The Front Wheels Setup

[coolken]

I see the front wheel drive is just like a car. Seeing that other three wheel cycle out for around $20,000. That one I see when turning the wheels turn on an angle. Is that better than what the Elio has?

 

[NRB]

Not really unless you are hell-bent to do 100mph in the turns!

 

[jrm_cr_fl]

Coolken, the front wheel drive is just like a car because it is out of a donor car. Most car suspensions/geometry do tilt the front wheels a bit as they turn. I don't know, but I imagine the Eiio will have some degree of angle as it turns.

 

[LGilbert]

The Elio is a car. The front doesn't know what is happening in the back. The Elio suspension is proprietary, not a doner, with cast aluminum A-arms and inboard inline shock/sprint assembly actuated by a strut to the suspension upright. This dramatically lowers the unsprung weight for better ride and handling. This configuration is only found on the most exotic custom cars.

All cars, whether FWD or not, have suspensions calibrated such that the inside wheel takes a shorter radius in a corner than the outer, otherwise the front end would scrub and simply plow off the road. Caster (upright tilted to the rear) of about 4-6º will tilt the wheel into the corner. Many high performance cars like my BMW will have negative camber (top of wheel tilted in towards car about 1.5-2º) to further insure that the tread does not lift its inside edge during hard cornering.

Tricycle arrangements with one wheel in the front are inherently unstable in corners, tending to want to continue in a straight line as the mass of the car is outside the contact patch during cornering. You will see lots of caster in their suspension setups to try to get traction to overcome this deficiency in design. If you want to see a bad design, look at the Reliant Robin,

perhaps the worst handling car of all times. It would simply roll over during a hard corner. Tricycle arrangements with two wheels in front have the same capability to deal with weight shift as a four wheel car.

 

[jrm_cr_fl]

The Elio is a car. The front doesn't know what is happening in the back. The Elio suspension is proprietary, not a doner, with cast aluminum A-arms and inboard inline shock/sprint assembly actuated by a strut to the suspension upright. This dramatically lowers the unsprung weight for better ride and handling. This configuration is only found on the most exotic custom cars.

All cars, whether FWD or not, have suspensions calibrated such that the inside wheel takes a shorter radius in a corner than the outer, otherwise the front end would scrub and simply plow off the road. Caster (upright tilted to the rear) of about 4-6º will tilt the wheel into the corner. Many high performance cars like my BMW will have negative camber (top of wheel tilted in towards car about 1.5-2º) to further insure that the tread does not lift its inside edge during hard cornering.

Tricycle arrangements with one wheel in the front are inherently unstable in corners, tending to want to continue in a straight line as the mass of the car is outside the contact patch during cornering. You will see lots of caster in their suspension setups to try to get traction to overcome this deficiency in design. If you want to see a bad design, look at the Reliant Robin,

perhaps the worst handling car of all times. It would simply roll over during a hard corner. Tricycle arrangements with two wheels in front have the same capability to deal with weight shift as a four wheel car.

Thank you LGilbert for info I didn't know about the Elio suspension. The more I learn about this car the more impressed I am. Glad to know the front suspension was designed just for this car and not just some off the shelf parts to make it work. I can't wait to drive one and experience it for my self. Looks like next year for my drive.

 

[NRB]

Good comments LGilbert and interesting video! RB---now explain why we do not have the proper IAV engine in this machine? RB

 

[Joe Pires]

Good comments LGilbert and interesting video! RB---now explain why we do not have the proper IAV engine in this machine? RB

I suspect, cause its expensive as hell to tool up to build an engine, and just build one. This thing is still a maybe, no guarantees it will ever get to market, so to squander scarce reserves would be fiscally irresponsible.

 

[Double D in Ohio]

Question..... Is the car still going to have Traction Control for the front end as was originally advertised. Traction Control is a Big Help and I would think it would help keep the Elio more stable.

 

[corvairbob]

have to remember the thing is still a prototype. they engine is still on the drafting table and not in production yet. they are using the geo drive train to show the body and the inside to the public. they do not have to show the drive line yet. when it gets closer to production it will get the new engine. i for one think this engine will not make it having no steel for the cylinder walls. most of us remember the vega! and the fiasco that was. if they make this engine without steel cylinder walls it will fail. nano steel cylinder walls are not the way to make a engine expected to last 1,000's of miles. the b/s engine in the vega made it to 25k and fell apart.

 

[jetpack54]

have to remember the thing is still a prototype. they engine is still on the drafting table and not in production yet. they are using the geo drive train to show the body and the inside to the public. they do not have to show the drive line yet. when it gets closer to production it will get the new engine. i for one think this engine will not make it having no steel for the cylinder walls. most of us remember the vega! and the fiasco that was. if they make this engine without steel cylinder walls it will fail. nano steel cylinder walls are not the way to make a engine expected to last 1,000's of miles. the b/s engine in the vega made it to 25k and fell apart.

I have the same worries about this nano cylinder walls but then again I'm no expert but being that this is a small displacement High Revving engine, there's that chance of failing early in life so why take the chance for a few more mpg gain? Also the 84 mpg claim falls on many variables like driver and passenger size and weight, weather condition, etc. but if the final test with the new engine comes "close enough", then to me it's "good enough".