(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best automotive books

Background: started my simracing journey with Gran Turismo 2, started using steering wheel since GT3. Am now building a custom OSW rig with VR and been doing track days and autocrosses IRL the past 5+ years. I'm no alien, but I love trying to get better at it.

The easiest and most efficient way to casually learn to drive better than ok-ish that I found is.... by trying to get all Gold in every single Gran Turismo license tests(maybe except the "coffee break" ones). It's easy for aliens, but challenging for casuals.

I say this because you go thru all the basic skills in nice and organized order, and if you make a mistake or have hard time figuring out, there are example 'ghosts' you can try to emulate and learn from it.

You get immediate feedback since those exercises are short, and it keeps you honest since it discourages you from blatant cutting or crashing to gain advantage.

Then, I welcome you to challenge yourself to beat top players in time trials by downloading and racing against their 'ghosts'. If they're faster than you by significant margin, they must be doing something right that you aren't doing...

Also, grip your wheel lightly and 'listen' with your fingertips what the car is trying to tell you. It could sound like a foreign language at first, but you'll get proficient at it as you practice more.

Anyway, to answer your questions...

1. Nah, not really. You'll get by just fine. It's a nice trick up your sleeve for chasing after the last tenth of a second by putting the engine in a particular power band you find advantageous.
   
   
2. If the particular sim is decently accurate, then any driving technic book will help you. For casual driver, I can recommend "Drive to Win" by Carroll Smith. It's an older book, and it's written in more of a conversational style. Think of it like grandpa with experience winning Le Mans as an engineer with Carroll Shelby and his GT40 telling you how to drive. It covers all the basics, and you'll find the section on tire behavior - specifically about load sensitivity and self-aligning torque - immensely helpful since that's pretty much what's going on with the FFB.
   
   Unfortunately, without a proper motion rig, you can't 'feel' it in a traditional sense. The way you feel with sim is by detecting understeer and oversteer condition with FFB and your eyes. I'm going to explain this extremely casually: weight transfer(or technically, load transfer) happens when the vehicle experiences g forces. This happens when you gas, brake, turn, and anything in between except when coasting or maintaining speed. During weight transfer, one end of the car will get light and load up the opposite side. For example, when you're turning in a circle, your outside tires are loading up and inside tires get lighter(and want to overturn). This all happens about the Center of Gravity of the car where you've transferred the weight(or load) from the inside to the outside - hence the weight transfer. It's a bit more complicated than that, but it'll get you started.
   
   With the FFB, you can 'feel' this depending on how the car reacts to your input. The FFB will get heavier or lighter as you load up or unload your tires. Tires can only handle so much force, and generating grip by putting weight(or load) on the tires have diminishing returns (aka load sensitivity). And tires generate the most grip when it's barely sliding. So, if you over-drive the car and sliding too much, you're probably not braking, or turning, or accelerating as hard as it can be if you were driving more tidily and smoothly. Tires also react to temperature. If it gets too hot(from scrubbing while turning or spinning the wheels) or too cold(just out of the pit with fresh tires), it won't grip as much.
   
   So, if your eyes tell you the car isn't turning as much as you've turned your steering wheel, then you're understeering. You'll also feel it in your hand because proper FFB will get light when you understeer. With oversteer, you suddenly don't have to turn as hard as the car is rotating more than you're asking too. Your eyes will tell you that the car is rotating too much. Your FFB will kinda sorta want to straighten itself out(due to caster angle) so work WITH the FFB, and it can help you catch the slide.
   
   You can also adjust the level of grip with the way you use your brake or gas. When you're turning(load transfer from inside to outside tires) and the car isn't turning as well as you want it to(understeer), if you go easier with your gas pedal or brush on the brake pedal even, then you're also transferring the weight(load) from the rear to the front, thereby increasing front grip, helping you turn. If you over do it, then you'll get snap oversteer. It also works the other way around. If your initial turn in was too hard and the car over-rotates into oversteer, a little dab on the throttle will transfer the weight from the front to rear so you have more grip on the rear tires - provided you don't over do it and light up the rear tires into spinning.
   
   During hard brake or acceleration, if the car isn't braking as hard as it should, or isn't accelerating as hard as you should, you've exceeded the tire's ability and is sliding too much. And, as mentioned above, when you're sliding too much, you're not generating maximum grip, so you have to reduce whatever you're doing to regain traction.
   
   
3. no idea. I usually just race against myself offline most of the time in a controlled environment(so people don't crash into me, or I into them) or race with close friends.
   
   
4. Don't bother with GRID or DiRT3. Drive any sim or something very close to it, and practice driving slower car faster than fast car slow. The reason is, fast cars can mask your faults and still turn good lap times. With slower cars, there's less margin of error, and it'll punish you with slow lap times if you mess up.
   
   
5. You probably need to bind the dial from the settings. That dial was intended for adjusting car settings(Torque Split, Brake Bias, etc) on the fly in Gran Turismo 5.
   
   Also, watch "Going Faster" by Skip Barber Racing School if you have some free time. It's old, but it's very good.

Yeah it was a blast! Although there were definitely low points as well. I was 26/27 for the trip, currently 30. It was about 3 months on the road, but I also skipped almost all of N. America. Figured I can do that later, but South and Central America is changing daily. I think I did 12,000 miles total. I think I spent about 11k for the whole thing, 2500 for bike ('02 KLR, garage kept with only 3,000 miles) another 2000 for mods and equipment, and the rest on the road. You could do it cheaper if you wanted I ended up staying in hotels more often than camping, although the hotels were only about $10-15 a night so even that wasn't too much. Biggest expense ends up being fuel and paying for entry visas, insurance etc. Also I was originally planning on selling my bike at the end but got too attached and shipped it home, so that added another $900. I did go over budget but not by too much fortunately, my girlfriend helped me a little towards the end to finish up (which is why I had no hesitation to make her my wife)
As far as equipment, the most important thing is a bike (obviously!) that you feel comfortable on, you'll be spending a lot of time together. Otherwise I feel my best money spent was on a very good set of panniers. Also good country by country GPS databases were invaluable, but you can get those for free online. I'm a big fan of paper maps, but I have to say the GPS was a lifesaver. There's so much to talk about regarding what to get, and what NOT to bring, it's easy to pack too much. For now I'd focus on getting a good bike and in the mean time I highly recommend this book it's fairly general at times, but is a great place to start planning. I read it front to cover.

Anyway good luck and feel free to stay in touch, especially if you decide to go for it!

Sorry, I typed a reply earlier on my phone which apparently didn't send.

If I were you I would call Skip Barber back and try to reschedule something sooner. If you wait until summer you'll miss at least half of the 2016 season. I'm not sure about series in California, I know there used to be a Pacific F2000 championship but I'm not sure how good it is or if it's even still around. You may get annoyed traveling across the country all the time, but IMO the best place to start is the SCCA's F1600 Championship Series. They straddle the line between club racing and pro. The paddock is really relaxed, but the racing is still really competitive and most of your competition will be career-minded drivers. A new car will cost around $70,000, but you can find older, still competitive ones for less, and a season budget will be anywhere from $30-150,000. Another bonus is that the Formula F is an SCCA class, so you can also run the same car in the SCCA Majors, Runoffs, and there are several championships in Canada that the car can run in with zero modifications. You could run a race every single weekend and still have well over half of your budget intact. If you decide to do this, let me know. I'm working on putting together a program to run in that series myself.

In the meantime, read these two books: Going Faster and Drive to Win. The first is all about racing theory and is the official textbook of the Skip Barber Racing School. Become familiar with that before you step into a race car and you'll be ahead of everyone else at the school. The other is more about what is expected of a racing driver who wants a career. They're both a bit dated but still very relevant.

Also, get iRacing and buy the Skip Barber car. Even if you don't do the Skip Barber series, it's a low-powered formula car that behaves a lot like anything else you'll drive at the beginning of your career. Simracing can't replace real-world seat time, but you can still learn things from it that will help you when you get into a real car.

Good luck, and don't let anyone tell you you can't do it. Honestly I'd trade 10 years of karting experience for an $800k/year budget in a heartbeat. You've already got the hardest problem solved, now go have fun learning to do something well.

This question has been asked a bunch of times, but the one post I've found the most helpful was /u/that_video_art_guy's response in this post. For quick reference, here's the copy/paste:



I've read many of these books, I'm partial to the mechanics and team member books but find all of them to be very enjoyable.


