Tuning for low torque, or high hp?

[ReadySetGo]

Just wondering what everyone is trying to tune for. I see good reasons for both.

High hp will definetely help during the accel event, but thats not much of the points and you only shift 1 or 2 times. Its also pretty hard to make high hp with the restrictor.

Low end torque will help exiting a corner during autox and endurance. We found drivablity is better with tuning down low, as opposed to up high with shorter intake runner lengths. With the shorter runner lengths we had good high rpm torque but suffered a lot of low rpm drivability. It would bog pretty bad regardless of how we tuned it, then once it reached about 5-6k its like boost kicked it.

So what do you guys/gals think? I'm leaning towards low torque. We might just make an extra set of runners and test both on the butt dyno, and see which is easier to drive with.

-Omar Barker
CSU, Sacramento
Hornet Racing Development
http://gaia.ecs.csus.edu/~formula/

[ReadySetGo]

Just wondering what everyone is trying to tune for. I see good reasons for both.

High hp will definetely help during the accel event, but thats not much of the points and you only shift 1 or 2 times. Its also pretty hard to make high hp with the restrictor.

Low end torque will help exiting a corner during autox and endurance. We found drivablity is better with tuning down low, as opposed to up high with shorter intake runner lengths. With the shorter runner lengths we had good high rpm torque but suffered a lot of low rpm drivability. It would bog pretty bad regardless of how we tuned it, then once it reached about 5-6k its like boost kicked it.

So what do you guys/gals think? I'm leaning towards low torque. We might just make an extra set of runners and test both on the butt dyno, and see which is easier to drive with.

-Omar Barker
CSU, Sacramento
Hornet Racing Development
http://gaia.ecs.csus.edu/~formula/

[Denny Trimble]

5-6k IS low RPM! I'm amazed how well our engine pulls from 6 to 12, because I think of that as a wide powerband. Yes, we still have to shift, but not as much as a narrow-powerband (say, 8-to-12) car. With good power around 5k you can run a fairly high final drive ratio and still have no problems hazing tires out of the slowest Detroit Autocross corner. In fact, we stayed in 1st gear for the entire autocross last year (I'm sure many other teams did too).

My question is, how much power are the Chalmers guys making at 16k through their restrictor?

University of Washington Formula SAE ('98, '99, '03, '04)

[A Reinke]

from what i saw in the UTA video, it looked like they stayed in first gear the whole time. looked like their experience paid off in selecting the perfect gear ratio.

i guess you could say our goal for tuning is a flat torque curve for mid range (off corner) and high rpm peak power.

making that work is the challenge. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

~Adam

[Steve-Imperial]

According to racetech magazine they started off in second gear (dont know if they still have first or not) and accelerated to about 15,000rpm by the end of the stretch! Would love to hear it! I guess I probably will at next years formula student event http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif