2006 U of Washington Unveiling

[Denny Trimble]

Not to be outdone by certain teams who get their cars done very early, we've just rolled out our entry for next year's event. This should give us 12 months of testing before the west coast competition, but we don't think we'll need it. We might just take a break for 11 months, then fire it up next May.

Our new design saved 330lbs, thanks to the design tips we've gleaned from this forum.

Side View
Steering and Pedals

Such amenities as cable stops, heel rests, steering column support, etc. etc. have been discarded, as this is a pure racing machine!

We have an "active ackerman" system on the car, by means of grade 2 fasteners as kingpins, and wheelbarrow wheel bearings. Depending on loading, the toe can vary by +/- 2 degrees. Active camber is in the works, too...

Our corner weights are adjustable thanks to our lightweight mild steel frame, which underwent significant FEA analysis.

All we need to make it comp spec is an SAE sticker!

See you in California...

[Denny Trimble]

Not to be outdone by certain teams who get their cars done very early, we've just rolled out our entry for next year's event. This should give us 12 months of testing before the west coast competition, but we don't think we'll need it. We might just take a break for 11 months, then fire it up next May.

Our new design saved 330lbs, thanks to the design tips we've gleaned from this forum.

Side View
Steering and Pedals

Such amenities as cable stops, heel rests, steering column support, etc. etc. have been discarded, as this is a pure racing machine!

We have an "active ackerman" system on the car, by means of grade 2 fasteners as kingpins, and wheelbarrow wheel bearings. Depending on loading, the toe can vary by +/- 2 degrees. Active camber is in the works, too...

Our corner weights are adjustable thanks to our lightweight mild steel frame, which underwent significant FEA analysis.

All we need to make it comp spec is an SAE sticker!

See you in California...

[Bryan Hagenauer]

Uh, its supposed to be brown, not purple! The extra pigment in the paint added far too much complexity and weight to the car.

I like how there is more crash protection in the rear than the front. I think the designers were expecting that thing to be the slowest vehicle around

[Dr Claw]

is that a baja engine? or smaller?? That is a very nice looking seat, but i could probably supply you with a lighter one if you'd want. i like the floating roll hoops too, it seems much lighter .

[drivetrainUW-Platt]

manual disk brakes, thats what I said when I joined the team..might have saved us the shit at the 04 comp not having an operating brake syetem...skrew hydralics..go cables!

[Denny Trimble]

If you want to know the real story, we were a little surprised when we returned from Detroit. It seems this was a one-man Capstone Design Project. Apparently, the person who designed and built this kart will be receiving a degree in mechanical engineering.

Some problems we noticed with it:
-inoperable brake and throttle cables, which are actually automotive heater vent control cables (solid wire in wound steel housing; no housing stops on either end; 90 degree bends with zip ties on the housing; unable to support any force or hold adjustment )

-no steering column support except at the very bottom of the shaft, where it spins in its steel brackets (no bushings or bearings).

-tiny seat mounted on a "leaf spring"

-no provision for chain tensioning or alignment, and it's not right

-horrible use of fasteners in the suspension and steering system; insane amounts of play everywhere, no jamnuts on anything, and tack-welded hub adjustment nuts

-the frame is warped by at least 1" at the wheels (diagonal corner weights), but it doesn't really matter because it's so flexible.

It's really pretty embarrassing to think that somebody got credit for this creation, and that they come from our department. But, I guess I should be thankful he didn't join the FSAE team

Oh, and on the mechanical disk brake front, I have some on my mountain bike. They're not bad, though they require constant adjustment and would be difficult to keep properly balanced on a racecar. Not to mention they're a little undersized, especially in the pad department. But they might make a nice e-brake on the diff, now there's a thought...

[Travis Garrison]

What? You mean I don't get the year off?

Travis Garrison
UW FSAE

[John Bucknell]

Uh, I probably could have graduated four years earlier if I skipped FSAE and got to do that capstone project.... Unbelievable.

[Mike T.]

I, being one of our school's most unrelenting critics of the quality of our department, can't let this go without comment. I'll include a short disclaimer with respect to my my grammer and spelling skills, they do not reflect our university due to the copius amounts of alcohol I have consumed after my last finals for the 2004-2005 school year.

Continuing on... to exemplify John Bucknell's previous point, I built a go kart out of wood in my days as a middle schooler in the asshole of america that was more functional than this fine peice of machinery. Anyhow, on the eve of our final day of classes, I and a few others attempted to to do burnouts with this fine machine (and succeeded in a way), but found that even with nobody seated, it could only do one wheeler peelers due to the massive twist in the chassis. And, considering the crappy throttle pedal, this was only doable by manually holding the throttle at the engine end. It's impressive what a little bit of chain lube and a slick basement floor can accomplish in terms of smoke quantity.

The worst part is it'll likely earn a high grade, and conceded to some students and our machine design course professor that he didn't do any kind of analysis on the chassis like he wanted to, since he couldn't figure out how to use COSMOS in Solidworks. I think he missed the point that you're actually supposed to gain some sort of useful knowledge through the project, and that it should show it.

Sometimes I wish I could speak of our department more highly, but with this kind of thing going on, it's impossible. Anyhow, enjoy the humor, and be thankful you don't have to deal with these kinds of people if you don't,

Mike Trumbore
UWFSAE '02-'06

[B Hise]

I've seen some pretty atrocious capstone projects here at Maryland. It's scary that some of these kids are getting the same degree that I am. I guess people just stop trying if they can't do FSAE...

Bryan
UMD