A Traction and Instability Control Logic for Formula Student Race Cars

Race cars are characterized by very high drive torques and handling performances. However, high torques are useless if they cannot be converted into vehicle acceleration due to macro-slippage of the driven tyres. On the other hand, extreme handling performances are obtained by designing a vehicle that is almost unstable. Thus, small driver errors can lead to a sudden and unexpected off-road. Traction and instability control is of fundamental importance to avoid macro-sliding of the tyres and to combine extremely high handling performances with a safety margin that allows the driver to stabilize the vehicle.