Comfort and Speed question, A-level Physics Report

[iain_tk]

Hey, Ian, welcome to the forum.

Your project sounds very interesting, but I was wondering (if you're not too far into it already) why you wouldn't prefer to compare the passenger car to a WTCC/BTCC/GT/WRC/V8 Super car since these are much more similar as far as geometry goes? You might also have a little more luck getting data since your everyday enthusiasts race cars like these whereas F1 is more obtuse and specialized and the teams are very secretive. I'd try an enthusiast group like the Spec E30 guys. A lot of them could probably tell you the difference between their daily driver E30s and the race prepped ones, and with the Spec ones you know exactly what they've done to them because there's published rules.

Best of luck.

I actually wish I read this before I started, but I am now too far into the report unfortunately. I did think when I started it would be hard to find any information about Formula One cars, but lucky my report is not that big so I don't have to go into any real detail. Thanks for the help anyway.

[Smokes]

You could conclude that veyron is as close to F1 car in term of performance and optimum passenger comfort, but in order to to achieve this the veyron is compromised by it mass and that is reflected in the Top gear times at dunsfold. Where as a Caterham rs500 (or something) is super light and track orientated will give you very close performance to an F1 car in terms of lap times (10 seconds of pace of the r26 59 secs or something.

Therfore theretical Cornering performance limit of a body, is very much dictated by the mass of the body and how much power you can push that mass with.

Real cornering performance though has factors such as slip angle verticle DF and Drag.

You need to read the miliken book thourgly and find a race team you can join to learn more.

[riff_raff]

iain_tk,

I believe most F1 drivers prefer to have little or no padding in their seats. Apparently it gives them better feel for what the chassis is doing right at the limits of traction under cornering or braking.

With the aero downforce efficiency of modern F1 cars, the most physical discomfort F1 drivers experience is not due to stiff suspensions with high damping rates. I'd say it's the stress put on the driver's neck muscles from the forces created by the driver's unsupported head/helmet mass and lateral accelerations during cornering. In this respect, an F1 car is probably no different than your family wagon.

Have fun with the physics project.
riff_raff

[xpensive]

Reminds me of the old Gurney/Foyt coomment at Le Mans n 67, when some drivers were complaiming of speeds of 300 km/h+:

"If you think it's dangerouus, pehaps you are driving too fast?"