Clever idea, but an even more clever engineering feat to have it be so responsive. Has anyone shown that this is can truly make a difference in all the phases of racing, like braking, handling, and acceleration?
this is the first I've ever seen of it... so I have no answers, been too busy to even think to look for more info. But, it's so damn simple it's face smacking easy, just couple two hydraulic rams to the power steering! One more to the brake pedal, and POW in your face wing controls you don't need a computer for!
Also, the past 60 years of Aero improvements prove it works, hell, the Veyron has had the air brakes function on it's wing for the past decade, so have Porsches and McLarens too I think. Also, they wouldn't have done it if it didn't work!
I no longer follow auto racing as I once did, so things may have significantly changed. But at one time, I recall that various wing (and other air flow devices) seemed to show to be much less effective at lower speeds. On oval Indy-type circuits where speeds are relatively high for most of the circuit I can see how effective wing-control could be. On the other hand, road courses have more than a few places that speeds are way less than straightaways, and that makes me wonder how effective this could be. However, that may have changed with the advent of sophisticated sensors, software, and computerized controls, because I would think you'd need lightning quick response times to gain any real advantage. It would seem to me, that controlling this mechanically, again you'd lose some effectiveness, just by virtue of linkages, cables, and friction which may offset big gains, but as I said, things may have changed a lot.
Clever idea, but an even more clever engineering feat to have it be so responsive. Has anyone shown that this is can truly make a difference in all the phases of racing, like braking, handling, and acceleration?
ReplyDeletethis is the first I've ever seen of it... so I have no answers, been too busy to even think to look for more info.
DeleteBut, it's so damn simple it's face smacking easy, just couple two hydraulic rams to the power steering! One more to the brake pedal, and POW in your face wing controls you don't need a computer for!
Also, the past 60 years of Aero improvements prove it works, hell, the Veyron has had the air brakes function on it's wing for the past decade, so have Porsches and McLarens too I think.
Also, they wouldn't have done it if it didn't work!
Dog fighting aircraft controls on the ground. No doubt that wing will will make difficult road courcec much easier to negotiate.
ReplyDeleteI no longer follow auto racing as I once did, so things may have significantly changed. But at one time, I recall that various wing (and other air flow devices) seemed to show to be much less effective at lower speeds. On oval Indy-type circuits where speeds are relatively high for most of the circuit I can see how effective wing-control could be. On the other hand, road courses have more than a few places that speeds are way less than straightaways, and that makes me wonder how effective this could be. However, that may have changed with the advent of sophisticated sensors, software, and computerized controls, because I would think you'd need lightning quick response times to gain any real advantage. It would seem to me, that controlling this mechanically, again you'd lose some effectiveness, just by virtue of linkages, cables, and friction which may offset big gains, but as I said, things may have changed a lot.
ReplyDelete