Reddit mentions: The best automotive engineering books

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.

Hey, a few days late, but I’ve been doing a lot of reading on gears and gear cutting, and I’ve found that designing a gear is infinitely more complex than I originally thought. I’ve done a lot of internet research, and my copy of Gears & Gear Cutting by Ivan Law came in the mail the other day, and I’ve read it front-to-back several times now. It’s the Bible for home gear cutting, and after reading it a few times, I’m confident I can make some gears and gear trains at home. I still need a few machines/tools before I can really get started, but I can probably start some simple stuff soon, with what I already have. I am going to try some simple cycloidal gears first. I’ll keep you apprised of my progress if you like.


Again, thanks for your help. I’ll take your comments into consideration when I go to buy some equipment.

The efficiency of a typical alternator is on the order of 50%. If you take energy from the engine using an alternator and then feed it back into the drivetrain with a motor, you'll have less power and less efficiency.

Hybrids don't magically get higher efficiency just by randomly sloshing energy back and forth between mechanical and electrical. They do it by using the combination for very specific goals, and by paying attention to the efficiency of every component.

Two excellent books on this:

https://www.amazon.com/Hybrid-Vehicles-Components-Frans-Badin/dp/271080994X/

https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Powertrain-Systems-Electronics-Vehicles/dp/1119063647/

that's why i kinda love this sport, from a geeky perspective! if the technical angle of the sport takes your fancy, you can never stop learning about it as it's always progressing.

• a good web resource is here:
  http://www.f1technical.net/
  
  
• and the piola books are wonderful, even just to look at without taking in the technical side of things:
  http://www.amazon.com/Formula-1-Technical-Analysis-2008-2009/dp/8879114662/ref=pd_sim_b_3
  
  
• this book is a bible, however: http://www.amazon.com/Formula-Technology-Peter-G-Wright/dp/0768002346
  very in depth (i won't even pretend to understand most of it), but absolutely fascinating.
  
  EDIT: crappy formatted fixed somewhat

It's actually all based on real research too. If you read this book:

High & Mighty: Rise of the SUV

Part of the book talks about focus groups for masculine/aggressive cars, and feminine/friendly cars. Well, female buyers tend to like both, but males tend to only like the aggressive/masculine models, so they started styling everything that way since it appeals to both sexes.

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

It's only $30. Please go through the effort of actually buying it, especially if you intend to actually read and learn from this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Handbook-Society-Engineers/dp/0768019532/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=

This book might be interesting to you: https://www.amazon.com/Gears-Gear-Cutting-Workshop-Practice/dp/0852429118/

It's all about gears cutting for the home gamer.

Basic working spur gears are not hard to make.

you need a tool cut to the correct shape for the number of teeth (i.e. A 20 Tooth gear has a different tooth shape to a 40 tooth gear even though they mesh together)
Commercially made tools look like this: http://www.aliexpress.com/gear-cutter-module_reviews.html

Then the blank is indexed for each tooth and a pass made to leave the appropriate cut.

This book
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gears-Gear-Cutting-Workshop-Practice/dp/0852429118
Gives much greater detail, including how to make your own cutters.

https://www.amazon.com/High-Mighty-Dangerous-Rise-Suv/dp/B000A176P6 take a look at this book before you decide on SUVs. The safety argument is largely a myth

Here is the mobile version of your link

Advertising told them so

http://www.amazon.com/High-Mighty-The-Dangerous-Rise/dp/B000A176P6

they're actually not safe. their high center of gravity results in a very high risk of rollovers (which is a real killer in highway accident)

also, SUVs are regulated as light trucks rather than cars. trucks are often not required to implement the same safety features as cars, or are required to implement them later. this means that for a given model year, the average car has more and better safety features than the average SUV

High and Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV is recommended reading about the SUV

High and Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV, by Keith Bradsher.