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Car specs and pricing
Big 5 GenV (4 or 5 seat)
Big 5 - Gen IV (4 or
5 seat)
Hustler - Gen IV (4 or
5 seat)
Hustler (2 seater)
Custom specialty cars
Why our cars work so good
Long Travel
Suspension
Rigidity and
Durability
Safety Features
Seating Options
Seating Position
Shock
Technology
Steering Geometry
Utility, Convenience & Comfort
Weight
Distribution
FAQS
History of Funco
Assembled Cars
BIG
5 GenV assembled less drive-train
BIG 5 Gen
IV assembled less drive-train
Examples of otherTurn-key cars
Turn-key, more info
Motor Options
Acura/Honda
V8's
Subaru
VW air-cooled
Motor weight comparisons
Seats Options
Seat Selection
Seat
Upgrades
Other Options
Bolts on options
Chrome & polish
Custom Modifications
Front Brakes
Details and setup
Dash & Wiring
Harness
Gas tank &
Radiator
Pedals,
Turn-brake, Seats & Bags
Kit assembly hints and
instruction
Tire Recommendations
Transaxle, CV's & Axles
Pictures
2008
pictures
2007 Regatta
Cars
2007 Regatta Pictures
2007 Regatta Games
2007 Pictures
2007 EPO Pictures
2006 Regatta Pictures Pg1
2006 Regatta Pictures Pg2
2006 Regatta Pictures Pg3
2005 Pictures
2005 Regatta Group Picture
2005 Regatta Pictures Pg1
2005 Regatta Pictures
Pg2
2005 Regatta Pictures
Pg3
2005 Regatta Pictures
Pg4
2005 Regatta Pictures
Pg5
2004 Pictures
2003 Pictures
2002 Pictures
Other Funco Info
Annual Funco Regatta
Attention Funco owners
Funco Apparel
Funco Clocks
Videos
Links
Outfront
Motorsports, Subaru motors & parts
California
Performance Transaxles
C&G Performance, Subaru & Honda motors
Intercom/Radio Communications
Mendeola
Transaxles link
Sandrail
Camcorder link
Glamis Online link
American
Sand Association link
Open Up More Dunes, Join ASA
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| Duning
is all about turning.
90%
of the time you're turning to negotiate the terrain, transitioning between
bowls, avoiding obstacles, or spinning on a dime for thrills. If your car
understeers or "pushes" in the sand you’ll be fighting for control, making work out
of your play. Good
handling is key to having fun in the sand, and having
a sandcar that handles good with 5 passengers as well as 2 passengers is what
you want. But
interestingly enough, most people have never experienced a good handling
sandcar.
They think that all cars handle about the same, which is far from
reality. |
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| We concentrate on making our
cars turn well in addition to soaking up whoops. Funco has achieved an
ideal 35/65 weight bias ratio front to rear with typical passengers. The
front seats are placed in a cab forward design, moving the weight bias forward.
While moving them forward we also positioned the passengers more upright,
allowing legs to be pulled in. As a
result of pulling in the legs this allowed us to shortened the wheelbase to 117-122" without
stealing legroom. And due to a
shorter wheelbase this improves the turning radius to provide a quick steering
response, resulting in a very nimble car while hauling around 5 passengers.
In summary here's how we achieved our ideal
35/65 weight distribution ratio:
1. "Cab forward" design puts more
weight up front
2. Upright seating helps to move passengers
forward, not to mention it improves
visibility and comfort.
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| The proof of our handling is in the driving.
Good handling in the dunes is truly possible in a 5 seat car. The other proof, you'll almost never see
a Funco car using razor front tires to prevent understeer, simply because they
aren't needed. Funco uses durable farm implement tire to maximize floation
and minimize sand getting thrown into the car. Our
implement tires can also be very
convenient if you want to go on a desert a trail ride,
alleviating the need to swap front tires, implement tires work great in the
desert hard pan dirt.
Whether it's NASCAR, F1, IRL, or
CART, race car designers will tell you the “laws of physics”
say weight distribution is a key element to a good
handling car. Without the weight being distributed to
all 4 wheels properly the suspension and steering geometry cannot work in
harmony, allowing the car to go in the direction it's steered. At Funco we
have found the same “laws of physics” to be true with sandcar
design. Weight distribution and center of gravity
highly affect a sandcar's behavior, that's why we pay so much attention to weight distribution.
Learn
more about our handling characteristics in our steering geometry
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