FORMULAVEE.ORG

Bruce, hmm, I need to think about this more. It's not obvious to me that simply having a larger sump volume allows us to run lower oil levels. I do believe that it will allow the oil to recover faster when the G-forces subside.
John

JPetillo, the flange language has been a major concern of mine and a topic in the letter to the CRB. If you're concerned about not making any racees due to a bad manifold, call me I've got some shelf units that we can arrange to get to you. Since I'm not sure where this issue is in the process, fol...

Steve Any need to go to the Vee Committee or just directly to the CRB? Formula Category 9.1.1.C.5.D.29 Any oil sump may be fitted utilizing the stock oil strainer cover plate mounting surface on the crankcase. The oil pickup pipe may be modified. Accumulators (Accusump) may be fitted. Comments? Any...

Jim, Thanks for the comments. I agree that the Accusumps could use some development, and even the sumps could use some thought.

John

Robert, yes, I misunderstood your comment, and thanks for clearing it up. I also share some of your other concerns.

John

Guys, some excellent points. I think we need to address in letters those issues with the new rules where a standard non-vee-literate tech guy can't misinterpret them. The rule about a manifold having to weight 24 oz. before repair is honorable for fairness, but simply unenforceable. That one simply ...

Jim, Thanks for your earlier response. Regarding the Accusump, aside from the extra oil that's dumped out from having no front seal, and perhaps the complicated plumbing if you wanted to run the system both ways, what problems have you seen where they are not doing their intended job or causing prob...

A solution to having to fill both the accusump and provide oil pressure would be a damper on the accusump so that it can't fill too fast. I'll have to read up on the accusump. Perhaps they already do this. I was just at the site. Apparently they already do something similar with the basic model. Th...

Canton recommends 7-10 lbs. Anything less than that and you won't even get full use of the oil in the canister. And as I mentioned, a warm vee idles at under 10, so the canister will empty at that point. The more pre-pressure, the less of the volume that you can fill at max pressure, which also lim...

Dietmar, Thanks, that was helpful. From my limited involvement in Vees, I've routinely seen/heard the following: - Overfilling engine just to keep enough oil in the sump for extended cornering - When an engine blows, first thing to ask is when when last time the oil was checked - you may have lost p...

There are many folks on this list that have been with SCCA for quite some time and can answer your questions more completely. Yes, the log books don't really say much, and my latest logbook issued just this year doesn't have all the blanks filled in - like for the first two pages. However, the ID nu...

Dietmar,

Do you know what the point is of this GCR rule? What is the safety or performance limitation that imposing it will address?

Thanks, John

This is a good point about the drain plugs on the side of sumps probably are outside the legal limit. What would be the status of a hose and fittings that go from the sump to the valve covers? Brian That's an excellent idea! Can anyone explain to me why there would be regulations on the sump reserv...

Bill, thanks for the reply - John

There were many people involved in those Wichita State wind tunnel tests some 15-20 years ago. A whole load of data came out of that including the best (lowest drag) legal method to fair in king pin beam tubes. For the miniscule amount of drag developed by the king pin beam tubes, the UK tests on a...

I agree with Brian - that an improvement can be made to a bare beam, and that the beam covers could be made to produce no lift and produce less drag. But if the end result is that they would be angled up, it may look to the tech crew like downforce-producing wings and then you may be disqualified!

I think a double beam fairing can do better than a single - drag-wise - but it needs to be designed right. That's easy to say, but I think difficult to do. It's not clear that the benefits would be significant. With regard to the article, I believe their first article mentioned that the fairings cau...

I have yet to have to enlarge the holes on the the mounting flanges where the intake manifold mounts to the cylinder head. I have had to manipulate the manifold to fit on the engine because ( I have alway assumed) the jugs have been shortened to achieve whatever deck height. It would seem to me tha...

I received a copy of the proposal and agree it seems rather benign. One issue regarding the visiblity of the vw casting marks in the flanges. Sometimes the holes are enlarged to compensate for engine widths and that can obliterate the logo. I'd hate to see a perfectly good manifold be considered il...

I had rusty headers. I had them jet coated by a company in Hartford for about $110, and that included getting the rust off and return shipping. After two seasons, they still look the same.

Lawrence, No, not my car. It was from an article for an AHS Challenger (British?) Formula Vee. They should be good ballpark figures.

Kevin, it's an allusion that I portray to throw off my competitors. Hasn't been working well enough, yet! John

The fluorescents I've used in my standard droplight die just as easily as standard bulbs. But, I can run 100 W equivalent without burning myself constantly!

Mystique Racing wrote:Does anyone know the approx coefficient of drag and frontal area for a FV? A ballpark number would be great.

0.63 & 0.9m^2

In regards to the battery being a problem. Highly unlikely. If it starts the engine, it can supply far more than enough to fire the igntion. We put a car on the chassis dyno and loaded the battery down with a carbon pile pot. The engine ran great and never lost 1 HP until it got below 9V. A 9V lead...