RC Car Drifting

Drag racing is really a fast and furious sport. A large number of horsepower are unleashed in the blink of the eye and have to be harnessed safely on the track within couple of seconds. In comparison, an average road car may have one or two hundred horsepower and take about 20 seconds to pay for that distance. Obviously, it requires some clever engineering and manufacturing technology to achieve a reliably performing drag racing car.

Drag racer Paul Carey of AERO Racing drives a Mazda RX-7 in the ‘Supercharged Outlaw’ class of ANDRA’s National Drag racing series. The AERO Racing team have been using an advanced quad-cam Toyota V8 engine to power the RX-7 on the 400m drag strip. Not just has this given them a point of great interest, as it is unique to possess a Toyota V8 among the legions of yankee V8′s, but also permits them to be running sub 8 second 400m times.

During the 2008 season, reliability issues with the engine weren’t letting Paul and the team attain the best performance in the car. The extreme pressures in the big PSI supercharger were frequently splitting cylinder bores in the steel block, leading to expensive and time consuming engine rebuilds – as well as losing points in the competitive series.

The answer ended up being to develop a completely new engine block from the billet of Alumec 89 that could withstand the rigors of competition. But without starting from scratch and re-inventing the wheel, or engine even. The following smartest thing ended up being to manufacture a much better version of the standard block, stronger and more durable and at the same time frame retain the ancillary systems which were already produced for it, such as the PSI blower, heads, camshafts and bell housings. One of the aspects to enhance on ended up being to remove un-necessary water coolant passageways within the block, which aren’t required when runs are typically under 10 seconds and using Methanol fuel.

The need for some reverse engineering was obviously there. Reverse engineering is a process where a physical part or complex shape is digitised to create a CAD (Cad) model on sophisticated computer software. Ultimately using this CAD model to re-engineer, update or add to the original design.

Other uses of reverse engineering have been in cases where the CAD models or manufacturing drawings for the original parts might not exist and need to become re-created, such as re-creating parts for historic cars or machinery or additional parts to accurately interface to existing parts. All of the automotive manufacturers and even top motorsport teams utilise such technology to hurry in the design process.

There are many ways to reverse engineer a component, including measuring it with a ruler by hand. But more sophisticated methods can be found; these are called CMM, (Coordinate Measuring Machines). Specifically a transportable CMM, which is essentially an articulated arm having a probe, was required in the situation of the engine block. A high precision rotary encoder (a high precision position sensor) for those 6 or 7 axis enables the part to be measured to an accuracy of within 0.02mm. You can measure any point on the part in full 3d (X, Y and Z) simply by touching the probe into it. Otherwise laser scanning attachments are available which let the full 3d surface to become digitised. This is more useful for non geometric shapes and contours such as the dashboard of a car for example.

In every case, an experienced technician is required to operate this type of high precision machine, as the movement of an operators breathing can give vastly varying results. You will find techniques to help from this happening, for example taking more data points and averaging the outcomes.

A full survey from the existing engine block’s features was performed after which accustomed to produce an initial CAD model or point cloud model. The tool enables the user to produce surfaces, circles, points and lines in the 3D model representing the real part’s surfaces, cylinder bores and bolt holes. Generally this won’t anticipate to send towards the machinist straight away as a whole host of post-processing is required to create a finished CAD model. This is where an experienced engineer is required to take the measured features and convey a finished solid model with all the dimensions accurately specified and tolerances put down. This whole process takes a large degree of precision and attention to detail to keep the critical geometric tolerances required by this 1500 HP engine.

The model may then be forwarded to the equipment look for manufacture. High precision machining is another article by itself, but needless to say CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machines are used across all manufacturing industries to produce components of very high accuracy, complimenting the accuracy of the CMM quite nicely.

Loud engines, cars flying past at 200mph, and parts flying, it is the beautiful sport of NASCAR racing. This intense adrenaline rush of mass hp going around the track has stimulated billions in revenue and continues to be the best choice in sports revenue each year. Originally, the idea of putting fast stock cars in a stadium came from the prohibition days. When the prohibition was implied and also the ban on alcohol was established lots of people in the US started making their very own alcohol out of the backyard or basement of their house. This alcohol was being distributed and it needed to reach its destination fast, without being caught. The alcohol runners started attending all the southern stock car races, after which it become what we should realize it now like a nationwide sport called NASCAR.

In the recent years we have seen many top performance drivers in the NASCAR association dipping into the unlimited realm of off-road racing. Performers such as Robby Gordon who started with off-road racing and made his way into NASCAR. Other top motocross performers for example Travis Pastrana, and Brian Deegan have stepped foot within this revolution. Our planet full of the same fire breathing 850 hp. engines based in the stock cars and also the same white knuckle driving experience minus several BIG differences. What surpasses the experience of driving a regular car may be the unlimited suspension and the smoothness of 140 mph through large plains of the desert. Approaching to cliff sides in the southern tip of Baja within the well-known Baja 1000 race will certainly get your heart pumping, knowing an incorrect turn can send you about a thousand feet for your death. There’s no perspective of world that can match it up sensation, it is similar to dancing around the step of death, imaginable the adrenaline that pumps using your vanes.

So is this sport likely to dominate NASCAR? With a few from the trucks in off-road racing, they’ve estimated values of up to $500,000, which imposes a large risk on owners driving these and the unexpected outcomes we have seen. Off-road racing is sanctioned into a variety of classifications and every gaining their own revenue. Combining what every sanction brings in is unknown, but the fan count, and publicity all replace with those numbers. Most are completely devoted to the activity and have faith the off-road sport will require off right into a whole new revolution unmatched by NASCAR. It is only time which will tell, but as the sport gets bigger and bigger, you may call at your favorite drivers of NASCAR racing off-road.