It could be argued that the only sport worth the billions of dollars invested is motor racing, the only sport where investment has real world implications as technologies end up trickling into our road cars. The SS is actually the closest a production vehicle has been to a "stock" car since the 90s and i thought it would be a cool time to look at racing tech we all benefit from.
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In racing, development is all about speed, in consumer vehicles it’s all about using less fuel. Both results can be found on different sides of the same coin. The extreme conditions of racing provide a very fast and efficient way to test new developments, innovations can see city streets within 5 to 10 years.
Heres a quick run down of the biggest race tech influencing our road cars:
Sequential shifts- gifted to us from the racing world DCTs and SMTs have become ubiquitous in todays consumer vehicle market, everything from a Honda Fit is available with automatic paddles to let all the enviro fiends feel like Michael Schumacher on their 30 mph jaunt to the supermarket.
Push button starts- aside from convenience push button starts mean very little to passenger vehicles, but still a cool feature the racing world has been hogging for years.
Suspensions- its one area where racing technology has translated almost directly to production cars, advancements in independent and multi link setups as well as the ever present Macpherson Strut still proudly paraded out in NASCAR races every Sunday.
Tires- most important research has come in the form of grip and thermal degradation, allowing manufacturers to better understand tread patterns and compounds.
Brakes- Racingin pioneered disc brakes in the early 1950’s, that technology is standard equipment on every modern vehicle. Racing is still making advancements in brake technology introducing different materials like Ceramic to speed up heat dissipation, technology we are already seeing in ultra luxury and performance vehicles
Intakes- racing research highlights the benefit of an engine that breathes well, the more cold air that can be forced down the engines throat the more potent the air fuel mix is.
Dual Overhead Cams- Race teams pioneered DOHC in the 1990’s and still use the design today. Dual cams eliminate the need for pushrods and increase the speed valves are opened.
Exterior Design- Aerodynamics are a huge part of performance and fuel consumption. Cars using downforce to stick to the road have handling advantages. Many modern road cars are sleekly styled to reduce drag and improve efficiency.
Materials- light weight materials from the racing community also need to be super strong, hence the development of carbon fibre. CF started appearing as an accent piece to make people feel fast, but now we’re seeing functional applications like CF roofs and body panels.
Safety- Racing pioneered the safety cage, Production cars hide their safety cages beneath the carpet, headliner material, door trim and other interior features that race cars don't have. Not to mention racing pioneered the rear view mirror in the early 1900s.
Aside from the technical developments, racing also serves as a fantastic marketing tool. The Chevy SS has an added advantage that its NASCAR version is actually closer to the production version (v8, RWD) than offerings from Toyota and Ford. Making people feel that their daily driver uses similar go fast tech as Jeff Gordons 24 Chevy SS goes a long way, Win on Sunday Race on Monday.
What do you guys think?
In racing, development is all about speed, in consumer vehicles it’s all about using less fuel. Both results can be found on different sides of the same coin. The extreme conditions of racing provide a very fast and efficient way to test new developments, innovations can see city streets within 5 to 10 years.
Heres a quick run down of the biggest race tech influencing our road cars:
Sequential shifts- gifted to us from the racing world DCTs and SMTs have become ubiquitous in todays consumer vehicle market, everything from a Honda Fit is available with automatic paddles to let all the enviro fiends feel like Michael Schumacher on their 30 mph jaunt to the supermarket.
Push button starts- aside from convenience push button starts mean very little to passenger vehicles, but still a cool feature the racing world has been hogging for years.
Suspensions- its one area where racing technology has translated almost directly to production cars, advancements in independent and multi link setups as well as the ever present Macpherson Strut still proudly paraded out in NASCAR races every Sunday.
Tires- most important research has come in the form of grip and thermal degradation, allowing manufacturers to better understand tread patterns and compounds.
Brakes- Racingin pioneered disc brakes in the early 1950’s, that technology is standard equipment on every modern vehicle. Racing is still making advancements in brake technology introducing different materials like Ceramic to speed up heat dissipation, technology we are already seeing in ultra luxury and performance vehicles
Intakes- racing research highlights the benefit of an engine that breathes well, the more cold air that can be forced down the engines throat the more potent the air fuel mix is.
Dual Overhead Cams- Race teams pioneered DOHC in the 1990’s and still use the design today. Dual cams eliminate the need for pushrods and increase the speed valves are opened.
Exterior Design- Aerodynamics are a huge part of performance and fuel consumption. Cars using downforce to stick to the road have handling advantages. Many modern road cars are sleekly styled to reduce drag and improve efficiency.
Materials- light weight materials from the racing community also need to be super strong, hence the development of carbon fibre. CF started appearing as an accent piece to make people feel fast, but now we’re seeing functional applications like CF roofs and body panels.
Safety- Racing pioneered the safety cage, Production cars hide their safety cages beneath the carpet, headliner material, door trim and other interior features that race cars don't have. Not to mention racing pioneered the rear view mirror in the early 1900s.
Aside from the technical developments, racing also serves as a fantastic marketing tool. The Chevy SS has an added advantage that its NASCAR version is actually closer to the production version (v8, RWD) than offerings from Toyota and Ford. Making people feel that their daily driver uses similar go fast tech as Jeff Gordons 24 Chevy SS goes a long way, Win on Sunday Race on Monday.
What do you guys think?
