straight axle locost, why not?

Here you go:

Or build a mud bog racer with slicks instead of paddles.

That pinion angle can not be easy on u-joints.

I think the chain driven diff idea is great, but I'm not sure it would be useful.

A good pair of rear tires should handle 200hp fine. For more than 200hp you'll probably end up with the transmission as a weak link. Also, with 3 open diffs, it might make traction worse, so you'd be spending a lot more money on LSDs.

Appleseed wrote:

thatsnowinnebago wrote: What if you just put the chassis below the axles? Sorta like a body lift, just in reverse. That way you can keep the low center of gravity. I'm sure it would look ridiculous with the super tall shock towers but that's the price you pay for something as cool as that.

Google "underslung." It does exist.

Why are all of my awesome ideas already taken?

I've thought about building a locost with crazy large wheels for the street, and 13" slicks for the track. Would have to come up with some sort of quick-release fender stays, but have to admit that I like the massive wheel look. Unsprung weight would screw up handling, but even a crappy handling Locost will outperform most vehicles.

In reply to kreb:

You'd have to design you suspension for one wheel size or the other. I'm guessing you'd go optimize for the track. Throwing huge wheels on it would mess up the handling. Roll centers would change, so would your trail.

In reply to klipless: Duh. Clearly you'd design for the track. But more visibility and ground clearance would be nice around town. I'm thinking some of those 20 inch BMW SUV wheels with higher ratio tires