Hi Jan. Yes I would probably try it. But frankly our new car fits a 6'5" driver anyway & there is actually room for more.
Thanks ... Jay Novak -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jan Schmidt Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 11:36 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [F500] RE: Min weight blues Hey Jay, Just want your humble opinion. If the rules allowed a 85" wheel base, would you build one that size? Why or why not? My humble opinion is that an 85" wheelbase would make the car heavier, but would be more stable at speed. It would also make more room for a tall driver. Bill Schmidt 78" wheelbase Red Devil >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 04/22/06 6:44 PM >>> I agree Chuck, that is why my target weight is 550 lbs for a modern 80" wheel base car. Thanks ... Jay Novak -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chuck Voboril Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 2:35 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [F500] RE: Min weight blues Jay, Thanks for bringing it up, but I'm not forgetting Carbon Fiber ! Some of those hillclimb cars are indeed CF and that is how they get a 97 to 100 inch WB car to weigh in like a tube frame 80" WB car. Going back to old World cheap F440 technology and costs: The Z19's with 150# drivers came in at 700# + probably 10# margin with 1 3/8" solid steel rear axles and solid steel front uprights and spindles. Thick steel shock housings in the back. Big 1/4" steel plates for the front suspension rubbers to bear against. Brass, not aluminum and plastic radiators. Thick F-glass sidepods, not 2 layup stuff. All I am saying is that with todays cheap and lighter CNC'd aluminum uprights, calipers, and hubs. Then adding hollow rear axles, a low tech, low cost F500 is quite practical. Chuck ______________________________________________________________ From: "Jay Novak" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [email protected] To: <[email protected]> Subject: RE: [F500] RE: Min weight blues Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 21:52:26 -0400 >Chuck you are absolutely right about the British hill climb cars. What you >are forgetting however is that those super light cars cost %50K to build & >are CARBOV fiber everything. F500 is a very low cost entry level class & >who can afford to or will want to spend that kind of $$ for a F500 car. > > >Thanks ... Jay Novak > > >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chuck >Voboril >Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 12:07 AM >To: [email protected] >Subject: [F500] RE: Min weight blues > > > There are British hillclimb and sprint(hillclimb on a level > track) cars being built with 97" long WB and 255 HP MC motors that > only weigh about 550# w/out driver. A kaw motor is about 100 pounds > lighter than the bike motors going in those cars. Add 18 pounds for a > primary and secondary clutch and that's still 80 pounds lighter. > > No coil springs and heavy 'ol shock absorbers either :-> > > I would be extremely embarassed if I could not modifiy or build a > new Kaw powered car to 700# complete with fire system and 5 gal fuel > cell. > > There were 250 Zinks built and most had to run considerable > ballast(30+ lbs.) to road race with lightweight drivers in the 150 > pound category to meet 700#. > > Those old cars did not have the advantage of present day lightweight > CNC'd billlet uprights ,hubs, or hollow steel rear axles, either. > > Bulding a lightweight car is about the most technically > non-challenging thing one could ever do. > > If you haven't got the skill or you weigh 300 pounds, then stick with > a 494 or 493. > > As to high compression Kaws, I know the guys that built and road raced > motors like that. > > The AMW's still kicked their rumps like they were tie d to a > tree when they came on the scene. > > As to Solo, in my personal opinion, the current min Kaw weight > probably will not change. > > Chuck Voboril > __________________________________________________________ ____ > > From: "Jay Novak" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: [email protected] > To: <[email protected]> > Subject: RE: [F500] 440 vs 494 > Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 23:58:26 -0400 > >I agree that it will be very difficult to do a 700 Lb Kawasaki > powered car. > >It could be done with a 150 to 170 lb driver but still not > easy. I think > >the 494 or the 493 will be very tough to beat because they have a > very wide > >powerband & a ton more torque than the Kawasaki. > > > >My 1st 80" wheelbase car weighed 715 with me in it & I weighed > about 165 at > >the time with no real effort at trying to make the car light, just > a super > >simple car. > > > >If I do design a new car & I am thinking about it, the target > weight will be > >550 lbs without driver & fuel. I know this is very do-able with a > lot of > >design integration. A couple of my older cars were right there so > I know it > >can be done. > > > >Way to much on my plate right now but maybe next year. > > > > > >Thanks ... Jay Novak > > > > > >-----Original Message----- > >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > Of Richard > >Schmidt > >Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 9:24 PM > >To: [email protected] > >Subject: Re: [F500] 440 vs 494 > > > >This is great news, but (you just knew there would be a but), I > still don't > >think it will even the playing field in road racing. > > > >First of all, it is not that easy to lose 50 lbs. Just ask anyone > on a diet > >! All of the cars out there are designed to weigh 750 with a > reasonable > >weight driver. I don't see how you can get a car down to the 700 > lb mark > >and not reduce the structural integrity. When I first raced my > F500 with the > >Kawasaki, I had to add ballast. That all changed with the change > over to > >four link suspension and the added bodywork to get the aero > working. > > > >I am not the familiar with the new chassis, but I suspect they are > all being > >designed for the 493 engine and thus would not be able to get down > to the > >700 lb min. > > > >Just one more small change, allow increasing the compression ratio > to about > >9:1 on the Kawasaki. This would be so easy, just mill some metal > off the > >head, reshape the dome, and presto, a 90 HP Kawasaki ! > > > >Ofcourse some clever chassis designer, Jay are you listing > ?, could build a > >new chassis just for the Kawasaki using all the improvements > learned over > >the years, but apply it to a car designed for a engine from > yesteryear. > > > >Richard > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Stan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: <[email protected]> > >Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 3:13 PM > >Subject: Re: [F500] 440 vs 494 > > > > > > > Effective May 1st, Kawi's can run at 700 lbs for even more fun! > > > > > > > > > Stan > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > >F500 mailing list - [email protected] > >To unsubscribe or change options please visit: > >http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 > >*** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! > *** > >_______________________________________________ > >F500 mailing list - [email protected] > >To unsubscribe or change options please visit: > >http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 > >*** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! > *** >_______________________________________________ >F500 mailing list - [email protected] >To unsubscribe or change options please visit: >http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 >*** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! *** >_______________________________________________ >F500 mailing list - [email protected] >To unsubscribe or change options please visit: >http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 >*** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! *** _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! *** _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! *** _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! *** _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! ***
