Page: 1 2
Touring Car
Learning Resources
Tips On Choosing Touring Car Books
Touring cars share some similarities to the mid and top-level Autocross/Solo cars. However, the design goals of touring cars are for high speeds over a longer circuit with larger radius, sweeping corners and longer straights than the typical autocross course. This requires a well-balanced vehicle design at high speeds and therefore we suggest that you begin with a book on vehicle dynamics to gain an understanding of how vehicles behave in motion.
We also suggest a production-based race car preparation book to help plan, design and build the vehicle along side of specialized books for areas that the more general prep book doesn't cover. Understanding materials and fabrication (ie. roll cage) may also be helpful depending on how the car is to be built.
| Aerodynamics | |||
 Amateur Car Aerodynamics Sourcebook: For everyone interested in road car aerodynamics  (4 / 5)A DIY guide to aerodynamics changes to road cars. It includes basic theory on aerodynamic lift and drag, testing techniques, flow visualization and a number of projects to modify aerodynamics by using aerodynamics devices. Get "Amateur Car Aerodynamics Sourcebook: For everyone interested in road car aerodynamics":    | |||
 Competition Car Aerodynamics: A Practical Handbook  (4.5 / 5)Using photographs, graphs, CFD images and wind tunnel data, this book demonstrates how aerodynamics affect and benefit race car designs. It includes theory and case studies of multiple race car types including formula cars, sports racers, GT, touring, club racers and karts. Get "Competition Car Aerodynamics: A Practical Handbook": | |||
 Competition Car Downforce: A Practical Guide (4.5 / 5)A comprehensive guide for understanding, designing and building aerodynamic devices for race cars. It includes aerodynamic theory, how devices work, design, and construction techniques. Also published in a newer version ("Competition Car Aerodynamics: A Practical Guide"). Get "Competition Car Downforce: A Practical Guide": | |||
 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": | |||
 How to Paint Your Car on a Budget (4.5 / 5)Practical instruction on equipment, preparation and painting techniques on a budget. Covers decision making around painting, bodywork repairs before painting, equipment and paints, preparation, sanding, masking, and painting techniques. Get "How to Paint Your Car on a Budget": | |||
| 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": | |||
| Electrical | |||
 Automotive Wiring and Electrical Systems (4.5 / 5)Covers electrical theory, automotive electrical systems, troubleshooting, construction of new and modification of existing vehicle electrics. Instructions on tools, adding new circuits, installing electronics and vehicle wiring. Several project are documented including adding a stereo, electric windows and electronic accessories. Get "Automotive Wiring and Electrical Systems": | |||
| 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 | |||
 Advanced Automotive Welding (5 / 5)Advanced Automotive welding teaches basic and advanced welding skills specifically geared toward race car construction. Joint types, metal types, and welding processes such as TIG, MIG, oxy-acetylene and stick welding are covered. Includes projects such as roll cage, seat supports, floor pan and others. Get "Advanced Automotive Welding": | |||
 Competition Car Composites: A Practical Guide (4.5 / 5)A comprehensive resource for those building race car chassis or components with fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP). Types of composite materials, moulding techniques, structural techniques, layup, and applications are all discussed in this book. Get "Competition Car Composites: A Practical Guide": | |||
 How To Weld (4.5 / 5)A complete guide for beginner welders on the history, safety, equipment and techniques for welding. The book covers metal fabrication tools, types and properties of metals, welding joint designs, gas welding, brazing, arc welding (MIG, TIG, stick) and cutting. It also includes sample exercises to help the reader practice what they have learned. Get "How To Weld": | |||
 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 | |||
 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": | |||
 Engine Builder's Handbook (5 / 5)Explains how to troubleshoot and rebuild all types of engines. Provides tips, techniques and detailed information on engine inspection, teardown, the short block, cylinder heads, assembly and camshaft theory. Get "Engine Builder's Handbook": | |||
 High-Performance Differentials, Axles, and Drivelines (4.5 / 5)This book explains how to select and match driveline components to engine power output to minimize or eliminate driveline breakages. Also covers gear ratio selection, differential rebuilding and driveline components. Get "High-Performance Differentials, Axles, and Drivelines": | |||
 Modern Engine Blueprinting Techniques: A Practical Guide to Precision Engine Building (5 / 5)Explains the engine blueprinting process through illustrations and detailed procedures. Includes professional techniques on how to balance, make true and match components as an optimized group. Components include block, crank, connecting rods, pistons, rings, cylinder heads, intake manifolds, camshafts. Get "Modern Engine Blueprinting Techniques: A Practical Guide to Precision Engine Building": | |||
