The Car
Duke University Motorsports cars boast top speeds in the region of 100+ mph and accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds. Furthermore, they can pull upwards of 1.4 lateral G's. The team utilizes advanced Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing techniques and is constantly moving towards replacement of steel or aluminum parts with lighter composite materials, particularly carbon fiber. According to competition rules, a new vehicle must be designed and fabricated every year. Thus, previous years' vehicles are used as rolling test-beds for new projects.
| 2007 | 2008 | |
| Engine | Honda F4i | Honda F4i |
| Suspension | Passive 6 degrees of freedom | Passive 6 degrees of freedom designed using advanced lap time simulation |
| Frame | 4130 steel spaceframe | FEA optimized 4130 steel spaceframe with carbon fiber stressed reinforcement |
| Drive Train | Chain driven limited slip differential | Chain driven limited slip differential with shrunk rear box |
| Wheels and Tires | Kodiak wheels, Hoosier tires | Kodiak rims with in house wheel centers. Hoosier tires |
| Brakes | Wilwood motorcycle calipers. Double rotors front and rear. | Wilwood motorcycle calipers. Double rotors front and rear |
| Clutch and Gear Shifting | Sequential stick shift with pedal clutch | Steering wheel mounted pneumatic paddle shift with pedal clutch |
| Data Acquisition System | None | In-house DAQ board |
| Intake | Naturally aspirated | Naturally Aspirated with in-house carbon fiber intake plenum |
| Aerodynamics | In-house Carbon fiber nose cone and sides. | In-house Carbon fiber nose cone, sides and underlining. |
| Engine Control Unit | Motec | Performance Electronics |
| Weight and CG Height | 520 lbs, 11 in | 475 lbs, 10.5 in |