S4, TMAXX, race car and others

[s4racer]

Snow car:
1993 Audi S4

My snow parking spot, it's great, no one else can park close. I have yet to get the S4 stuck in the snow.


Off-roader:
Traxxas Tmaxx



Old race car:
#110
600CC suzuki bike engine
550lbs w/o driver



Autonomous HMMWV:



BMW 530i:




so damn shiny!

[TT]

Now maybe some more details Do you actually own actually both the S4 and E39? And what is that Hummer?

[Garretts_turbo]

the hummer was one of several cars involved in an experiment to see if robotic cars could travel distances w/o drivers. needless to say, all the robots failed. this was one of them i believe.
correct me if i am wrong. i may be jabbering outta my arse.
in any case, sweet audi!!

[TT]

Ah yes, I read about tha experiment, quite interesting especially for the bike that did just some yards

So s4racer, were you involved in the hummer building process? And how? I don't think there is BS smell around here so far but if you post pics of 2 cars, an and an expensive robotic concept, you could at least tell us something more about them.

[s4racer]

Yes, the HMMWV is the RedTeam's racer for the DARPA grand challenge, it went the furthest of all the robots racing off road in the desert. i did a lot of the mechanical work, converting the stock ex-military HMMWV to be controlled by computer, and upgrading and ruggedizing the components to handle the desert conditions. it didn't complete the race because it piled up a couple of big rocks in the middle of the car and lifted the front off the ground just enough to stop it.
i also worked on the case (electronics-box) for the computing and shock isolation to protect all the electronics from the shock of racing off road, and mouting the multiple $X00,000+ sensors.

there's surprisingly quite a lot required to make the HMMWV competitive off road. the stock fuel tank on the military HMMWV is fiberglass and exposed under the frame. the commercial version (hummer H1) you can buy has a thin sheet of steel under the fiberglass protecting it from underneath. i guess the military is worried about protecting "unimportant" components like the gas tank.


i did have quite a bit of fun shaking it down on some off road tracks, with 1,000+ lbs of mass bolted to the bed, before it went fully autonomous

both the audi S4 and the 530i are stock. the 530i has the sport package, but is pictured with the snow wheels and tires. the 530i is quite fun in the snow too.

too many keys:

[TT]

Thanks for the info on the Hummer

I know I will sound picky LOL, nothing against owning two cars at 21 years old but why two cars that could basically fall in the same cathegory or almost? I know I know, the Audi is a sporty AWD car, while the E39 is a bit more "up to date", RWD and more comfy and classy... but still, it's a strange combo

[s4racer]

The 530i was my mom's. when she wanted a new car she had me spec out the car for her (i pretty much said "THIS is the car"), then a few years later she decided it wasn't practical, because where she was it flooded often (sport package doesn't help ground clearance), so she couldn't drive it much. so now, i have it, and she has an suv, it's all good.

did you have snow tires on your BMW when you took that pic in the snow? i tried driving the 530i in .5in of snow and the traction control was on constantly, but couldn't keep the tail from sliding sideways. drifting at 5mph with summer tires on .5in of snow, fun way to practice.

[TT]

Nope in that pic I still have wide summer tires and it was bloody funny but a nightmare (no TC) the winter tires are way thinner and mounted on 15" wheels of course

[s4racer]

Yeah I'm surpirsed the S4 is so heavy, it's like 200lbs heavier than the 530i, and the 530i has bigger everything: wheels, engine, seats, boot space.

must be the AWD components that add all that weight, and push the engine completely in front of the front axle, not good for changing direction quickly.

[T-Bird]

so does this mean you are from Pittsburgh area?

[schnell318]

Love both of your cars, only the Audi would look better with other wheels the E39 is so beautiful, timeless I would say, so nicely proportioned.

[s4racer]

Originally Posted by schnell318 Love both of your cars, only the Audi would look better with other wheels the E39 is so beautiful, timeless I would say, so nicely proportioned.

I'm a big fan of 5 spoke wheels. I don't know why, they just look right.

[s4racer]

i went to school in PGH, as you can tell by the race cars.

[bmagni]

Originally Posted by s4racer Autonomous HMMWV:

isnt that one of the cars that was supposed to go from one point to another without being driven or assisted by any human ????

[s4racer]

yes, it is completely computer controlled, no human driving it with a joystick by remote control.

that's why it has all those sensors mounted on the the top and front. it goes pretty fast too, considering the conditions.