A lot of people still seem to get a lot of use out of my gear calculator. And the excuse generator seems to get a lot of hits (although they're starting to decline). But I was trying to think about what else would be useful to people foor tuning their cars and decided I would make something that works sorta like the gear calculator interface, but allows users to troubleshoot their handling issues. Sort of built into this would clickable definitions for everything with diagrams so the app will also serve as a basic tutorial on vehicle dynamics. Here is the skeleton outline I'm toying with right now...

Make these terms clickable with diagrams:
- understeer
- oversteer
- corner entry
- corner exit
- steady state
- power oversteer
- drive wheels
- aero
- differential lockup
- camber
- caster
- toe
- and all the shock terms

---------------------------

Have users check problems within the following categories:

Corner entry
- understeer
- oversteer

Corner exit
- understeer
- oversteer

Steady state
- understeer
- oversteer

Other issues
- generally nervous handling
- vehicle responds too slowly
- unstable over bumps
- high speed understeer
- high speed oversteer
- wheel lift
- front inside
- rear inside
- front outside
- rear outside (can't think of a reason why an outside wheel would lift, but maybe I'll include it anyway)

Drive wheels
- front
- rear
- all

Have user check which variables they are able to change with their current setup or within the regulations they must work with:
- tires:
- pressure
- size (stagger)
- compound
- offset
- alignment:
- camber (front/rear)
- toe (front/rear)
- caster
- Spring rates
- Shocks:
- travel
- spring preload
- ride height
- damping (single adjustable)
- Rebound
- Compression
- 2-way rebound
- 2-way comrpession
- aero
- weight distribution
- power distribution (AWD cars)
- differential lockup

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Then, the program will only give the user feedback for the variables they can actually change. It will then list things they may want to look into adding to the car to help better tune for their issue (ie. adjustable shocks, camber plates, etc.). Of course, it will also warn people to make sure they know how to drive before assuming the problem is with the car and not the driver.

Thoughts? Anyone interested in lending a hand (perhaps making the diagrams or whatever)?

 

I suppose I should also add in for brake bias and related issues.

 

#1 CYA w/ respect to liabillity
#2 Troubleshooting is a perfect playground for AI. When you get down to it, troubleshooting is just a game of 20 questions.

 

Also, I will probably include a lot of general tips/advice with the explanations. For example, I will add in some editorializing on the fact that adjustability of a shock does not always solve the problems with a poorly designed and poorly valved shock. This will give more practical suggestions for people than they may find in your standard suspension setup textbook.

 

Good point - I'll make sure to put an obvious disclaimer. As all of you know, there are general rules that will tell you how to solve your handling woes, but there can always be "quirks" that will respond differently than expected (although, in the end, even quirky behavior usually has an explanation that ends up following the standard rules once you get the full picture).

 

I generally write these kinds of things in php, but I'm thinking maybe it would be cooler if I did it in flash... But I think that would be easier for people to steal than a php app. And frankly, I don't have the experience with flash to do something like this (yet). I could use it as a learning experience, but this will already require a fair amount of coding even if I just do it in php.

Recommendation? Anyone here have solid experience with flash and would be willing to answer questions I may have along the way?

 

Ok, I made a rough outline today. I need to do a bit of research on a few points, but it's mostly good to go, I think. I'm going to be a dork and work on it this weekend.

If anyone has experience with 3-d modeling, I would definitely apreciate a hand with the illustrations. They would need to have some uniformity and be able to illustrate what things like toe, droop, etc. are. Anyone? Anyone? Bueler?

 

No 3D, but if you have any PHP questions, you can IM/PM me.

 

Sounds interesting, good luck!

 

Thanks, but the php for it will be pretty simple and straightforward, so I don't think I'll need any help with that. I've tackled much larger projects before (although I am a bit rusty and out of practice).

I will mostly need help with the tech sid eif I choose to use flash. If I use php, I just need a hand with the illustrations.