Tim.Wright wrote:I don't really see the point of the F1 diffuser as its one of the most heavily restricted aero components. Also, that diffuser was designed to be fed by a vertical opening in the floor to get around a loophole in the 2009 regs. If you aren't working to the same regs and/or your upstream geometry isn't the same as the original car I can't see the diffuser working well at all.
^ This...
I would be conservative in my expectations as to how "well" the F1 aero will actually perform. Of course the little kid inside me would be screaming out in excitement and happiness at the idea of using actual F1 parts in my very own race car, but the aerodynamicist in me would quickly have something to say about it
...
My opinion is pretty much an echo of what has already been said aerodynamically speaking - the parts are optimized so meticulously for the unique F1 car that whilst I have no doubt that there will be "some" gain in downforce due to them being there, the system as a whole wont be functioning to its best potential.
From my quick scan of the regulations, it seems as though the only restrictions that are present which could affect aero are that there cant be any "active aero" systems, and that the car can't be more than 3300mm long and 1675mm wide... but it says nothing about a maximum height... I did find this list on a different website though - do these sound about right?
Wings:
Rear wing:
Foils are to be no higher than the highest point of the roll cage.
No further rearward than the rear of the car.
Not to exceed in width past the centre of the rear tyres.
Side plates maximum 300mm above the highest point of the roll cage and not to exceed 1500mm from the ground with the car in its normal racing position.
Side plates not to extend forward past the rear arch and not exceed 0.80 square metres in area.
Front wing:
Not to be mounted higher than top of the front tyre.
In general though, if the main issue of this series is that there is a lack of grip when cornering, then aero will only help you a little bit - most of that comes down to vehicle dynamics and suspension etc (which is out of my area of expertise!!) If the tracks are ovals though, I suppose then aero would play a better part in that - I would start with an underbody+diffuser with side skirts and a flat floor extension plate out to the maximum track width.
Following on from the list above of the rules, Since there is the most room to play with the front wing, I would start by designing that with as much planform area as possible in order to help offset the large rearward bias that you might have due to the engine and driver being at the back - you will be "somewhat" limited by your engine power, but if the speeds you are going at are somewhere in the region of 150-200km/hr then you may find that you can tune your aero to give you your drag-limited top speed based on the fastest you will go on some track. The rear wing will be trickier to just guess, but if you're after a quick solution to carry you through until you can design it properly based on all the upstream components, then I would grab a single (or double) element wing with a relatively high efficiency for a decent CL and just make it huge with a gurney flap and endplates which extend as far down as the regulations allow to help seal off the diffuser outflow and magnify the pressure drop on the suction side of the aerofoil(s). It may also be an idea to look into partially shrouding the wheels from the front and rear... Often open wheel formulas stipulate a maximum angle/distance of the top of the wheel which must be left uncovered, so depending on how specific that is, that will definitely help.
