buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: August 2011
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html
Tuesday, August 30, 2011. Trackside Tuning - Who Wins? Here’s a common challenge when tuning a race car from trackside – you want a particular improvement, but you are limited to a specific choice of possible changes or adjustments. It’s not unusual for one change have several possible effects. But, it’s the real world. Let’s say the only trackside adjustment available is the height of the inboard pickup at the rear of the upper A-frame. In a fit of indecision, you decide to abandon the notion of adding ...
buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: Rain Setups
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2010/09/rain-setups.html
Tuesday, September 7, 2010. First, sincere apologies to faithful readers for the long, long dry spell in new blog posts. I’ve been busy with two racing programs. That’s the reason, but it’s no excuse. Oh, well. If you followed the 2010 ALMS race weekend at Lime Rock, then the topic of this blog will come as no surprise at all. Let’s end the dry spell in blog posts by talking about rain. Chasing grip first…. In race series where the rules allow driver-adjustable anti-roll bars, it’s easy to soften t...
buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: September 2010
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html
Tuesday, September 7, 2010. First, sincere apologies to faithful readers for the long, long dry spell in new blog posts. I’ve been busy with two racing programs. That’s the reason, but it’s no excuse. Oh, well. If you followed the 2010 ALMS race weekend at Lime Rock, then the topic of this blog will come as no surprise at all. Let’s end the dry spell in blog posts by talking about rain. Chasing grip first…. In race series where the rules allow driver-adjustable anti-roll bars, it’s easy to soften t...
buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: Setup Questions from Readers
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2011/03/setup-questions-from-readers.html
Wednesday, March 2, 2011. Setup Questions from Readers. In response to a recent reader request, this post will kick off a more interactive way to blog. The reader asked, "Would you mind answering some setup questions on the blog? You bet. Here we go. Send your questions in the comments to this post. Let's do it this way:. 1-Keep the questions short, punchy, and focused. It's difficult, if not impossible, to reply to something as broad as "How do I get rid of mid-corner understeer? In a short answer.
buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: October 2009
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html
Thursday, October 29, 2009. Vehicle Dynamics, Vol. 1 - Thinking in 3 Dimensions. At the outset, I promised that this blog wouldn't be a vehicle dynamics tutorial. Still true. Get out your Milliken, Gillespie, and even Carroll Smith's timeless "Tune to Win". But, here's an observation. When many race engineers and chassis tuners think about handling, they focus heavily on roll moment and roll stiffness. That's a vital topic, but it's only part of the total handling equation. There is much to be learned fr...
buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: June 2009
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html
Tuesday, June 23, 2009. Springs, Part 1. As promised, we’re getting technical now. This series of posts on springs will focus on vehicle dynamics and tuning issues. We’ll only delve into design and preparation issues (motion ratio, coil bind, material choices, type of spring, etc.) to the extent that they relate to vehicle dynamics and tuning. So, you ask a race engineer, “What’s your setup on that car? Everyone has their own definition of what springs do. Here’s mine:. Interactions and relationships wit...
buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: January 2010
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html
Monday, January 4, 2010. Setup sheets, Part 3. We now veer from the content of setup sheets to focus instead on using them. Since the setup sheet is primarily a communication tool, that will be the theme of this post. The final post will cover specific content items on the sheet. What happens on the first usage of a new setup sheet? When does the setup sheet need to be done? Meanwhile, the team typically has a limited amount of time to turn the car around. There will be a finite amount of manpower av...
buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: Trackside Tuning - Who Wins?
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2011/08/trackside-tuning-who-wins.html
Tuesday, August 30, 2011. Trackside Tuning - Who Wins? Here’s a common challenge when tuning a race car from trackside – you want a particular improvement, but you are limited to a specific choice of possible changes or adjustments. It’s not unusual for one change have several possible effects. But, it’s the real world. Let’s say the only trackside adjustment available is the height of the inboard pickup at the rear of the upper A-frame. In a fit of indecision, you decide to abandon the notion of adding ...
buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: May 2011
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html
Monday, May 16, 2011. Race Strategy - Indy 500 compared to Rolex GT. The May 2011 issue of Racecar Engineering recently arrived in the mail. The cover promised that Andy Brown, Target Ganassi engineer, would reveal the secrets of Indy 500 race-winning strategy calls. I opened it right up and read the article with interest, having made race strategy calls in ALMS and Grand Am for the past 11 seasons. Number of sets of tires. Indy 500 – Limited number of tire sets. You can calculate how many laps remain, I...
buddyfey.blogspot.com
The Race Engineer: September 2009
http://buddyfey.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html
Sunday, September 13, 2009. I haven't forgotten you. Yes, I know the last new post was July 29. No, I absolutely HAVE NOT given up on the Race Engineer blog. I have simply been covered up, in a major way, since late July. In today's business climate, that means, for me, multiple small jobs instead of one or two big ones. And, there's overhead associated with that. And, for you, an eventual blog post or two about how to get work, the new-job startup process, and juggling multiple clients. Click on "Subscr...
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT