Do lighter racecars go faster?  Does mass even matter?  Should a mass target be a key design goal?  Low mass is often taken to be a virtue in FSAE/FS racecars, and often chosen as a design strategy for improvement in performance.  But does low mass really pay off? 

• Phasing out side view tubes

• Reference point change

• Module column structures

• Cameras mounted one fastener to tabs

• Clamp load, bolt stretch, joint stiffness

• Prevent self loosening

• Torquing methods

• Fastener types

• The Cost Report is a Bill of Materials detailing the costs to produce the team’s prototype vehicle using standardized cost references.

• The Cost Scenario asks for each team’s strategic response to an event outside their control.

• How to find the optimum concept for your overall racecar

• How to nail down the concept before putting effort into perfecting its systems

• How to get more design points for overall racecar design

• How to create a design process that can be handed down to succeeding teams

FMEA can capture the dangerous things cars may do when put in an unsafe state, and can help the team verify they meet and exceed safety regulations and requirements.

• Ride Height, Impact Attenuator, Impact Structure Heights

• Use Eyes For Harness Clips

• EV Rear Diagonal Requirement

• Get External Items off the Main Hoop and Main Hoop Braces

• Think about what other people are thinking.

• Give honest feedback without being a jerk.

• Take your own and your team’s feelings seriously.

• Materials catalog updates

• Process changes in forming, coatings, machining

• Tooling changes: 3x metal, 2x plastic/rubber, 1x PCB

• New materials for fasteners and standoffs

• Notes for students

• Notes for Design Judges

• High temperature knockdowns for composite and structurally bonded tractive batteries

• LV Batteries and Pressurized Cylinders must be inside the chassis

• No engine mounts on the Shoulder Harness Bar or Braces

• Maximum static ride height should be <= 75mm

Suspension Geometry

• Controls Toe Angle Movement

• Controls Camber Gain

• Controls Ride Height Movement

• Good geometry gives the springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars more influence than the geometry itself

Methods for a detached wheel to disable High Voltage:

• De-pin and separate outboard communication connector

• Break communication cable

• Mechanically pull apart inboard communication cable

• Increase point spread in efficiency event

• Use linear scoring formula.

• Reduce EV energy limit to 33% of IC

• Keeping aero parts from hitting the ground

• Unexpected loads and directions

• Stopping oscillation

• Making or buying cables

Many of the common issues with FSAE halfshafts stem from these problems:

• Extreme misalignment between differential and wheel hub

• Tripod housing depth too shallow or too deep on either or both ends

• Contaminants in grease
  

• Comparing and engineering for different materials

• Strength, stiffness, triangulation, load paths, gussets

• Suspension loading

• EV Tractive Battery mounts

• Bearing Style Selection

• Misalignment Limits

• Installation

• Significant revamp of Electrical and Drivetrain sections

• New approach for custom PCB costing

• Most electronic modules are still cost as bought

• Travel, Backlash, Deflection

• Bearing Stiffness, Contact Area, Degrees Of Freedom

• Link Stiffness, Strength, Weight