Mclaren MP4-30 Honda

[Postmoe]

Not being a technical guy, I cannot help myself but to wonder...

How much this layout can affect CoG? It seems to me radiators are very high. and placed in a quite bulky way. Being water cooled this layout would have been unthinkable some years ago in my opinion, I supose compromises change.

[PlatinumZealot]

Honda PU

Unusual to have heat shielding up so high....

The compressor seems to be at the front of the engine too.

[PlatinumZealot]

Is that a water-air intercooler mounted above the engine?

Yes. Alongside the central air outlet.

Are you sure of that size of water cooler can intercool a 700 horsepower engine? hmmm....
Might be safer to put it in the side pods...

[dren]

Yes, looks like a front mounted compressor. I don't think that is an intercooler, I don't see charge air in or out. It looks like a heat exchanger, maybe for oil. Or it could be a liquid to air cooler to cool the liquid used for an in-line intercooler.

It is hard to spot the exhaust, but as tight as the heat shielding is, it could be log style.

[patrik]

Is that a water-air intercooler mounted above the engine?

Yes. Alongside the central air outlet.

Are you sure of that size of water cooler can intercool a 700 horsepower engine? hmmm....
Might be safer to put it in the side pods...

"Intercooler" is the part that cools the air going inside the turbo.

[aleks_ader]

Probably oil cooler.

Maybe CofG penalty could be fixed with ballast and aero gain. Probably they made couple "mm^2" smaller and tighter sidepods in that regard. So overall gain of the whole packet could be bigger.

[dren]

Probably oil cooler.

That's the most likely candidate. It's cooing some sort of liquid. Either oil or a liquid used to cool other components.

[aleks_ader]

Even then, they could with no problems move this "airbox" rad much lower toward back of the car just behind turbine to negate CofG. Like team do very often for gearbox, oil cooler on top of the clutchbell (its true it is just half of the size ,but point is here).

But strangely they try for whatever cost clean "coke-bottle" area before difuzor. Really aero porn without compromise.

So we could also assume they must had quite some weight or ballast savings to do that even more effectively. But that is major speculation, because the minimum weight and also min CoFG height for PU in mandated according rules. So there are little options to do that so much differently like for instance Merc or now Ferrari&Renault did. But guys are there some loopholes to play around that?

[KingHamilton01]

Honda PU
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9AgT_eIEAAB90v.jpg:large

That explains why they need that big air exit for the engine cover.

All in all the driveability of the ICE seems very poor at that stage of testing. Also is sliding in and out of every corner.

to be fair a lot was made of the car sliding around, but he had intermediate tyres on at the time.

[Egresi Tamás]

https://twitter.com/ScarbsF1/status/563030515926974464

[michl420]

Even then, they could with no problems move this "airbox" rad much lower toward back of the car just behind turbine to negate CofG. Like team do very often for gearbox, oil cooler on top of the clutchbell (its true it is just half of the size ,but point is here).

But strangely they try for whatever cost clean "coke-bottle" area before difuzor. Really aero porn without compromise.

So we could also assume they must had quite some weight or ballast savings to do that even more effectively. But that is major speculation, because the minimum weight and also min CoFG height for PU in mandated according rules. So there are little options to do that so much differently like for instance Merc or now Ferrari&Renault did. But guys are there some loopholes to play around that?

Coolers are excluded both min CoFG and min weight. It's a strange Position, maybe they need a big cooler and above the gearbox is not enough space.

[acosmichippo]

Coolers are excluded both min CoFG and min weight.

what do you mean by that?

[PlatinumZealot]

Think he is saying that the coolers don't weigh that much so they don't change the COG greatly....
I don't necessarily agree... but he could be right. Mclaren will not do it if it drastically changes the COG in a bad way.

[604gtir]

they're not calculated into the cog rule for the engine

section 5

http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules ... 9/fia.html

two trains of thought
1. you keep the weight in the middle of the car and a little higher
2. you keep the weight low but towards the rear of the car affecting balance, as well as adding some aero blockage

i'd pick 1 myself, as only a portion of it is high up with the majority of it quite low around the engine

[aleks_ader]

Even then, they could with no problems move this "airbox" rad much lower toward back of the car just behind turbine to negate CofG. Like team do very often for gearbox, oil cooler on top of the clutchbell (its true it is just half of the size ,but point is here).

But strangely they try for whatever cost clean "coke-bottle" area before difuzor. Really aero porn without compromise.

So we could also assume they must had quite some weight or ballast savings to do that even more effectively. But that is major speculation, because the minimum weight and also min CoFG height for PU in mandated according rules. So there are little options to do that so much differently like for instance Merc or now Ferrari&Renault did. But guys are there some loopholes to play around that?

Coolers are excluded both min CoFG and min weight. It's a strange Position, maybe they need a big cooler and above the gearbox is not enough space.

Probabbly he think PU minimum weight?

And also we could just look and compare both design concepts. Lotus solution is just like i describe above. Lower above gearbox and just behind turbine.