2017-2020 Aerodynamic Regulations Thread

[Manoah2u]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjyDypVUgAA8OD9.jpg:large

front tires too wide, rear tires too narrow.

If you're stuck in the 80's or if you're into drag racing, maybe, but I love the look of huge aggressive meats at each corner.

you completely fail to understand the point.

the image is not even close to what it looks like in 2017. the front tires on this image are too wide and the rear tires too narrow.

[Andres125sx]

Anyone think we'll see shorter wheelbase cars? Now that the diffuser is more efficient, and the floor is bigger, and the wider track and tires. At the very least the new proportions of the cars are going to make them look shorter than this year. Or will we still see cars that look like cigarette boats?

Unfortunately not, but I would have wished that the new regulations would have shortened the wheelbase too. IMO the cars are way too long, it looks stupid, and I also think a shorter car would be more twitchy and harder to drive, which is what we are all looking for.

I heard Alonso some months ago stating current cars are way too long, but he said they´re so long they´re too dificult to control when sliding.

It was a very surprising statement to me, as I also was conviced that would make them easier to master, but looks like I was wrong, he was asking for shorter cars so they can slide easier than today

[Henk]

Anyone think we'll see shorter wheelbase cars? Now that the diffuser is more efficient, and the floor is bigger, and the wider track and tires. At the very least the new proportions of the cars are going to make them look shorter than this year. Or will we still see cars that look like cigarette boats?

Unfortunately not, but I would have wished that the new regulations would have shortened the wheelbase too. IMO the cars are way too long, it looks stupid, and I also think a shorter car would be more twitchy and harder to drive, which is what we are all looking for.

I heard Alonso some months ago stating current cars are way too long, but he said they´re so long they´re too dificult to control when sliding.

It was a very surprising statement to me, as I also was conviced that would make them easier to master, but looks like I was wrong, he was asking for shorter cars so they can slide easier than today

I think it's a tradeoff. Shorter cars can be controlled while sliding while longer cars don't slide but when they do you're gone.

[Holm86]

Unfortunately not, but I would have wished that the new regulations would have shortened the wheelbase too. IMO the cars are way too long, it looks stupid, and I also think a shorter car would be more twitchy and harder to drive, which is what we are all looking for.

I heard Alonso some months ago stating current cars are way too long, but he said they´re so long they´re too dificult to control when sliding.

It was a very surprising statement to me, as I also was conviced that would make them easier to master, but looks like I was wrong, he was asking for shorter cars so they can slide easier than today

I think it's a tradeoff. Shorter cars can be controlled while sliding while longer cars don't slide but when they do you're gone.

Exactly, a longer car is much harder to get sliding, but when it does it's really hard to recover. A shorter car would be easier to get into a slide, and control when sliding. But you dont drive faster when the car slides, thats why it would take more work from the drivers to drive these cars.

[SectorOne]

I think a longer car is easier to control when sliding. It´s a longer pendulum to work with and react to.

[Andres125sx]

I think a longer car is easier to control when sliding. It´s a longer pendulum to work with and react to.

And with more inertia, so more difficult to stop

Keep in mind that is not my suposition, that´s what Fernando Alonso said. I guess, as always, there´s a limit for everything. If you compare a Smart with a Mercedes, a longer wheelbase is better, but once you go longer and longer, there must be some limit where inertia becomes too big so instead of doing it easier, it becomes more difficult to stop that high mass from moving sideways

[Juzh]

Just look at it this way: what's the easiest 4 wheeled thing to drift?
Go-karts.
By FAR.
You can literally mind control those things during a slide. And they're pretty short in length, are they not?

[feni_remmen]

I don't have a clue, but my limited understanding was the cars got longer in 1998 to gain some dynamic stability lost when they narrowed the cars. One of the MP4/13's big advantages. Isn't that why everyone but mclaren progressively lengthened their cars throughout 1998. Then they just got progressively longer as it helped the aero?
Also, doesn't the longer car make for a more manageable aero platform (when compared to a shorter car)? will the wider car and bigger tyres allow for a shorter platform? I was surprised when narrower cars got longer..

Also, I seem to remember when they switched to 15" tyres in 1993, didn't it allow teams to run more downforce as the smaller tyres produced less drag? If I recall it didn't impact on lap times much.

It's a shame they didn't kept everything else the same and just plonked 18 or 19" rears on and let the cars be 2metres wide! That would've been great!

[PABLOEING]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkgBx-MWYAAdDia.jpg

Diffuser in WRC 2017 is like the F1 2017 too?

[FW17]

I don't have a clue, but my limited understanding was the cars got longer in 1998 to gain some dynamic stability lost when they narrowed the cars. One of the MP4/13's big advantages. Isn't that why everyone but mclaren progressively lengthened their cars throughout 1998. Then they just got progressively longer as it helped the aero?
Also, doesn't the longer car make for a more manageable aero platform (when compared to a shorter car)? will the wider car and bigger tyres allow for a shorter platform? I was surprised when narrower cars got longer..

Also, I seem to remember when they switched to 15" tyres in 1993, didn't it allow teams to run more downforce as the smaller tyres produced less drag? If I recall it didn't impact on lap times much.

It's a shame they didn't kept everything else the same and just plonked 18 or 19" rears on and let the cars be 2metres wide! That would've been great!

Cars got longer after all the winglets got banned and diffuser became shorter. Combination of a need to have maximum airflow to the beam wing and rake of the car made it longer. Then fuel tank became larger and turbo needed to be accommodated in the current cars which made them even longer

Wheel bases
1997
2800 mm

1998
2900

2003
3100

2006
3050

2009
3200

2011
3500

2015
3520

[Pierce89]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkgBx-MWYAAdDia.jpg

Diffuser in WRC 2017 is like the F1 2017 too?

What exactly are you asking?

[feni_remmen]

I don't have a clue, but my limited understanding was the cars got longer in 1998 to gain some dynamic stability lost when they narrowed the cars. One of the MP4/13's big advantages. Isn't that why everyone but mclaren progressively lengthened their cars throughout 1998. Then they just got progressively longer as it helped the aero?
Also, doesn't the longer car make for a more manageable aero platform (when compared to a shorter car)? will the wider car and bigger tyres allow for a shorter platform? I was surprised when narrower cars got longer..

Also, I seem to remember when they switched to 15" tyres in 1993, didn't it allow teams to run more downforce as the smaller tyres produced less drag? If I recall it didn't impact on lap times much.

It's a shame they didn't kept everything else the same and just plonked 18 or 19" rears on and let the cars be 2metres wide! That would've been great!

Cars got longer after all the winglets got banned and diffuser became shorter. Combination of a need to have maximum airflow to the beam wing and rake of the car made it longer. Then fuel tank became larger and turbo needed to be accommodated in the current cars which made them even longer

Wheel bases
1997
2800 mm

1998
2900

2003
3100

2006
3050

2009
3200

2011
3500

2015
3520

Oh dear. I had no idea we could be up to 3500 wheelbases? No way! That's crazy long. I remember being frustrated that they were at 3000!

[FW17]

Current cars have the same footprint as this

[mrluke]

If we lopped a metre off of the body length that would bring the weight down a lot.

Generally shorter wheel base cars are more "twitchy" the back comes round quicker and is more difficult to control. A longer wheel base is more stable, the back comes round slower and is easier to control. This is all further affected by weight distribution, overhangs etc etc but that is the general principal.

[Andres125sx]

Just look at it this way: what's the easiest 4 wheeled thing to drift?
Go-karts.
By FAR.
You can literally mind control those things during a slide. And they're pretty short in length, are they not?

And pretty light too, that must play a role I think