Need help finding rules on...

[fastback33]

Or more simply, the rule where car's can not have anything protruding past the tire. Got into a conversation with a gent And he has called me out. It basically boiled down to mclarens revised front wheel cover's with the carbon covering a portion of the tire. I told him it was illegal and he threw the rule book at me and otld me to find it. So did i totally misinterpret or am i just being an idiot. Thanks for the help btw.

[teecof1fan]

Hey fastback,

Check this out; there is some discussion as to whether that is just a sensor or if it is within regs

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4965&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=40

Cheers!

(I think the discussion about the new McLaren cover starts on this page, it might be the previous page)

[fastback33]

Ah yes, i've seen that. However i'm looking for the section in the rules where the front width can only be so wide, as to negate these types of wheel covers, or not allowed to have anything covering the tires, so i can finish this conversation.

[teecof1fan]

Well excuse me! This is all I can come up with, then:

3.11 Bodywork around the front wheels : 3.11.1 With the exception of brake cooling ducts, in plan view, there must be no bodywork on each side of the car in the areas formed by two transversal lines 350mm forward of and 925mm behind the front wheel centre line, one diagonal line intersecting the two transversal lines 160mm and 240mm respectively from the car centre line and one parallel to and 1000mm from the car centre line.

I hope this 'ends your conversation' but I directed you to the other topic because if it really is a sensor then McLaren won't be running it during the season and therefore it wouldn't matter whether or not it's legal or not...

Plus, if it is against the regulations, McLaren aren't so stupid as to run something so completely against the rules that they get, dare I say, disqualified!!

[Keir]

3.3 The overall width of the car, including complete wheels, must not exceed 1800mm with the steered wheels in the straight ahead position...

Regulation 3.11 obviously doesn't affect these http://images.gpupdate.net/large/92121.jpg as they are considered as 'brake cooling ducts'.

The regs on brake cooling ducts I posted here viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4965&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=50

[scarbs]

The rules are,

3.3 Overall width :
The overall width of the car, including complete wheels, must not exceed 1800mm with the steered wheels
in the straight ahead position. Overall width will be measured when the car is fitted with tyres inflated to 1.4
bar.

Air ducts :

Air ducts around the front and rear brakes will be considered part of the braking system and shall not
protrude beyond :

- a plane parallel to the ground situated at a distance of 160mm above the horizontal centre line of the
wheel ;

- a plane parallel to the ground situated at a distance of 160mm below the horizontal centre line of the
wheel ;

- a vertical plane parallel to the inner face of the wheel rim and displaced from it by 120mm toward the
centre line of the car.

Furthermore, when viewed from the side the ducts must not protrude forwards beyond the periphery of the
tyre or backwards beyond the wheel rim.

All measurements will be made with the wheel held in a vertical position.

[bazanaius]

I think the other thread has wandered off topic a bit so I'll post here.
In the unlikely event that this is a genuine component and mclaren can somehow claim its not illegal, what would be its use?
I can immediately see the main point of the wheel covers (although I'm sure there's more subtle things going on as well), but I cannot see how a squared off block protuding outside the line of the wheel could help? This side of the wheel is for hot air escaping from the wheel, so it's not an inlet duct.

ideas?
Baz

[scarbs]

Air hitting a spinning tyre\wheel tends to spill around the sides (at around a 2 oclock and 4 oclock position) creating two tumbling vortex motions. Thus air passing around the middle of the tyre (i.e. 3 o clcock position) tends to be calmer. If the Mac device picks up this slow it could help reduce turbulence and drag passing along the car.

But I still believe the Mac device is a sensor and wont race, although the lack of a similar device to measure the deformation of the more critical inside face of the tyre is puzzling.

I have heard that the static rim shields are worth 3-4 percent in downforce.

[teecof1fan]

Thanks Keir, thanks scarbs! I was going to post that too but I was thinking it only applied to the duct on the inside part of the wheel, my mistake. I'm not good with this technical jargon! Maybe I'll just be quiet next time!

[fastback33]

Thanks Scarbs and tee! Really appreciate! =D>