Interesting site http://www.mira.co.uk/fluids/ftcsssc.htm . Doesn't give the
specifics on how they did it, but some one has the info tucked away
somewhere. Wonder if Sir Richard could be persuaded to share details.
John Beckett, LSR #79
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jon Hobden" <Jon.Hobden@rdel.co.uk>
To: "LSR list (E-mail)" <Land-speed@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2000 10:50 AM
Subject: : Re: Front and Rear Steering Thoughts...
>
> 2 cents from a British lurker.
>
> I agree (not having ever tried rear steer mind you) that it's all probably
> more about what you're used to. You would probably find it impossible to
> control a boat with front steer until you completely relearnt how to
handle
> it. In my offroad racing days, one of our club members built a Landrover
> for fun events which had reversed steering (clockwise on the steering
wheel
> turned left) - he got so used to it that one day he drove his road going
> Landrover into a parked car; when asked what he was doing he just said "I
> just forgot I wasn't driving that other bloody thing".
>
> The other aspect is that all the collected experience is with front steer,
> if you have to go rear steer because you can no longer make front steer
> work, then as they say, you're on your own. You need to accumulate 100
> years of automotive development of what started out as a horse drawn
> carriage with a rigid centre pivot (true "king pin") axle into the modern
> zero scrub, castored, camber neutral ifs, but do it on your own on the
back
> end.
>
> And for a sight of a trial rear steer testbed, try:
>
> http://www.mira.co.uk/fluids/ftcsssc.htm
>
> Jon Hobden
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
>
> Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 16:21:14
> To: land-speed@auox.team.net
> From: "Lawrence E. & Cathy R. Mayfield" <lemay@hiwaay.net>
> Subject: Front and Rear Steering Thoughts...
>
> Wow, what an interesting thread! I sat down a few moments ago to think
> about all that I had read on the thread and to see if what I had read I
> understood. First, there were many thoughts about why do a rear steer if
it
> is not needed? What are the benefits. Well I assumed that rear steer was
> being used (thought about) because the wheels in front are pulling the car
> instead of pushing it. Being able to steer from the rear wheels would seem
> to reduce the complexity at the front by reducing the steering knuckle set
> ups, CV joints or u joints, etc. Putting the steering at the back wheels
> seems so logical in this case because we would then just be running the
car
> backwards so to speak. And we all have had some sort of experience in
> backing up..most of the time we make mistakes (you ought to see my
driveway
> - - car tracks over the lawn on both sides). I attribute this to looking
> over
> my shoulder while going backwards. But in a purpose designed car I would
> hope to be facing forward! So what is it that makes this so difficult.
> There was some thoughts about the facts that the drive wheels arrive at
the
> corner first and we have to think ahead to make it work right. For sure!
> However, I don't think this is the reason straight line cars experience
> difficulty.
>
> Danger Warning Will Robinson...read at your own peril....outlandish
> thoughts from here on...
>
> Ok, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, here is what I think. We
> all grew up being taught that in a skid we need to turn the front whel
into
> the skid to regain contro. And why is that, well after drawing a small
free
> body diagram, I see that when the front steering wheels are turned in the
> direction of skid the rear drive wheels tend to drive the car into that
> direction giving directional control back to the driver. Thia is all
pretty
> straight forward.
>
> Now what happens when a front drive rear steer goes into a skid. Our
> training says to turn into the skid. Right? So if we turn into the skid,
> the drive wheels pull the car even farther off into the skid. This most
> obviously causes consternation and a lot of over correction. The truth is,
> that in a rear steer car the steering wheels must be turned away from the
> skid not into it. That way the drive wheels will pull the rear of the car
> around and back into directional control.
>
> One list member correctly, I believe, hit the nail on the head. It is all
> what we grew up with. Had we been driving rear steer all along, we would
be
> having this discussion about front steer! I think that a well designed car
> with the driver brainwashed into the correct manuevers to get out of spins
> and skids would fare just as well as any other car.
>
> Would there be any interest into building a small go kart size test
> vehicle? Heck even a go hart would work. Just need to put the driver and
> control in so that the driver faces the "front" drive wheels and rig the
> steering. The get out on the skid pad with some wet skids and see how to
> control? Heck, maybe this is my "barstool" pit machine...
>
> Control is now returned to the reader.
>
> mayf (with migraine so thoughts may be fuzzy)
>
>
>
> L.E. Mayfield
> 124 Maximillion Drive
> Madison, Al. 35758-8171
> ph: 1-256-837-1051
>
> http://home.hiwaay.net/~lemay
>
> lemay@hiwaay.net
>
> Sunbeam Tiger, B9471136
> Sunbeam Alpine Bonneville Land Speed Racer,
> '66 Hydroplane Drag Boat (390 FE)
>
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