Off Road Cars in 20 years

[Jimmy8]

Here is a question that has been pondering my mind the past couple of months. All of us know how far the technology has come in the past 20 years, but what about 20 more. My question is what do you think off road vehicles will look like in 20 years, particularly class 1 and TT?
I think that class 1 will be something like taking an IRL indy car, same motor and trans, stiffen the chassis with chromolly, and re do the a arms completely and make it have around 35 inches of wheel travel. I would also add a cover to it like the unlimited hydroplane boats have, so it would be a closed cockpit. Can you imagine going 180 mph across a whoop section, well it will probably never happen, but you never know. Roger Penske may decide to own an off road race team as well as nascar and indy cars. Just a thought.

 

[sirhk100]

A completely enclosed and sealed cab area filtered with AC. Creature comforts. Think 180 MPH through the whoops at 70* while it's 100+ outside. I still having trouble grasping what these trucks are truelly capable of now!!!!

'99YZ400,
'92 Ford Exploder lifted work in progress,
lifted golf cart

 

[scott]

I can't see it getting much better than it already is. Maybe shocks getting bigger say 4 and a half to 5" maybe with better valving for the bypass shocks. Who knows, it will be interesting though no doubt.

 

[Jimmy8]

Thats what me and my dad were talking about. I just think it is going to grow in small ways, and not in leaps and bounds like it did before. I mean someone will come out with a little better shock, and then someone will come out with a little better breaks. Then someone will have a little better idea for a transmission, nothing major, just small things. I do think that all wheel drive will be the way of the future though.

 

[FABRICATOR]

Wow, a question outside of the bubble!
I've given some hints already. But you'll have to be patient. I don't know about 20 years out but in the next few years...No bypass shocks (not in front anyway, they cause excess sprung and unsprung weight), no four wheel drive (sorry, too heavy), no front engine (weight in the wrong place, has to be overly counterbalanced in rear), no rear engine (weight in the wrong place), no air cooling (only good for airplanes), no ring and pinion (too troublesome and causes excess weight), no air conditioning (same reason), no spring plates (too unreliable), no big heavy armor plated front lower a-arms (not needed, simple light ones will do), no curved hollowed out billet aluminum upper front arms (same reason), no GIANT shocks (bigger is only better up to a point), no V-4's (not enough poop) , no Fortin-Mendeola-Hewland-VW-Porsche-ZF transaxle (not enough poop, unless they come up with something new), no solid rear axle (way too heavy, can only be efficiently used on a very heavy car), no 3-link (IRS), no 4-link (same reason), no V-drive (too heavy and innefficient), no leaf springs (same reason), no drive shaft with U-joints (IRS), no giant fuel cell hanging out up high behind the rear axle (weight in the wrong place), no clutch pedal (they burn up too easy and distract the driver), no need for 36 inches of travel (car is not heavy enough to efficiently work with over about 25" to 30" travel with existing wheels, tires, and brakes). Sorry I don't know what it will look like yet. (specifications subject to change without notice)
Keep wondering Jim, you will probably be in the middle of it.

<font color=orange>The best ideas are the ones that look obvious to the casual observer.</font color=orange>

 

[Dave_G]

RE:. My question is what do you think off road vehicles will look like in 20 years,

There won't be any....the ecoterrorist will get legislation passed to make it an enviromental felony to drive off the pavement. I hope that won't be the case but I have a sneaky feeling we'll be to that point in 20 years.

Dave G

 

[Jimmy8]

There will always be off road racing. Here in the states it may only be in the form of CORR and short course racing, but there will still be off road. As for desert racing, it will never die either. It just may end up where the only races are in Mexico. As for the car described above, you have me very interested. It sounds as if you have already started on it. this whole topic just makes me think, because I look at what my dad started out in over 27 years ago, and then look at what is being built now, and it is unbelievable. My only hope is that in 20 years, unlimited class cars dont cost 1 million to build like an indy car, but I guess that if you look at the Herbst machine, they are pushing that as it is I believe. I do think someday that TT and class 1 will be opened up so you can run turbos and blowers, and it will make things a whole new ball game. I am still waiting for someone to build a stock full out of one of fords new lightnings and see what is said. yeah it has a supercharger, but it is stock?

