McLaren MP4-26 Mercedes

[Owen.C93]

Springless rear suspension? How do you mean?

Many teams have a adopted a springless rear suspension setup.Which allows a soft rear end but a stiff front end.

http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2010/12/0 ... evolution/

[ringo]

I don't buy into the spring-less rear suspension so much.
There isn't any factual evidence for it. The suspension has to be sprung no matter how you want to set it up.

[thisisatest]

it isnt springless, exactly, just no side springs. and you dont need them. there is the heave spring controlling heave (of course) and the anti-roll bar controlling (guesses?) roll. any movement at one end of the car will be one, the other, or a combination of the two.
the only compromise possible with the removal of side springs is, say, if the side spring/damper system had a certain rising rate, while the heave spring had another rising rate, and you wanted the heave or roll springing to follow the rate of one over another.
i havent thought it through, but i imagine the springing of the antiroll system is typically linear?

[ringo]

well i've heard about that speculation, but i have'nt seen springless corners on any of the gearbox close up shots.
The all seem to have the torsion bar corner springs.

So it's really a lack of evidence why i'm not convinced; though i am open to the idea. Hard to accept something without evidence.

[timbo]

The all seem to have the torsion bar corner springs

Is it really possible to see whether the rocker is mounted on a torsion or a simle shaft?

[Giblet]

well i've heard about that speculation, but i have'nt seen springless corners on any of the gearbox close up shots.
The all seem to have the torsion bar corner springs.

So it's really a lack of evidence why i'm not convinced; though i am open to the idea. Hard to accept something without evidence.

Not sure if this is evidence, but when iRacing scanned the FW31, and worked with Williams to model it, they had to change their setup guide and options to include a springless rear end. Only the heave spring and ARB are there to adjust.

I would assume most if not all the other cars would be the same. Why package springs when you don't need them? Seems inefficient.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9094

[raymondu999]

I think they'll be introducing their short-chord rear wing here in Spa. I wonder if that will hamper their race pace, or the way they heat their tyres up, which they have excelled of late (and did too well in Valencia)

[Tim.Wright]

The all seem to have the torsion bar corner springs

Is it really possible to see whether the rocker is mounted on a torsion or a simle shaft?

When you look at the pivot of the rocker, its usually has some clues. If you see a spline inside, then its probably connected to the torsion bar.

Tim

[Pierce89]

it isnt springless, exactly, just no side springs. and you dont need them. there is the heave spring controlling heave (of course) and the anti-roll bar controlling (guesses?) roll. any movement at one end of the car will be one, the other, or a combination of the two.
the only compromise possible with the removal of side springs is, say, if the side spring/damper system had a certain rising rate, while the heave spring had another rising rate, and you wanted the heave or roll springing to follow the rate of one over another.
i havent thought it through, but i imagine the springing of the antiroll system is typically linear?

Ferrari has a sprung dual rate anti-roll bar

[Pierce89]

I think it's clear in the last two races that the McLaren front end is absolutely mighty. It's a lot stronger in the slow corners and the turn-in and direction change in the slow speed corners is awesome. Does anyone know why this is? Or at least which parts contribute to this?

They showed a similar trait last year (especially in Turkey and Monaco) before they kind of lost their way on development and developed their way into a cul-de-sac

snowplough?

More likey their front wing that looks like a "Transformer"

[hardingfv32]

Shouldn't the rocker be able to function without the spring being in place? The torsion bar in the Williams rocker assembly I own floats on it's splines.

Brian

[ringo]

well i've heard about that speculation, but i have'nt seen springless corners on any of the gearbox close up shots.
The all seem to have the torsion bar corner springs.

So it's really a lack of evidence why i'm not convinced; though i am open to the idea. Hard to accept something without evidence.

Not sure if this is evidence, but when iRacing scanned the FW31, and worked with Williams to model it, they had to change their setup guide and options to include a springless rear end. Only the heave spring and ARB are there to adjust.

I would assume most if not all the other cars would be the same. Why package springs when you don't need them? Seems inefficient.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9094

Well that's a point, but it's to distant and 2nd order to be of binding evidence. It's just me, but i don't like to harp on things that may not be true. We'll all look silly if it weren't the case.
We need a quote or some images that definitely say they corners are springless.

[Just_a_fan]

It's just me, but i don't like to harp on things that may not be true.

Didn't stop you filling the forward exhaust thread! Sorry, couldn't resist...

[ringo]

Filling it with what?

F1 technical is best served with supported evidence. Those make the best, longest, marathon threads.

I've been looking on the gearboxes and it's not obvious as to if they are springless or sprung.



This one looks like it may have corner springs. This is the ferrari. The tube diameter and the plate on the end are a few signs.

The bell crank would need to be on a bearing if it were to freely rotate around the tube.

The redbull is harder to read.

may be springless, have to look for the signs, but not enough evidence.

As for the Mclaren, it's anyones guess. But we need more informationzzz.

[MIKEY_!]

For something different i was wondering why this car has a gearbox/whatever else cooling intake behind the airbox. Wouldn't it be better to have this low down (base of the sidepods) or back near the gearbox itself. I would have thought that would allow cleaner airflow to the RW.

PS or even in the airbox and design it so there was air spillage into the engine intake.