New Uprated Ultima Chassis
Discussion
NEW UPRATED ULTIMA CHASSIS RELEASED
We are proud to announce today’s release of a new uprated and improved chassis for the Ultima GTR and Ultima Can-Am. The improvements focus on giving the Ultima increased torsional rigidity and occupant safety to market leading standards without compromising drivability and ease of build.
This new chassis replaces the older version which is now discontinued. Prices remain the same as before.
Richard and Ted Marlow commented-
“The above announcement is part of our continual development process to keep the Ultima at the forefront of our market. The old chassis is still absolutely sound in all areas as we have already proved with record breaking performance figures but we have now significantly improved the torsional rigidity and safety to take the Ultima to a new level.
The new GTR chassis features a larger diameter fully welded roll cage as standard rather than the bolt on rearward braced version and the rear bulkhead will be fabricated in aluminium rather than the GRP. Also incorporated is the introduction of new twin luggage containers designed as structural members that will increase cockpit rigidity. Keen Ultima observers and owners will be able to spot the numerous differences compared to the old chassis.
We have tested the torsional rigidity of the new design extensively on our rig here at the Ultima factory and we are totally confident that this new chassis design is at the very forefront of our market segment.
The changes will not be available as a retrofit item to the old style chassis but all customers with currently pending new chassis orders will receive this new design of chassis.”
The uprated Can-Am chassis design is currently a work in progress along similar lines – keep an eye on here for a photo of it soon.
The new improved Ultima GTR and Ultima Can-Am chassis will be on display on our stand at the forthcoming National Kit Car Show on the 5th and 6th of May. We look forward to seeing some of you there.
Keep tuned in to our Facebook Page to keep abreast of this latest development with further photos being added over the next couple of weeks- https://www.facebook.com/UltimaSportscars
Regards to all,
We are proud to announce today’s release of a new uprated and improved chassis for the Ultima GTR and Ultima Can-Am. The improvements focus on giving the Ultima increased torsional rigidity and occupant safety to market leading standards without compromising drivability and ease of build.
This new chassis replaces the older version which is now discontinued. Prices remain the same as before.
Richard and Ted Marlow commented-
“The above announcement is part of our continual development process to keep the Ultima at the forefront of our market. The old chassis is still absolutely sound in all areas as we have already proved with record breaking performance figures but we have now significantly improved the torsional rigidity and safety to take the Ultima to a new level.
The new GTR chassis features a larger diameter fully welded roll cage as standard rather than the bolt on rearward braced version and the rear bulkhead will be fabricated in aluminium rather than the GRP. Also incorporated is the introduction of new twin luggage containers designed as structural members that will increase cockpit rigidity. Keen Ultima observers and owners will be able to spot the numerous differences compared to the old chassis.
We have tested the torsional rigidity of the new design extensively on our rig here at the Ultima factory and we are totally confident that this new chassis design is at the very forefront of our market segment.
The changes will not be available as a retrofit item to the old style chassis but all customers with currently pending new chassis orders will receive this new design of chassis.”
The uprated Can-Am chassis design is currently a work in progress along similar lines – keep an eye on here for a photo of it soon.
The new improved Ultima GTR and Ultima Can-Am chassis will be on display on our stand at the forthcoming National Kit Car Show on the 5th and 6th of May. We look forward to seeing some of you there.
Keep tuned in to our Facebook Page to keep abreast of this latest development with further photos being added over the next couple of weeks- https://www.facebook.com/UltimaSportscars
Regards to all,
Some interesting changes there Richard.
Can the builder still get the transmission though from the back with the bell housing on as you seem to have added cross braces to the bar running under the trans?
How much more does the new chassis weigh and does it meet FIA standards or do you still offer another for that?
Paul
Can the builder still get the transmission though from the back with the bell housing on as you seem to have added cross braces to the bar running under the trans?
How much more does the new chassis weigh and does it meet FIA standards or do you still offer another for that?
Paul
The two cross braces under the transmission are the only two members that we have made removable enabling the transaxle to slide in from the rear of the car as usual.
The extra 21 chassis members that we have added result in a small weight gain of 9kg
We already have had Ultima GTRs competing in race series that run on FIA rules with the existing chassis so the extra bracing that we have added will not prevent it from meeting the FIA standards in the future.
In order to strengthen the whole chassis each section between each bulkhead required attention otherwise you are just moving the deflection along to the next compartment.
The suspension loads in the engine bay ideally wanted transmitting across the chassis but of course the engine and transaxle are in the way hence all the extra triangulation in this area.
The extra triangulation in the sills and the dashboard along with the new luggage storage box area has contributed significantly to cockpit rigidity.
This vastly increased torsional rigidity has been carefully tested on a custom built test rig here at our factory, with lots of experimentation along the way. We are extremely confident in our market leading results and are more than happy for it to be submitted for any independent test worldwide.
Regards to all,
The extra 21 chassis members that we have added result in a small weight gain of 9kg
We already have had Ultima GTRs competing in race series that run on FIA rules with the existing chassis so the extra bracing that we have added will not prevent it from meeting the FIA standards in the future.
In order to strengthen the whole chassis each section between each bulkhead required attention otherwise you are just moving the deflection along to the next compartment.
The suspension loads in the engine bay ideally wanted transmitting across the chassis but of course the engine and transaxle are in the way hence all the extra triangulation in this area.
The extra triangulation in the sills and the dashboard along with the new luggage storage box area has contributed significantly to cockpit rigidity.
