Of beams and pogo sticks
The beating heart of any racecar is the beam pogo stick visualisation
One of the things that astounds me on a daily basis is, apart from a few exceptions, how many people’s conceptions of vehicle dynamics have never evolved past the horse and buggy era. Where this is symptomatic is when you, say, challenge the concept of lateral location of the roll centre, or suggest a particular value of bump steer is not correct. What inevitably flows is a spirited defence that has very little basis in fact and quickly turns into a dumpster fire.
The thing that really drives this is not just a lack of awareness of the numbers, but a failure to understand what drives these numbers in the first place.
The purpose of this next series of articles is to try and cut through the nonsense and get to the fundamental processes that make the dynamics of a racecar tick. This way you will be armed with the knowledge needed to navigate your way through the jungle.
In this first article of the series, we’ll be discussing what drives tyre loads. Stability and performance are all very sexy but, if you
