Inside Racing Technology: Discussions of Racing Technical Topics [Paperback]

Paul Haney (Author), Jeff Braun (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 223 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks Intl (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964641402
• ISBN-13: 978-0964641402
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The definitive work on racing suspensions., January 7, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside Racing Technology: Discussions of Racing Technical Topics (Paperback)

Inside Racing Technology is a good primer on race car suspensions and aerodynamics. While Haney's writing style is annecdotal, and his interviews are pure transcripts, the information to be found in here is second to none. Jeff Braun in acknowledged to be one of the foremost engineers in professional racing. Gifted not only with a keen analytical mind, but also the ability to communicate that knowledge, Braun and Haney illuminate much of the black art of race car setup.

At time, the text gets mired in details, and the overall flow makes for a difficult read. However, the content makes this a reference work for anyone wanting to get a fundamental understanding of topic.

Not for everyone, but if you're a race fan and technically/mechanically oriented, you'll find this worthwhile.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of these reviews are dumb!, December 22, 2003

By 

Paul Haney (Springfield, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside Racing Technology: Discussions of Racing Technical Topics (Paperback)

I'm the author and publisher of this book. It sold 13,000 copies which is a lot for this type of book. I have a few left and sell some every month. I still get emails from people who enjoyed the book but I won't print it again.

I don't appreciate the reviews that badmouth the book as out of date when it's obviously been eight years since it was written. It's easy for somebody to post a negative review even if they don't have a clue.

And it was never intended to be an engineering text, just some understandable explanations of a few complicated topics. The damper (shock absorber) section is still the most comprehensive and understandable explanation available.

I'm proud of the book and pleased that I had the courage and motivation to put it out there.

Paul Haney, 12/22/03

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very friendly book on racing technical topics, June 19, 2005

By 

Maxim Masiutin (Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside Racing Technology: Discussions of Racing Technical Topics (Paperback)

This book discusses racing technical topics in a very friendly manner, without complicated formulas that you can find in numerous "vehicle dynamics" books. The latter books have little practical value for a beginner racer, because 95% of their graphs and formulas are nowhere to apply.

The author brilliantly uses his favourite style of describing complex topics in a form of interview with appropriate experts. There are very noteworthy discussions with tire compounders from Goodyear and Firestone, and the other tire experts. These interviews motivated the author to create the entire new book dedicated exclusively to the tire, as the most complex component of the car. I highly recommend "Racing & High Performance Tire" by Paul Harney in addition to this book.

The chapter on shock absorbers is the best piece of information I ever read about dampers. It's very easy to understand, but covers every important aspect of a shock absorber: bump and rebound, single-and dual-tube design, cavitation, emulstion and gas-bag shocks, washer stacks and external adjustments, different valve types, high-speed vs low speed damping, shock dynamometer, and so on.

The book finishes with a very impressive interview with Carroll Smith, the author of "Prepare to Win" and the respective titles. Carroll answers such complicated questions there like what are the two things that the best drivers feel much better than the mediocre drivers: "It's real simple. They're feeling two things. One is the slip angle of the tire, and the other is the self-aligning torque of the tires, on all four tires".