 Performance Exhaust Systems: How to Design, Fabricate, and Install (4 / 5)Explains how to design and construct exhaust systems matched to the engine to optimize power. The book includes theory and practical design of the entire exhaust system (headers, resonators, catalytic converters, mufflers) and teaches how to fabricate or select and purchase the individual components to match the design. The book also shows metal working techniques for fabricating full-custom systems. Get "Performance Exhaust Systems: How to Design, Fabricate, and Install": | |||
 Racing Engine Builder's Handbook: How to Build Winning Drag, Circle Track, Marine and Road Racing Engines (4.5 / 5)Practical tips and techniques on building a racing engine. This book covers applications such as drag racing, circle track, road racing and boats. The author's approach looks at math used in modifications, combined with examples and guidance on when and how to apply complimentary modifcations. Get "Racing Engine Builder's Handbook: How to Build Winning Drag, Circle Track, Marine and Road Racing Engines": | |||
 Street Turbocharging: Design, Fabrication, Installation, and Tuning of High-Performance Street Turbocharger Systems (4.5 / 5)Provides turbocharging theory, practical information and project vehicles. Includes components, constructing systems, engine building, fuel injection, and testing and aftermark options. Get "Street Turbocharging: Design, Fabrication, Installation, and Tuning of High-Performance Street Turbocharger Systems": | |||
 Turbo: Real World High-Performance Turbocharger Systems (5 / 5)Includes explanations of how turbochargers are constructed and function, matching them to gas and diesel engines, manufacturers, installation, maintenance. It also includes detailed information on building the engine to handle turbocharging, rebuilding the turbocharger and turbocharger troubleshooting/failure analysis. Get "Turbo: Real World High-Performance Turbocharger Systems": | |||
| 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": | |||
 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": | |||
 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": | |||
 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)": | |||
 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics: Problems, Answers and Experiments (5 / 5)Companion student workbook of problems, answers and experiments for readers of the Race Car Vehicle Dynamics book. Get "Race Car Vehicle Dynamics: Problems, Answers and Experiments": | |||
 The Racing & High-Performance Tire: Using Tires to Tune for Grip & Balance (R-351) (5 / 5)Provides comprehensive information on how tires work, their construction, manufacture and testing. The book also covers vehicle dynamics and the tire's contribution to them. Get "The Racing & High-Performance Tire: Using Tires to Tune for Grip & Balance (R-351)": | |||
 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 (Customize/Upgrade) | |||
 Detroit Speed's How to Build a Pro Touring Car (4.5 / 5)Guide to building a high performance handling muscle car--the pro-touring car. Includes chapters on chassis modifications, front and rear suspension geometry/components and modification, tires and wheels, powertrain, wiring and plumbing. Several example Pro-touring cars are showcased as well. Get "Detroit Speed's How to Build a Pro Touring Car": | |||
 Race Car Fabrication & Preparation (5 / 5)Production car preparation for racing. Includes information on transmission preparation, clutches, component selection, safety systems, wrecking yard parts, fabrication, welding basics, rear end setup, hardware, the cockpit, roll cages, wheels and tires, plumbing systems, electrical and cooling system. Get "Race Car Fabrication & Preparation": | |||
| Whole Car (KitCar) | |||
 The Car Builder's Handbook: Tips and Techniques for Builders of Kit Cars and Street Rods (4 / 5)Basic tips and techniques to help avoid mistakes during the build and assembly of kit cars and hot rods. Provides sections for planning, chassis, powertrain and interiors on ground-up or partial kit and hot rod projects. Get "The Car Builder's Handbook: Tips and Techniques for Builders of Kit Cars and Street Rods": | |||
| 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": | |||
 Showroom Stock Race Car Preparation (4 / 5)200 step-by-step technical illustrations and information on preparing a stock production vehicle for racing. Get "Showroom Stock Race Car Preparation": | |||
| Magazine | |||
 RaceCar Engineering UK-based magazine which focuses on the latest technology in race cars | |||
RaceTech UK-based magazine which monitors race car technology and engineering applications. | |||
Sanctioning Bodies/Organizers
| Australia | |
 V8 Touring Cars Austrlian V8 Touring Car Championship | |
| Canada | |
ASN Canada FIA FIA sanctioned sporting assocation in Canada | |
CTCC Canadian Touring Car Championship | |
| International | |
FIA Federation Internationale de l'Automobile | |
World Challenge World Challenge (Pirelli) | |
| UK | |
BTCC British Touring Car Championship | |
Page: 1 2