nofreeride
Well-known member
Thanks for the comments.nofreeride,
I like your second CAD version better. Have you calculated the weight distribution F/R, and weight as taken at each wheel? I wonder if nitrotate has done this as well? In his video, the wheel spin is crazy! (Granted - no CT yet and he does have a wing). You mention power to weight ratio. In the car world, the Ariel Atom has been the recognized standard in this type. (They have a spec page that tracks power to weight and performance). I guess what I'm getting at is that has anyone considered how to best lay that power down? IDK. Thoughts?
I am going off of the last design shown in the post, the blue and silver car. It has and will change slightly as the build progresses (I have already added 6" of legroom to the cockpit over what the design had). I am updating my drawings as I go so as to hopefully have an accurate set of plans when I am done.
I do not know what the final weight distribution will be, nor do I know exactly how much it will weigh. I designed it with the weight as far forward as possible, within the constraints I had to work with (side by side seating, legroom, firewall behind the suspension).
For a reverse trike, stability is achieved through a wide front track, low cg, and long wheelbase, along with forward weight distribution. Without fancy interference measures (like the CanAm) sliding before rolling over needs to be part of the design.
Performance is secondary for me. If I wanted to compete with the Ariel Atom, I would have made it with 4 wheels, a shorter wheelbase, and a rear-mounted FWD drivetrain. That said, I don't expect it to be a slouch!
Less weight on the rear and a single, narrow rear tire is admittedly not optimal. For max performance in a reverse trike, we would probably be looking at driving the front wheels instead.