Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyin Ryan
Dude, it's essentially an idea drawn on a napkin. You expecting me to do CFD or something? It was a two-line response to Mulsanne Mike of "could this work?"
As far as the tranny, I wanted it to be lined up with the driveshaft because that's what I've always seen with rear-engined prototypes. Since it's a front-engined car, I figured the tranny went to the front driveshaft. I didn't consider it being RWD. Thinking about it now, it could instead be done via U-joints. The reason I put the tranny in front of the engine was because the engine would be taller so the tranny could be in front and have the smaller frontal profile that'd be necessary.
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All the front engined Panoz LMPs were RWD. So too the Mustang GTP. Means they have a drive shaft tunnel running through the bottom of the tub. Panoz had carbon fiber drive shafts, were about 4" in diameter if I recall. Had early issues with getting them to live, but by the end of the program I think they had a good design and suppliers who could make them.
There's no way you'd put both the engine and the transmission in the front of the car if simply for weight distribution. Why take the one potential benefit of the front engined car and then ruin that by now running too much weight at the front?
I must admit I can't make much sense out of the vague "drawing" here. I see drive shafts at the front and the rear (only 2 wheels can be driven) and a roll over structure effectively right on top of the rear wing. You want that structure as far forward as you can get it, which is naturally difficult in a front engined car as suddenly everything goes rearwards.