Car movement physics

[Spike]

Hai. I recently joined the Mario Kart: Source team to help them out with the coding and mapping stuff.

Right now, I'm just thinking a way to make the kart follow realistic vehicle movements. The way I'm thinking the movement system is to follow real physics laws. I'm posting 2 pictures of my sketch, just want to know your opinion, and to correct me in the last part where it says "top view".

The kart needs to be able to make loops and run in walls (when enough inertia).




Kart propieties are:
-Mass
-Max Velocity
-Acceleration (Mass * Acceleration = Engine Force)
-Max Torsion angle (alpha)
-Torsion angle velocity

Engine Force is applied in the current torsion angle direction.

[vcool]

To be more accurate I think you should define "wheels" as the propulsion, rather than the kart gaining acceleration. So, in other words, instead of it all being like a free moving cart with a jet engine behind (the wheels guide the vehicle), you will have a free moving cart with the wheels doing the propulsion.

It's more complicated, but if you want accuracy it's the way to roll. (see what I did there?)

You can then add even more parameters, like mass of the wheels, radius, etc.

Also I'm not really sure what I'm seeing in top view.

[Spike]

The last picture shows the kart moving in a curved wall (from top view).

The wheel system is how actually the other coder made the current system, but I don't really know why he used it. Which are the advantages of using wheels? And, by wheels you mean wheels rotating and collisioning with the ground, or "forces" made by the wheels?