All-Wheel Drive Superlite Coupe?

[Doc Kaler]

Bassanio,

I think Girf summed it up pretty well. The short answer to your original question "Can we slip a driveshaft up to the front wheels?" is No. The vette has a large center console design BECAUSE of the driveshaft/torque tube to begin with. But, like most on this Forum and others, it's fun to explore design options; no harm there.

 

[Les]

what about an electric motor for the front end? Then you wouldn't have to deal with trying to figure out how to provide a mechanical drive to the front, from the mid-engine location. Maybe it doesn't have to provide "drive power" except in large throttle and hi-g cornering. Relatively small batteries charged by a generator on the engine, with power regenerated during braking...

Or instead of batteries, could you use a capacitor? You'd be able to release the energy much more quickly. And also, isn't a capacitor's energy density much more than a battery? So that would mean less weight.

It would only be used for short bursts, sort of like nitrous...except without the nitrous...

Good outside-the-box thinking, gents! Develop it further now!

Take a look at the successful electric "hybrids" out there. For example the Honda Insight.

image courtesy of and c www.edmunds.com

Honda designed it beautifully.

I used to have a 2000 Honda Insight, and the battery pack, as advanced as it was, still weighed the car down a lot. Suspending the battery pack, like Honda did, over the rear wheels, put a lot of weight up high, which further spoiled the handling.

How will you fit the electric components inside the svelte confines of the SL-C? How will you make it so that it will not be so heavy as to slow the SL-C down, but speed it up?
These questions are not to tear down your ideas, but to boost you forward into bring them into reality!

Bassanio et Portia

 

[Chad]

How will you fit the electric components inside the svelte confines of the SL-C? How will you make it so that it will not be so heavy as to slow the SL-C down, but speed it up?
These questions are not to tear down your ideas, but to boost you forward into bring them into reality!

Bassanio et Portia

Actually I've been thinking about this capacitor idea of quite some time. I was originally thinking of it for the SL-R instead of the SL-C. I was wondering if it would be possible to take the electric engine off of the Civic Hybrid and attach it to the Honda K20 engine. Then instead of powering it with batteries, powering it with a capacitor for short bursts.

Although, this would add quite a bit of weight, and probably wouldn't help performance much. I just thought it would be a cool idea and fun for a show car.

 

[Brian Hamilton]

Here's a couple of my thoughts...

Firstly, I asked Fran if you could make an AWD SL-R by having reverse cut gears made for say, an AWD drivetrain from an Eclipse. You then take the engine, flip it around backwards, and off you go. Fran said there's not enough room up front, but liked my idea and asked if I wanted to send him some money to custom build a chassis for it. I told him "Maybe, hang tight on that one." LOL

Next, how about hydraulic powered? Would be a cool experiment. You use hydraulic motors in the wheels and turn the pump with a small displacement decent torque engine. You wouldn't run driveshafts, you'd run hydraulic hose to each wheel. I am not familiar with the max speed of these things though. I just thought it'd be cool. LOL

Laters,

Brian

 

[Rick S.]

I think a flux capacitor would be the way to go.

 

[Paul Osborn]

I think a flux capacitor would be the way to go.

I can hook you up with one of those.

 

[Mark]

Sign me up for a Mr. Fusion.