The engines and chassis available in IndyCar Racing all have slightly
different characteristics, which are outlined below. Note that these
differences do not always make one engine or chassis better than another.
There may be advantages on certain types of circuits, and disadvantages
on others. The main parameters that vary from engine to engine are the
horsepower and torque curves. The chassis differ mainly in their
aerodynamic characteristics: overall drag coefficient, and downforce/drag
ratio.
Engines:
Chevy/A -- the original Chevy engine, good power, good reliability
Peak revs: 12,300
Chevy/B -- an update to the successful A, offers slightly more power
Peak revs: 12,500
Chevy/C* -- re-engineered to be somewhat smaller, lighter; offers
even more power than the B, and more mid-range torque
Peak revs: 12,500
Cosworth -- slightly more peak power than the Chevy/C, but less
mid-range torque (advantage on the speedways, disadvantage
on road & city circuits)
Peak revs: 12,500
Buick -- more peak power than the other engines (higher allowed
boost), less forgiving of abuse
Peak revs: 9,000
Chassis:
Lola '92 -- good, basic IndyCar chassis
Lola '93 -- somewhat lighter than '92, less drag, better
downforce/drag ratio
Penske '92 -- similar to '92 Lola
Penske '93* -- lighter than '93 Lola, slightly more drag
Galmer -- better aerodynamics than '92 cars, slightly heavier
RH001 -- less drag than '93 cars, downforce/drag not as good,
a bit heavier than the others
* defaults
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