This vastly increased torsional rigidity has been carefully tested on a custom built test rig here at our factory, with lots of experimentation along the way. We are extremely confident in our market leading results and are more than happy for it to be submitted for any independent test worldwide.
Regards to all,
thanks for the update Ultima Factory.
the torsional testing is one of the key tests that we have to pass in most states of Australia. having test data for this would be most benificial.
i presume someone will therefore ask for a letter, with some form of test results at some point for registration purposes.
Sill a huge fan and waiting, hopefully i will be able to place an order soon.
Regards Ryan
(Ps thanks for the test ride back in early 2011)
the torsional testing is one of the key tests that we have to pass in most states of Australia. having test data for this would be most benificial.
i presume someone will therefore ask for a letter, with some form of test results at some point for registration purposes.
Sill a huge fan and waiting, hopefully i will be able to place an order soon.
Regards Ryan
(Ps thanks for the test ride back in early 2011)
Hello Ultima Ltd,
its good to see you are taking care about torsional rigidity,
as before the numbers for your GTR-chassis where very poor, about 3000 Nm/deg,
for a GTR-chassis,
so can you now proudly announce that you have increased that rigidity value up
to over 14000 Nm/deg, at least for a GTR- chassis?
Yes, i know, i am very direct to the point, but this is 2013 already,
nowadays we want facts, not just a story, and a rigidity value of 14000 Nm/deg
already is poor these days.
So dont be aschamed and clear us up,
greetings to all, Wilfried.
its good to see you are taking care about torsional rigidity,
as before the numbers for your GTR-chassis where very poor, about 3000 Nm/deg,
for a GTR-chassis,
so can you now proudly announce that you have increased that rigidity value up
to over 14000 Nm/deg, at least for a GTR- chassis?
Yes, i know, i am very direct to the point, but this is 2013 already,
nowadays we want facts, not just a story, and a rigidity value of 14000 Nm/deg
already is poor these days.
So dont be aschamed and clear us up,
greetings to all, Wilfried.
deadscoob said:
In previous discussions around chassis rigidity the factory has maintained it has always been above and beyond what is required. Why the sudden change?
Product development demands change.Other chassis makers are coming on in leaps and bounds, Ultima can't afford to let the grass grow under their feet any longer, the (now discontinued) chassis design is good but is around 15 years old now.
Personally I think this is a good thing and will ensure that Ultima retain their reputation for building a really well made car.
deadscoob said:
In previous discussions around chassis rigidity the factory has maintained it has always been above and beyond what is required. Why the sudden change?
As we see small producers of "supercars" going for very stiff and strong CF chassis, Ultima need to improve the old one while retaining the space frame design in order to keep the cost in check and accessible to builders I imagine...deadscoob said:
In previous discussions around chassis rigidity the factory has maintained it has always been above and beyond what is required. Why the sudden change?
Yes, a very good point. I think the factory is sometimes too quick to answer criticism by knocking it down, without thinking about the future.On the other hand, the handling of the Ultima speaks for itself. A stiffer chassis doesn't necessarily mean a better-handling car.
Maybe stricter requirements from some countries (Australia?) are dictating these changes. After all, Ultima need to keep the market as large as possible.
Very confusing without a clear response from the factory. I'm sure their lawyers are working on it as we eat breakfast.
dandare said:
Maybe stricter requirements from some countries (Australia?) are dictating these changes. After all, Ultima need to keep the market as large as possible.
That may well be the case, I suspect that they have sold a few more in Australia over the last couple of years since the Australian dollar has been steadily improving, this combined with a large portion of the baby boomers nearing retirement has resulted in a potential for a few sales from down here.Ryan in Melbourne.
Edited by ezakimak on Tuesday 16th April 13:12
I will be interesting to see if they release suspension changes too...
I have found a car with some chassis flex soaks up the bumps and increases the grip on our uneven roads, however a chassis with this rigidity, will be great for an even track, but on a british road, some changes might be needed..
Dom
I have found a car with some chassis flex soaks up the bumps and increases the grip on our uneven roads, however a chassis with this rigidity, will be great for an even track, but on a british road, some changes might be needed..
Dom
Well, at least Ultimafactory doesnt throw around with American values,
like in this story,
http://www.garra-fans.com/tech/multimatic.htm
read about rigidity-value, multiply to metric value, and try not to laugh,
L.O.L.
Wilfried.
like in this story,
http://www.garra-fans.com/tech/multimatic.htm
read about rigidity-value, multiply to metric value, and try not to laugh,
L.O.L.
Wilfried.
GTRMikie said:
My "old" GTR only has the single hoop roll cage, and no luggage containers. It's a miracle it hasn't folded down the middle!
I expect, like mine, it shows no evidence of the body moving on the chassis so the original chassis is plenty stiff enough for our needs. I'm suspecting these changes are purely to comply with the figures required by other testers like Austalia.Steve
My 2011 chassis bare was more torsionally rigid than Beaurmans figures and gave good beaming test results for a road chassis I have put great effort into the assembly with some modifications [mostly factory parts] and the retesting of the finished product show it to be better than the majority of production sports cars.
We all know any product can be made better or different to suit changing conditions especially now reliable road engines for these cars are producing double the power and significant torque increases of about 15 years ago.
Big tick to the factory for their continued effort as the need for change became evident.
We all know any product can be made better or different to suit changing conditions especially now reliable road engines for these cars are producing double the power and significant torque increases of about 15 years ago.
Big tick to the factory for their continued effort as the need for change became evident.
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