Vodafone McLaren MP4-27 Mercedes

[krisfx]

Cable or hydraulic actuated from a remote location. No room for an extra mechanic near the wheel assembly during the pit stop.

I still do not see why it can not be adjusted 'on track'. This is a brake duct, not an aero device. As a brake duct mounted to the hub it is allowed to be moved.

Main benefit of warming the wheel: pressure gain or structure temperature?

Brian

As someone said, the brake ducts are still part of the aerodynamic package of the car, as they are sculpted to help the airflow check ferrari's new brake duct design where it extends over the wheel to smooth airflow, the whole thing is deemed an aerodynamic device, and therefore can only be adjusted when the car is stationary.

I think.


Brakes running too warm: open ducts brakes too cold: close. Major benefit is temperature control.

[FrukostScones]

Have we discussed this brake heat to the tires adjustment screw? I didn't see any.
What are they on about? Do we know?
I left in the part about the floor for clarification of the flex discussion.

.....


Reportedly after the Chinese grand prix, the governing body ruled that the British team had stepped over the line with its interpretation of the rules regarding flexibility. Scratches had been found underneath the extremes of the front wings, to which McLaren argued that the floor bending was within the allowed tolerances.

“The tolerance is there to account for manufacturing defects,” Charlie Whiting is quoted as saying, after ruling that McLaren’s system deliberately exploited those tolerances.

Auto Motor und Sport said: “The seemingly minor change had major implications for McLaren.”

I m just reading this in the paper mag and I unsterstand it like this, that they kind of pre-bent the teatray 3mm upwards and argued that 3mm was manufact. tolerance and therefore legal. The pre-bend teatray allowed more rake , fw closer to ground etc. New nose was countermeasure to regain downforce.

Paddy Lowe is quoted with: "We understand the tyres to only 30%."

Halleluja!

[aral]

Cable or hydraulic actuated from a remote location. No room for an extra mechanic near the wheel assembly during the pit stop.

I still do not see why it can not be adjusted 'on track'. This is a brake duct, not an aero device. As a brake duct mounted to the hub it is allowed to be moved.

Main benefit of warming the wheel: pressure gain or structure temperature?

Brian

As someone said, the brake ducts are still part of the aerodynamic package of the car, as they are sculpted to help the airflow check ferrari's new brake duct design where it extends over the wheel to smooth airflow, the whole thing is deemed an aerodynamic device, and therefore can only be adjusted when the car is stationary.

I think.


Brakes running too warm: open ducts brakes too cold: close. Major benefit is temperature control.

It appears that the adjustment may be by potentiometer, rather than by a bowden cable. Mclaren also had modified wheels to extract more air into the airstream, in a manner not unlike the Red Bull system. Could this be the reason why they were not used in Monaco and Canada? McLaren were questioning the Red Bull set up, and could not be seen to be operating a similar system??

[hardingfv32]

....Because it would be moveable aerodynamics.

Air ducts around the brakes are considered part of the brake system (11.4). They are a moving system being connected to hubs/suspension. Since we know brake ducts are legal and that movable aero devices are not legal, is it not logical to conclude brake ducts are NOT aero devices?

Is my logic flawed?

Brian

[hardingfv32]

What is more important or has priority: Controlling the brake system temps or the tire/wheel temps?

Brian

[beelsebob]

What is more important or has priority: Controlling the brake system temps or the tire/wheel temps?

Brian

Depends on the exact moment, but either way, this gives them more control than most, so it's a win/win.

[Caito]

....Because it would be moveable aerodynamics.

Air ducts around the brakes are considered part of the brake system (11.4). They are a moving system being connected to hubs/suspension. Since we know brake ducts are legal and that movable aero devices are not legal, is it not logical to conclude brake ducts are NOT aero devices?

Is my logic flawed?

Brian

But they would still say (Just my opninion here) it's moveable aerodynamics. So they did with the mass damper and the lotus no-pitch system.

[myurr]

The brake ducts themselves are still fixed in relation to the wheel hub that they are attached to, they aren't moving independently from all other parts of the car. Suspension members, steering arms, and drive shafts are allowed to move; the upright that attaches to the suspension arms is allowed to move; everything else has to be fixed in relation to the part of the car it is attached to.

[Owen.C93]

What is more important or has priority: Controlling the brake system temps or the tire/wheel temps?

Brian

You can control both of them via brake tape quite easily but the McLaren adjustable system is deigned to change the relationship between the two. So I'd say the system is pretty much just for tyre temp.

[hardingfv32]

The brake ducts themselves are still fixed in relation to the wheel hub that they are attached to, they aren't moving independently from all other parts of the car.

If we are operating under 3:15, then the above statement is not correct. 3:15 clearly states the any specific part with aero influence must be attached to the rigidly attached to a sprung part of the car.

I do not see what logic the stewards could use to rule that a cooling shroud that can not be adjusted has no aero influence and one that is adjustable does.

Brian

[myurr]

The brake ducts themselves are still fixed in relation to the wheel hub that they are attached to, they aren't moving independently from all other parts of the car.

If we are operating under 3:15, then the above statement is not correct. 3:15 clearly states the any specific part with aero influence must be attached to the rigidly attached to a sprung part of the car.

I do not see what logic the stewards could use to rule that a cooling shroud that can not be adjusted has no aero influence and one that is adjustable does.

Brian

There will be a rule or clarification (that aren't always public) that will have that effect. Unfortunately I haven't the time to go through every rule so will instead just say [citation needed]. Hopefully someone else will indulge us.

[Coefficient]

The brake ducts themselves are still fixed in relation to the wheel hub that they are attached to, they aren't moving independently from all other parts of the car.

If we are operating under 3:15, then the above statement is not correct. 3:15 clearly states the any specific part with aero influence must be attached to the rigidly attached to a sprung part of the car.

I do not see what logic the stewards could use to rule that a cooling shroud that can not be adjusted has no aero influence and one that is adjustable does.

Brian

There will be a rule or clarification (that aren't always public) that will have that effect. Unfortunately I haven't the time to go through every rule so will instead just say [citation needed]. Hopefully someone else will indulge us.

The moveable aero rule only applies when the car is in motion. The team are allowed to adjust the aero of the car to their hearts content during pitstops as we often see with the front wing for example. This is why we see a spanner man adjusting the the brake ducts with a pre prescribed number of turns during pitstops. It really is just a more elegant solution than gaffer tape.

[raymondu999]

Aye. We even see rear wing modifications at times during pit stops, but in the interest of expediency it's usually limited to snapping off a gurney.

[ell66]

Let us not stall the development of the car in response to his whinging because it won't solve Button's problems and it would just make things worse in the title fight.

Anyway.. I hope it wasn't the only one that saw that the cars traction improved Massively in Canada!

Thats my worry to, that they'll get a bit distracted from develpment in order to help jenson and his issues. Sometimes i feel like someone needs slap jenson and just tell him to drive the fu***** thing.

As for the traction, it was never that bad in the first place..., we were only a tenth or two off at monaco and bahrain was off because we burned up the tyres.

[PlatinumZealot]

Heikki was dragging away from Button after every corner in Monaco which is a downforce set-up track, so the car definitely had a traction deficit Not horribly bad, but noticeable.