The V8 Owners Forum -

Mike

Are you trying to challenge these guys?


http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/



Ian

Hi Ian
no It is more to do with the way the smaller (capacity) stream liners look and the challenge of the design. To get any car to it's maximum speed is a difficult balancing act of engine power, power band width and transmission, a stream liner is even more so. Your average motorcycle 600 is designed to produce around 120bhp, run from about 15 mph in traffic and accelerate to about 140, 150 mph, with 6 gears. Stick that engine in a stream liner and it will need to make more like 150bhp probably get a push to 30mph then accelerate to 240mph, a narrower power band but twice produced further up the rev range but having to power the vehicle to 100mph more. adding gears is all very well, but a constant mesh 8 or 9 speed box will have relatively large parasitic losses, concatenate two gearboxes together maybe one of them a sun and planet box would work but then changing gear could get complex. Do you gain by making less power over a wider rev range but use fewer gears or just go all out for power and have lots of gears (maybe with a clutched torque converter?? )
best regards
Mike

Surely best for narrow power band Mike with a hefty push to 40-50 ish? A torque converter of any type is surely going to result in losses especially at speed, less is more for overcoming friction, some simple motorcycle box which is renowned for low losses must be best?

So something like this then?



As they say on Blue Peter "Here's one I finished** earlier"

**Belt drives only

OK
an interesting thing to find in the back of the garage . . . it seems someone has put the cylinder head on backwards on that one! just belts, like on a Daff I would think it can give you a good wide range of ratios to use but a risk of slipping at high speed, I also like the simplicity of it as a way of doing things.
Defiantly an interesting approach, low drag gearbox. . . I am thinking 4 wheels though and fully enclosed, oh and use something more modern to power it.
best regards
Mike

Not power sapping Daf variable speed belts but serious positive drive belts for the primary drive and the supercharger.

I could see if this is still available



It's another one I did earlier

Although must say....Ive just noticed "flying" 1/2 mile

Any of the events I mentioned via Straightliners are all standing distance events.

Not even sure if there is anywhere in the UK that could accommodate a flying event ?

ie, the longest runways here are only 2 miles or so in the first place.

You might want to watch this first..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McJJeukIWSA

El Mirage, november 2013

Racing on surfaces like that, and even the salt does seem kind of stupid though.

That really does take very specific builds.

At least racing on a solid surface, tyre grip is more or less a given.

On salt or sand etc....it isnt there to start with.