Minimum ride height

[peterPan]

Since the ground clearance was dropped this year (I read the clarification) how does this affect the minimum ride height?
I know there is another rule which states, that the vehicle's suspension must have 25.4mm travel in both directions.
Does that mean, that the minimum ride height is 25.4mm?
Or is the suspension travel measured without respect to whether the chassis floors or not?

[Pico]

the ground clearance was dropped this year (I read the clarification) how does this aff

You should read this:

http://www.sae.org/servlets/pr...MULA&RELEASE_ID=1354 (http://www.sae.org/servlets/pressRoom?OBJECT_TYPE=PressReleases&PAGE=showCDSNews&EVENT=FORMULA&RELEASE_ID=1354)

[RyMan]

I had this same question a few weeks ago, and decided that so long as your Wheels can move one inch in both directions when the driver is seated then you have met the rule (regardless of whether or not your chassis hits the floor). However the rule does state that the wheel travel must be usable which, after reading the rule about making contact with the track surface, could mean that the vehicle cannot make contact with the ground (outside of the tires, of course). This is only my interpretation of the rule though, the one that matters is the judge's/rules commitee's interpretation, care to share Pat and co.?

[Tom W]

I think the traditional interpretation of this rule was that your damper stroke had to be 50mm, so if you had a MR of less than 1 then your wheels had less than 50mm of movement, but somebody who had a bit more experience of cars prior to the rule change the first time around might be able to clarify this further.

[Charlie]

Originally posted by Tom W:
I think the traditional interpretation of this rule was that your damper stroke had to be 50mm, so if you had a MR of less than 1 then your wheels had less than 50mm of movement, but somebody who had a bit more experience of cars prior to the rule change the first time around might be able to clarify this further.

No, no. It was never about damper travel. The rule related to wheel travel always. Damper travel is irrelevant and there's no reason to control cars with damper travel.

[RobbyObby]

You might want to peruse the thread about the 2011 Rule Book. http://fsae dot com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/125607348/m/800108615
About 80% of that discussion is on ground clearance.

[Demon Of Speed]

Originally posted by Tom W:
I think the traditional interpretation of this rule was that your damper stroke had to be 50mm, so if you had a MR of less than 1 then your wheels had less than 50mm of movement, but somebody who had a bit more experience of cars prior to the rule change the first time around might be able to clarify this further.

I am pretty sure the original interpretation was to force teams to have a usable suspension system (not run a kart). The reason the 1" of travel in both directions is so teams don't run on bump stops, as in run really low spring rates to run fully compressed. therefore not using the suspension.

They don't measure to make sure you meet the rules for travel. They check to makes sure that it looks like you tried to make a usable suspension system.