Mercedes W12

[Sevach]

It does look like the W12 is running more rake than the W11?

It's better to wait for the car to hit the track for things such as this, in a studio they can put whatever ride height they want.

[Owen.C93]

It does look like the W12 is running more rake than the W11?

I think every launch thread for every car in the past decade has had the same comment lol

It's usually because shiny floors make the car look higher off the ground.

[mkay]

It does look like the W12 is running more rake than the W11?

I think every launch thread for every car in the past decade has had the same comment lol

It's usually because shiny floors make the car look higher off the ground.

I'm looking at where the rear floor edge ends with respect to the tyre and tyre rim... and it seems to sit slightly higher than the W11 (look at studio photo)

https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsF ... =180339266

[HungarianRacer]

It does look like the W12 is running more rake than the W11?

I think every launch thread for every car in the past decade has had the same comment lol

It's usually because shiny floors make the car look higher off the ground.

I'm looking at where the rear floor edge ends with respect to the tyre and tyre rim... and it seems to sit slightly higher than the W11 (look at studio photo)

https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsF ... =180339266

... It's worth keeping in mind that the cut-back floor WILL HAVE this visual effect from this viewing angle, just picture the W11 having a narrower floor there, or the W12 with last year's floor, it "stretches down towards the ground" at the back, doesn't it?

[raymondu999]

Theoretically as long as the front wing doesnt hit the floor, they can crank any rake they want on the launch floor

[PlatinumZealot]

The covering on the sides of coke bottle area is what catches my interest. It looks either to be a cover to hide something or it is a type of heat resistant covering not seen on other Mercedes powered cars.

[FittingMechanics]

The covering on the sides of coke bottle area is what catches my interest. It looks either to be a cover to hide something or it is a type of heat resistant covering not seen on other Mercedes powered cars.

It's a cover to hide the details.

[zibby43]

[BestOfDiResta]

I agree that in the studio they can set ride heights to whatever they want. However I wouldn’t be surprised to see them shift slightly higher than last year when they hit the track. The changes to the regulations are likely to cause greater losses at lower RRHs where floor area is more dominant.

[OO7]

The covering on the sides of coke bottle area is what catches my interest. It looks either to be a cover to hide something or it is a type of heat resistant covering not seen on other Mercedes powered cars.

If you mean the sides of the coke bottle area just ahead of the rear axle, I think that's just the shape of the cooling exit. Merc for the past few seasons have tended to alternate (depending on ambient conditions and circuit characteristics) between a 'V' style opening (looks like a 'V' from the rear, with the bodywork exit walls creating a gap to the gearbox casing) or a long (horizontally) exit, with the exits beside the gearbox casing essentially closed off. Red Bull have completely closed off this area in their 16B, giving it a very tight rear coke bottle shape.

[HungarianRacer]

[Red Bull have completely closed off this area in their 16B, giving it a very tight rear coke bottle shape.

"Completely closed off" lol, that would make for a bit of a compromise in the drag and cooling efficiency department, don't you think? ... I'd like to know what you base this on, as we're (as far as I'm aware) yet to see a single photo/digital render of the RB16B's rear heat outlets, I mean, sure, based on the released pictures the "heat exhaust tunnels" seem to start higher on the sides of the engine cover and have more arch to them than before, but I'm willing to bet the outlets themselves will still be larger than the Merc's, as it's been tradition for Red Bull in recent seasons...

[Zynerji]

I always wondered why these outlets are not designed with laminar flow "nozzle" consideration.

Maybe max flow with less drag is just more efficient.

[SiLo]

It does look like the W12 is running more rake than the W11?

I think every launch thread for every car in the past decade has had the same comment lol

It's usually because shiny floors make the car look higher off the ground.

New car launch bingo:

1. It's a reflection
2. Ride height comments
3. Launch car not real car

Feel free to add more

[OO7]

"Completely closed off" lol, that would make for a bit of a compromise in the drag and cooling efficiency department, don't you think? ... I'd like to know what you base this on, as we're (as far as I'm aware) yet to see a single photo/digital render of the RB16B's rear heat outlets, I mean, sure, based on the released pictures the "heat exhaust tunnels" seem to start higher on the sides of the engine cover and have more arch to them than before, but I'm willing to bet the outlets themselves will still be larger than the Merc's, as it's been tradition for Red Bull in recent seasons...

It just looks that way from the following, lightened image:

But you may be right. Looking at the image more closely again, I can see there's room (in terms of visual unclarity) to support your observation.

[Just_a_fan]

I always wondered why these outlets are not designed with laminar flow "nozzle" consideration.

Maybe max flow with less drag is just more efficient.

I wonder if they try to get them to act as extractors - using the airflow along the outside of the bodywork to pull the cooling air through the car. As you say, getting more air through is perhaps more important than minimum drag - this is an area of the car that is already pretty drag-inducing anyway, so perhaps any drag gains would be so small as to be lost in the "noise".