And again... back to outboard mirrors

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It start to look like Toyota is playing a game with us. All the way through 2007, the team used standard mirrors attached to the cockpit sides. Then, at their TF108 launch, it was with great surprise to see that they had chosen to move the mirrors outboard and fix them onto the sidepod panels, similar to Renault's solution on their R27. However, the first three races were again run with a more conventional system. A temporary measure it seems as a completely new design was unpacked at Barcelona. The team decided that, while their launch solution probably wasn't solid enough, the aerodynamic benefits of outboard mirrors by far outweigh the extra efforts that needed to be made. The results is displayed in the image, which clearly shows the pylon connecting the mirror directly on the sidepod, just like at Ferrari. It is however surprising that the mirror covers themselves have hardly changed through their different solutions.




Comments

By gcdugas on 16-04-2008 at 20:35

Perhaps by retaining the shape of the mirror covers Toyota can better isolate the aero benefits of each location. If the gains are small or negligible, then I believe they will be better off positioned to help the drivers see. After all, not hitting competitors and crashing has benefits too. :) :)


By macro820 on 17-04-2008 at 04:36

I\'m assuming that the shape doesn\'t actually matter much because its behind the tires.


By Steven on 17-04-2008 at 19:29

Actually, not completely. In fact the mirrors are much more to the centre of the car than at Ferrari or Red Bull. I\'m sure it diminishes the possible advantage from such designs but they must have their reasons ;)


By lambofan2003 on 31-08-2008 at 13:29

With todays tech, You would think that they would develop a rear view camera with a small screen on the dash or steering wheel. Oh even better they should develop a heads up display that would show the driver the image in the top right corner of his helmet.


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