RE. chassis reinforcementv.1o1

[sfwilliams@comcast.net (Scott F. Williams)]

> But bringing the tube through the fire wall, running it on the
> floor past the seats, up into the rear of the car where you have
> a hoop (along the lines of a normal roll bar), and it all ties
> into the rear shock towers = still not a good idea.....because?

<armchair mechanical engineer mode on>
I don't really think there's any danger with this set up. However, I don't
see how it is going to protect your chassis from stress induced by the
engine's torque. Think about how the engine is mounted. The engine rotates
forwards and backwards about the axis created by the side mounts, right?
That's why A1s with big power tend to rip up the rad support and the rear
transmission mount.

Meanwhile, the thrust vectors would travel parallel to the direction of your
proposed chassis reinforcements. So, what would you be protecting? Your
tubes would help a little bit with impact-related stress, though. Torsional
stiffness would not likely be increased much, however, because the tubing
would not be boxed together. Rather, you'd have long cantilevers which are
easy to distort.

For what it's worth, I should have around 300hp between my engine and a
100shot of nitrous. All I'm doing for the time being is the Ron
Wood/Potterman/Neal Tovsen/vaporware rad support brace and I'm not
particularly worried about it at all. I'm also depending on my progressive
nitrous controller, minimal tire traction, and driving technique to not
shock the driveline too badly. You've got turbolag to "help" you out.
</armchair mechanical engineer mode off>

P.S. If you're this concerned about the power turning your car into a
pretzel, what are you doing about your transmission? That'll be the first
thing to break, methinks.
--
Scott F. Williams
NJ Scirocco nut
'99 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS
Mazda 323 GTX turbo "assaulted" vehicle
Golf GTI 16v "rollycar"
ClubVAC: "Roads found. Drivers wanted."