustable shock absorbers are typically found on higher-end luxury and...

Car makers are continually developing new technologies to minimise fuel consumption and, in addition to clever turbocharging, direct injection and advanced valve timing, cylinder deactivation is another economy boosting trick. In India, Volkswagen & Skoda adapted the technology for use on its 1.5 TSI EVO Petrol Engines, VW TROC, Skoda Koraq & Upcoming Taigun GT, Kushaq has this technology.  Volkswagen calls it Active Cylinder Technology(ACT). Volkswagen is the first carmaker to implement this fuel saving cylinder deactivation technology on four  cylinder engines, as it was previously the preserve of large eight or 12 cylinder engines.   Audi’s calls it Cylinder on Demand.  RSQ8,Rs7 have Cylinder on Demand Tech in India. Cylinder Deactivation technology is technically called as variable Displacement technology.  Variable Displacement is an automotive engine technology that allows the engine displacement to change, usually by deactivating cylinders, for im...

Pops, bangs and flames; everyone likes that, don’t you? Representation of flames from exhaust.(Not Pops &Bangs)   It's because of  ECU remaps  that make your exhaust pop, bang, and kick flames from the tailpipe when you lift off the throttle are hugely popular these days. Some sports models come out of the factory with crackling exhausts, with brands like AMG, BMW M Series & Mini JCW..... SO HOW DOES IT MAKE THE POPS AND BANGS? “Pops and bangs is simply a calibration feature within the ECU where we set up a specifically targeted, very lean misfire once you lift off the throttle.” Normally during engine deceleration the injectors are switched off to prevent fuel from entering the combustion chamber. When applying a pop and bang patch to an ECU we request the injectors to stay open for a short period of time after the throttle plate has closed. The spark timing maps are then adjusted so that the fuel is ignited substantially after TDC (Top Dead Centre). This results...