Open wheel advantages

[vis]

What are the advantages for a car (F1) to be open wheeled?
Doesn't this mean far more extra drag than enclosed body?

I may only spot some weight saving, but this could be true for F1 early days, now with composite materials this is no more an issue...

[RH1300S]

I think there are very few advantages to having open wheeled cars. If closed wheels were legal, you can bet that all teams would cover them up.

I think that the open wheeled formula comes right back to the beginning when race cars had all sorts stripped off them to save weight. Then, they became single seaters (when riding mechanics were no longer mandatory) - kept the open wheels (skinny tyres and lower speeds and blocky cars, so there was more to be saved in looking at the shaping the car body than covering the wheels).

As time moved on, sports cars and grand prix cars separated - As cars got faster people started closing the wheels on GP cars, this was soon banned.

I strongly suspect that regulating open wheel cars was a way to make the pure race cars visually different from the sports car series - not much more than that.

[Ciro Pabón]

Well, RH1300S is right about the aerodynamic disadvantage.

This is just to say that when you can see the wheels you can be more precise positioning them where you want. In cars with covered wheels, I always have to place my left foot where (I think) the left wheel edge is, if I want to be precise while driving.

BTW, what happened to the little stick protruding from the middle of the nose that apparently were used by pilots to "point" the car more precisely in curves? I do not remember seeing them today... maybe last season or the previous one. Did they disappeared or I am just getting blind? Do they have a name?

[Tom]

I doubt the drivers pay attention to the direction of their wheels other than what their hands feel on the steering wheel.

I was always taught to visualise which way the wheels are facing, it helps alot in oversteer situations.

[JimmyK]

I doubt the drivers pay attention to the direction of their wheels other than what their hands feel on the steering wheel.

I'm not so sure, I read somewhere a while back that the reason Jenson Button sits higher than the norm in his car is so he can place the front more effectively by seeing more of the car at the front.

[mini696]

Mostly its a weigh advantage.

[janus]

i think in the first times of racing the opeen whells was to save weight ,now in f1 is about fia trying to reduce speeds.

[johny]

no fia here , thet choose that way and changing that is breaking the formula 1 spirit

[vyselegend]

Have you heard about the Caparo T1? It's a car by a new brand created by some of ex-Mac Laren staff members.

What has it to do with this topic?

Well, this new supercar is based on a F1 design, single seater powered by a 2.4l V8 tightly packaged. And athough there is no bodywork covering the front suspentions (as a F1 car), wheels are covered.
So it seems whenever you have the choice, it's better to cover them. Or maybe they were forced to do so because of road homologation.
BTW, The car is said to produce around 500 HP for around 500 kg, and to be able to fight with the Bugatti Veyron for 1/4 the price. Nice one!

[G-Rock]

This may or may not be an advantage (depending on your philosophy) but open wheels force drivers to drive a clean race without the bumping and grinding like you see in Nascar or DTM for instance. This allows the drivers to spend more time and energy on driving instead of dirty driving. It keeps F1 a gentlemans sport.
Touching another car is a huge risk for the driver that doesn't pay off ( just think of Schumi and his blocking maneuvers of the past) It results in broken wings, suspension and even worse, a tire climbing ontop of the other cars tire, causing the car to jump or flip into the air.
F1 would change overnight if they had covered wheels...

[zac510]

BTW, The car is said to produce around 500 HP for around 500 kg, and to be able to fight with the Bugatti Veyron for 1/4 the price. Nice one!

It doesn't produce any horsepower. I've seen it and it doesn't have an engine or even an interior.

[basrawi]

the official web site of the car http://www.caparo-t1.com

[RH1300S]

Just got one thing to say.............

Windscreen wipers?

[Tom]

the glory that is ther ultimate lamina flow? check out the Citroen CX rear windscreen for more info. Does not work when car is stopped or reversing!

[RACKITUP]

"the official web site of the car http://www.caparo-t1.com"


anyone have the contact details, as currently nothing is available on their website?



Advantages of an open wheel car.....main reason, weight, thats about it[/i]