Tire warmer ban 2010

[G-Rock]

Well, how can we work around this one?
Could an F1 team store their tires in a high temperature room before a pit stop to get around the "tire warmer ban"?
Or maybe use solar heat with mirrors to heat the tires outside on a sunny day?

Sir G

[Giblet]

The team should just use their test drivers to rub the tires until they are warm.

They don't have anything else to do.

[Sawtooth-spike]

What like pole dancers?

Just with big fat rubbery poles?

Maybe people would pay for this? or the static energy could be used as part of the kers?

Or...... There could be medals!

hang on.... Or we could get one test driver to do it! can we can call him the "world tire warmer pole dancer/test driver"

Sorry

They cant use a room to warm the tire i am sure ferrari got told off for doing that a few years ago

[Jersey Tom]

Have Bridgestone bring tires that don't need as much heat.

[Dukeage]

Hopefully they would add a rule stating that tyres must be kept at ambient temperature, rather than just at warmer ban - they could use ovens, pouring hot water over them and other rubbish like that.

[Giblet]

I don't understand the hate for tire warmers. They are not that expensive (relatively) as all the teams already have them and they just keep drivers from having to drive on cold tires, which as Imola '94 proved can be dangerous.

The tires no matter how hard will always be designed to work in their best temp range, and no racing tire works well cold.

[G-Rock]

That would make a lot of sense but then again, this is the FIA we're talking about. Will they be able to moniter every tire to be at ambient?
Huge gains in the first lap could be found if they found a loophole to heat the tires using other means.
How about pumping them full of hot air?
The test driver friction idea seems credible. They could even spoon the tire while napping to warm the tires. It would only get the tire to body temperature but that's better than nothing.
I could just hear the commentators talking up this new method. "Ohh, it looks like Alonso put in a fast lap on his new tires. Could they have been spooned tires?...." hahaha

[DaveKillens]

As Giblet mentioned, Imola '94 cast a light on the relationship between tire temps and ride height. It was one of the factors in leading to Senna's crash, and we must always make sure we learned this harsh lesson.
Currently, Formula One cars are ultra-sensitive to ride height, and still bottom if tires are cold. Button mentioned that after the first safety car in Australia, he lost tire temp, and constantly bottomed out.
So my feelings are that if tire warmers are to be banned, allowance has to be made to avoid bottoming out. Raise the car.

On a side note, many years ago I suggested to a Firestone tire engineer the idea to build in pressure relief valves. That way, the tire could be inflated to it's optimal pressure when cold, and as heat built into the tires, the increase in pressure would vent, leaving the tire with a constant pressure. Two drawbacks. First, if the pressure relief valve malfunctioned you would wind up with either a flat, or an over-inflated tire. Second, I doubt if a Formula One car could actually built heat into the tires when they begin their cycle at ambient temperature.

[Ian P.]

External tyre pressure control systems are banned in F1. Otherwise the ingenious F1 designers would already have it installed.
2010 without tyre warmers is going to be extremely interesting. Renault is probably on the right track with the exhaust ducted onto the tyre to heat it up. Others are bound to follow.
With no refueling and no tyre warmers, then why stop for tyres more than once in a race?? If even then.
Since the teams have not been making a big stink over this, there must be something in the pipeline to reduce the cold tyre effects. Just can't imagine what it is.

[Jersey Tom]

Renault is probably on the right track with the exhaust ducted onto the tyre to heat it up. Others are bound to follow.

I wouldn't.

Blast hot air on rears but not front? Big potential to really screw your balance and wear rates, particularly changing as the run goes on.

Or just overcooking the tires in general.

[Giblet]

That would be true in cars that were evenly balanced, but the new regs have skewed the results to more front downforce, and most teams with regular diffusers have been claiming it's difficult getting temperature to the rears. In the case of 2009 regs the balance is pre-skewed by the regulations.

As I write this I am watching Grand Prix on Turner Classics.

Men were men back then.

[ESPImperium]

Since the teams have not been making a big stink over this, there must be something in the pipeline to reduce the cold tyre effects. Just can't imagine what it is.

What i think is happening is that Bridgestone are revising the compounds at the end of the year, from where im standing they could revise the compounds to be like this;

Current Hard > More like a Medium Hard
Current Medium > More like a Medium Soft
Current Soft > More like a Hard Super Soft
Current Super Soft> More like a Soft Super Soft

OR Could the supersofts be getting ditched and only be making 3 compounds avalable to the teams, Hard/Medium/Soft, meaning more cost cuts there.

But i can see a new compound being introduced in Super Hard for the guys that want to fuel to the finish, dont stop, and use KERS to conserve their fuel loads, meaning the guys from 11th downward have more of a chance to win GPs and actually count in a GP and not be another backmarker.

Plenty varyables on this one at the moment.

[Scotracer]

Renault is probably on the right track with the exhaust ducted onto the tyre to heat it up. Others are bound to follow.

I wouldn't.

Blast hot air on rears but not front? Big potential to really screw your balance and wear rates, particularly changing as the run goes on.

Or just overcooking the tires in general.

Also the possibility of getting oil(s) and crap on the tyres wont be good for rubber life or grip.

[Jersey Tom]

That would be true in cars that were evenly balanced, but the new regs have skewed the results to more front downforce, and most teams with regular diffusers have been claiming it's difficult getting temperature to the rears. In the case of 2009 regs the balance is pre-skewed by the regulations.

I still would not be pumping exhaust to the rear tires.

[ISLAMATRON]

I don't understand the hate for tire warmers. They are not that expensive (relatively) as all the teams already have them and they just keep drivers from having to drive on cold tires, which as Imola '94 proved can be dangerous.

The tires no matter how hard will always be designed to work in their best temp range, and no racing tire works well cold.

Tire warmers are a waste of energy!... think green!

Indycar drivers haven't used tire warmers in as long as I can remember... and they have to get up to speed on much faster ovals... with much bigger speed differences between a car that is up to speed and a car that has just pitted. Tire warmers are an unnecessary driver aid... I'd much rather see what drivers can push the limit on cold tires...