Speedvision article on "Weighing Up the Pros and Cons o

[SpeedRacer]

I thought some of you might be interested in the following Speedvision article about ballast in a Formula 1 car and how crazy some of these people are. http://www.speedvision.com/pub/articles/racing/01formula1/011121b.html

 

Here is just a small piece of the writeup "In recent years, lowering the car’s center of gravity has become a design priority. This is the main reason why the engine designers are so keen to increase the V-angle of their motors; to lower (in height from the ground) the mass of the cylinder heads. A couple of years ago the designers were working to reduce the diameter of the engine’s clutch, as this was the limiting factor in how low the engine could sit in the chassis. Now, however, the designers aren’t able to drop the line of the crankshaft any further; the latest generation of clutches are smaller than the cross-sectional diameter of the crankshaft, and the site of the engine is now determined by its stroke."

 

Wow, a clutch the size of a crankshaft for about 800 HP !!!!

 

Enjoy and I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

[Guest Anonymous]

quote:

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Originally posted by SpeedRacer:

Wow, a clutch the size of a crankshaft for about 800 HP !!!!

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Its not about the power, its about the torque and rpms... F1 engines are 3L in displacement, so I would estimate they make around ~300-350lb-ft of torque which isn't THAAAT much. I'm not saying I'm not impressed by this, its still very cool

 

Actually Ferrari are developing a truly clutchless transmission that uses electrohydraulics or something to cut the engine from the transmission while shifting. This enables them to cut 1.5-2kgs and further lower/reduce the size of the engine/tranny. Crazy huh?