Team Lotus T128 Renault

[richard_leeds]

As I recall the wind tunnel company had a FI model lying around and when Lotus came for testing they thought they'd use the FI model as a base for building the Lotus model. You can see their thinking, why build a model from scratch when one is lying the corner? All it takes is to change a few parts here and there.

More on that here:
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7523&start=30

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/06/ ... s-the-eye/

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/03/f ... nst-lotus/

[gilgen]

It could not be a wind tunnel car, as these cannot be full size.

[richard_leeds]

We're talking at cross purposes. Of course that display car is nothing like a wind tunnel model.

The refs to the wind tunnel model are a discussion about the potential for knowledge transfer by one team possessing display bodywork (or wind tunnel model) from another team. For example, if Lotus managed to get hold of a Toyota from a previous season.

However, in this particular case the aero rules are so different that the Toyata wouldn't really show much that was still relevant.

[raymondu999]

Let me preface this statement with that I know nothing about materials construction. But could they learn about engine installation; the Toyota suspension geometry (if; for example the car had amazing traction and braking) and materials construction techniques of the Toyota?

[ESPImperium]

True, but the TF104 is 6 or 7 years old now and is effectivly on the standard of last years Lotus.

They could learn a bit, but what they would learn is nothing they already have due to the 75-85 Toyota guys that came back to the ULK after Toyota pulled out of the sport in 2009, many of those guys were English guys that were sick of germany and wanted to move back home.

This thread is now going back to old topics and stagnating on a TF104 showcar that is in Lotus colours. Can we move it allong to talking about how they can work on getting their relyability problems banished to history???

[raymondu999]

I know I know; but this is hypothetically; not specific to this model, but *what if* they had a similar model from another team. I was building up to reliability actually; I was wondering if there was some reliability "trick" or design feature they could reverse engineer and build into the T128

[richard_leeds]

There'll not be any single "trick", but yes I suppose they could see how certain components were fabricated. That'll help them check if there own parts were over or under engineered.

However, the cars will all behave slightly differently and a strong component on one car could turn out to be weak on another.

Whilst it may be theoretically possible to reverse engineer like that, you will always be 2 or 3 years behind the pace. You'll also never really know how it was designed to behave, nor the "why".

It would be far more effective and glean richer info to simply recruit the designer. Then you'll know both "why" and "how".

[Francesc]

[MIKEY_!]

Those fins after the exits appear to direct exhaust away for the diffuser???

[raymondu999]

Looks like they're directing it between the tyre and the diffuser, no? To stop the turbulence of the tire getting under the floor? Would help diffuser seal too a la Red Bull

[MIKEY_!]

Looks like a tire cooker to me.

[shelly]

The fis direct the exhausts outboard, but the footpalte low pressure is strong enough to deflect them inwards (and partly inside the diffuser).
By directing the exahust flow outward at the beginning, I think they are trying to increase the swirl of the exhaust and meake exhausts interact with the external part of the footplate vortex.
I will try to put in a sketch to explain better

[MIKEY_!]

I think i get it, just doesn't seem that productive.

[afiq]

any pictures of Team Lotus new RW?

[WilliamsF1]