The good old boys aren't running moonshine anymore. NASCAR is big money racing that left the back roads a long time ago and now, with a lot less room for error than the average race fan might think, the cars rely on science, not "go fast, turn left." A brand new book, The Physics of NASCAR, by Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, Ph.D., explores just how much science is involved in … [Read more...]
180 MPH Rolling Road Wind Tunnel
Professional racing teams need every bit of technology available to win races today and if what they need is not available, they build it. NASCAR team owner Gene Haas, also owns a company called WindShear, Inc. that decided they needed a rolling road wind tunnel for testing the aerodynamics of the their race cars. They hired Jacobs Engineering Group to build a wind tunnel with … [Read more...]
Gibbs Technologies Plans Michigan Office
Gibbs Technologies of Warwickshire, England, developers of numerous high speed amphibious vehicles, are looking to open an office in Michigan. Their plan for the office is to continue development of the Aquada, an amphibious car, while attracting investment and eventually setting up a production facility. The Aquada, holds the world speed record for amphibious vehicles. … [Read more...]
Electronic Wedge Brakes Outperform Hydraulics
Electronic wedge brakes being developed by Siemens VDO were tested against similar cars equipped with hydraulic brakes and the electronic brakes consistently stopped in a shorter distance. We covered electronic wedge brakes in November of last year and discussed their development as part of the Siemens eCorner concept which combines the drivetrain, steering, shock absorbers and … [Read more...]
ZF Develops New 8 Speed Automatic Transmission
How many speeds does an automatic transmission need? According to ZF, the answer is 8. Their aim was to minimize fuel consumption while maximizing performance and according to ZF, this new 8 speed delivers a 6 percent fuel saving over their 6 speed and 14 percent over a 5 speed. It requires no more installation space than a 6 speed and the modular design can be adapted for use … [Read more...]