The Super Collective Super list of Super Good F1 Books:

Mechanics/Team Members


[Life in the Pit Lane: Mechanic's Story of the Benetton Grand Prix Year](
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Pit-Lane-Mechanics-Benetton/dp/0760300267/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356716346&sr=1-5&keywords=steve+matchett) - Steve Matchett

[The Mechanic's Tale: Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One](
http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Tale-Life-Pit-Lanes-Formula/dp/0752827839/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356716346&sr=1-1&keywords=steve+matchett) - Steve Matchett

The Chariot Makers: Assembling the Perfect Formula 1 Car - Steve Matchett

Team Lotus: My View From the Pitwall - Peter Warr

Jo Ramirez: Memoirs of a Racing Man - Jo Ramirez

Art of War - Five Years in Formula One - Max Mosley, Adam Parr, Paul Tinker

Tales from the Toolbox: A Collection of Behind-the-Scenes Tales from Grand Prix Mechanics - Michael Oliver, Jackie Stewart


Technical Books

Red Bull Racing F1 Car: Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

McLaren M23: 1973 Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

Lotus 72: 1970 Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

Tune to Win: The art and science of race car development and tuning - Carroll Smith

Engineer to Win - Carroll Smith

Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook AKA: Screw to Win - Carroll Smith

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics: Problems, Answers and Experiments - Doug Milliken

Chassis Design: Principles and Analysis - William F. Milliken, Douglas L. Milliken, Maurice Olley

The Racing & High-Performance Tire: Using Tires to Tune for Grip & Balance - Paul Haney


Technical Driving

Ultimate Speed Secrets: The Complete Guide to High-Performance and Race Driving - Ross Bentley

Going Faster! Mastering the Art of Race Driving - Carl Lopez

Working the Wheel - Martin Brundle


Drivers and Rivalry's

Senna Versus Prost: The Story of the Most Deadly Rivalry in Formula One - Malcolm Folley

The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit - Michael Cannell

Winning Is Not Enough: The Autobiography - Sir Jackie Stewart

Shunt: The Story of James Hunt - Tom Rubython

Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory: A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage - Alex Zanardi, Gianluca Gasparini, Mario Andretti.

It Is What It Is: The Autobiography - David Coulthard

Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way! - Perry McCarthy The Black Stig, Damon Hill

F1 Through the Eyes of Damon Hill: Inside the World of Formula 1 - Damon Hill, Photography: Sutton Images


People Of F1

Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One - Professor Sid Watkins

Beyond the Limit - Professor Sid Watkins

I Just Made The Tea: Tales from 30 years inside Formula 1 - Di Spires

Bernie: The Biography of Bernie Ecclestone - Susan Watkins


Picture Books

McLaren The Cars: Updated 2011 Edition

Art of the Formula 1 Race Car - Stuart Codling, James Mann, Peter Windsor, Gordon Murray

>You should go over & read you comment 10 years later.

You should go over & read a book about racing lines. I recommend The Perfect Corner from paradigm shift. You do not understand this subject.

> Pro drivers have good 3d spatial awareness & I see no reason why they would draw that wrong from habits.

Good spatial awareness =/= good drawer. Also it’s not a perfect drawing because it wasn’t meant to be analysed down to the fucking millimetre. It’s a rough schematic showing the different phases of a corner.

Also, I reiterate, the apex of a car’s trajectory is not necessarily the apex of the corner. By definition, the apex of the trajectory is the point where you switch from deceleration to acceleration. To maximize your speed in a given corner, that apex should generally correspond to the turn’s physical apex.

Your “real life” drawing represents a trajectory that is mathematically slower than the one in your “sim racing” drawing which is actually pretty much the ideal way to take a corner regardless of if you’re in a real car or in a sim

The absolute fastest way through a given corner is to:

• follow an Euler spiral trajectory
  
  This is the mathematically proven way to take a corner (change direction in general) as fast as possible. Euler spirals are widely used, especially on railroads. Most highway on and off ramps follow euler spirals as well
  
  
• take the widest possible trajectory
  
  The widest possible Euler spiral is the one whose apex (the point where the car switches from decelerating into the corner to accelerating out of it) matches the physical apex of the turn
  
  
• brake as late as possible
  
  Because trail braking allows the driver to brake later, it should be used as much as possible. The Euler spiral allows for the best possible transition between longitudinal grip (full braking in a straight line) to lateral grip (full on turning, no brake or throttle) and then back to longitudinal grip (accelerating out of the corner). Ideally, the trail braking should be maximised to the point where the driver is trail braking right up to the apex, because this allows for the latest possible brake point.
  
  The only way to follow all these guidelines is to brake as late as possible, use as much trail braking as possible right up to the apex, and accelerate exactly at the apex. That is the mathematical, exact best possible corner. And that is what that 1:53 time is getting close to.
  
  You need to understand that this is all mathematically proven and works the same way in real life and sim racing. it works the same way for bikes, trains, cars, planes, spaceships, anything. It is the mathematical, irrefutable perfect way to change the direction of a moving object.
  
  The ideal trajectory in a sim or in real life cannot be different, because at its core the goal is to change the direction of a moving object. There is only one way to do so as fast as possible.

I could go on for hours about basic vehicle dynamics tbh, but suffice it to say that there are countless variables that go into determining handling characteristics. If you're really interested, the definitive introductory resource is this book, which if you can find used would probably be best. It's certainly not an easy read.

For a more accessible read, this book is pretty great too. It's also much cheaper.

IMO, you should probably do a bit more research about common solutions that people have for your particular car. I'd recommend, before changing anything, learning a bit more about basic vehicle dynamics. You don't even need to learn fancy math or anything, just kind of get an idea of what changes generally affect which characteristics.

https://web.archive.org/web/20080118173212/http://www.teslafounders.com:80/

STEALTH BLOODBATHJanuary 10, 2008, 6:40 pm
Filed under: General

Okay, I said this blog is not going to be about criticizing Tesla. But I just have to say something about the bloodbath going on over there right now, because it seems to be going largely unreported in the press. Just from the outside, I have seen the following people booted out in the last few days:

 (Names removed for privacy reasons)

• (writer – owner’s manuals)
  
• (VP Manufacturing)
  
• (Software development engineer)
  
• (firmware development engineer)
  
• (lead engineer on Tesla’s motor team; creator of Tesla’s motor)
  
• (CIO)
  
• (formerly VP of Service & Support, then demoted to Director)
  
• (manufacturing engineering manager)
  
• (software development engineer)
  
• (VP Whitestar)
  
• (the original, sassy moderator of the Tesla blog, among her many engineering management jobs)
  
• (firmware engineer)
  
• (world famous motor expert)
  
• (systems engineer, working on service diagnostics procedures)
  
• (communications director and published author of Car Hacks for Dummies)
  
  and also (since my original posting)…
  
  
• (Transmission Team)
  
• (Buyer)
  
• (Vehicle Development Engineer)
  
• (Technical Writer)
  
• (Mechanical Engineer)
  
• (Motor Team)
  
• (Supply Manager)
  
• (running all of supply chain)
  
• (UK Logistics Manager)
  
• (HR)
  
• (Web Developer)
  
  …and many more. Watch to see more fall in the coming weeks; I will add to this list as I hear about more. Some of these folks were let go with NO severance package at all. Others got pathetic severance packages. This is not the way I treat people, that is for sure. Maybe this explains why I got the boot first.
  
  Here’s how it feels on the inside, in the words of a few anonymous employees and newly-former employees:
  
  >“As you may have heard, the ax has been steadily chopping away at Tesla. I don’t pretend to understand the choices being made and honestly wouldn’t even be surprised to learn if I was next on the list. At this point, I’m not even sure if that would necessarily be a bad thing.”
  >
  >“The company has changed so tremendously since I started. It’s very secretive and cold now. It’s like they’re trying to root out and destroy any of its heart that might still be beating.”
  >
  >“I came to Tesla with a great deal of optimism to work for a company with a noble purpose that had a real chance to make a difference in the world. That sense of mission and hope generated incredible energy and determination to overcome the many challenges of producing a great EV. This energy has been drained by the cold, irrational bloodletting that has been going on there. Everyone understands necessary, rational cost management actions in startups, but this was neither necessary nor rational. No thought has been given to the immediate and long term impact on the future of Tesla. Entire departments are stumbling around stunned, bleeding, and headless.”
  >
  >“It is a damn shame about Tesla. I once again spent the day dreading the words, ‘Did you hear?’ Today I heard that both Wally Rippel and [REDACTED1] are now gone. I just don’t know what they’re thinking. [REDACTED2] referred to it as a ‘stealth bloodbath.’ It’s next to impossible to concentrate and actually get anything done. And the real insult in my mind is that they have the nerve to host the holiday party this Saturday. It’s going to be more like a wake(!)”
  >
  >“The atmosphere at Tesla Motors has been suffering for the last couple of months as the new management have slowly squeezed the life out of engineering. The way in which the layoff/reduction-in-force/firings have been handled is one almighty clustercabbage. In a stroke of pure genius, the two HR folks were the first to go, leaving nobody to turn out the lights. Only after they left the building did they realize that now there was nobody to write the termination letters. Like I said, pure undiluted genius.”
  “Sadly - and I do mean this - I am not sorry to leave. The culture that Martin and Marc created is gone. The car is nice, but every day in the office was like a visit to the dentist, not knowing what was going to happen next. Enough. I have moved on.”
  “Unfortunately, the company that I used to love has changed drastically. If I were to pin point a critical turning point, it would be the day when you were pushed aside. Until then, it was not so obvious how Tesla Motors was really Martin Eberhard’s company. After you were gone, I think the spirit and the character of the company went with you. It was surprising how quickly it happened. Yes, there were technical and operations delays for sure, but these could have been better managed and, to a certain extent, anticipated since what you have started was a major paradigm shift in the industry. It was well understood that a revolutionary movement always comes with major challenges and costs. What Tesla has now become is a mere profit-loss centric company—and with a poor chance of making even that—unless someone absorbs it for its remaining core value that you have left behind. Tesla lost its true evangelist and the leader..”
  
