Pork Pie,
ThrustSSC hit a performance wall at Mach 1.
The supersonic shock wave pulverized the playa dirt to a depth of 4 to 6
inches.
At this point the power required to go faster went straight up. The 205's would
have made less difference in speed than a positive change in density altitude.
The pulverized surface also had a negative effect on yaw stability as you can
see
in the movies from the cockpit cameras, Andy had to go full lock once and reduce
power for a moment to get it back on track. Each time it went super sonic, it
was
a nightmare to drive through the loose dirt.
To criticize the design of the car after it set the record, I think is
pointless. The fact
that the perforated underside helped adsorb the shock waves was a significant
plus
in the design, but I was told that if they were to do it again, almost
everything would
be changed based on what they learned from ThrustSSC.
Bryan
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