neils wrote:... Many of the current F1 inovations won't show up for many years if they show up at all, but they are almost all applicable to street cars.
Neils, first of all, welcome. I thank you for putting succintly on "paper" what I used to believe is the truth, verse and letter.
However, my impressionable mind has been corrupted and I wander away, a ghost of myself, an unbeliever. Let me tell you what happened and maybe you can avoid the same fate:
I discovered in this forum that the aerodynamic shape of a car has almost nothing to do with the F1 aero. I put some photo of an egg-shaped concept and it had, I do not know, like 0.2 CV. I asked what the CV of an F1 was and... It is around 1.0, concluded my forum friends. It is the down force price, they said.
I received a little shock (I was working informally with a team of friends on a pre-design for a hybrid solar car and I was admiring other approachs to design, to be sincere) and maybe I have not recovered.
Nowadays, I see "yet another" platelet, wing thingy or flappie artifact and I think of a baroque church... another convolution on the basic design, forgotten long time ago, if you catch my drift.
Later, clinching my teeth, I read from cover to cover the entire regulations, annexes and all (finally). You cannot fail to notice that materials are severely restricted, so innovations in engine and most of the power train (mainly) are left to other type of races. This material "redirected" me to read about Le Mans, for example, and I learned that they give prizes to thermal efficiency, and that it was a prize Chapman always was keen to fight for.
Before the Renault damper, talking about weight shifting on this very forum, very patient friends told, again, that a damper system, only improved, is used on the 2CV. There are problems with regulations to apply the Citroen system in F1, besides dampers. You know, front and rear axles are connected, they explained.
Neils, one day I started to ponder that most of the standard features in today's cars, the very things you expect to have if you don't cut corners on your visit to the car dealer, like ABS brakes, active suspension, rolling and skidding control, ECU tuning, traction control and the rest, are forbidden in F1.
Then, another day, I discovered the abysmal efficiency of the F1 car in terms of mpg or km/liter, (a day I was working on a paper on the future of fuel for my country, so I don't know if I was too "green" on the subject).
I do not know if this "enlightens" you or not.
I believe I understand the arguments you give, because they used to be my own until mid 90's, a pivotal epoch in F1. I need more of them (arguments) to change my point of view about (what I think is a) cliché: "pinnacle of motor sport." Notice how it is
not "top of auto world".
Maybe you can redeem a lost soul. I confess I have catch myself thinking if it is not better to take "industrialism" by the horns, like NASCAR does...
Lately, I don't even remember where did I put my framed Jack Brabham photo. Can somebody help me?