  Now, you maybe can argue that there are a lot of necessary changes as the company has grown and scaled. And obviously, transitions are always difficult, even with careful planning. But axing nearly the entire executive staff, letting the world’s foremost EV motor engineer go, trimming down the service organization before the job of opening the first service center is done, ripping through the firmware team – and doing it by random firings on a daily basis – are all hard to explain.
  
  Is this really the right time for Tesla to be tightening its belt this drastically? Really? Right now, when clean tech investment is THE hot investment field and when Tesla Motors is the poster child of clean tech companies, Tesla should be able to raise as much money as it needs to finish the Roadster and launch Whitestar, even with its current technical difficulties. After all, Tesla has proved its fundamental concept: An EV can be a car that rocks, while also being the greenest machine on the road. Tesla’s difficulties are relatively mundane: get the transmission working (and whatever other bits are still to do) and ship the cars. No show stoppers here!
  
  Why would they choose not to fully fund the company in this investment environment? Why instead hack and slash the company? One wonders.

Aerodynamics, especially automotive aerodynamics, is a very complex subject. If you pursue this path in undergrad you'll need to get comfortable with advanced calculus and physics, as well as fluid mechanics. From experience, I would highly recommend getting involved with the car project teams at whatever university you decide to go to if you want to pursue a career in motorsport. Motorsport teams are looking for people that are not only exceptionally knowledgeable in their field but also passionate about racing.

As for things to read, there are loads of books on the subject. Understanding Aerodynamics by Doug McLean and Fundamentals of Aerodynamics by Anderson are two aerodynamics books sitting on my bookshelf.

For automotive/motorsport aerodynamics, the following are good books from my bookshelf:

Competition Car Aerodynamics by McBeath

Race Car Aerodynamics: Designing for Speed by Katz

Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles by Schuetz

Note, Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles is a full-on textbook and may be beyond what you're looking for, but it goes into great depth on a number of road vehicle aerodynamic topics.

One last book I came across on Amazon is Amateur Car Aerodynamics by Edgar. I haven't read this book, but the title sounds like the language may be more suited for people who don't have a background in fluid mechanics.

If there are any specific topics in fluid mechanics/aerodynamics that you are looking for I may be able to help find some.

As already recommended, DanDan's Youtube is a wealth of good information. I'd also check out MotoJitsu's channel. Both of them do a great job of explaining concepts and giving you visual examples.


While some people think they're antiquated in these days of streaming video, I'm going to recommend a couple of books as well. I've read pretty much every motorcycle book ever published. These two I reread regularly.

https://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-Performance-Street-Techniques/dp/0760343446/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_

Lee's basic curriculum has replaced MSF in several states, including CA, which has the most riders. The sooner more states follow that lead, the better, IMO. MSF is better than nothing, but it leaves a LOT to be desired. Read his book. He's from Chicago. He gets back home and teaches a few classes a year in the area. https://www.totalcontroltraining.net/

​

https://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1620081199/ref=sr_1_1

Just a TON of great street-oriented info in this book (and its sequel). Covers a lot more than just the physical skills of riding.


Good luck. I'm up in the FAR north suburbs. Gimme a shout when you've got wheels, we'll go on a ride.

I think you'll be hard pressed to find actual detailed schematics.

http://www.amazon.com/Race-Rally-Car-Sourcebook-Competition/dp/085429984X

That book has a lot of pictures and diagrams of various racecars (both production based and formula style) and discussion about design considerations.

The To Win series by Carol Smith has some wisdom from a man who built a lot of formula cars, but it's mostly technical stuff - not straight up schematics.

The only resource I know of that has full schematics about how to build a car, is Build Your Own Sports Car for as Little as £250 and Race It!, but that's to build a 1960 era Lotus 7. (If you want to check this out, I have a .PDF copy I might be able to upload, as the original is out of print - the book shouldn't cost 1/2 the price of the car they teach you to build IMO, lol).

A while back, I had the same dream - except not a Formula 1 car, just a homebrew of some sort.

To get "practice" at putting a car together, I taught myself a 3D CAD program called SolidEdge (similar to Solid Works, except there is a free academic version that's readily available to almost anyone). I looked everywhere for schematics of real race cars so I could attempt to model one before I started working on my own design. The best thing I could find was that Build Your Own Sports Car book.

Seems like nobody wants to give away their design secrets - even with 50 year old cars...

About 10 years ago a friend of mine got a book about Ferrari's ~2000 F1 car. I think the book cost $250. You could probably build a ~2000 Ferrari F1 car based on the photos and diagrams in that book, but you'd need an extremely well equipped shop to do it, and it would still cost hundreds of thousands of dollars just to make the shell and suspension. I don't even remember what the book was called. I think it might be this one, but I'm not sure.

Bare in mind I've only done the ERS and an evaluation ride for IAM, so maybe someone who has been on these courses can give a better answer, but...

A little above ERS, but below IAM/RoSPA.

ERS to me was like an extra after passing, Pass Plus style. I enjoyed it and learnt from it, but it did feel like hooning around the countryside with mate a times ( not saying that's a bad thing, but if you are paying for a course you might think so ).

The thing with ERS, is it's being done by police riders who you'd like to hope are expect to have some of the highest standard of riding.

Bike Safe, IAM and RoSPA all seem to have their grounding in "THE SYSTEM" ( say it like you are in a cold war thriller ). Which comes from the Police Rider's Handbook, which basically lays a ground work of how you should be riding when it comes to reading the road, hazards, etc ( IPSGA )

For me, at £45 it's worth a punt. I know it won't make my insurance cheaper (fucking Hastings Direct), but if I can come away with a little more knowledge then it's all good.

( updated link )

Doesn't cover everything you're looking for but Engineer to Win by Carroll Smith is a great book for simple design best practices. Lots of good stuff on materials and stress 101. It's a quick read too.

http://www.amazon.com/Engineer-Motorbooks-Workshop-Carroll-Smith/dp/0879381868

edit: This is not strictly an engineering textbook but I think it offers a very insightful view from the "real world" perspective that is valuable. Especially since I assume you've already taken undergrad level engineering courses. This book can offer a lot of "ah" moments as the theory side and practice side meld.

Also shigley's sounds like the engineering textbook reference you're after.

The original Locost book claimed £250, which when reading it made a lot of fairly generous accounting lines, but it did feel like you could do it somewhat close to that if you were really patient and waited for super good deals.

I'm in the US. Current exchange rate puts it at $5600 = £3500. That would be super tight, but do-able. $8k US could get it done though. Tools and talent not included.

I was recently having trouble with a car myself, and I asked /r/simracing for advice, I got this brilliant reply out of it. It's well worth reading. I was also linked to this video about degressive braking. Very useful information, but the production is pretty low.

If you want some good reading about getting better at racing, pick up Drive to Win, by Lewis Carroll.

Even if you don't splurge for the book, Going Faster is a great place to learn the fundamentals.

> What are some things that I should avoid doing to or with my car?

Serious offroading (like rock-climbing). Also, neutral-drops and ebrake turns. If you get into suspension mods, going too low or too high can lead to various issues.

> What are some performance things I can do to get the biggest bang for my buck?

Good brake pads, fluid, and rotors. There aren't a lot of exhausts (if any) for your car, but you can have a shop make one for you. The 6's sound awesome uncorked--like Porsches! Other users have also mentioned ECU tuning, worth looking into. You can always get into tampering with your suspension too, a few companies should still make springs, shocks, and struts for that chassis.

> How can I make the willow green color look a little cooler?

A good scrub, wax/polish. Also, gunmetal, bronze, or gold wheels make the color stand out a little more.

> What is some general advice or literature I can use to further my knowledge of car care and modification?

