2021 Vehicle
General
2021 marks UMBC Racing's 18th entry in the Baja SAE racing series. Due to the pandemic, it was designed and built across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. We designed the car to prototype a hyrdraulic front wheel drive to create a selectable four wheel drive.
Suspension
For suspension, we wanted to improve low speed cornering and accomodate the hydraulic system, so the rear suspension was made slightly smaller and the front suspension was given more caster and the front uprights were designed to hold hydraulic motors and gears.
Drivetrain
To implement the hydraulic front wheel drive, we experimented with accumulators, valves, and hoses and developed intricate front portal boxes to gear down the hydraulic motors.
Steering
Our main goal for steering was to maintain the turn radius and reduce steering effort. The hydraulic system did not limit steering angle, but made packaging difficult, so the steering arms and rack were moved to the back of the front uprights.
Brakes
Brakes were designed to improve servicability. The brake pedal was changed to be top mounted to make access to the master cylinders easier.