In the first part of this series about the core of vehicle dynamics last month (RE V32N12) we talked about what drives a lot of the common misconceptions around the fundamentals of vehicle dynamics. Now it’s time to apply this knowledge and give you the numerical tools to put the correct theory into practice.
The first spin of everything we discussed in part one is the concept of a neutral steer channel. I have mentioned this before in my articles, but it’s such a powerful concept that it is worth repeating here.
The first port of call for using the following equations is to deduce the steer angle if the car was completely neutral. If we take the slip angle equations we discussed in part one and apply a bicycle approximation, we arrive neatly at equations 1 and 2.
If the car is neutral, then the front and rear slip angles are equal, so equating these two equations yields the result for the steer angle if the slip