Literature for your car: the Technical Service Manual from subaru(downloads are findable on the web.) A Haynes or Chilton's manuals for repair and working on the car are helpful too. Finally, the best book I've read on modding cars is: http://www.amazon.com/Car-Hacks-Mods-For-Dummies/dp/0764571427

I'm going to recommend something a little unconventional around here: an actual paper book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0760313318/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_6wgwybXHCREVS

I bought this sort of on a whim when I started riding and was in the same position as you, and it was unbelievably informative and interesting to read. Its slightly out of date in that it precedes the advent of common electronic aides, but 100% of the stuff in the book is useful.

Also, while I'm recommending books for new riders, Lee Park's "Total Control" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0760343446/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_Mxgwyb3MVM3CF) is an absolutely brilliant book. Its specifically about street riding (as opposed to track) and is targed towards newish riders. This book basically singlehandedly changed me from a hesitating novice to a confident (though a little reckless, it taught me to ride well but doesn't teach thoughtfulness the way Keith Code does) rider.

And, of course, the great grand daddy of them all, Twist of the Wrist 2 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0965045021/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_aygwyb1BB573F). This book is so good and so dense that I still find new things to practice every page or two. The definitive riding technique book for good reason. No, you don't need to read part 1.

It's not a cheap book but it takes you through the majority of aspects in automotive mechanics. It's college level and geared towards formal education and studying, but I find that even for personal interest it gives the reader/enthusiast a great starting foundation. If you can afford it and have the motivation to read it in its entirety, you will be in a much better position to make proper mechanical decisions if you start a project car in the near future.

I should also add that I own this book and am currently reading through it myself. It's tough at some points due to the nature of the content, but it's superior to the general knowledge and information you'll be presented with in most forums and shop talks.

Look for the series starting with The Perfect Corner. Then Perfect Control and The Perfect Corner 2.

I’ve read them a couple of times so far and the change in thinking they inspire helped my driving considerably.

Plus I love working through the case studies in the second book.

> The BB height that varies by like 30 mm is going to be negated by you squatting down and bringing the CG lower. -you are completely wrong here. In my experience 5 mm of drop is very noticeable. 30 mm is massive. I lowered my bb last summer by swapping the linkage on my enduro, it dropped ~ 12 mm. Afterwards, I had to increase my tire pressure ~ 4 PSI, because I was rolling the tire off the rim on the same trail I'd been riding for 2 years from cornering that much harder. A lower BB allows you to corner harder all other things being equal - full stop. Even a small difference is VERY noticeable to an experienced rider.

Hah. Thats actually not to the bb being lower, its due to the fact that by dropping the rear, you have slackened your head angle and increased the geometric trail, which will make your bike feel much more planted in corners. Same reason why you get on a DH rig with a 63 head angle over your 66-68 trail bike, and it feels weird in the parking lot, but once you start going downhill you feel like you can just put it in corners and it stays there.

>Likewise, moving your weight back lets you corner much more aggressively because it creates stability in the front. -wrong again. If this were the case, Pro Riders would be way off the back of the bike in every corner - they aren't. Also, if you don't weight the front wheel you risk having it slide out. I'll concede that skilled riders will shift their weight front to back depending on the turn, but always shifting back is not the magic skill.

That is because the DH bikes that rail through corners already have a rearward weight bias.

And the point is that you can simply move your body weight back and forth to achieve cornering characteristics.

>Your example of riding with no hands is off - you don't understand the effect. But my first year physics knowledge fails me here - can some other internerd assist?

I 100% understand this effect, as my expertise and hobby is in suspension and chassi tuning for motorcycles.

The front fork/wheel assembly is at an angle known as the head angle. Because of this, when the handlebars are straight, the wheel is actually at the higher CG then it would be if you turned the bars. You can see this effect by yourself - take the bike, hold it upright on pavement, and lean it slightly one way or the other, and you will see the handlebars turn that direction as the front wheel "falls" in CG height to a lower position.

Likewise, if you lift the rear of the bike slightly and repeat the experiment, you will find that the handlebars don't turn as much, because the steeper head angle lessens this effect.

However, the head angle also puts the contact patch of the tire behind the steering axis, creating the trail effect. This makes the front tire act as a weathervane, and the effect increases at speed - rolling fast and turning a tire creates a higher slip angle, which creates a bigger force on the tire, which creates a higher force to straighten the bars.

The reason you can ride without hands is because of the interaction of those 2 events. When you lean your body, you lean the bike, and the handlebars want to turn in that direction, but the trail prevents that. And the slacker the head angle, the faster you have to go because the slacker head angle will make the bike fall over more, so you have to increase speed to make the trail effect cancel this.

And as you can probably imagine, putting more weight over the front tire effectively makes it "heavier", and thus increases the effect, since you are basically generating a handlebar yawing torque with the weight at the CG of the tire, which is affected by how much weight you put over it.

When you corner, the front end pretty much determines how the bike will corner. If you have the right amount of head angle and consequently trail, as you lean the bike, it settles into a steady state that feels planted, and you can rail through corners. If your head angle is steep and you have smaller trail value, the bike feels nervous, and you have to hold it in a high speed corner as opposed to the bike naturally settling there because of the reduced effect. And if you don't hold the bars in the right place, you start to either oversteer or understeer or even loose the front because you are exceeding the slip angle if you try to corner to hard.

>And moving the weight back also lets you brake harder with the front brake. -You move back as you brake to counter the force and not get sent over the bars. You are still weighting the front wheel pretty heavily when this happens.

Right, its the same thing as I am describing. If you are way forward, the front brake can generate enough torque to lift the rear end of the bike and send you over the bars, so you are limited by how much you can brake. If you weigh down the rear end of the bike, the torque required to flip you is much more, so you can apply much more front brake.

>I'm gonna skip your suspension stuff - I don't get your point.

The point is that if you wanna make judgement about linkages, you have to take the shock out of the equation. I agree that there are some cheap FS bikes with linkages that are worse than All mountain or Enduro bikes, but for all the better designed linkages, the goodness of the suspension is mostly due to the shock.

For example, take a Trance 3 from 2016, and the shock only has rebound adjustment. Someone riding it may say, "oh the rear dives to much under pedal power or it feels too stiff", all because the compression damping is internally set, and you can crank up the pressure or the rebound to make it pedal more efficiently but loose any suspension action.

But take that shock, swap with a Monarch RT3 Debonair, and suddenly you have the option of putting the bike in full lockout which makes it stiff but very pedal efficient, or full open which makes it super plush for fast descents over rough stuff. Likewise, you can add or remove spacers and modify the pressure and the bike can change from a trail machine that absorbs all bumps and lets you pedal uphil over roots without loosing traction, or it becomes a bike that can take drops and feels super planted when cornering.

>But design and construction are pretty darn important!

They are, and different frames weigh differently and some are stiffer which are noticeable. But none of this is enough to give a bike a rating in terms of being good or bad performer.

FYI, this is a book that will explain all dynamics in detail. Its very math intensive though, but there are plots that show all the effects I talk about.
https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Dynamics-Second-Vittore-Cossalter/dp/1430308613

Where are you? Where can you go?
Figure out the furthest point you can get without having to ship the bike and aim for that.
If you have transportation, you can probably use that, people have gone round the world on R1s. I recommend hard luggage for the bike, aluminium not plastic.
Try and get your visas before hand, it makes life easier but it's not strictly necessary.
Buy a copy of The adventure motorcycling handbook.
Go to Horizons Unlimited and read up on the subject, ask questions on the forums, they're great guys, very helpful!

Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue. A fascinating look into what it takes to really and truly excel in the world of racing. Awesome stories.

The http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfair-Advantage-Mark-Donohue/dp/0837600693/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395869155&sr=8-2&keywords=unfair+advantage

Forced induction performance tuning. A fairly math heavy book as to how to make boosted engines really work. Unfortunately, it's been discontinued, so it's quite expensive to find a copy. It's really worth paying the money for a used copy if you are going to be doing a big forced induction build.

http://www.amazon.com/Induction-Performance-Practical-Supercharging-Turbocharging/dp/1859606911/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395869313&sr=8-1&keywords=forced+induction+performance+tuning

Four Stroke Performance Tuning. Same author as above. Still in print. Good info about NA engine building.

http://www.amazon.com/Four-Stroke-Performance-Tuning-Graham-Bell/dp/0857331256/ref=pd_sim_b_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=06E3Z1TE8P27JV7JVWKN

Street Rotary. A really good intro to rotaries with very solid technical info.

http://www.amazon.com/Street-Rotary-HP1549-Horsepower-Reliability/dp/1557885494/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395869534&sr=1-1&keywords=street+rotary

Read.
You can start off with this:
http://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Basics-Techbook-Haynes-Manuals/dp/185960515X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333517762&sr=8-1

Here's a website with a lot of good stuff:
http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm

If you're going to buy a used bike, here is a great source of information for doing an inspection:
http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html

When you narrow your selection of bikes down to a few models, look around for internet forums that relate to those. You'll get an idea on how much online support you'll be able to find, maybe people with the same bike that live in the same city, and you can familiarize yourself with problems common to that model. That's going to help you decide how much someone's "pride and joy" is actually worth to you.

