rec.autos.simulators

I was curious about that  Was there some aerodynamic reason that the
car wouldn't handle well right by the wall?  The NASCAR boys almost
always keep the car up against the wall on the superspeedways
(Michigan, Darlington).  So why don't Indy cars?

I had a chance to speak with a couple of IRL drivers this weekend at
Dover and asked about that.  I was told that on the straightaways the
drivers relax their grip on the steering wheel to 1) get a little rest
for a moment and 2) allow the car to go where it wants to (zero
pressure on the steering wheel equals more speed . . . any turn of the
wheels scrubs off speed)

It is the stagger built into the chassis and the tire selection that
causes the car to lead left like that.

So, the question is:  Does this dynamic show up in the various indycar
and other sims?  And, is it like In Real Life (IRL -- ha ha) that you
go faster when you relax on the wheel and car drifts to the left?

Really curious

-the Diamondcutter

98 Swiss Hutless/Yamaha KT100 racing kart
96 Invader/Briggs racing kart

Well, from what I understand after watching Indianapolis 500 time trials a year
or so ago on TV, drivers tend to move away from the wall, especially at Indy,
to help reduce aerodynamic drag as well as to help keep from turning the wheel
as yes, steering inputs slow the car down.  When the front wheels aren't
perfectly straight with the road, there's added friction and rolling drag to
slow the cars down.  And as we know, every thousandth of a second is important
in racing.

Dan Belcher
Team Racing Unlimited

Especially oval racing.

But I don't think its modeled quite as well in any of the Indy/CART style
sims out on the market enough that you'd get this pronounced of effect in
the game.  Perhaps a GPL type physics engine might reproduce a closer
simulation of it.

--
TIM "Calm Down" WHEATLEY.
The Homemade HondaFreek!
Visit the Honda Homepage !
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        The NASCAR guys were doing the same thing at Indy this year,
maybe not quite as pronounced.  1-2 car widths off the wall down the
straights.

        bob