race car suspension books

[mnrvortxf20c]

am after some good books to read to get my head around any alterations i make to the double adjustable dampers etc! anyone have anything they could recommend?
im booked in with ian dayson for a full geo setup this thursday at force,so is there anything specific i should be asking him with regards to setup? thanks

[splitpin]

mnrvortxf20c said:

im booked in with ian dayson for a full geo setup this thursday at force,so is there anything specific i should be asking him with regards to setup? thanks

Superb choice, none finer when it comes to setting up a Rad, especially for sprinting and/or hill-climbing as LCM will confirm. I reckon it's more likely that he'll be asking you the odd question so he can apply a set-up that will best suit you at this point in time; he has a massive knowledge base to draw from.

Give him my best regards please.

Cheers

Trev

[mnrvortxf20c]

yes LCM has helped once again with setup advice which i will be taking to ian.just might run softer springs than him as im running standard front end and rear wing. thanks

[LCM]

It all depends on your level of physics and ability to take on serious study.................

But I'm guessing that you want a relatively easy to read and understand introduction for the club racer.

I started in 1969 with "Racing and Sports Car Chassis Design" by Costin and Phipps (yes, that is Mike Costin of Cosworth fame!) which is still a good way to understand the fundamentals of chassis design and how over the last century we got to where we are today. Don't believe me that something so old is relevant? Well, I can only fall back on my favourite writer/philosopher - JW von Goethe "Every great idea has already been thought, suffice to think it again". This lovely read can still be found at those second hand motor racing book sellers who frequent places like RaceRetro or alternatively do a search on AbeBooks. Then, I'd suggest "Competition Car Suspension" by the late great Allan Staniforth and published by Haynes. It suffers from a degree of terminological inexactitude. But if you knew Allan and what he meant, you'll know what he means eg when he says "increase rebound" does he mean that literally (ie decrease rebound damping) or does he mean that colloquially (ie increase rebound damping)? Like most things in life, if you have a firm grasp of first principles you can deal more easily with other people's frailties).

Then, if you are still keen and able, it’s probably time to move on to that MEng staple – “Race Car Vehicle Dynamics” by Milliken and Milliken (SAE but available to non-members). Then you come on here and answer questions rather than asking them……………….

[LCM]

mnrvortxf20c said:

just might run softer springs than him as im running standard front end and rear wing. thanks

But why?

While a PR6's downforce levels are not quite as high as Betty or Casper's, they are fairly similar.

[mnrvortxf20c]

thanks for that. ill try to hunt down them 2 books and start reading.
i have a prosport and was advised by ian dayson on setup to stay on current springs which are not as stiff as yours were.

[Josh Smith]

My book may be of some use 'Smiths Fundamentals of Motorsport Engineering'

[LCM]

mnrvortxf20c said:

thanks for that. ill try to hunt down them 2 books and start reading.
i have a prosport and was advised by ian dayson on setup to stay on current springs which are not as stiff as yours were.

Ah! My confusion.

I thought you'd said that you'd bought a PR6 with the Clubby proceeds but on checking back I see it is Young Napier's Prosport that has taken your funds.

[mnrvortxf20c]

thats the one mate! nice car too. thanks for the help and for recommending ian. he was excellent and good value! cheers