When you buy the bike, go out and buy the shop manual for it as soon as possible.

Google everything else.

Great bike ;)
As well as Twist of the Wrist - very good read, I'd also suggest you also read "Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook". Not so much "how to get round corners faster", more "how to survive".

Enjoy the bike, I enjoy mine.

Buy this and read it.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Used-911-Story-Edition/dp/0963172662

Then just get ready to search alot, do not be hasty to buy. When you do find one it must get a PPI from a highly recommended shop(I paid for 5 PPIs before I bought a 930). Then negotiate from there.

It's 50 year for 911, prices are a little inflated right now, and seem to be going higher at least for rest of year. After that hype its possible some of non-enthusiast that are turned on to 911 this year will wash out and drop the prices a bit, but don't bank on it. At this point I am not sure 20K is getting you a "nice clean driver" 911 unless it has huge miles already on it.

Go hangout on rennlist or pelican parts, and with the book I recommended you will get a good idea of what you are getting yourself into.

I don’t know which races you watch on youtube but chances are that those people are really good and have lots of experience.

Being 1-5 seconds off pace from the really good drivers isn’t that bad actually. Especially when you’re still new and even more on a track like Bathurst (which is quite challenging).

In iRacing you’re being paired with drivers approximately your skill level anyways. So don’t worry about that too much and just keep on gaining experience.

edit: if you’re totally serious about gaining speed real fast, you may wanna have a look at this book. Didn’t read it yet but heard lots of good things about it: http://www.amazon.de/The-Perfect-Corner-Step-Step-ebook/dp/B019WQFEIK

I'd say the KLR 650. It's the budget adventure bike.

Check out ADVRider.com, as there's some great ride reports of exactly what you want to do on there, and all of the info you could ever want. Great forums.

You could also buy the book: Adventure Motorcycling Handbook. It's a fantastic read!

Just a lot of books... Here a re some of the ones I've bought over the past year:

Welding:Principles and Applications (this is a bit overkill but I found it at a used book store)

Advanced Custom Painting Techniques

Four Stroke Performance Tuning

Engine Builders Handbook This is more focused on V8s but has a lot of great advice/best practices.

Sheet Metal Fabrication I have only used the skills in this book to make my electronics box so far, I was originally going to make a cafe style seat but decided on room for a passenger. Someday I would like to make my own gas tank.

Other than that it's a lot of online research!

I've just "bought" it and can access it through the Kindle Cloud Reader thing (read.amazon.co.uk)

ps: UK link http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B019WQFEIK

pps: thanks for free stuff... I like free stuff :)

Experienced international motorcycle traveler here.

If you haven't already, check out ADVRider, Horizons Unlimited, and the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

Cost of the bike will be a significant factor. Not just the cost of the bike and accessories, but the cost of a carnet de passage. It's a "passport for your bike" that requires a "surety bond" to be put down depending on the cost of your bike and where you plan to take it (the purpose is to cover import taxes in case you leave the country without the vehicle). The minimum is something like 150% the value of your vehicle, running up to (IIRC) 800% in Egypt. Imagine putting away 8x the cost of a 1200GS for your entire time away.

As to bike choice, yours will be determined by what kind of riding you want to do. I did my trip from the US to Argentina mostly on-road on a KTM 1190 Adventure R. If you want to do lots of offroading, lighter is better.

Pack way less than you think you need (it's not the empty void, you can buy things you need, even in the developing world). Do shakedown trips. Commit to going and actually go. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I would advice you take some time to practice in a quiet car park, get as familiar as possible with the controls and how to control the bike at slow speed, make sure you are 100% confident
In the meantime make sure you know the highway code to a good level, this is a good book to read, look for youtube videos explaining good roadcraft, check out rnickeymouse's channel and learn the common reasons people crash on corners, treat every other driver as a complete idiot who is trying to kill you, stay relaxed, dont tense up especially not your arms and upper body, learn from your mistakes before your run out of luck and you should be fine

I have a few books on the subject as well. And it all started here:

https://www.amazon.com/Engineer-Motorbooks-Workshop-Carroll-Smith/dp/0879381868

Back in the day, I had a wonderful, 1,000 page machining textbook that I would give anything to get back. So much lost knowledge! Damn.

Today I made pretty awesome cupcakes So I have that going on, anyway. :)

Bikebuilds is a new site that catalogs custom bike builds. There are some similar builds indexed there.

As for reference, my experience was a little different because I was altering bikes for my own use in racing, so it's all really focused on handling, but still, you might find it useful: go-to books have been Bradley and Tony Foale.

That said, if you're really into understanding the implications of swing-arm lengths and rake angles, I have heard high praise for Cossalter's Motorcycle Dynamics, though I have not read it myself.

It's definitely worth pursuing.

I can totally recommend investing in a copy of the Police Riders Handbook (not the new edition, it's terrible and a waste of money), and also the Police Drivers Handbook.

They are dry as hell to read, but it is definitely possible to teach yourself at least the basics of the system and begin to apply it, without ever needing to pay quantities of money to IAM or Rospa. Then, once you're back in the black so to speak, you'll have a baseline to work from and a decent knowledge of what is expected.

Bikesafe actually threw in a goodiebag for us that contained an IAM book that gives you a good foundation.

Beyond that, Nick Ienatsch's book is a great read too for sportier riding.

I loved this car growing up. 94 was an amazing year for Team Penske, they swept the podium 3 times.

There's also a good book about the pushrod engine the PC23 used at indy:
https://www.amazon.com/Beast-Secret-Ilmor-Penske-Shocked-World-ebook/dp/B00KBBVQ0G

THis is a repost for me... but fits the situation. You will inevitably come up with the idea that you want to try to get sponsorship as well as everyone thinks it would be easy and I talk about that here:

Ok... From someone that is doing the same thing and has ridden on all but one continent, I will start off being blunt as I was initially told.

YOU ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING SPECIAL!!! NOTHING!!! This goes for sponsorship... There are probably 10k people or more right now on Round the World trips in various Degrees. Some guys on prewar sidecars.. guys on scooters, sportbikes, people doing it 2 up, some with kids.. yada yada... You WILL NOT get a bike sponsorship at all... This will be assured. You may be able to get discounts on gear though, but even this is far fetched as you have NOTHING to bring to a sponsor. How are you going to get them a return? How are you documenting it? Are you filming? Are you a photographer? What gear do you already own? Basically you need to do it for yourself with your own money. Once you get a charity involved you need lawyers as how much of the donation will go for your trip and how much will go to whatever you are donating? 10%... 90%???? I am assuming you wanted donations to help pay your way, but I may be wrong. The only way you may is through your church, as most churches are gullible as hell and have money to burn when it comes to thinking about someone riding the world converting heathens on some mission.

Your bike choices are just meh and all aren't really RTW bikes. You are on a crap bike that will leave you stranded on a bike you are unfamiliar on. Also, getting a bike in and out of some countries is a PAIN IN THE ASS not to mention the cost of anything over 125cc in the rest of the world once you take taxes in to consideration. A non kitted BMW Adventure will run about 18k in the states... while in SE Asia, the bike is 38k-44k. Mind you this is a 1200 and a big bike. What you need to be looking at are Dual Sports be it a BMW or Honda. I'd look at a BMW Dakkar or Honda TransAlp for the budget conscious. Forget the sidecar as it just adds weight and can be a pain in the ass for a novice rider and stay as far away from an unreliable Ural for this type of trip.

I don't know what your financial situation is or your work situation, but it is something you need to save for. The bike being your most important asset. It is what will make or break your trip. Then you have all of the gear associated with this. Also, where have you ridden before? Is your longest trip 1500km? 10000km? 50km? Have you ever been on a bike for 2 months straight? How mechanically inclined are you. Can you do your own maintenance? All of these are musts. You will need to be as self sufficient as possible. This even comes down to first aid and being rescued. Do you have evacuation insurance? Insurance on your bike in each country? Are you getting a Sat Phone? GPS tracking with rescue ala a Spot tracker? Do you know how to travel in different countries, like where to keep money, carrying 7 or eight copies of your crucial documents, carrying multiple copies of an international DL as well as. Do you even know what an International DL is?

