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Low-profile tyres

Started by rainern , Oct 28 2000 10:52

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9 replies to this topic

#1 rainern

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Posted 28 October 2000 - 10:52

Just posted these pictures into the technical forum.

The 1970s cars had those modern-looking low-profile tyres I like to see back in Formula One. The balloon-tyres in current use look ridiculous.

I give you two examples from the 1970s....A F1 Lotus 72D from 1972 and an indycar McLaren M16E from 1977.

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Rainer

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#2 david_martin

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Posted 28 October 2000 - 13:23

I could not agree more. I guess that the big issue for the FIA would be how to prevent the cornering speeds from getting out of hand with the additional sidewall stiffness that low profiles tyres have. I doubt the tyre manufacturers would mind, after all they look more like road tyres and the development costs would be no worse than the hit they took going from slicks to groves.

As a complete aside, I was not aware that Clay Regazzoni drove an Indy car. Was it the Indy 500, or a "regular" CART race? I notice the chassis has some Chinese characters up near the roll hoop - although the color scheme is wrong, Teddy Yip did not have something to do with it did he?

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#3 david_martin

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Posted 28 October 2000 - 13:29

...hate to follow up my own posts, but I just looked again and it is also on the tee-shirts everyone in the photo is wearing, including the gentleman down by the right front wheel. That could not be the great man himself could it (sorry for turning this into some kind of 8W question).

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#4 rainern

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Posted 28 October 2000 - 13:39

Yes you are right David, this is a Teddy Yip entry...

The pic is from the 1977 Indy 500 race. Clay was driving this two-year old McLaren M16E for Theodore Racing of Hong Kong....

The design seems to be M23 inspired or maybe it was the other way around!

Clay didn´t go far however, a fuel-leak had developed at lap 25 and that forced Clay to retire.

Rainer

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#5 Hans Etzrodt

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Posted 28 October 2000 - 16:08

I thought the wheel diameter was restricted, so no larger brakes than presently installed can be used.

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#6 rainern

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Posted 28 October 2000 - 22:31

Yes Hans, I believe the max diameter is set at 13".
I think this has been so for a very long time.

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#7 Ross Stonefeld

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Posted 29 October 2000 - 05:33

Stiffer sidewalls would make them go *faster* ?

I would think that with non-existant suspension that we currently have, even stiffer tires wouldnt improve road handling. Aerodynamic assist yes because of a more stable platform. What about low profile tires on like a Formula Ford?

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#8 fines

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Posted 29 October 2000 - 10:00

As a side-issue, Teddy Yip is of course the little man in the yellow shirt! He was not the entrant, but the sponsor of the car (entry was made by one E.J. Simpson, whoever he is or was). And the M16 was the precursor of the M23, both designed by Gordon Coppuck. By 1977 the Cosworth-engined follow-up of the M16 had already appeared, the M24, this the first of many McLarens designed by John Barnard.

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#9 rainern

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Posted 29 October 2000 - 12:01

Yes Michael you are right.
Theodore Racing was sponsoring the vehicle.

The actually entry was made by E.J. Simpson...

He is better known as Bill Simpson, of Simpson racing safety equipment fame.

Helmets and driving suits and so on...
One of the pioneers in that area.
A half-decent driver himself too, but went to forge himself a bigger name in the safety equipment business.

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Rainer

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#10 Ray Bell

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Posted 03 November 2000 - 13:23

Simpson, like Teddy did later, brought a F5000 car to Australia and New Zealand for the Tasman Cup (I think it was the first year of the F5000s here), but failed to cover himself in glory.

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Low-profile tyres

#1 rainern

#2 david_martin

#3 david_martin

#4 rainern

#5 Hans Etzrodt

#6 rainern

#7 Ross Stonefeld

#8 fines

#9 rainern

#10 Ray Bell

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