Mercedes W11

[PlatinumZealot]

The Mercedes' low rake concept will serve it well next year.

DAS will be missed, hoewever Merc should still have the edge. I dare say they will be even faster next year.

By cutting back the floor there is an opportunity to squeeze an new vortex or bend the exting on running in front if the rear wheels along the cut in the floor. Floor area is lost, and thus less distance from pressure peak to edge of floor, but i see some new device being invented to counteract this. Floor slats are banned so vortices will be a little more destabilized. Looking forward to the engineering solutions to be invented.

[PhillipM]

Honestly I can still see a way to use DAS in the regs, albeit it would be a heavier/more limited setup to work with the wording, which might negate the point

[zibby43]

Honestly I can still see a way to use DAS in the regs, albeit it would be a heavier/more limited setup to work with the wording, which might negate the point

Feel free to elaborate. You have piqued my curiosity.

On a side note, when they do lose DAS, they're going to pick up performance from weight savings and the ability to play with ballast more.

[M840TR]

Honestly I can still see a way to use DAS in the regs, albeit it would be a heavier/more limited setup to work with the wording, which might negate the point

Feel free to elaborate. You have piqued my curiosity.

On a side note, when they do lose DAS, they're going to pick up performance from weight savings and the ability to play with ballast more.

I reckon they might opt for more adventurous alternatives to ballast options as a result of lesser weight, akin to the new rear suspension that required some strengthening with some weight penalty.

[SiLo]

I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but I only just realised this myself.

DAS allows Mercedes to heat up the front tyres irrespective of the rears. Most other forms of heating but energy into all of them; breaking, weaving etc. Now they can heat the rears with burnouts, and the fronts with DAS to properly tune the car.

it's not just about getting MORE heat into the tyres or making it easier, its about that control they get over which tyres get the heat.

[godlameroso]

Do burnouts heat the tire carcass or just the surface?

[OO7]

I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but I only just realised this myself.

DAS allows Mercedes to heat up the front tyres irrespective of the rears. Most other forms of heating but energy into all of them; breaking, weaving etc. Now they can heat the rears with burnouts, and the fronts with DAS to properly tune the car.

it's not just about getting MORE heat into the tyres or making it easier, its about that control they get over which tyres get the heat.

DAS allows for a great temperature differential to be generated between the front and rear, however altering the brake bias has the same effect to a lesser degree (I think).

[SiLo]

I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but I only just realised this myself.

DAS allows Mercedes to heat up the front tyres irrespective of the rears. Most other forms of heating but energy into all of them; breaking, weaving etc. Now they can heat the rears with burnouts, and the fronts with DAS to properly tune the car.

it's not just about getting MORE heat into the tyres or making it easier, its about that control they get over which tyres get the heat.

DAS allows for a great temperature differential to be generated between the front and rear, however altering the brake bias has the same effect to a lesser degree (I think).

I think the difference would still be quite large. Braking puts energy into all the tyres unless you go really far forwards on the brake balance and then you risk locking and damaging the tyre.

[Big Tea]

I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but I only just realised this myself.

DAS allows Mercedes to heat up the front tyres irrespective of the rears. Most other forms of heating but energy into all of them; breaking, weaving etc. Now they can heat the rears with burnouts, and the fronts with DAS to properly tune the car.

it's not just about getting MORE heat into the tyres or making it easier, its about that control they get over which tyres get the heat.

DAS allows for a great temperature differential to be generated between the front and rear, however altering the brake bias has the same effect to a lesser degree (I think).

Can you still 'light up' the rears now, or is it all controlled? Not suggesting T/C of course, I mean no one would do that would they?

I just seem to recall someone saying they can not do donuts (to face the right way) these days. May have been Seb

[e30ernest]

I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but I only just realised this myself.

DAS allows Mercedes to heat up the front tyres irrespective of the rears. Most other forms of heating but energy into all of them; breaking, weaving etc. Now they can heat the rears with burnouts, and the fronts with DAS to properly tune the car.

it's not just about getting MORE heat into the tyres or making it easier, its about that control they get over which tyres get the heat.

DAS allows for a great temperature differential to be generated between the front and rear, however altering the brake bias has the same effect to a lesser degree (I think).

Can you still 'light up' the rears now, or is it all controlled? Not suggesting T/C of course, I mean no one would do that would they?

I just seem to recall someone saying they can not do donuts (to face the right way) these days. May have been Seb

I think the difference with donuts is that you'd be dropping the clutch so you put more strain (shock) into the drivetrain. Doing burnouts on high horse engines like these is just a matter of flooring the throttle to break traction. Because of that the torque applied to the drive train would be no more than what its max load would be at full acceleration (maybe even less).

[DarthPlagueisTheVise]

Merc experimenting or is das just not useful enough for them anymore?

[Morteza]

[Morteza]

Some nice detail shots from Motorsport.com

[zibby43]

Front brake assembly:





DAS-less:

[OO7]

Front brake assembly:

https://cdn-1.motorsport.com/images/mgl ... deta-1.jpg

I just love the look of the rear suspension.