I am not saying you that your trip is impossible, but the way you are thinking about it is very very unlikely. Why did McGreggor and Boreman get shit??? Well it is fucking Luke Skywalker and the money behind the name. Rewatch Long Way Around again and notice how THEY almost didn't get a bike sponsorship and were bluntly turned down by KTM. This is with the backing of the BBC. I was told long ago, you need to do this trip for yourself if you want it, not for someone else. This comes in everything. I know guys that have climbed Everest with sponsorship.... their second time. Once you show you are able to do something on your own, and show a viable product... this is when sponsorship will come. But then, it is only helping you do what your passion is. right now, from the rest of your posts it seems that you are 2-3 years of really getting into this before I would even recommend this to you. This is after you have ALL of the gear and about 80k USD in the bank. You never know what will happen. Plus, some of the coutries you mentioned mandate you have a Carnet of Passage. This is basically an insurance policy stating that everything you have with you will be with you when you leave or you will pay for it. This alone cost me 50k bond to be held by the company holding my Carnet. I am not including this mandatory 50k in the 80k you should have in your banks.

When I mentioned 80k that was for a RTW trip and being gone for a year. It won't be as much for you as you are not having to take into account the $1k it costs to ship bikes between continents and then your airfare. Also, this is purely a rough estimate and a reserve fund. Your trip will probably cost about $10-15k depending on how fast you travel and where you stay. Camping isn't normally done unless you are out in the severe outback, as most of where you are going will have fairly inexpensive hotel lodging. Always have double the money you think it might take as a reserve. So if you think it would cost you 15k have 30k at your disposal in case of injury, bike breaking down, the grand or so for tires you will need, accidentally killing some farmers goat, ransom, bribes... all have a chance of happening.

How many people? Another bike? Or Two up with your significant other? Even the best friendships will get strained just being with one person for months. I have been there... hell even in LWR they couldn't stand each other for the last legs of the trip. It happens and if you say it won't, you are being VERY NAIVE. Also, what is your nationality? This makes a huge difference too. Americans can't travel into some countries that you have planned. Well, at least not with a ton of red tape and finding people that will help you.
What gear do you own? Plan on buying quality gear as it will make your life so much easier. Don't worry about spending $500 on those riding pants or $900 on your jacket as you will be in them EVERY DAY for a couple months and they could save your life. You must be safe. Read this thread. Clayton became a quadriplegic after hitting a burro in mexico on his way to South America. After a while of living in this state, he killed himself. Shit happens.

You need to read, and read a lot. Buy these and use them as your bibles:

Adventure Motorcycling Handbook

Jupiters Travells

Two Wheels Through Terror

Or Glen's other book One More Day Everywhere

Get them and read. Can you ride offroad? There is a reason nearly everyone does a RTW trip on a dual sport. This is why I said 3 years. Gear costs money...

It is basically said:

PLan on a 6 month planning time frame for a trip in between countries, 1-2 years of planning for multiple continents. Also remember, that bike you buy has to be paid off. No leans. this means you have to come up with the cash for this upfront.

My last trip across North America was 28k km, lasted 3 months and cost 10k after I already had my gear. This is also camping everywhere in the US and Canada and hoteling it in Cental America. My trip to South America was about 14k for a similar time frame. Remember everything cost money. You want to go to Machu Piccu... that is 150 bucks. MMMMM.. wanna see the Nazca Lines from a plane, that will be 200. There will be tons of things you will want to see as well on your trip. And you can't say FUCK I dont have the cash to see it. That defeats the complete purpose of the trip.

Having the will is great and so is optimism. But Blind optimism gets you injured or killed. Where have you ridden before? What is your longest ride? Honestly you sound like every other person that has seen LWR and made their way to the net with grandiose plans only to realize that it is A GREAT DEAL harder than you thought. Even if you had the funds.. which you don't as you probably balked at having 80k in the bank... a multiple continent motorcycle ride is difficult. But the benefits are AMAZING!!!

All That being said, it is the problems you overcome that will be in your memories and stories forever. Nobody ever remembers that day where you rode and stopped at a little restaurant for coffee then pulled up into a hotel. No, they remember the time you ran out of gas and blew a tire 200km from anywhere and you had to put your bike in the back of a military truck to get to help. That story you will tell FOREVER!!! The adventure begins with the adversity.

Sorry for the long wall of text...TLDR READ IT ALL....

OH... all my cost are in USD

I purchased this book and it was an amazing resource. I had 0 knowledge/experience in anything more complex than switching a lightbulb and it helped me safely and confidently design and build out the electrical for my van

Very cool video! This was such a special era of CART. I would highly recommend the book Beast by Jade Gurss about the development of the special Ilmor engine used in the PC-23 for the 1994 Indy 500.

https://www.amazon.com/Beast-Secret-Ilmor-Penske-Shocked-World-ebook/dp/B00KBBVQ0G

(Just saw someone else posted this book too after the fact...)

Dang, used to live in Tucson and was unaware of the proximity. Lot of great cars in there. The Porsche LMP2 is particularly special, as it outshone and beat the diesel Audi R10 LMP1 juggernaut at Sebring that year, and was competitive against the faster class all throughout the schedule. Legendary times in the ALMS.

Some reading suggestions:

The Unfair Advantage - Mark Donohue's pseudo-autobiography cataloguing his and Roger Penske's continual development of the cars they raced in the 1960s and 1970s, a true golden era for gains in automotive racing technology and performance.

Beast - the story of Penske's secret Ilmor-Mercedes engine project that once again gained the unfair advantage and lead to victory at Indy in 1994.

I would suggest you do some research before you post this kind of vague question here.

What you're asking is akin to, "How do I speak Latin?"

Carroll Smith is a very good start E: there are many books, I forget which one has suspension design, but all of them are worth getting.

Gellespie is a good addition

Milliken and Milliken is much more detailed, some call it 'the bible' but it's just a very good reference with a lot of equations for when you start doing more complex models that won't be explained by simpler books.


I'd reccommend getting at least smith and gillespie to start. If you need more complex modeling go for milliken, but 90% of FSAE teams don't need what's in milliken IMO. They struggle on the basics so much that it just is too much to absorb in a usable manner.

No one cares if you have a roll couple distribution model based on your tire data if you haven't done a proper camber or toe analysis, or if your vehicle isn't designed to have self-centering steering.

Random point - You might want to check you can still get from Morocco to Algeria, or the other way around. Last time I looked all the border points were closed, not sure why or whether that's still the case...!

I can't really provide you with any useful information myself, but you should check out...

Horizons Unlimited and their Forums The Hubb

ADVRider

Adventure Motorcycling Handbook - The Adventure Motorcycling Bible (Well, pretty much...)

It's worth mentioning that the difference between a pro and not so pro paint job is all in the prep work. The best painter in the world could spray it but if the prep is sub par, it won't look good. It's not an insurmountable task, but it ain't easy neither. This book will show you step by step how to do it correctly. Good luck.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1929133146?pc_redir=1405493232&robot_redir=1

Do you have any motorized toys? Like a minibike? That's a good place to start learning. I'd recommend picking up a decent textbook as well. I dunno how well your English is but I tend to recommend Automotive Technology by Jack Erjavec

I loved all of the Carol Smith books. Engineer and design to win are great. I LOVE the way he writes.

For other books:
The scientific design of exhaust and intake systems.

Competition car suspension
^^^ This taught me a lot about Ackerman, king pin angles, etc...

Race Car Aerodynamics
^^^ I'm going through this one now, but haven't touched it in a while.

I'm not sure what 2 pack is but 2k means 2 component. The primer and the hardener. Same thing with paint. If the paint/clear is in good shape then you can scuff and respray.

Check out SWRNC on YouTube. He's a good resource, he also has a channel called diyautoachool.
Also check out the refinish network and collision hub.

I also bought a few books off Amazon on how to repaint your car. I'll go track them down and post some links for you


How to Paint Your Car on a Budget (Cartech) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1932494227/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_R68wzbHG79CEQ

How to Paint Your Car (Motorbooks Workshop) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0760315833/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_678wzbRQSC94Z

The Haynes Automotive Body Repair & Painting Manual https://www.amazon.com/dp/1850104794/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_M98wzbRDWH7D4

Advanced Custom Painting Techniques https://www.amazon.com/dp/1929133146/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_t-8wzbD3QD1JW

Pro Paint & Body HP1563 https://www.amazon.com/dp/155788563X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_S-8wzb8BRY3TQ

Best thing you can do is something, I spent years whining about how I need to meet a mentor, or figure out how to start out. I then pulled myself out of my pity pile, stopped wasting my time on stupid shit and got down to business. The bottom two are good places to start.

1. Managing 12volts, a good book I am reading which helps highlight electrical systems pretty well.
   
   
2. Handybobsolar very good blog with a lot of knowledge of solar. Read it a few times and you'll start to understand it. Don't expect yourself to understand it on the first walk through.
   
