PARTS OF A FORMULA CAR

PArts Of A Formula SAE Car

PArts

01. Tires and Wheels

06. Suspension

02. Chassis

07. Steering System

03. Engine

08. Aerodynamics

09. Fuel

04. Intake & Exhaust

10. Safety

05. Cockpit

01. Tires and Wheels

Tires and Wheels are the part of the car on which the car is supported on.

• In Formula SAE teams get to choose what tires they want to use on the car

• The rules state that the tires have to be at least 8 inches in diameter
• Teams also choose the tire pressure and the tire camber
• camber is the angle of the tire relative to the road
• adding camber to the tire can help the car turn faster
• Unlike road tires, Formula dry tires are slick with no grooves. Wet weather tires do have grooves

Wheel vs Tire

02. Chassis

A Chassis is the base structure on which the rest of the car is built around. The Chassis structurally supports the rest of the car

• The chassis also provides protection for the driver. In the case that the car rolls over or crashed the chassis will protect the driver

03. Engine

Specifics

The engine is the machine that turns the fuel into energy that powers the rest of the car

• Rules state that the engine used has to:
• be a piston engine(s) using a four stroke primary heat cycle
• have a total combined displacement less than or equal to 710 cubic centimeters per cycle
• These limitations means that teams generally use motorbike engines

four stroke primary heat cycle

04.Intake & Exhaust

Intake

Exhaust

The exhaust collects the toxic gasses from the engine, purifies it and diverts it away from the passengers. It also reduces the level of sound coming from the engine

The intake is an opening that takes in oxygen from the outside and brings it into the engine. Oxygen is an essential part of burning fuel to turn it into energy.

Sound

Formula SAE rules state that the sound from the car has to be less than 103 dBC when idle. At all other times it has to be below 110 dBC

Engine

05.Cockpit

Pedals

Cockpit is the place where the driver of the car is sitting. Formula cars have an open-cockpit which means that there is no roof covering the driver

At the bottom of the cockpit is where the pedals are located. This includes the brake and the accelerator pedals. Formula cars typically have the clutch pedal in the steering wheel and not by the driver's feet.

06.Suspension

• The suspension is a system of springs and dampers that absorb the shock from driving on uneven roads.
• It also allows the tires to stay in contact with the road.
• Also stabilizes the steering of the car

Dampers

Springs

• help control the height and load of the suspension

• Absorb the kinetic energy from the tires when they interact with uneven road

07.Steering system

Steering is how you direct the car to go in the direction that you want it to go. The system includes the steering wheel, steering column and the steering shaft

• the steering wheel is what the driver is holding on to and manipulates to direct the car
• the steering wheel on a formula car can be removed so the driver can get out easily
• Most of the steering system is attached to the chassis of the car
• Formula 1 cars and many road cars use power steering, or using another force to reduce the amount of effort it takes to turn the car
• but Formula SAE doesn't allows their cars to use power steering

08.Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics is how the car interacts with the air around it

• how the car moves through air
• how the air moves around the car

Formula cars use wings, endplates, undertrays, and spoilers as aerodynamic devices to guide airflow to create downforce and/or change drag

• The wings create a difference in the velocity of airflow which causes downforce which helps the car stay on the ground.
• Because of how fast the cars can go they need the downforce to get better grip and stability which then helps with taking turns

09.Fuel

Fuel is the material that powers the car. It is burned to convert it into thermal energy that powers the car. This conversion is done in the engine.

Teams get to pick between, 93 octane racing fuel, 100 octane racing fuel, and E85 racing fuel. Each one has different characteristics so team pick which one works best for their car

10.Safety

• Safety is one of the most important parts of a formula car
• the car goes pretty fast and is very fragile which means that crashes can be dangerous
• Cars are built with a front impact attenuator which is attached to the front of the car.
• it absorbs any shock if the car was to run into something
• the cars are also built with roll hoops that would support the car in the case that it rolls over.
• designed so that the driver's head wouldn't bear all of the load in the case of a roll over
• At competition the cars are inspected to make sure that it is safe to drive

Photo Courtesy of Wisconsin Racing

Sources

Photos on the first slide and slide 12 (Saftey) are courtesy of Wisconsin Racinghttps://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-does-an-intake-do https://www.fsaeonline.com/cdsweb/gen/DocumentResources.aspx (2024 rules and regulations) https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.lesschwab.com/article/alignment/understanding-camber-caster-and -toe.html&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1699334133509307&usg=AOvVaw2jLUXDAgZARnfwiOQehJ8t https://www.unitedtire.com/about/blog/articleid/7602?article=what%27s-the-difference-between-tires-and-wheels#:~:text=Are%20Tires%20and%20Wheels%20The,are%20installed%20on%20the%20wheels. https://www.kwik-fit.com/exhausts/information/how-exhausts-work#:~:text=Your%20exhaust%20has%20four%20main,vehicle%20exhaust%20system%20may%20vary. https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-is-the-suspension-in-a-car

Thank You

note: these are not every part of a formula car and they are much more complicated than presented here

Four Stroke Primary Heat Cycle

A four stroke primary heat cycle is an engine that uses four distinct strokes.

1. intake
2. compression
3. power
4. exhaust

source

Wheel vs Tire

Tire is the rubber part that makes contact with the ground. Tires provide traction for the car

Wheel is the metal part that is connected to the suspension of the car also known as the rim