Not only is rallying an exciting sport to take part in and to watch, it places unusual demands on many of the components that make up the car and engine. Turbocharged engines in particular, with their anti-lag systems to aid transient response, place a lot of stress on components. In this regard, exhaust systems stand out as having to cope with more than their fair share of additional stress and hardship. In addition to high levels of vibrations and shocks from jumps and so on, rally...
In the previous article, the subject matter was the work done in the former USSR on fastener fatigue and particularly the positive effect that nut design and material selection can have on the fatigue life of studs and other male fasteners. In this article we will look at attempts by fastener manufacturing companies to achieve the same effects using relatively subtle changes in the fastener geometry. There have been several attempts to manufacture nuts with a thread form that distributes...
Many years ago, journalists and vehicle road testers used to talk about 'cooking engines'. At the time I understood it to be a term describing the performance of the unit, but I was unsure if it related to a high-performance, highly tuned engine or simply a fairly standard, docile unit reminiscent of a kitchen stove; the term meant nothing to me. Today, of course, with increasing awareness of fuel security and global warming, any engine described as 'cooking' must surely be...
Where regulations allow, most racecars run a dry-sump oil system, with the engine lubricant scavenged from the crankcase and stored in an external tank. This allows for a higher degree of oil control, a reduction in the possibility of oil surge and starvation, better de-aeration of the oil and, where applicable, a reduction in installation height thanks to the elimination of the sump pan. The design of the oil storage tank is of vital importance to the efficiency of the system, with the...
Mike Neff handles two jobs in the Funny Car category of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing - he is both the chief tuner and driver of the John Force Racing (JFR) Ford Mustang that currently tops the Funny Car points ranking and is the first car to qualify for the Countdown to the Championship play-off of six races, which starts after the Mac Tools US Nationals. Neff handles the dual role easily, as he performed tuning duties for 2005 champion Gary Scelzi in the category, and in 2008-9 - his...