   
   
   

One of the learning challenges is that there are a ton of different bike models, so based on your description you might get something out of the Haynes Motorcycle Basics Textbook. It's not about riding, but is about the mechanical basics that apply to basically every motorcycle in the world. Thorough explanations of every major component, the theory and history behind how they were designed, the different forms they may take in different engines, and how they interact with other parts. It's really an awesome book if you want to understand how a motorcycle works to a component level.

The downsides are that the book is a bit pricey and that it is a dense read; it is a textbook after all, not necessarily meant to be 'fun'.

The bible for vehicle dynamics is Race Car Vehicle Dynamics (RCVD) by Milliken and Milliken.

Also lean on SAE papers, and the formula SAE forums out there. Tons of great information to be found.

https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Basics-Techbook-Haynes-Manuals/dp/185960515X not sure if that would help but seems like it gives a basic rundown of common engines. Looks like something you might be looking for at least for now

I ordered this book and it showed up yesterday - haven't gotten through much of it but it looks like it has most of the dynamic formulas you could ever need for a motorcycle.

I figured responding would be better than downvoting and what not. Here's a short list of some good textbooks to start with.


Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications: This is my favourite general fluid dynamics textbook.

Race Car Aerodynamics: Designing for Speed: Considered one of if not the best textbooks for race car specific aerodynamics.

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics: This is the defacto vehicle dynamics textbook. I don't think any F1 engineer out there hasn't read this.

Computational Fluid Dynamics: The CFD Bible.

PM me if you want ahem links to the digital versions. Sorry if I've been harsh earlier, everyone starts somewhere and some concepts aren't particularly intuitive. You've got the right attitude though, a better feel for aerodynamics will come soon enough.

Here is the link for Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Corner-Drivers-Step---Step-ebook/dp/B019WQFEIK/

Looks like the %50 discount is working on that one as well. Still waiting for the US site to update. We sent in a support request so hopefully soon.

Four stroke performance tuning



Reasons why:




1)Starts from the basics and continues to the complex




2)Easy to understand




3)Hundreds of illustrations




4)Entertaining

This is definitely in my top 3, the others being Reher-Morrison racing engines championship engine building and Forced induction performance tuning

A good starting point, if you're really serious about the car, Get it to an Indy Porsche mechanic and do a PPI. Also, get this book while you are at it. It should have every major and known issue in it. Then check the maintenance and repair history; a good binder / folder full of receipts is a pretty good indicator. If anything is rebuilt, including the steel widebody, check for paper work.

In short: Check maintenance and repair history, compare it to the book, and if there is anything you are unsure of, get a PPI done and mechanic should tell you.

Edit: I wish I could help you more, but I don't own one. I researched into 80s 911 SC when I was looking for one, and above is what I learned.

I suggest you actually learn the basic fluid dynamics, then you'll understand how they work when people explain to you. Actual maths involved in proper fluid dynamics is pretty tough but you don't need it to understand the concepts.

Race Car Aerodynamics by Joseph Katz is a good mixture of theory and practical examples. The maths is basic, nothing beyond A level or first year undergraduate level.

These two were recommended. I like to look at how sailors work things out. Very simple and dependable, vibration resistant, waterproof setups. Certainly can be $$$$ but it is kind of setting a standard for durability. Marine solar, Marine 12 volt TV. Or for example, ice chests with 6-8" of XPS foam are common instead of 12 volt fridge. Works /Won't break.

These two were recommended:

Weems & Plath The 12 Volt Doctor's Practical Handbook 5th Edition

https://www.amazon.com/Weems-Plath-Doctors-Practical-Handbook/dp/1878797131


Managing 12 Volts: How to Upgrade, Operate, and Troubleshoot 12 Volt Electrical Systems 2 Updated Edition

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0964738627?ref%5F=sr%5F1%5F1&qid=1482876085&sr=8-1&keywords=Managing%2012%20Volts%3A%20How%20to%20Upgrade%2C%20Operate%2C%20and%20Troubleshoot%2012%20Volt%20Electrical%20Systems&pldnSite=1

I hope you've read Build Your Own Sports Car for as Little as £250 and Race It! by Ron Champion The book is a bit dated, but the ideas are there. You may also find a copy of the book scanned online somewhere.

There are also online forums based around the book. I've found the UK forums have more active members than the US forums.

• ZMM is an interesting read, but has little practical value.
  
  
• The Adventure Motorcycling Handbook covers practical trip preparation.
  
  
• A Clymer Shop Manual is a useful reference when things go wrong.

I was actually looking at it a couple days ago on amazon and i saw some guys on forum that were compairing it with: https://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Technology-Systems-Approach-5th/dp/1428311491/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1484368197&sr=8-4&keywords=Automotive+Technology%3A+A+Systems+Approach
which also looks like a good overall car book. My next will probably be one of these 2.

If you're finding that interesting, you'll want to read Jade Gurss's Beast, which details the development of a special Mercedes-branded one-off by Ilmor engineering for the 1994 Indianapolis 500. It's a little too positive for my taste on one of the factors that helped wreck the sport, but it's well written and you will learn a lot.

https://www.amazon.ca/Beast-Secret-Ilmor-Penske-Shocked-World-ebook/dp/B00KBBVQ0G/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=jade+gurs+beast&qid=1567888735&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr0

There's an entire book on how this motor happened:

Beast: The Top Secret Ilmor-Penske Race Car That Shocked the World at the 1994 Indy 500 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KBBVQ0G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_N3haBb06KTWX3


The engine is Ilmore, not Mercedes. Mercedes just supplied some funding. Not only was it built to win at Indy, it was built in secercy to the point that the wives of the people working on it couldn't know. Penski went as far as buying a separate building just to hide the work being done. It's a very good read!

> ... learn in general what's where in a bike, how it works etc.

This book is a good starting point for general knowledge about the various parts/systems on a motorcycle:

Haynes Manuals: Motorcycle Basics Techbook

If you have a motorcycle already, then the factory service manual or Haynes/Clymer manual for your specific bike will be helpful.

This book might give you some insight into the custom build process:

The Build: How the Masters Design Custom Motorcycles

It doesn't need upgrades really. I used to track a Nissan Micra 1.1 (? long time ago). Throttle was on or off, hand brake was turn, none of this ESC nonsense :) Do what you have to do though mate. Life is a balancing act, but you will need a hobby. If you want something a bit more fun fuck I hate Reddit URL format

You'll never do it for 250 quid, get a pro welded chassis, but everythiing else is fine. I've driven a hyabysa powered one and it blew my mind.

Black Noon is a book about the tragic 1964 Indy 500 where they had to stop the race due to a massive crash and the death of two drivers.

Beast is about the 1994 engine that Penske created with Ilmor that found loopholes in the rulebook and allowed them to dominate the Month of May at Indy.

Go Like Hell is a fantastic book about the legendary Ford vs. Ferrari rivalry in the 1960's at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit is a book about Phil Hill and his journey from California midget racing to Formula 1.

All of these are great reads that your dad would find some enjoyment in I'm sure.

You might be surprised...

[my bible] (https://www.amazon.com/Induction-Performance-Practical-Supercharging-Turbocharging/dp/1859606911/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524080409&sr=8-1&keywords=forced+induction+performance+tuning)

Strongly encourage you check your local library as it seems the price of this book has spiked 10x since I bought it.

Check to see if your university has a Formula SAE team. As an AE student you can help design and fabricate the airfoils of a Formula one car. Lightweight aeropackages with a low lift/drag ratio and a large downforce win races.

Race Car Aerodynamics: Designing for Speed (Engineering and Performance) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0837601428?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

*edit: forgot to include link

One of Ilmor's employees, Jade Gurss, wrote a book about this engine a few years ago. Great read on the background of the engine and all the pitfalls the engineering team had!

This one is great assuming you are looking at 996 or older:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Used-911-Story-Edition/dp/0963172662

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0764571427/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1415709378&sr=8-1

Written by a MR2 owner, it covers basics for any car but it is useful if you are new to diy car stuff.

>And weight on that tire would just be taking away from your other tires.

Except that's a good thing...

For tires to generate lateral force, they need a normal load on them (i.e. weight) and they need to slip (hence slip angle).

So by that logic, you just want to pile on more weight and you get more lateral force. This is true, but the problem is that pneumatic tires have a sensitivity to that weight. This means that for more and more load you pile on them, the less lateral force you get back. It's why race cars want to always be as low as possible, you transfer less weight.

Essentially, because the weight got transferred off the tire, it lost more lateral force capability than the outside tire gained.

