SCCA Enduro Autocross pics

[mark13]

I find this thread very interesting..Im glad you entered the car in the auto cross I hope you show progress each time you race the Leaf..I also would love to see you drive it on video..

 

[Randy3]

Nader - could you let us know BEFORE you run again? I'd like to come see your run!

 

[aqn]

IMG_1058 by racinricpix, on Flickr

That looks the bidness, right there! (The stance, not the ghetto masking tape lettering .)

Pardon the tape job. It was super last minute.

I just realize, the doors are aluminum, so you couldn't have used magnetic numbers anyway!

http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/assets/2012_Solo_Rules_February_reduced.pdf

Re. the LEAF's PAX factor: I suspect it'll be a long time before the SCCA specifies a meaningful class and/or PAX for the LEAF since it is quite unlike any existing vehicle. A Golf TDI or a Jetta station wagon TDI would be similar in configuration, size, shape, weight, and motive power characteristics. Those cars go in STC (Street Touring Compact) if running street tires and have few mods, or HS, ESP, or FP depending on level of modification (least to most).

 

[nader]

Nader - could you let us know BEFORE you run again? I'd like to come see your run!

Sure. It'll be sometime in late march at Lemoore NAS.

 

[adrianco]

Here's the in-car video of my Leaf with Tein running AutoX at Santa Clara, CA (Great America parking lot) with the Lotus club last fall.

http://youtu.be/SNpYI8ybgjQ

After this I rotated the shredded front tires to the back

I'm going to switch to ES100 summer tires from the ES422 all season soon.

It handles pretty well. We live in the mountains, so I'm having fun cornering hard every time we take it out.

 

[EricBayArea]

Do you have any info on the rear sway bar? Does the LEAF even have a stock bar? I didn't think it did...

Is that still a prototype?

 

[Electric4Me]

Here's the in-car video of my Leaf with Tein running AutoX at Santa Clara, CA (Great America parking lot) with the Lotus club last fall.

Nice clean run. Did you have the traction control on or off? I didn't notice any inside wheel spin in the video.

 

[EricBayArea]

Here's the in-car video of my Leaf with Tein running AutoX at Santa Clara, CA (Great America parking lot) with the Lotus club last fall.

Nice clean run. Did you have the traction control on or off? I didn't notice any inside wheel spin in the video.

In the description of the video it says that TC was off. Funny you mention this because whenever I do a quick takeoff while turning (from a side-street on to a main street) I get inside wheel spin - even with TC on.

 

[aqn]

Do you have any info on the rear sway bar? Does the LEAF even have a stock bar? I didn't think it did...

It depends on the definition of an "anti-roll bar". If it's merely "something that reduces body roll" then yes, the LEAF has a stock rear "sway bar" (technically an "anti-sway bar).
However, it's not the usual U-shaped appendage where the end of each leg of the U attaches to an unsprung part near the wheel and the center of the U swivels in bushings attached inboard to sprung mass:


I imagine an aftermarket anti-roll bar for the LEAF would be similar to how it is on other cars with twist beam rear suspension, for instance, older VW's (up to early 2000's). I've seen that done in two ways. The first is to increase the stiffness of the twist beam by bolting a solid bar to it. The second is the more conventional U-shaped anti-roll bar, its ends attached with Heim joints to the bolt at the bottom of the shocks and its middle section swivel in bushings bolted to the twist beam. Either method requires drilling holes in the (hefty!!!) twist beam, which is most likely not very much fun!

 

[EricBayArea]

However, it's not the usual U-shaped appendage where the end of each leg of the U attaches to an unsprung part near the wheel and the center of the U swivels in bushings attached inboard to sprung mass:


I imagine an aftermarket anti-roll bar for the LEAF would be similar to how it is on other cars with twist beam rear suspension, for instance, older VW (up to early 2000's). I've seen that done in two ways. The first is to increase the stiffness of the twist beam by bolting a solid bar to it. The second is the more conventional U-shaped anti-roll bar, its ends attached with Heim joints to the bolt at the bottom of the shocks and its middle section swivel in bushings bolted to the twist beam. Either method requires drilling holes in the (hefty!!!) twist beam, which is most likely not very much fun!

Exactly why I want to know what he's got going on under his car

 

[Volt3939]

I thought that the front bar should get stiffer before the back? Maybe that's wrong for front wheel drive, I only know RWD.
My AX'er is RWD, mid engined, so maybe I'm way off, but after getting the front stiff, putting any sort of rear bar in my 914 is an exercise in rotation! I learned that just stiffening the rear springs was enough, the rear bar was just added weight.

 

[DaveEV]

I thought that the front bar should get stiffer before the back?

Depends a LOT on car setup, weight distribution, suspension, current handling characteristics and desired handling characteristics.

The LEAF tends towards understeer - and increasing roll stiffness at the rear of the car will help dial that out. Personally - I think that a lot of the stock understeer in the LEAF is caused by the very conservative alignment settings. A simple camber bolt and 1.5-2* of negative camber in the front should dial out a lot of the understeer with no other changes.

The LEAF has another problem - it likes to spin the inside front tire coming out of corners - adding more roll stiffness to the front of the car will tend to make that worse.

Also am very curious as to how nader got a swaybar mounted to the rear of the car.

 

[aqn]

I thought that the front bar should get stiffer before the back? Maybe that's wrong for front wheel drive, I only know RWD.
My AX'er is RWD, mid engined, so maybe I'm way off, but after getting the front stiff, putting any sort of rear bar in my 914 is an exercise in rotation! I learned that just stiffening the rear springs was enough, the rear bar was just added weight.

It depends on a myriad of things, but a very general rule is, to increase traction at one end, add more roll stiffness to the other end. (A corollary is adding roll stiffness to one end will decrease traction at that end.) This applies to both front wheel drive and rear wheel drive vehicles.

 

[EricBayArea]

I see the inside rear wheel spin when I'm trying to get on a street from a side street and put on the power. I always thought that the TC would help with that, but I guess not.

I'd love to see a little better handling from something like a FSB or RSB. I realize that when the ecotopia's wear out I can get better shoes that'll help too... but controlling the lean is also ideal (without replacing the suspension).

 

[nader]

The rear bar I am running requires drilling of one hole and uses all existing factory holes for installation. At the moment it is tying in to the lower shock mount.

I'll probably run at Castle AFB this weekend if anyone wants to come and watch, but I'll be towing in the car since there is no charging and it's about a 45 minute drive from Fresno. I could charge at the Nissan dealer in Merced but that would just make the day too long.

 

[eHelmholtz]

Nader,
Any more autocross runs with your LEAF?