Staggered wheel sizes in F1. pros and cons?

[mzivtins]

Given that F1 and many other racing series adopt a staggered wheel setup (front to rear wheel and tyre width differences) Is it safe to assume that generally a staggered setup is more beneficial to running 'square'?

Specifically, does it help the car as it undergoes changes of direction, changes of centre of gravity etc? Examples being purely for a RWD car.

I'm fairly sold on the basic logic of staggered setups to be beneficial, and i cannot understand the downsides of this?

Help a bro out! There seems to be a whole school of though out there, that this is NOT the way to do things

Thanks bros!

[Tim.Wright]

I don't think F1 have any asymmetries in the wheel and tyre sizes as I believe these are all homologated items.

But things like camber, toe, pressure, corner weights could very well be asymmetrical. As long as you are running on a closed circuit, you will always have a non equal division of left and right turns. If your lap simulations show that performance through a particular corner or corners has a larger effect on laptime than some other corners, it makes sense to bias the setups to these corners and this could result in an asymmetrical setup.

Like anything, its all about correctly prioritising these changes. They need to bring advantages (i.e. reduced tyre wear, increased cornering grip in some corners) which outweigh their disadvantages (reduced braking, traction performance in some corners) over a lap and/or a stint.

Setup asymmetries are largely to manage performance in grip limited situations. So obviously at tracks with a high percentage of the lap spent at full throttle, the less time you are grip limited and therefore you will see less of an effect coming from the asymmetrical setups.

[Jersey Tom]

There's a logistical / inventory / manufacturing downside - fewer different tires the better on that front.

If you had a car that had a more equal weight distribution and far less power - like a street car - split sizes become less important.

Split sizes would be bad news on an AWD car as well.

[BanMeToo]

I don't think F1 have any asymmetries in the wheel and tyre sizes as I believe these are all homologated items.

What do you mean friend. OP is simply asking about rear tires being wider than front tires in F1 (they are).

Split sizes would be bad news on an AWD car as well.

How come? I'm just curious since I don't know much about the topic. And what about high-powered FWD cars?

[rscsr]

I don't think F1 have any asymmetries in the wheel and tyre sizes as I believe these are all homologated items.

What do you mean friend. OP is simply asking about rear tires being wider than front tires in F1 (they are).

Split sizes would be bad news on an AWD car as well.

How come? I'm just curious since I don't know much about the topic. And what about high-powered FWD cars?

The Nissan LMP1 uses much wider Tyres in the front, due to its FWD.
The other LMP cars have been using narrower front tyres until relatively recently. But I think almost all LMP cars now use the same size on all four corners.
This is done to make all tyres wear about the same rate. If for example you use the same size on all four corners, but you have more wear on the front tyres, it could mean to get more understeer the longer you drive.

[graham.reeds]

But I think almost all LMP cars now use the same size on all four corners.

No they don't. Front is narrower than the rear. This is because while the cars are AWD the bulk of the power is transmitted through the rear.

[rscsr]

But I think almost all LMP cars now use the same size on all four corners.

No they don't. Front is narrower than the rear. This is because while the cars are AWD the bulk of the power is transmitted through the rear.

No that is wrong what you say. The front and rear tyres Michelin delivers are 31cm wide. www.24h-lemans.com
And even before they have been using tyres with almost the same width.

[riff_raff]

How about this Lotus Champ Car stagger:

[mzivtins]

So we agree that it kinda points out that it is better to run staggered set-up given the difference needs between fronts and rears.

But what about the evidence?

Does a wider rear tyre cause a slow turn in? does a thinner front allow tighter turn in? is the difference purely to achieve awesome vertical forces in the rears and lateral in the front?