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Thread: Locking wheels

  1. #1
    Hey guys,
    Does locking all 4 wheels mean they should all lock together (ideal condition) or its just that the car should end up in a straight line during the test irrespective of whether the front locks up before the rear.

  2. #2
    If you are referring to the brake test at competition, to my knowledge, all four wheels must be locked at the same time. The fronts can lock up before the rears but at some point they must all be locked at the same time. I would suggest reading the rules though.
    Macke

  3. #3
    Can we get this spambot banned or something? 9 posts has got to be a record...

    Sam, dmacke is correct, the fronts can lock up before the rear, or (somehow) vice versa. It is worth noting, however, that the car may not pass brakes if they do not remain in a straight line during the test. We were behind a team who had trouble with this in Lincoln this year (I do not know what was causing them to skew sideways).
    Owen Thomas
    University of Calgary FSAE, Schulich Racing

  4. #4

  5. #5
    The straight-line requirement is because you could hide a weak brake by transferring almost all the weight off that corner. I.E. if your left front brake doesn't work well, disconnect your rear anti-roll bar, throw the car HARD to the left, and stomp the brakes - it won't take much to lock up the inside front.

    The judges also need to be able to see it. We had to re-do our test at Lincoln this year because Travis is an ace and only locked the tires up long enough to tell that he could - on the second attempt he spiked 'em and left 'em on for a few tenths so everyone could see.
    Charles Kaneb
    Magna International
    FSAE Lincoln Design Judge - Frame/Body/Link judging area. Not a professional vehicle dynamicist.

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