Shortly after the final competition of 2008 the design team began work on USM09, the successor to USM08 which had performed flawlessly during the 2008 campaign. Owing to the success of USM08 the decision was taken early on that USM09 should be an evolutionary design utilising the successful design aspects of USM08.

 

With a view to improving safety, the organisers of Formula Student have introduced several new rules dictating the size of the driver cell. As such, the chassis of USM09 has seen significant redesign to not only comply with the new rules but also for increased stiffness. Finite Element Analysis has been used extensively to determine the most efficient chassis structure whilst a rig has been built to physically test the chassis stiffness and validate the computer based analyses.

 

In a departure from previous years, USM09 will feature purchased wheels. Previously Strathclyde cars have featured wheels which the team had designed and had manufactured themselves. In the interests of producing a reliable car early, to provide ample testing time prior to the competition, the team has decided that purchasing wheels would reduce the team's workload and streamline the manufacturing process.

 

Another change from previous USM cars is the use of twin disc brakes on the rear wheels replacing the single rear disc. This should provide improved stopping power and alleviate some of the reliability issues associated with single rear discs. Careful material selection for the floating discs and the use of heat treatment processes should also improve the disc and pad wear on USM09's brakes.