Tire Wear?

[Jersey Tom]

So slipping/sliding aside generally more downforce works tyres harder? How does a car like the F10/BGP001 manage to be so light on its tyres though?

Sometimes, sometimes not.

Guys.. NOTHING is ever as simple as "More X always = Y" when it comes to this stuff.

And again, there is no proof that either of those cars are magically inherently easy on tires. Could be sooo many things.

[marcush.]

I did not buy the idea of downforce related loss of grip last year and I don´t buy it now.it is not that simple .
Lots of downforce will avoid tyre spin on throttle so it could as well be you have lower tyre temps with high downforce as it would be possible to have high tyre temps due to strin thru vertical load induced by downforce...

A front tyre will send you into understeer when overworked and when underworked there is one peak of grip and all you do when not reaching this peak will result in
a tyre performing under its potential =less grip.
so as a first:
if your tyre temps (assuming front and rears temp characteristics are the same!)do not rise or fall synchronous you stand a good chance to have handling and balance issues over a stint.
As this is a lot depending on how you treat the tyres as the driver and as well how you have pressurized the black tubes we have already found a bag of variables.

[gambler]

The driver should have a pretty good feel of when the
tires are "in the zone"
IM just curious as heck to see how lap times will be between
"soft" and "hard" compounds......with the same set-up.

[marcush.]

The driver should have a pretty good feel of when the
tires are "in the zone"
IM just curious as heck to see how lap times will be between
"soft" and "hard" compounds......with the same set-up.

that we did have already last year? I´m too curious how much the delta will be at the beginning of the year and end of seaon between fulltank and running on fumes into the last laps.The spread we were given is huge some said 4 some said 5 seconds which is in a world of precision quite a coarse statement.

[ubrben]

power = force x velocity
energy = integral(power).dt

More downforce = more force
but... More downforce = more Fz = more cornering stiffness = less slip angle = less sliding

Really depends on setup, driver, track condition, cornering stiffness vs. load and umpteen other factors Simple answers are just that, simple.

Ben

[ubrben]

The driver should have a pretty good feel of when the
tires are "in the zone"
IM just curious as heck to see how lap times will be between
"soft" and "hard" compounds......with the same set-up.

The driver should. But differences in that ability are fundamentally what separates the good from the great.

Ben

[Belatti]

Even with a *perfect* driver... there can be 'slipping and sliding'. Not gonna give away more than that though.

Micro yes, macro no. :-"

BTW, have you read this article?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81937

BMW Sauber has a real chance of becoming a thorn in the side of Formula 1's 'big four' teams this year because its car is so good at looking after its tyres, Bridgestone analysis has revealed.

With the Swiss-outfit's C29 having already shown some strong pace in pre-season testing, the team's hopes of delivering some surprise results are boosted by the fact that early data reveals it suffers less tyre degradation than Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes GP.

That ability to look after its tyre could prove crucial on two fronts this season - by first of all allowing the team to use a softer tyre than its rivals in Q3, but also in delivering it greater consistency over the course of a race when there will be a premium on looking after the rubber now that refuelling is banned.

Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone's director of motorsport tyre development, says there is little separating the big four teams in terms of tyre degradation – but Sauber is a different case.

"We have compared many teams' data and looking at the quick [four] teams – their degradation tendency is very, very similar," he told AUTOSPORT. "Once they have the 150kg start weight, with both the medium and soft compound, then there is little difference – so we could expect a very close pace. However, Sauber is more consistent."

Although this weekend's race is Bahrain will not be too punishing on the tyre front, Hamashima believes the difference between Sauber and the other teams is enough to offer the outfit strategy options that others do not have.

When asked if there was a chance for Sauber to opt for more marginal tyres than their rivals to help boost qualifying performance, Hamashima said: "Yes, it is possible.

"With an easy car, you can have the possibility to do that. Somewhere like Barcelona will be very interesting – because the circuit is severe and the softer tyre may only be good to get one lap time before suffering big degradation in the race.

"But even places like Monaco and Bahrain, which are very, very easy on tyres, the specification that shows the best lap time should be the best race tyre – which could make it interesting as well."

BMW Sauber's technical chief Willy Rampf acknowledged that the C29's tyre performance was one of its main strengths.

"The car doesn't have any stability problems, and its performance and balance on high fuel loads is a strong point," he told AUTOSPORT in an interview. "We will build on this – it's a very good thing. Our car is not too heavy on its tyres, so we can do reasonable long stints without killing them.

"That will help keep the strategies more flexible, if you're not forced to stop by tyre wear."

Hamashima also believed that the competitiveness at the front of the field had closed up in the final pre-season test at Barcelona, as McLaren and Red Bull Racing delivered car improvements.

"At the first three tests, Ferrari it seemed had a little bit of an advantage over one lap. However, in Barcelona, McLaren and Red Bull used their latest cars and the picture was very mixed. It's now very difficult to judge."

[Jersey Tom]

I've seen it. Doesn't mean I buy it

Don't care who it is at Bridgestone sayin it.. they've been out to lunch on stuff before. Oh well.

Even if it is true. Doesn't mean its car.