DATA DRIVEN PERFORMANCE
Engineering Seminar – Pro Only
Learn from experience. Succeed with knowledge.
This 3-day pro-only seminar teaches performance engineering as seen by OptimumG. It is a complete reformulation of the previous version of the seminar to include advanced material with more practical examples.
Our goal is not to teach recipes, but instead, methodologies and ways of thinking. Our goal is to stimulate debate between participants and look at problems from multiple perspectives. This seminar will give you the tools you need to exploit the powerful combination of vehicle dynamics and data analysis to be a more complete performance engineer and make your car faster.
In this seminar you will bring your laptop for many hands-on exercises to put into practice what was discussed.
Vehicle Dynamics Fundamentals
This chapter defines the foundations we need to better understand all data analysis and setup changes discussed throughout the seminar. We start with a discussion on cornering dynamics since it is the basis for all our vehicle balance and vehicle response analyses. This is followed by a review of tire concepts such as tire slip, forces, sliding energy, vertical load sensitivity, and temperature influence on tire behavior, among others.
Data Analysis
We present different techniques to analyze our driver’s performance: driver comparison, brake and throttle application, trail braking, and video analysis, among others. Next, we jump into car analysis, where each car system is inspected, with some of the highlights being: brake bias migration, bump stop use, damper speed histogram and how to quantify damper changes, aero balance compensated by longitudinal weight transfer, among dozens of other analyses. It will be then your turn to apply what we discussed on your computer using MoTeC i2 to consolidate what was learned.
Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
With the amount of data we get at each event, it is important to be able to efficiently generate meaningful metrics (KPIs) to make sense of this data. Creating KPIs is not only about displaying numbers; it is about developing very robust and representative metrics that show exactly what we want to quantify. We discuss both driver and car analysis, followed by exercises to put into practice what was discussed.
Vehicle Setup
In this chapter, we put together everything we learned so far. The framework for setup development used by OptimumG is presented, with a systematic approach to developing the car setup. Next, we analyze a dozen of different car parameters such as springs, 3rd elements, bump stops, dampers, camber, toe, differential, and ride height, among others.
Track Performance Prediction & Analysis
For each track we go, it is important to keep track and analyze many different factors: weather, track surface and conditions, track layout, timing and strategy, among others. In this chapter, we discuss how to prepare for a race weekend by reviewing data from previous years, as well as how to properly acquire and interpret information collected during the current event and get the edge on the competition.
Tire Management
Tire management is a fundamental topic during a race weekend. In this chapter we discuss multiple considerations in terms of tire performance and how to adjust to each track to make sure we are using the tires at their limit, having in mind both performance and reliability considerations. We analyze: different types of wear and performance degradation, thermal response of the tires, tire structural failures, and pressure management.
Simulation
Simulation can be a powerful tool in making informed decisions about vehicle setup and its compromises. We discuss different simulation types, always keeping in mind the trade-offs between complexity and usefulness. When modeling the vehicle, there are many important considerations to be mindful of and these are presented, followed by examples of performance optimization using lap time simulation, including its validation.
