Finally! We have the results from the 2013 IMSTEA Super Mileage Competition.

The Hippo (2011 car) – average: 521 mpg, max: 599mpg
(last year – average: 469mpg, max: 668mpg)
Year over year improvement of 72mpg without engine modifications

The Casket (2013 car) – average: 323mpg, max: 385mpg

So… for a quick reflection:

• The new hub/clutch combo proved to be very reliable with excellent freewheeling
• The new Briggs and Stratton Animal is a gas guzzler without modifications, so we will modify it and run in unlimited next year
• With another year of eligibility, the Hippo is basically running perfect. Now, we need to do engine work to improve upon its solid result this year.
• We will need a new carburetor and fuel system for the Animal as the current system is not at all suitable for the competition

I’ll make another post in the near future, but I wanted everyone to see the results.

Thanks,
Parker Mitchell
Team Captain

As we travel back to Greeneville, we reflect on this year’s competition. Here’s a run down:

Saturday

We departed Greeneville early Saturday morning, and we stopped in Corbin at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Once we arrived in Indianapolis, we checked into our Hotel, the Comfort Suites in Brownsburg. Then, we proceeded to Brownsburg High School, and with the help of Craig Denney, we put some quick final touches on the cars (mainly the new car). Supper was excellent at Rockstar pizza.

Sunday

We departed from the hotel at 11am to go to Wal-Mart and then to inspection. At inspection, the old car passed every test with flying colors. Unfortunately, the new car’s steering wheel broke due to issues with the epoxy (it was a carbon fiber steering wheel).

With multiple things to modify and fix, we found ourselves back at the Brownsburg High shop. Luckily, they have a mill, welder, etc. for metal work. We built a new steering wheel out of aluminum, made several other modifications, and repaired some of the body panels. Because it was a late night at the shop, we ordered Rockstar pizza to be delivered to the shop.

Monday

Race day! At 5:45am, the crew left and went through McDonald’s for breakfast and then to the track to reserve a good spot.

Throughout the day, reliability was incredibly improved compared to previous years which was one of the main goals. Our new clutch along with other tweaks allowed us to complete several heats past the required three. The new car suffered some issues related to the new Briggs Animal. The engine is more difficult to start from inside the car than the Honda, and the carbonator needed work. On top of that, the engine obviously consumed much more fuel likely due to its larger displacement and racing nature.

We will post official results when we receive the data from IMSTEA.

It is almost sad leaving this year as this is my last year. I was a sophomore when the club was started, and I along with a few others have been on since the beginning and have overseen the building of two excellent vehicles. I plan to continue my engineering education at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Derek and Jake will also be at UT, Thomas is going to ETSU).

Thanks to everyone for their support. It has been a great ride.

Thanks,
Parker Mitchell
Team Captain

Over spring break, we have relocated to Tim’s shop (Precision Machine) to continue working on the car. So far, we have successfully cut and glued several of the major parts of the chassis, and we should in the next week or so complete the chassis.

Progress Checkdown for New Car:
Chassis – partially complete
Engine – will be mounted once chassis complete, need to work on carburetor and break in the seals, etc.
Hub – Should work based on limited testing
Wheels/Tires – Also waiting on the completion of the chassis, sitting in shop ready to go

We are one month away from departing for Indianapolis, and we will have to work feverishly to finish the new carbon fiber car. The old car, however, should be in working order. The new hub and new brakes are on and working.

April 27th… let the countdown begin.

Happy Easter,
Parker Mitchell
Team Captain

We have been meeting with the goal of finalizing the design for the new carbon fiber car. Wednesday, we stayed after school and began work on a PVC mockup of the frame. This will show us both how we will need to build the car and how our current design will work. Hopefully, next week, we will be able to complete this mockup.

-Parker
Team Captain

We like to thank the following sponsors for assisting us this year:

• C&C Millwright (http://ccmillwright.com/)
• Consumer Credit Union (http://www.consumercreditunion.com/)
• City Car Garage Museum (http://www.citygaragecarmuseum.com/)
• DTR (http://www.dtrtn.com/)
• Food City (www.foodcity.com)
• Mr. Bob Southerland
• Volunteer Auto Club
• Gateway Ford (http://www.gatewayfordmazda.com/)

We couldn’t even think about building a new car without our sponsors. These businesses and individuals are enabling us to both explore new possibilities and compete at the highest tier in Indianapolis.

