3kg per kW?

[Nero]

I wonder if you get the same level of acceleration witht he same power to weight ratio with a heavier car...I suspect not but cannot parse it at 12.30am!

[Mr Ed]

I have a friend who is building a supercharged RC car. Supposedly a bolt on kit which gives it 7hp.........in a car that weighs a touch over 1kg. I think we have a winner.









....only problem is apparently it is going to have problems controlling the revs.

[C0V3R]

more weight = more size = more drag = Lose?

[Mr Ed]

more weight = more size = more drag = Lose?

Thats not how aerodynamics work. Drag is based on the shape of the object(coefficient of drag), not its size.

Heavy = stable at high speed
Light = turns corners

That weirdo Callelinoipleoaorepepalliiours T1 or whatever the hell its called was built to a weight they claim is optimum for high speed and cornering.

[Billzilla]

I wonder if you get the same level of acceleration witht he same power to weight ratio with a heavier car...I suspect not but cannot parse it at 12.30am!

Too many variables, but as a general rule I suspect the heavier car will be slower.

[Mr Ed]

Too many variables, but as a general rule I suspect the heavier car will be slower.

I dissagree as I suspect the heavier car would be able to have more gidgets gadgets for stability, traction control, etc...where as the light weight car still has to carry the driver and all the normal essentials, but saves weight by skimping on those little extra bits.

As you said though, there are lots of variables. From a scientific point of view they would be the same apples for apples.....until you came to a corner.

[Mr Ed]

Actually this is something Ive wondered about before..........

Big car = more downward force = more friction
Big car = more mass = more friction needed to turn corner

By this logic I assume big cars can be made to corner as well as little cars. Am I missing a variable?

[Billzilla]

Am I missing a variable?

Many.
Too tired to list them now, maybe tomorrow.

Simple rule - If you want to go fast, the car must be light. There are absolutely NO advantages to having a heavy car.

[Rz]

a better power/weight is always a advantage ... unless your talking speeds where aerodynamics come into play.
becomes hp v hp then :D

[oldcorollas]

everything else equal (power/weight, weight transfer, ability of suspension to keep tyres on road), i suspect it will come down to the chemical limits of the tyres, and how much power they can physically transfer to the road surface

if we are talking drags :p


only advantage i can think of for heavy car is proportion of sprung to unsprung weight..

[Madhatr]

Bill think engine go BOOM.
That looks like the low-profile BT56 (I think) and they had huge problems getting the engine to run properly.
It's all in that turbo book I lent ya.

Think they finished 2 or 3 races out of the whole year.

[BigMuz]

Our hillclimb car weighed 500 kg and made 500 hp.

Translates to 8 second quarter miles traction and gearbox notwithstanding...

Light = win in EVERY way. Ask P Gumley....

[Beavis]

I would think that, in terms of gearboxes, they would have little trouble with such high horsepower due to such low weight.

[F|sh]

i am at 5.19kg/hp damn my race car needs to go on a diet.

[GSRman]

my hilux is at 4.8kg/hp - 6.7 kg/kw though..