You built an electric self-driving drifting car out of a DeLorean??

[vtdmc]

If you're going to be build an electric self-driving drifting car, why not build it with some style?

[DMCVegas]

All that engineering work, and still no cupholders...

[jontheg]

Hi Rich!

I don't think we got to meet last night, but this is Jon G here, I was part of the Stanford team that worked on MARTY -- I was on stage with Jamie and the two Chrises.

Everyone: Let me know what DeLorean-specific questions you might have, there are some bounds on what I can say, but would love to give some of what we learned back to the community.

Thanks!

- Jon

[DMCVegas]

So many questions about that front suspension....

First of course is how it was completely reworked. Not just with the redesign of the Lower Control Arms, but the entire deletion of the Front Sway Bar. How has this affected handling? Is there substitute Strut Brace in the trunk? What are the improvements, and of course, what, if any, major work needs to be done to the front end to accommodate the new wishbone suspension design?

What are the parts involved for the braking system upgrade?

Which wheels did you use, and what tires are they?

Why is there a radiator still connected?

How much of the DMC-12's safety was compromised with the severing of the Front Crumple Tubes?

Is the reason that the sway bar was deleted because of the removal of those Crumple Tubes?

[jontheg]

So many questions about that front suspension....

First of course is how it was completely reworked. Not just with the redesign of the Lower Control Arms, but the entire deletion of the Front Sway Bar. How has this affected handling? Is there substitute Strut Brace in the trunk? What are the improvements, and of course, what, if any, major work needs to be done to the front end to accommodate the new wishbone suspension design?

What are the parts involved for the braking system upgrade?

Which wheels did you use, and what tires are they?

Why is there a radiator still connected?

How much of the DMC-12's safety was compromised with the severing of the Front Crumple Tubes?

Is the reason that the sway bar was deleted because of the removal of those Crumple Tubes?

Hey! Thanks for the Qs.

- Brake system is actually from Martin Gutkowski of http://www.delorean.co.uk/ -- it works pretty great. We had to add an electric brake booster system with the new electric drive, but this actually gives way better boost than the PRV ever gave...
- We have a tire sponsorship from Bridgestone (thanks guys!), so we move to sizes that lined up with their Potenza race line (RE-71R in the front, RE-11 in the rear). Great tires...! We are running 16x7 in front and 18x8 in the rear. Hard to find four bolts in the right size and offset, especially with our new steering range (+/- 40 deg), hence the different designs. Front is Enkei Compe, rear is Drag Dr-33.
- Our incredibly awesome Renovo Motors drivetrain (batteries+gearboxes+motors+motor controllers+chargers+awesome integrated drivetrain management/control API) needs to be cooled, so we actually just used the stock radiator. Gotta keep some parts stock...
- Safety is always, always, always our top priority. We actually have a full rollcage in the car, that ties to the front and rear strut towers, as well as bucket seats and six-point harnesses. The rollcage was designed by us, and then built by the pros at TC Design, after some modifications they suggested. This also gives us much needed torsional rigidity...

I'll talk more about suspension updates in a separate thing, coming up soon...

[nkemp]

Check out the video & Info at: http://www.roboticstrends.com/articl...ampaign=weekly

or just the video via YouTube:

[Rich]

Thanks.
Moderators feel free to link this thread with the other one on this subject:

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?12661

High-res press photos of this car plus some of the specs are linked in post #4 of that thread.

[nkemp]

I goofed ... That was supposed to DMC (DeLorean Making Circles) ... not Donuts. Oh well... another piece of brilliant wit lost.

[Nicholas R]

Hey! Thanks for the Qs.

- Safety is always, always, always our top priority. We actually have a full rollcage in the car, that ties to the front and rear strut towers, as well as bucket seats and six-point harnesses. The rollcage was designed by us, and then built by the pros at TC Design, after some modifications they suggested. This also gives us much needed torsional rigidity...
.

Can you elaborate on the roll cage? I'm curious how you have it fixed to the car, given the way a DeLorean is assembled. Since the frame is the double Y frame, does your roll cage actually attach to the frame, or does it only attach to the body? If it attaches to the frame, has that eliminated the ability to remove the body from the frame? Also, how does this affect the doors? Is the roll cage in the way or does it divert around the door openings?

Thanks for answering the questions!

[Ryan S.]

Wow. I am so impressed.
I hope you guys would share how you modified and what you have learned with all those mods.
How is electric motor system? What's the range and charging time?
Great work!!!