I would also like to specifically thank Kent and Bettye Anne Bewley for hosting an excellent fundraising event at the City Car Garage Museum and Allen Johnson for his instrumental support.

We will continue to add new sponsors over the coming months. We have not yet met our fundraising budget, but we are getting closer and closer due to continually increasing community support.

Thanks,
Parker
Team Captain

For the past two years, the hub on the rear wheel has been a point of frustration. Last year, we tried a new design, and although it appeared to fix everything, it too failed. This year, we are done toying around. We have a new design which solves every issue we’ve had in theory, and we are making four of them.

Progress is moving along, and hopefully, we will be testing within a couple weeks in the old car.

-Parker

Tomorrow at 5pm, the Greeneville High School Racing Team will be having a fundraiser at the City Car Garage Museum courtesy of Kent and Bettye Anne Bewley. We will have a presentation along with last year’s car and a video from last year’s competition.

Our goal is to raise at least a portion of the requisite funds for our ambitious plans for this year.  This year’s car’s design is nearly complete, but fabrication cannot occur prior to a certain level of funding making this fundraiser very important for our future success.

Using Autodesk Inventor, we determined that roughly 80% of the frame will weigh under 11 pounds, so our goal of halving the weight compared to our previous car is seeming more and more feasible. As far fetched as it would seem, we may be able to build a 70 pound car.

However, weight is just one of many major factors in achieving excellent fuel efficiency. We are lowering the profile of the car to reduce aerodynamic drag, and we have overhauled our power delivery providing greater reliability and less unnecessary friction when coasting. A whole bevy of design improvements may be applied to this new car based on lessons learned from our first.

The team is very confident about this car, but as I said, design is only part of it. Any and all donations are appreciated, and donors receive recognition. Our previous car, which will also be at this year’s competition, prominently displays all of the sponsors who believed and invested in us, our future, and our success. We thank all previous, current, and future sponsors because without such support, none of this could occur.

Thanks,
Parker Mitchell
Team Captain

Before we can build anything, we need money to purchase the necessary parts. In the past couple weeks, we have laid out a basic itemized budget. The budget is available upon request. We are tentatively targeting $5,619, but that number may fluctuate as we near the competition and start to build the new car.

We expect to have a fundraising event for potential sponsors in November. More information will be made available as we determine specifics.

Lastly, a video should finally be published in the coming weeks. I have not had access to a computer that could process our 50+GB of high definition footage. However, our teacher is now using his home computer to work on a few clips.

Parker
Team Captain

We are continuing to work on the design for the new carbon fiber based car. One of the main focus points of recent meetings has been the design of the clutch mechanism on the hub of the rear wheel. The hub must free wheel and provide smooth, reliable delivery of power from the engine to the wheel.

One of the important goals that we are working towards is raising $5,000. Any sponsorship is appreciated whether it is $100 or $1,000. We need this money to purchase the requisite materials for the car, and we need some money to put towards transportation and hotel rooms. If you believe you may be able to help, please leave a comment in this article, and we will get in contact with you.

Also, we will have a brochure published soon along with a few videos. We have literally hours of videos from the competition (we had 5 cameras), so it is taking a while to process all of the footage. Check back here in a few weeks, and hopefully, they should be uploaded.

As usual, we will meet during club activity time on Tuesdays (roughly 9:15-9:35). Additionally, we will probably schedule a meeting after school. If so, we will stay until around 4pm. It is important that we get the details of the new car finished with plenty of time for fabrication and testing.

Thanks,
Parker Mitchell
Team Captain

It’s a new school year at Greeneville High School! Activity period will not start for another week or so, but once activity period starts, make sure to attend the Racing Team meeting during club time if you wish to participate this coming year. We will update the crew page accordingly once the team for this coming year is set. Remember, you must be enrolled or have completed IED (Intro to Engineering Design) to be a part of this club. Sign up for IED with Mr. Pauley through your guidance counselor.

This year, we are planning to participate in the IMSTEA Super Mileage competition in Indianapolis for the third time. Last year’s car will undergo some maintenance, and we will also build an additional new car. With two different cars, everyone will get hands on experience, and  we will see how different variables affect mileage performance. The current plan is to build the new car with a different engine (Briggs Animal) and different materials (Carbon Fiber). Also, we will investigate starting a Tennessee competition and/or participating in the Shell Eco-Marathon in Texas next year.

Thanks,
Parker Mitchell
Team Captain