Since the 18hp V-twin wasn't powerful enough to meet our needs, we've decided to go with this Ford 1.1-liter inline-4. It's rate at anywhere from 65 to 133 hp.

 

wow ... it's like an episode of Junkyard Wars... S2K edition

 

BTW, we're using brakes from a 1/2-ton Silverado...

 

wonder how fast that thing would stop

 

It'll have to be seriously overtired to even remotely use those kinds of brakes. It'll weigh a few hundred pounds - you could probably use a single rotor (from a Silverado) to stop it and it'd work great.

 

Well, yes, it is overtired: 5-lug 14-inchers from a Suzuki Esteem.

And a single rotor will NOT work, I can guarantee you that. They would fade so quickly you can't even imagine (The engine alone probably weighs a good 200 pounds). That's why we're using a dual drum setup.

 

The Formula MUN team at my university uses two small bike rotors on their car and they lock their tires up at will (those rotors heat up quite quickly, too - way faster than a beefy rotor like on the Silverado). The car does weigh slightly less than yours probably will, but not by much. They are over-braked and undertired...and that's with slicks on.

 

Ya, our school was runner-up in Formula SAE a few years ago ('98 I think), but the car was SIGNIFICANTLY lighter than the one we're making. It's a golk kart fram reinforced with square tubing, so it's already bitchass heavy. Then, the engine and drivetrain is another couple hundred pounds... And then the driver!

Either way, we're still using a dual drum setup. A single rotor is simply not gonna cut it. That, and it's much more difficult to retrofit a single disc onto our rear axle - it's an enclosed unit. The drum brakes just fit onto the 5-lug hubs like normal.

 

I guess it's better safe than sorry, eh?

Crazy vehicle.

 

You're obviously not taking the Colin Chapman approach to building a fast vehicle.