Why are the cars so Low?

T

Tosu97

Guest
Can someone explain to me the reasoning behind placing the cars so low to the track? I'd love to see them raised a couple inches. The sparks flying around the track really shows how close they are. Plus I think it looks kind of silly.
 
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/monster.../nascar-mobil1-technology-shocks-profile.html

http://www.sladeshocktechnology.com/bump-stops.html

For example - Asphalt late models run an A-frame type front end geometry which allows each tire to move independently. This type of front end geometry is tuned to control the camber and caster angles of each tire at maximum travel in the corners in order to create the optimum contact patch for the front tires and give them the most grip in the center of the corner where they need it to turn. It is critical that the nose of the car stays planted to maintain the proper angles for front tire grip as long as possible. The caster and most importantly the camber changes as the nose of the car moves up and down. As the nose rises the tires lose camber which changes the contact patch and takes away grip creating a push condition. With the use of bump stops they can run much softer springs in the front end than normal so the nose stays planted much longer - maintaining the best contact patch for the longest period of time to increase corner speeds - the bump stops act as a 2 stage suspension with the much softer springs by keeping the car from over traveling and hitting the track while at the same time adding load to the contact patch of the tires when the chassis is engaged with them.
 
Chassis dynamics:

Low ride height = lower center of gravity = less chassis roll in the turns, less "squat" under acceleration and less "dive" under braking. All of these things result in reduced front camber change under load and help to maintain optimum tire contact at all 4 corners.

Aerodynamics:

Optimum front splitter (or air dam) and side skirt proximity to the racing surface minimizes the flow of air under the car which creates lift, counteracting the expensive, hard won downforce generated by the splitter itself, the bodywork, its angle of attack and the rear spoiler.

The lower the better.

This fairly recent rule change is interesting:

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-me...heights-options-open-crew-chiefs-drivers.html
 
KTMLew01 said:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/monster.../nascar-mobil1-technology-shocks-profile.html

http://www.sladeshocktechnology.com/bump-stops.html

For example - Asphalt late models run an A-frame type front end geometry which allows each tire to move independently. This type of front end geometry is tuned to control the camber and caster angles of each tire at maximum travel in the corners in order to create the optimum contact patch for the front tires and give them the most grip in the center of the corner where they need it to turn. It is critical that the nose of the car stays planted to maintain the proper angles for front tire grip as long as possible. The caster and most importantly the camber changes as the nose of the car moves up and down. As the nose rises the tires lose camber which changes the contact patch and takes away grip creating a push condition. With the use of bump stops they can run much softer springs in the front end than normal so the nose stays planted much longer - maintaining the best contact patch for the longest period of time to increase corner speeds - the bump stops act as a 2 stage suspension with the much softer springs by keeping the car from over traveling and hitting the track while at the same time adding load to the contact patch of the tires when the chassis is engaged with them.
Click to expand...

Wow thanks for this. I had known about the aerodynamic grip side of this, but I never realized there was a mechanical grip reason for these coil-bound setups.
 
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