Is it possible to make a vehicle with more than 4 wheels? I thought of this question when I thought about the B1 Centauro. Another example of this is an MAZ-357.
I would really like to see the addition of duallys, but a multiple axle setup may be beyond the scope of the game. A 6X6 would be awesome though.
Quick thought, being able to select the lug count could be very useful for tuning too, more lugs, more cargo capacity, but more drag. For example, compare a Dana 35 to a Dana 60. The 35 had a 5 lug, and is good for 2500-3000 Lbs, the Dana 60 is usually an 8 lug and is good for 5000-7000Lbs. Now for the sake of argument lets assume the 35 consumes 12% power to turn, and the 60 needs 23%. Bigger axles, more strength, but less drive-ability and fuel economy. The aforementioned duals would be available on 8 and 10 lug only. More friction, but more weight (a 225/75R16 dual would be the grip of a 450MM tire without the comfort penalty, but adds more weight).
Still no Russian HEMTT, but many more options for trucks. Need better fender flares though…
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can you please eplain wha a “Dana 60” would use TWICE the power?
I am making some rough estimates. I am also assuming the D60 is a full float. That would mean the D35 would have 6 bearings (pinion inner and outer - preloaded, 2 carrier, and 2 axle) and the D60 would have 8 bearings (pinion inner and outer - preloaded, 2 carrier, and 2 pair of hub taper sets also preloaded). Due to the D60 having 3X the loaded bearings the internal fiction/drag is much higher. Add to that the extra weight of a larger gear set, carrier, axle shafts, etc and more engine power would be needed to overcome the inertia.
Also a smaller axle typically runs 80W-90 gear oil, but a HD axle usually runs 90W-140, so you experience something more akin to a pumping loss in the axle.
In general you can expect to lose about a third of engine power to driveline losses. I assume this figure accounts for a locked t-converter or a manual transmission. Since the transmission would be strictly gear to gear at that measurement I took an educated guess at 12% for a normal axle. 23% for a 1 ton axle may be a little high, but I don’t think it is out of the ballpark.
well i don’t know jackshit about heavy duty axles, but it seems to makes sense…
duallys would be nice, and actually useable from the 80s onwards on those 'Murican Truccs.
but implementing it properly where it is easy enough to use for the “average-joe” and intricate enough to be of meaningful impact is the real problem here
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“… implementing it properly where it is easy enough to use for the “average-joe” and intricate enough to be of meaningful impact is the real problem here”
And that pretty much nails it. I mentioned 10lug, but that is getting into commercial and OTR trucks. If we restrict the vehicles to common passenger vehicles then only 4, 5 ,6 , and 8 lug would be most relevant there. Now if we ignore outliers like the Ranger Dually then we would restrict duals to 8 lug only. The nomenclature then would be:
4 lug - light duty passenger car
5 lug - normal passenger car/compact truck
6 lug - full size truck/panel van
8 lug - HD vehicles
The dually would also need a lot more possible wheel offset from tucked in look of the T-350 to the wide body kit of a more conventional Superduty.
The lug count would be under the suspension tab and you would need to match your cargo capacity (desired) to what you are willing to sacrifice in efficiency and drive-ability.
All that aside, I think we have accidentally thread jacked urbanestdog_45. Back on the original topic, I guess the best starting question is would you want a driven axle setup or an drop/idler axle? If you were going for a driven axle, how would power distribution be handled, would it be a tractor trailer style 6X4 with the rear axles only driving, or would it be a full 6X6 or 8X8 with 2 or 3 transfer boxes?
Anything with more/less than 4 wheels is beyond the scope of the game.I suggest reading the FAQ if you have more questions.
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That’s why I sidelined this toward a dually. That would be within scope (I think), but extra axles make for a fun thought experiment more than a legitimate production run. The T14 “Super Jeep” did see limited production, and the Defender 90 6X6 saw some (comparatively) significant production with a lasting impression on the aftermarket. Plus, this happened, and this continues to happen.
Still, hardly your run-of-the-mill mall crawlers.
Squirrel moment, I wonder if the workshop mod community could do some Mattracks?