If you don't believe me, read either:

The Racing & High Performance Tire by Haney

or

Tune to Win by Carroll Smith

or

Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics by Gillespie

or

RCVD by Milliken and Milliken

or you can choose to ignore a random person on the internet that says he has several years of engineering experience for several racing series.

This book is a decent read for the older cars, it doesn't have too much info after they went to water cooling, http://www.amazon.com/Used-911-Story-8th/dp/0963172662/ref=pd_sim_b_2.

I daily drive a 930 with a 4 speed. It isn't for everyone but it really is a fantastic car. It has completely tainted my opinion of modern cars, they all seem so heavy and really isolate the driver compared to my car. If something happened to it I could only replace it with another 930, http://www.flickr.com/photos/willtel/2893100203/in/set-72157604555459772/.

If you're interested in ride/handling or chassis design:

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics

The Science of Vehicle Dynamics

Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics

Chassis Design: Principles and Analysis

Thank you!

Link for Amazon UK

You don't want the front wheel to lock up; this is why ABS is so popular. Also contact surface area does not affect traction. Weight and how the energy is transferred plays a more significant role in how a motorcycle stops.

Source

Check out Motorcycle Dynamics by Vittore Cossalter..

Basically the RCVD of the motorcycle world. worth the cash if you're serious about it. ($45). i bought it about 5 years ago though and I don't remember it being that much back then but, who knows...

https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Dynamics-Second-Vittore-Cossalter/dp/1430308613

Also, John Bradley - The Racing Motorcycle: A Technical Guide for Constructors, Volume 1 (v. 1)

haven't read this one personally but it's always been highly recommended.

Just look and perform the same? That's do-able. Here's some inspiration to get you started:

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Sports-Little-%C2%A3250/dp/1859606369

Well, some books that might be worth looking at:

Formula Student Finish to Win by Patrik Sipak


Racecar: Searching for the Limit in Formula SAE by Matt Brown

Learn & Compete A primer for Formula SAE, Formula Student and Formula Hybrid teams by Suzanne Royce, Michael Royce and others

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics by William and Douglas Milliken

Race Car Aerodynamics: Designing for Speed (Engineering and Performance) by Joseph Katz

There are literally books written on the subject
https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Dynamics-Second-Vittore-Cossalter/dp/1430308613/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=motorcycle+dynamics&qid=1573548435&sprefix=motorcycle+dynamics&sr=8-3

edit: for more interesting topics bike-trike hybrid that cannot steer https://youtu.be/rNQdSfgJDNM

and bike that self balances without gyroscopic forces and trail https://youtu.be/YdtE3aIUhbU

This is a good book:

http://www.amazon.com/Managing-12-Volts-Troubleshoot-Electrical/dp/0964738627

Since this question keeps coming up, here's a link to an entertaining book about them:
http://www.amazon.com/Beast-Secret-Ilmor-Penske-Shocked-English-ebook/dp/B00KBBVQ0G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444243090&sr=8-1

(No financial ties to the book author or Amazon).

You want this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1859606911

I don't read at all and I've read this cover to cover a few times. It goes into some if the science behind why some mods work. It deals with super charging, Turbo charging and nitrous oxide "charging" but there is a ton of other basic car mod info in there.

book

Video: lots on youtube, i recommend 'chrisfix'

I also recommend Lee Parks https://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-Performance-Street-Techniques/dp/0760343446/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=A7E8P6M1AASS98SBBC5B

The second edition of Total Control has a chapter on fitness from a personal trainer who rides. Of course, there's also chapters on riding and bike setup.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0760343446/

Managing 12 Volts: How to Upgrade, Operate, and Troubleshoot 12 Volt Electrical Systems Updated Edition

Check out this book here

There is a community of diy Caterham/Lotus 7 clone builders here

They may not be rear engine like the atom, but there is much to be learned there.

Nope. That's the whole point, vibrations, bad frame geometry, incorrect suspension settings, stuff like that can cause the rear end to do things like what's seen in the video. You should also consider that the front and rear tires are independent and of different radii, and can track independently which can be exacerbated based on surface, inflation and other factors

Check out a book called Motorcycle Dynamics. Just a cursory glance will show you motorcycles and the physics involved in a chassis are very complicated.

Dull but worth reading: Motorcycle Roadcraft

Peter Zimmerman's book, The Used 911 Story covers just about everything you want to know.

If you want to read more about how this engine came to be I would recomment you guys to read Beast by Jade Gurss

http://www.amazon.com/Engineer-Motorbooks-Workshop-Carroll-Smith/dp/0879381868

The Carroll Smith books are the fucking race car bible.

https://www.amazon.com/Race-Car-Aerodynamics-Engineering-Performance/dp/0837601428/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=race+car+aerodynamics&qid=1564857858&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I don't know how you're this uninformed. Read both these books and tell me which one is harder.

• Computers
  
  
• Cars

This is the book they taught out of when I was at WyoTech.

There's also a book about it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KBBVQ0G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_ugUuzb54VERT3

https://www.amazon.com/Race-Vehicle-Dynamics-R146-Premiere/dp/1560915269/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491969872&sr=1-1&keywords=race+car+dynamics

Get him started early

Buy this book

https://www.amazon.com/Beast-Jade-Gurss/dp/1937747336/ref=asc_df_1937747336/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312178235188&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10979648467133401519&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016869&hvtargid=pla-492092935402&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=60258871337&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312178235188&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10979648467133401519&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016869&hvtargid=pla-492092935402

Motorcycle Basics Techbook. Covers all the major systems in detail and how they developed.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1560915269/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1463348434&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=race+car+vehicle+dynamics&dpPl=1&dpID=51RPTK9WZCL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B019WQFEIK?pc_redir=T1

Penske ran the Mercedes engines the year after, 1994. But it was mostly just branding. Engine was designed by Ilmor Engineering (whose engineer, Mario Illien is now advising Renault F1).
Source: I read this recently: Beast: The Top Secret Ilmor-Penske Race Car That Shocked the World at the 1994 Indy 500

Beast: The Top Secret Ilmor-Penske Race Car That Shocked the World at the 1994 Indy 500

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KBBVQ0G

IMHO, you combat fear with experience, knowledge, and/or training. Try one or all of these to develop your defensive riding skills:

a) The DVSA publish a riders handbook. Read it cover to cover if you haven't already.

b) Contact your local rider training school and ask for some one to one training (at a guess this will be about £100-150 a day).

c) After I passed my car driving test, I was given a paper copy of the Police Driver's Handbook by a relative. Not sure if there's a motorbike version of it, but I'd be surprised if there isn't.

(Ninja) edit: Yes there is. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorcycle-Roadcraft-Police-Handbook-Motorcycling/dp/011341143X

https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/shop/motorbike (has both books)

Yo he tomado básico e intermedio con cemovial y los puedo recomendar ampliamente. Abarcan bastantes temas incluyendo frenado, curveo, countersteer, manejo en tierra, etc.
http://cemovial.com/contacto-cemovial/
Si quieres algo más deportivo puedes probar con el equipo de Italika racing GDL. Yo tomé curso con Italika racing del DF y la neta si hubo un antes y después en mi manejo.
https://www.italikaracing.com/ciar

Y cómo no todo es cursos presenciales también te recomiendo estos libros, a mí me han servido mucho:

https://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-Performance-Street-Techniques/dp/0760343446/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539741867&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=total+control+motorcycle

https://www.amazon.com.mx/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1620081199/ref=asc_df_1620081199/?tag=glemobshopmx-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=295472311811&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11203509227990690069&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1010079&hvtargid=aud-530251625033:pla-437013819598&psc=1

También te dejo el canal de este compa:

http://www.motojitsu.com

Tengo entendido que en agencias de BMW también dan cursos, puedes checar con los de Jurgen. Con ellos nunca he ido.

Ánimo y rueda seguro.

numbers come from this book, i'll scan you the page if you'r interested, maybe I did'nt got it right

http://www.amazon.fr/Motorcycle-Dynamics-Edition-Vittore-Cossalter/dp/1430308613

but we are not talking street application, the accident occured on a track, there is a lot more of grip, rear matters a lot less.

> However, the use of the rear brake will not pull the back of the bike onto the ground.

You are so wrong. It's rotational mass. There is this great book that proves that you are totally wrong. It's called "Motorcycle Dynamics" and it even has the math equations to prove that applying the rear brake pulls the back of the bike down. The point is, the rear tire is far less likely to lift into the air if you are putting pressure on your rear brake pedal.

You can even try it yourself. Do a hard stop from about 45mph using just the front brake. Feel what the chassis does, then do a hard stop from the same speed using both brakes, you will feel the bike "squat" keeping the rear brake on the ground.

Of course the front brake can overwhelm these forces in the example you state. But that doesn't mean there is no advantage to learning how to use it correctly.