Engineer to Win (Motorbooks Workshop)

Engineer to Win is a good book for anyone wanting information on metals and the science involved. I am an engineering student so I found a lot of the information very basic as it is covered in materials science within engineering. So things are slighty outdated but overall a good book for anyone with little knowledge of materials science.

I bought this book after a poster on a bicycle forum posted links to preview pages here on Amazon during a discussion about how to torque bolts properly.

What I found in this book was a very well-organized presentation of all aspects of how metals are developed, produced, engineered into parts, and work together with lubricants and other metals... from the molecular level... up to the interaction of complex parts under extreme stress.

If you've ever wondered about about such things, or you already know about such things and needed a clear reference to explain concepts to somebody who doesn't know, this book is for you.

There are plenty of illustrations and charts to further clarify the concepts. The writing and illustrations work together to make the concepts accessible to the non-engineer, and provide an authoritative source which can be used by engineers and mechanics.

The late Carroll Smith is certainly opinionated, but knowledgable on the fundamentals of materials engineering. Although much has happened in the materials field since this writing, the basic fundamentals are covered well.

Smith's books have become bibles for many racers. This one has very good sections dealing with detail aspects of race car systems although it felt like something was missing in the area of suspensions. But suspensions require their own book so that is probably unavoidable.
Smith spent nearly the first third of the book explaining the history, refining, and structure of steel. Interesting stuff but what he was getting to was why ferrous metals fail, and not all of the information in the first third of the book was required for that. And this is a metals book, he had little experience with composites and there is really no useful information about them in the book.
All of his information on threaded fasteners is in his fastener book (which is very good) so reducing that would have made more space for info about race car systems.
I was surprised to see that much of his info about welding was either outdated or incorrect according to the American Welding Society.
So, don't expect too much from this one and check critical information with other sources.

I have read many books pertaining to chassis design, construction techniques, automotive materials selection, suspension design, engine design, engine components and construction, aerodynamics, downforce, sheetmetal fabrication, welding, machining, car tuning, etc. Few I have read more than twice. This is one of those few books. But why?

Carroll Smith presents the information logically, clearly and with the correct amount of depth so that you may make cognizent decisions. He is able to write in such a way that it reads easily...as though you have recorded your conversation as he answers your many questions. It is not dull, engineering jargon but interesting, factual data presented well. It would be nice if all subjects were as well documented and presented. A thanks to Mr. Smith for sharing the information. It must have taken many years (and lessons) to gather.

The pictures are done well, the graphs and tables present the information clearly and adequately backup his statements. If you read the book and absorb all that is presented for you, you will be a much wiser individual for the experience. You will be a better racecar builder AND a better driver as you will understand what is happening as you navigate the course.

I would recommend not only this book but the entire "to WIN" series as they all share these traits.

Happy learning!