Feature: Automotive Figure 2: The original V6 engine
change in weight distribution changes the car’s handling, centre of gravity and suspension performance. For example, when a vehicle brakes around a corner, the force of the turn transfers its weight forward, with less weight over the rear wheels, which are then transferring power to the road. Altering a car’s weight distribution
can create excessive oversteering or understeering, greatly increasing safety risks. Also, due to weight distribution changes, suspension that isn’t aligned properly will cause tyres to wear down more quickly and unevenly, leading to frequent, costly replacements. Luckily, in my car the new engine only
increased the overall weight from 1413kg to 1445kg, adding 0.3% of weight, distributed toward the front axle. But without any data from similar swaps, as all engineers do, I resorted to guesswork as a last option. It’s important to have as much data available as possible, to make decisions based on facts rather than assumptions.
Mantracourt’s T24 wireless telemetry systems Fortunately I had access to Mantracourt’s T24 wireless telemetry weighing systems and, with the help of my colleagues, I could collect good data on the original weight distribution of my car. Tis allowed me to align the engine properly, and minimise changes to an already well- performing vehicle. Te telemetry systems in the
Mantracourt T24 series include acquisition modules, transmitters, receivers, displays, enclosures and base stations, so it was simple to find a unit suitable for my project. I chose the 2.4GHz T24, comprising two-axle weigh-pad scales that sit underneath the car’s tyres; see Figure 4. I used corner weighing jigs with wireless loadcells mounted on the wheel supports, to record the precise weight. Te data from these cells was wirelessly collected with Mantracourt’s LOG100 soſtware, which continuously logs data in real time. In the end, I successfully swapped the engine and now have an almost brand-new, more powerful car to play with.
Figure 3: The new, V8 engine
Figure 4: Nissan Skyline being weighed in
www.electronicsworld.co.uk October 2023 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46
