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And other race cars get the best of both worlds. Le Mans cars and other touring cars are famous for holding up 24hrs under very high loads, even with the engin
by brucethemoose2 3y ago
And other race cars get the best of both worlds.
Le Mans cars and other touring cars are famous for holding up 24hrs under very high loads, even with the engine strung out beyond its street legal spec, but I think the most impressive feat is the Baja 1000.
Modern trophy trucks make ~1000 horspower, and the load is insane. The engines are running a pretty high average throttle, at high RPM, pushing a giant, heavy truck through sand, in a blazing hot desert. The fine dust can clog the filter, radiators, and get in all sorts of crevices. The whole drivetrain is constantly being shocked as the wheels leave the ground then jolt back to the correct RPM when the truck lands. And the whole truck is constantly being G-shocked, crashing into terrain you wouldn't even want to hike over at highway speeds, over and over again, for 1000 miles.
This was impressive back when the trucks were making a mere 300-600 horsepower, but honestly I have no idea how the modern turbocharged monsters even hold up.
- brucethemoose2 3y agoAlso, the engine throttle is open for a long time on the flat, barren stretches. That seems minor, but there are no paved racing leagues where a 1000hp+ engine can run flat-out for a long time. Le Man's formerly 6 km straight was the extreme, and they eventually shortened that with chicanes.
- rascul 3y agoNot 1000HP, but Nascar several years back was running something near 800HP, and at a couple tracks (Daytona and Talladega) they were wide open the whole way around if they were in front. Those races last several hours, with some number of short breaks due to cautions.
- brucethemoose2 3y agoYeah, NASCAR engineering is underappreciated too, but I didn't know they could do a lap with an open throttle around Talladega. That's crazy. Fun fact: the Porsche 917 still holds the lap record at Talladega, even though it was set in 1975, because no one else is crazy enough to run a 1200HP 1700lb car around it. And it got so hot (running an open throttle?) that it spontaneously caught on fire when it stopped in the pits without any airflow.
- RecycledEle 3y agoBaja 1000 trucks are amazingly light compared to street trucks.
- brucethemoose2 3y agoLike 5,100lb? https://www.jimcoracing.com/pages/fastball-racing-spec-trophy-truck https://www.jimcoracing.com/pages/fastball-racing-spec-troph... I dunno if that counts the spares, the fuel cell and such, but thats in the ballpark of an F150.