Side Pod Location - Regulations?

[outer_bongolia]

Is there a good reason why all the side pods are high? I was looking at some old calculations, and it looked as if it would be way better if the side pod was actually on the bottom plate and rising up. Comparing it to the current side pods which kind of "hang", lower side pods would be easier to divert the air from under the nose cone, clean up the airflow towards the rear wheels, and even with a good shape.

I was going through the regulations and the language they are using is so convoluted, I was kind of baffled. I am sure there must be a dimension that says a body part must exist beside the driver at a certain height (side crash structure?). But I assume that can be achievable with some engineering (giving them an L-shape comes to mind).

Since I don't have a claim to being the brightest, I would appreciate some additional light on the regulations and aerodynamic advantages of having the side pods high instead of low.

[Giblet]

here is some insight about sidepods that led me to writing this 'article' called Sidepod Evolution

2 more posts and I am at 2000. Do I become a master then?

[czt]

The main reason for sidepods being so high is the crash regs. There is a crash structure at the top of the sidepods and another in the floor. I think the regs are also written such that the upper crash structure cannot be contained within a pod on its own but must be joined to the rest of the bodywork.

[mx_tifoso]

2 more posts and I am at 2000. Do I become a master then?

Math fail!

1959 + 2 ≠ 2000

[Giblet]

hehe i watched it count... 1997...1998....1960.

I don't think even I am dumb enough to see numbers wrong that many times.

Did you for sure see it 1959? I am not dyslexic to the best of my knowledge.

[outer_bongolia]

here is some insight about sidepods that led me to writing this 'article' called Sidepod Evolution

2 more posts and I am at 2000. Do I become a master then?

Thanks Giblet for the posts. especially your article was pretty good to read. I think I was thinking of the March style with some extra shape to help work around the regulations (I would keep the bottom plate, though..). The article in the first link was saying Benetton tried something like that earlier.

[marcush.]

here is some insight about sidepods that led me to writing this 'article' called Sidepod Evolution

2 more posts and I am at 2000. Do I become a master then?

of course you will ,just sign up the dotted line at the bottom of your post after the next one ,the moderators will then only need to know where to delever that infamous washing machine (by K &P Appliances ,delvery time just after Barcelona GP....)