GT Racing Car Quick Start Learning Guide
Get started on your race car project today with this Quick Start Learning Guide to help you choose books that will provide the best initial value, information and guidance.
Tips On Choosing Grand Touring Racing Car Books
Modifying production GT cars for racing requires a solid understanding of vehicle dynamics (How the car behaves in motion). We suggest starting with a book that focuses on vehicle dynamics. Next, we would recommend books covering production-based race car preparation, chassis/suspension modification and metal fabrication. Beyond these common elements of race car preparation, and depending on the regulations you will race under and the design concept you create, other types of books should be considered.
| Book Category | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerodynamics |  Race Car Aerodynamics: Designing for Speed  (5 / 5)An in-depth and comprehensive guide to race car aerodynamic theory and practice. It covers everything a designer needs to know--from basic theory and aero devices (i.e. wings, venturis, diffusers, spoilers and more) to their applications on different types of race cars. Written with the non-engineer in mind, it also provides many examples and diagrams that show how to optimize the air flow around and through a race vehicle. Get "Race Car Aerodynamics: Designing for Speed":    | |||
| Bodywork |  Automotive Bodywork & Rust Repair  (4.5 / 5)Provides instruction on repairing damaged and rusty bodywork. Covers tools, preparing/cleaning sheet metals, fabricating sections and patches, welding options, fitting and smoothing, metalworking and finishing. Get "Automotive Bodywork & Rust Repair": | |||
| Driving |  Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques (5 / 5)Provides a compact, concise guide to race driving essentials. It includes chapters on optimizing the car, reading and using the track, driving techniques as well as safety, data and communications tips. Get "Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques": | |||
| Fasteners/Joining |  Carroll Smith's Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook (5 / 5)Teaches how to use the correct fasteners and fastener materials. This book includes extensive information on fatigue properties, joints, mounts, and vehicle plumbing. Get "Carroll Smith's Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook": | |||
| Materials/Fabrication |  Racer's Encyclopedia of Metals, Fibers and Materials (5 / 5)Provides introductory and more advanced information about metals, metal fatigue, composite fibers and the uses of a wide variety of materials in race cars. Get "Racer's Encyclopedia of Metals, Fibers and Materials": | |||
| Powertrain |  Boyd Coddington's Hot Rod Engines, Drivelines & Chassis  (4 / 5)A comprehensive book on the planning, design and construction of hot rods. Covers engine selection, inspection and assembly as well as transmission, final drive, front and rear suspension, steering, brakes, shocks, springs, engine and transmission installation and wheels/tires. Get "Boyd Coddington's Hot Rod Engines, Drivelines & Chassis": | |||
| Powertrain |  David Vizard's How to Build Horsepower (5 / 5)A guide to designing the engine as a system and constructing it to produce maximum horsepower. The design aspects use the airflow through each part of the engine as a basis for instruction. Provides detailed information on how to select, modify and tune each component to work at peak efficiency with others in the engine. Get "David Vizard's How to Build Horsepower": | |||
| Vehicle Dynamics/Handling |  Fast Car Physics (4.5 / 5)A great introduction to the world of vehicle dynamics, in language and explanations that are easy to understand. Learn basic vehicle physics, handling/dynamics, suspension types and geometry, and the latest approaches to green technologies for racing--energy recovery and storage. Get "Fast Car Physics": | |||
| Vehicle Dynamics/Handling |  High-Performance Handling for Street or Track: Vehicle dynamics, suspension mods & setup (4.5 / 5)Provides advice on planning modifications, installing components and tuning the handling characteristics of street vehicles. Includes an overview of vehicle dynamics and advice on selecting aftermarket components such as brakes, wheels, camber adjusters, anti-roll bars, springs, shocks and bushings. Also includes tire and wheel selection. Get "High-Performance Handling for Street or Track: Vehicle dynamics, suspension mods & setup": | |||
| Vehicle Dynamics/Handling |  How to Make Your Car Handle (5 / 5)Teaches how to improve vehicle handling through suspension and chassis modifications and understanding vehicle dynamics. Includes basic suspension theory on roll centers, roll axis, camber change, bump steer, anti-dive, ride rate, ride balance as well practical chassis modifications. Get "How to Make Your Car Handle": | |||
| Vehicle Dynamics/Handling |  Physics for Gearheads: An Introduction to Vehicle Dynamics, Energy, and Power - with Examples from Motorsports (5 / 5)Teaches the use of physics to understand and improve race car handling, dynamics and ultimately performance. Sections of the book cover kinematics, forces, dynamics, torque/force resolution and 2D vectors, energy, power and statics. Both SI/British engineering units are covered. Examples from racing are using to explain the physics principles. Get "Physics for Gearheads: An Introduction to Vehicle Dynamics, Energy, and Power - with Examples from Motorsports": | |||
| Vehicle Dynamics/Handling |  Race Car Vehicle Dynamics (R146) (5 / 5)A comprehensive book on the vehicle dynamics of race cars (and applicable to road cars). Includes the most in-depth theoretical knowledge about vehicle handling, suspension and dynamics available in a single book. Along with clear explanations of principles there is a large mathematical component for engineering design. Can be used as a university textbook for vehicle engineering/Formula SAE/Student. Get "Race Car Vehicle Dynamics (R146)": | |||
| Vehicle Dynamics/Handling |  Tune to Win: The art and science of race car development and tuning (5 / 5)The fundamentals of race car vehicle dynamics in a clear, well-written text. Explains suspension, weight dynamics and vehicle handling behaviours in a way that permits the designer to understand cause and effect and improve their race car design, vehicle tuning and even driving. Get "Tune to Win: The art and science of race car development and tuning": | |||
| Whole Car (Plans) |  How to Build Tiger Avon or GTA Sports Cars for Road or Track: Updated and Revised New Edition (4 / 5)Details the build of Tiger Avon and GTA sports cars using pre-developed plans and Ford Sierra components. The Builder determines the rear suspenion type and powerplant, which are not specifically addressed. Get "How to Build Tiger Avon or GTA Sports Cars for Road or Track: Updated and Revised New Edition": | |||
| Whole Car (Preparation) |  Prepare to Win: The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Professional Race Car Preparation (5 / 5)Carroll Smith's guide to preparing a race car for competition. Includes information about fasteners, riveting and welding, basic metal working, plumbing , fuel safety cells, electrical, brake system, clutch, suspension, wheels, tires, engine and gearbox and more. Get "Prepare to Win: The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Professional Race Car Preparation": |
More Information
For complete information on the design and construction of the GT race car type and a full listing of books and learning resources, see our GT race car type article.