 

[JCA]

I am just wondering which team will come up with the big bucks to place a system that is gps driven that has on board systems to read the terain,that knows what the vehicle can and can't do and all they do is hit the auto pilot. Not that anyone will do that?

J.C. Andrews
Andrews Racing

 

[Jimmy8]

thats just about what F1 has come to now. All those drivers do is steer and brake, i dont even think the accelerate anymore to much. They also have assist on the braking I believe. If off road ever gets that way, it will be like 1 big RC car race, and take all of the fun out of it.

 

[Flea]

well im guessing they will have sorta like a sonar thing that scans the terrain in advance. the shocks will be a combination of a shock but will be controlled by a computer hydraulically. It wil be able to scan the terrain, and soak up the bumps by hydraulically pulling the wheel over the bump instead of just absorbing it like a typical shock. these machines will be heavy but weight will not be as much as a factor anymore due to the way the suspension works. and when a small cliff is ahead the truck wil be able to hop over it, sorta like those jumping bean lowriders, but much more graceful. hmmmmm...well maybe that was just a bad dream i had last night. coool thread though!

GOD BLESS AMERICA! and hopefully my poor truck too.

 

[scott]

Dave your post is probably more likely then anything, Hope Not !!!!!

 

[Mike_McCluskey]

FABRICATOR sounds like he's describing a hovercraft!! You don't have anything to do with that weird rotary type engine that was talked about a while ago. If anybody has any news or updates on that little thing I would like to see it.

 

[Jimmy8]

OFF ROAD WILL NEVER DIE!!!!

 

[FABRICATOR]

Mike, no hovercraft, but not a bad analogy. If your referring to the circular, multi piston contraption, no. In my opinion, that whole thing was one big farce! Don't recall the website address... (big bore 2-strokes and V8's get my blood flowing!)

Jimmy, let's hope so!

<font color=orange>The best ideas are the ones that look obvious to the casual observer.</font color=orange>

 

[desertracer]

Like all have said I don't know how much more the sport can grow from where it is now. I mean look back as far as shocks to what we have now. Also the thought of using A-arms instead of a trailing arm. These were all great advancements that have helped the sport grow. As for the future who knows what they will come up with next.

 

[rdc]

..........Class one!

<font color=red> if there still is dezert racing that is<font color=red>

 

[ntsqd]

For all of these people saying "I don't see how it can grow/change/improve etc.", a little history lesson. Let's see, it was predicted in the early 1900's that man would die if he went faster than 60 mph as he wouldn't be able to breathe. In the 60's someone said that fuel cars could never go over 200 mph, that there just wasn't a way to get enough traction even if, big if, you could build enough HP to go faster than 200.
Obviously both predictions have proven untrue. I feel safe predicting that dragsters will never turn a 0.00 because you can't be in two places at the same time. Now, watch somebody set about proving me wrong. All it takes is for someone of standing to say "it can't be done" and someone will start working towards making it happen.

"Teach you all I know and you're still stupid"
-- Howdy Lee

 

[Jack]

I don't know about twenty years, but the next big thing will be hydrulic suspention and shock all in one, one per wheel instead of a spring and two shocks, will take off a lot of unspung wirght. Also maybe more aluminum instead of steel for drive tains and posible cages and chasis out of lighter material.

 

[Junior]

Maybe we will see desert racing vehicles with turbine engines. That would remove the necessity of drivelines, heavy rear ends and eliminate binding problems within the drive train. Then I guess you could have A-arms front and rear with mega travel. Since thrust would be used, not much traction would be necessary allowing designers to create lift at higher speeds by using wings in the reverse fashion that indy cars do and reduce down force. This would allow for a much lighter vehicle and make absorbing rough terrain easier.




Junior
EJR Racing #244

 

[Kritter]

I could supply the turbine(a measly $40 mil.) and then we could get started with the future. Its only weighs in at around 10000lbs but we will be puttin out about 8 ponies per pound or 80,000 all together and at a conservative 4 inches per gallon we would definitely need a nice size fuel cell.

haha wrote this while at work (GE aircraft engines).

I have never seen any turbine engines other then the turbofans which are used in aircraft. Turbines would be nice because it would end nerfing unless you wanted to get fried by the exhaust gases...but then again the enviro nazis would say that they produce too much CO.

Kris

When in doubt, GAS IT!