New F1 Engine for McLaren

[wowf1]

You'd think that Ilmor would throw these new V8's on the dyno and test the crap out of them before they committed them to car-usage in front of the world's media and dare I say it, damning forums

My idea of designing and developing an engine would be to verify its reliability and basic performance back at the factory. Then install them in the cars and seek for performance improvements after reliability has been achieved.

It seems as though the Ilmor engineers have gone balls-out and attempted to create a super-engine, but have ended up costing themselves time and money.

[Scuderia_Russ]

The dyno won't be able to tell you the effecsts of oil starvation at 5G's though!

[Guest]

Even if their new engine has 60 extra HP and is reliable, the other engine manufactures are laughing. They have been busy with their updated engines for a while now.

I'm afraid to say that no matter which way you try to bend it, they are behind the other teams in possibly the most important component of the car!

[wowf1]

Scuderia Russ said [/quote]The dyno won't be able to tell you the effecsts of oil starvation at 5G's though!
[quote]

Yeh good point. But there's a lot of things that can't be replicated while the engine is on the dyno. I know dyno's don't provide conclusive evidence for a reliable and well-performing engine. However, I would expect teams to try and simulate scenarios which might occur on-track.

I wonder whether Mercedes' problem is a technicality in the design, or a fundamental error in their philosophy. Seeing as this COULD be the 3rd consecutive year in which Mclaren have engine problems, I'm leaning toward the latter.[/quote]

[Spencifer_Murphy]

Yeah, it is becoming questionable as to how everyone else seems to be producing more reliable engines. There must be some sort of "fault" in their design philosophy.

Either that or they are just REALLY unlucky

[manchild]

I also think that it is because of philosophy.

[wowf1]

And we all know how important the design philosophy is. Another thing we know is that it's the engineering management and key staff that direct the engineers toward a particular philosophy. Perhaps Ilmor is lacking the quality and wisdom required for such a task.

I know it's easy to overplay the importance of key staff, but they really do have an influence on the design direction in which the other engineers follow. Adrian Newey is a perfect example. He alone won't make or break a team. However, if surrounded by competent personel, he has proved his ability to knit the engineering team around him and create a winning racecar.

[DaveKillens]

Obviously McLaren's philosophy towards mechanical reliability is to be willing to risk failure. Of all the teams, I believe no one walks that tightrope closer than McLaren. Last season they had to do a few engine changes pre-race. But it produces a quick car, admittedly one that may fail. I sort of like watching McLaren take such risks, it's like watching a drunken tightrope walker stagger along the line, wondering if he will fall this time, or next. They win, or they blow up....

[GTO]

I'm sure Kimi prefers a more reliable engine as alluding to when commenting recently about the new McLaren livery.

"If we can make the car as fast as it looks then we will be in good shape."

I'll bet we wanted to say fast and reliable, but didn't speak his mind in order to not discredit Mercedes. I believe he will base 50% his decision to stay at McLaren in 2007 by how reliable the Merc is in the opening flyaway races.

I agree for a top auto mfg. with the brand instantly recognizable around the globe with quality, the Merc engine reliability has been terrible, and can't have helped to boost their auto sales in any way. It will be especially important this year with BMW ,their main competitor running their own factory team.

Now that there is a break in ties between Merc & Illmor, I think they should contrat their F1 engines out to AMG.

[manchild]

Now that there is a break in ties between Merc & Illmor, I think they should contrat their F1 engines out to AMG.

What do you mean "break in ties between Merc & Illmor"? As much as I know Mercedes bought Ilmor last year or so and now Ilmor belongs to them.

[GTO]

What I meant is that Illmor does not produce the Merc F1 engines anymore. Merc may have bought Illmore's F1 engine procuduction department. But as far as I have recently read somewhere is that the Illmor company still exist exclusively and will begin producing engines for another racing team in Nascar or IRL.

[manchild]

Well, Ilmor was never producing whole F1 engine for Mercedes. They only made lower parts of the engine while heads and timing gear was made by Mercedes.

[ranger]

hope that engine does not send smoke signals all the way to Woking