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Originally Posted by NewyorkKopter
which layout is better for a mid-engined supercar?
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You've been given the answer, but it appears your haivng some trouble understanding it.
There is no single lay out that is better than any other.
Engines are mid mounted for for two reasons:
1)Weight distrabution. to improve handling
2)Reduce the number of driveline components, the more parts you have in the driveline the more power you lose turning them, and the more it weighs.
By attaching the enigne to the gearbox, and incorperating the differential in the gearbox you elminate the need for a long heavy driveshaft and provide a more direct, efficant and lighter drive to the wheels (front engine, front wheel drive is popular for the same reason).
How you mid mount the engine however really dosn't matter.
And the list of ways of doing it is enormous:
Engine, G/box, Axle
Engine, Axle, Gearbox are the two most common and provide the simplest most direct drive from the engine to the wheels.
Axle, Gearbox, Engine Axle, as Used by Lamborgihini on the Diable etc, is the simplest method of mid mounting an engine and having AWD.
It means all of the driveline parts are kept in a nice straight line, but the nessacary drive shafts are kept as short as possible.
Unforunatly there is a drive shaft that runs through the engines sump where the rear differential is also located. Its a more complex design to enginer and manufactor.
Axle, Engine, Axle, Gearbox
Axle, Engine, Gearbox, Axle again provides AWD, but this time the rear differential can be housed in the gearbox, however a long drive shaft to drive the front wheels must be run either down the side of the engine and gearbox, or through the engines sump.
A long off center driveshaft create problems with chassis design and power delivery at the front from an off centre differential.
That just covers the basic inline lay outs, its also possible to place the gear box under the enigne, or even mount the whole lot transversly (like the MR2, Lotus Elise etc) then run the gear box inline with the engine, or underneath it etc etc etc etc etc
Which layout is best then depends entirly on the design of the car.
Is its pure Group C race for? Does it have an enourmous engine coupled to a complex AWD set up, or does it used a small light weight enigne driving only the rear wheels?
Is it a big car with lots of space in the chassis? Or is it a small light weight with a short wheel base?
There is no single lay out which is clearly superior, it depends entirly on what the car needs it to do.