• 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.

• Think about what other people are thinking.

• Give honest feedback without being a jerk.

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

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
  

• Bearing Style Selection

• Misalignment Limits

• Installation

• Engineer a strong battery lifespan

• EV Efficiency is as important as mass, downforce, drag, power, and mu.

• Create tools for drivers to manage energy

• Add regenerative braking later

• Set up business and school relationships.

• Recruit and organize a team.

• Write and raise a budget.

• THEN design and build the car.

To manage priorities, ask four questions about every design decision, in this order: 1. Is it legal or illegal? 2. How does the change affect reliability or repeatability? 3. How does the change affect overall vehicle performance over a lap? 4. What are the drivability effects?

The most common barrier between your team and your performance goals is reliability. These design best practices are intended to help you create strong, stiff, and light mechanical designs. Every design requires tradeoffs, and this list is not intended to be a set of absolute rules; but it will help you identify common design strategies to follow, pitfalls to avoid, and will inform your design decision making.

Chris Warren provides some tips for what to expect and how to approach the design event.

Instead of thinking that you have to fill up X number of pages for the design report, the mentality should be “how can we fit all of our knowledge and work into these pages?”

As you move through the design process, you start with insight, then gradually trade insight for accuracy.