Pirelli 18 inch tyres - visualization

[SidSidney]

From Pirelli, copyright free images:-




Also video, but apparently Pirelli doesn't know how to use Vimeo or Youtube, so they provided a zip file:-

http://www.studiovandone.com/TMP/PIRELL ... NG.mp4.zip

[Holm86]

I think it looks good in the pictures

[rentta]

I wonder are they going to use cf or aluminium wheels. Cf ones would have great weight advantage and as we know Less unsprung weight = better

[Holm86]

I wonder are they going to use cf or aluminium wheels. Cf ones would have great weight advantage and as we know Less unsprung weight = better

Probably magnesium.

[FoxHound]

The video...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj9hZiNYDZk[/youtube]

[☠ Purple Possum ☠]

I seriously doubt that you would go fast with them unless you make it mandatory by the regs and here is why...

It's not just the weight but the moment of INERTIA which scales with the SQUARE of the radius. It's rather hard to cancel out this dependency with a clever choice of rim material.

Gains? There are none!

Sure, this construction would distribute the loads over a large piece of rubber and makes the tyres more durable. Is this an advantage if you can do pit stops?

In terms of ride characteristics and aerodynamics a wheel with infinite radius would be ideal, since the vanishing curvature would minimize excitation by bumps on the track. Unfortunately the accelerating force you can apply to the road is the torque divided by wheel radius. So is this really the way to go in times of smaller and smaller more "eco-friendly" engines?

[mrluke]

Err has the rolling circumference actually changed?

The potential performance advantages of low profile tiles are fairly well established by now. I cant think of any tarmac race series which use anything other than the largest legal wheels with the smallest legal sidewalls (other than drag racing)?

How often do we hear the teams complain about how difficult the tyres are to mange/understand? Replacing the sidewall with a solid wheel is going to be much easier to model and will allow the teams to adjust their suspension easier as currently the mandatory spec tyre sidewall is a significant component which cannot be altered.

[Racewatcher]

The wheel radius isn't changing. It's still 26", just lower profile tires and larger rims, so no net effect on torque. Weight and suspension characteristics will change though.

[rentta]

I wonder are they going to use cf or aluminium wheels. Cf ones would have great weight advantage and as we know Less unsprung weight = better

Probably magnesium.

Hmm Cf would be stronger and i assume doesn't weigh more than magnesium ( also magnesium is bit of an fire hazard )

[Holm86]

I wonder are they going to use cf or aluminium wheels. Cf ones would have great weight advantage and as we know Less unsprung weight = better

Probably magnesium.

Hmm Cf would be stronger and i assume doesn't weigh more than magnesium ( also magnesium is bit of an fire hazard )

Current wheels are magnesium. And if CF was a superior material how come they don't already use it for their wheels?

[Just_a_fan]

The rules prevent the use of CF:

12.3 Wheel material :
Wheels must be made from AZ70 or AZ80 magnesium alloys.

[Holm86]

The rules prevent the use of CF:

12.3 Wheel material :
Wheels must be made from AZ70 or AZ80 magnesium alloys.

Okay, I wonder if those rules are a bit out of date. Koenigsegg makes production wheels which are entirely made from carbon fibers. And so much is already made from cf on an F1 car today. So cant imagine it would be too expensive.

[PlatinumZealot]

Carbon fibre is a bit risky when it comes to re-using wheels. Yes it has good fatigue life, but point impact and toughness is another thing. Will it bend? Will the wheel barrel break into five peices? Will the plastic resin deform from the emense brake temperature? Should some other material be added to prevent this?

CF has been successful on some street cars but the issues associated with their use, re-use and repair over a long period of time needs some more understanding IMO.

Some insight.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGGiuaQwcd8[/youtube]

[rentta]

Current wheels are magnesium. And if CF was a superior material how come they don't already use it for their wheels?[/quote]

Ah i didn't know that. I assumed they use forged alu wheels.
Also cf wheels are very new technology and sometimes f1 doesn't move on fast enough

[Lycoming]

Other issues with carbon wheels is getting them to hold air properly and mounting/demounting tires without damaging them. Not insurmountable, but things to be dealt with.