▶ How to use this simulator
click to collapse
01
Pick your ruleset
Select TSA or F1 in Schools at the top of the sidebar. This controls legal limits, reference baselines, and which tuning suggestions are valid for your competition.
sidebar → competition
02
Weigh your car
Weigh fully assembled with axles and wheels, without the CO₂ cartridge. The 23g empty shell is added automatically.
scale / balance
03
Measure your wheels
Diameter (front and rear), mass of each wheel, and axle bore diameter. Modelled as annular discs — or enter a measured MOI directly.
callipers + scale
04
Frontal area & Cd
Trace the front face onto graph paper and count squares. Use ruleset reference values as a starting point, or enter a wind tunnel value.
graph paper / tunnel
05
Rolling resistance
Leave at 0.010 unless you've measured your specific setup. Only change if you have a timed roll-out value for your track and wheel combination.
track inspection
06
Set track length
Enter your competition distance. The sim uses a standard 8g Pitsco cartridge with a fitted thrust curve — no cartridge setup needed.
ruler / tape
💡 Physics model: Euler integration at dt = 0.0001 s · thrust-proportional CO₂ depletion · dynamic m_eff (chassis + CO₂ + wheel inertia + axle) · bearing friction · rolling resistance. Predicted times are typically within 2–3% of real track times. Best used for comparing designs.
Predicted Finish Time
—
seconds · see model note below
Peak Speed
—
m/s · — km/h
Peak Accel
—
G's at launch · — m/s²
What's Slowing Your Car?
Run simulation to populate force breakdown
Speed & Distance vs Time
Speed (m/s)
Distance (m)
Configure inputs · Run simulation
CO₂ Thrust Curve
Thrust (N)
Run simulation to see thrust curve
🏁 Head-to-Head Race Replay
Save runs to race head-to-head
Run simulation to see model note.
Saved Runs
No saved runs yet