Reddit reviews Engineer to Win (Motorbooks Workshop)

I would suggest you do some research before you post this kind of vague question here.

What you're asking is akin to, "How do I speak Latin?"

Carroll Smith is a very good start E: there are many books, I forget which one has suspension design, but all of them are worth getting.

Gellespie is a good addition

Milliken and Milliken is much more detailed, some call it 'the bible' but it's just a very good reference with a lot of equations for when you start doing more complex models that won't be explained by simpler books.


I'd reccommend getting at least smith and gillespie to start. If you need more complex modeling go for milliken, but 90% of FSAE teams don't need what's in milliken IMO. They struggle on the basics so much that it just is too much to absorb in a usable manner.

No one cares if you have a roll couple distribution model based on your tire data if you haven't done a proper camber or toe analysis, or if your vehicle isn't designed to have self-centering steering.

This question has been asked a bunch of times, but the one post I've found the most helpful was /u/that_video_art_guy's response in this post. For quick reference, here's the copy/paste:



I've read many of these books, I'm partial to the mechanics and team member books but find all of them to be very enjoyable.


The Super Collective Super list of Super Good F1 Books:

Mechanics/Team Members


[Life in the Pit Lane: Mechanic's Story of the Benetton Grand Prix Year](
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Pit-Lane-Mechanics-Benetton/dp/0760300267/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356716346&sr=1-5&keywords=steve+matchett) - Steve Matchett

[The Mechanic's Tale: Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One](
http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Tale-Life-Pit-Lanes-Formula/dp/0752827839/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356716346&sr=1-1&keywords=steve+matchett) - Steve Matchett

The Chariot Makers: Assembling the Perfect Formula 1 Car - Steve Matchett

Team Lotus: My View From the Pitwall - Peter Warr

Jo Ramirez: Memoirs of a Racing Man - Jo Ramirez

Art of War - Five Years in Formula One - Max Mosley, Adam Parr, Paul Tinker

Tales from the Toolbox: A Collection of Behind-the-Scenes Tales from Grand Prix Mechanics - Michael Oliver, Jackie Stewart


Technical Books

Red Bull Racing F1 Car: Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

McLaren M23: 1973 Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

Lotus 72: 1970 Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

Tune to Win: The art and science of race car development and tuning - Carroll Smith

Engineer to Win - Carroll Smith

Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook AKA: Screw to Win - Carroll Smith

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics: Problems, Answers and Experiments - Doug Milliken

Chassis Design: Principles and Analysis - William F. Milliken, Douglas L. Milliken, Maurice Olley

The Racing & High-Performance Tire: Using Tires to Tune for Grip & Balance - Paul Haney


Technical Driving

Ultimate Speed Secrets: The Complete Guide to High-Performance and Race Driving - Ross Bentley

Going Faster! Mastering the Art of Race Driving - Carl Lopez

Working the Wheel - Martin Brundle


Drivers and Rivalry's

Senna Versus Prost: The Story of the Most Deadly Rivalry in Formula One - Malcolm Folley

The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit - Michael Cannell

Winning Is Not Enough: The Autobiography - Sir Jackie Stewart

Shunt: The Story of James Hunt - Tom Rubython

Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory: A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage - Alex Zanardi, Gianluca Gasparini, Mario Andretti.

It Is What It Is: The Autobiography - David Coulthard

Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way! - Perry McCarthy The Black Stig, Damon Hill

F1 Through the Eyes of Damon Hill: Inside the World of Formula 1 - Damon Hill, Photography: Sutton Images


People Of F1

Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One - Professor Sid Watkins

Beyond the Limit - Professor Sid Watkins

I Just Made The Tea: Tales from 30 years inside Formula 1 - Di Spires

Bernie: The Biography of Bernie Ecclestone - Susan Watkins


Picture Books

McLaren The Cars: Updated 2011 Edition

Art of the Formula 1 Race Car - Stuart Codling, James Mann, Peter Windsor, Gordon Murray

http://www.amazon.com/Engineer-Motorbooks-Workshop-Carroll-Smith/dp/0879381868

The Carroll Smith books are the fucking race car bible.

I have a few books on the subject as well. And it all started here:

https://www.amazon.com/Engineer-Motorbooks-Workshop-Carroll-Smith/dp/0879381868

Back in the day, I had a wonderful, 1,000 page machining textbook that I would give anything to get back. So much lost knowledge! Damn.

Today I made pretty awesome cupcakes So I have that going on, anyway. :)

Doesn't cover everything you're looking for but Engineer to Win by Carroll Smith is a great book for simple design best practices. Lots of good stuff on materials and stress 101. It's a quick read too.

http://www.amazon.com/Engineer-Motorbooks-Workshop-Carroll-Smith/dp/0879381868

edit: This is not strictly an engineering textbook but I think it offers a very insightful view from the "real world" perspective that is valuable. Especially since I assume you've already taken undergrad level engineering courses. This book can offer a lot of "ah" moments as the theory side and practice side meld.

Also shigley's sounds like the engineering textbook reference you're after.