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Old 08-14-2003, 03:17 PM
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rdorman rdorman is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: columbus, Oh
Cobra Make, Engine: Unique 427 roadster with 351C-4B
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My CG has the same issue. I call it 'central tendency'.

I am going to have to make up a paper 'doll', I am still having trouble visualizing ackerman on front steer. For some reason, rear steer is clear as a bell. Mental block.

Lets have some fun with ackerman? Fun!!! I suggest that ackerman can and often is a good thing. Two radius circles, two differently loaded tires, both tires have maximum corning power at the same slip angles.

Slip angle, the difference between the tire actual and apparent path (pointed in one direction but the tread lags a bit behind, a few degrees behind). Slip angle for a given amount of steering input increases as the side load increases. Side load increases with corning force and vertical load(load increase due to weigth transfer).

Sooooooo we have an outside tire doing the majority of the work and dictating the turn radius, the majority of the corning force and getting larger slip angles developed. The inside tire, given parrellel steering, is following a smaller radius turn (this in and of it self is less slip angle assuming the inside tire is not sliding over the), with less cornering force and less slip angle. The tire is not working at its optimum slip angle therefore not generating the most corner force that it can.

So what can we do, limit weight transfer. You run into excessive roll and camber control problems. Weight jack, works great on a circle track. Slow down, ummmmm, not a good one! Increase the angle that the inner tire is turned into the corner? Sure!

Before I even knew what ackerman was, we played with toe out on the front of our formula ford. Basically, 'static' ackerman. Close but not exactly the same. You know what happened? With no other changes, the car turned in GREAT! Corner speed was up as shown through interval times. It was GRIN CITY! Until a point. Then the effect began to back off, braking, especially on uneven surfaces got real exciting.

Fun with ackerman.

Rick
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