Random Question Threads

This is a thread for motorsport questions that may not deserve their own topic.

For example, if you were to race an F1 car in a drag racing competition, complete with its fat front tyres and powerful brakes, would you be required to run with a parachute?

And if the car was 2017 or earlier, would you be required to fit a safety cage? If the car was 2018 or 2019 with the Halo, would that need to be upgraded/modified to suit drag racing rules?

I am assuming that an F1 car would be able to do the 1/4 mile in around 7.5s to 8.5s.

Also regarding drag racing, what is the purpose of burnouts? Is it to warm the tyres or clean the tyres?

In the top classes I understand that the idea is to lay some rubber down on the road to help with the launch, but with lower/amateur categories the burnout is performed well behind where the car lines up at the lights.

Edited by Wuzak, 29 May 2019 - 02:22.

Did you have to open a thread for this ?

Seems like it would have fit perfectly in the 'Stupid............................

Did you have to open a thread for this ?

Ah Ha! the question that answers itself.

If he hadn't opened the thread, you wouldn't have got to ask that random question. 

Clearly the owner was tired of golfers taking a piss in the woods behind his house, so he came up with a way to scare the **** out of them.

Changed the OP to make the questions about motorsport.

Did you have to open a thread for this ?

 

Seems like it would have fit perfectly in the 'Stupid............................

I did not know there was such a topic, and now that I have looked I see it is in the archived section.

But what is stupid about my questions?

Drag racing have their own rules regarding safety, and for cars that do certain ETs (or is it mph) they are required to fit a parachute for braking at the end of the run. I believe that an F1 car would do an ET which would put it in a bracket which would require a parachute. But with the braking ability of the F1 car, would it actually be required to use a parachute?

Rules are rules and no doubt there would be no exceptions on the mere basis that "my car can stop in 1/16 mile under brakes alone". (Parachutes are required for cars that can exceed 150 mph in the ss 1/4 mile)

10.8 seconds for this V8 era 2011 RB7. https://www.news.com...236cc032459a6b1

Rules are rules and no doubt there would be no exceptions on the mere basis that "my car can stop in 1/16 mile under brakes alone". (Parachutes are required for cars that can exceed 150 mph in the ss 1/4 mile)

 

10.8 seconds for this V8 era 2011 RB7. https://www.news.com...236cc032459a6b1

10.8s seems rather slow for an F1 car, though it does say he struggled for grip. Looks like he was running on Pirelli's demonstration tyre, which doesn't have the grip of the regular race tyres.

The current cars are heavier by about (10-15%), but also more powerful (by about 30%) and have greater grip.

Just put the weight (I used 760kg/1,675lb) and power (950hp) into an ET calculator and it came up with:

"Your ET / MPH computed from your vehicle weight of 1675 pounds and HP of 950 is 7.04 seconds and MPH of 192.04 MPH"

Assuming you could get traction, of course.

Edit: I put the numbers into another ET calculator, which gave 7.4s and 193.6mph based on 950hp (flywheel) and 1,675lb.

Edited by Wuzak, 31 May 2019 - 02:41.

For the V8 F1 car, the ET calculator predicts 7.6s @ 187mph (660kg/1455lb, 750hp at the flywheel).

the problem for the F1 car is getting off the line, and traction would be at a premium. So the actual times would probably be slower by 1-2s?

A properly prepared drag track starting line (and runout) is so sticky it will suck your shoes off if you’re not paying attention. Are we handicapping the F1 car with F1 tires? Or just a tire that can reasonably be fit to the platform?

Well, I figure that the softest Pirelli could at least survive one run.

And not being required to do hard cornering, the pressures could be lowered to aid in grip too.

  Woozy - I think if you start thinking about how to make an F1 car more suitable for drag racing with sticky tyres etc. -  finally you would decide on a longer wheelbase, light as possible at the front etc.  The car in fact would end up looking more and more like a conventional  dragster.

 It would be interesting to speculate on  what a dragster would look  like if designed by a F1 team with the same sort of money and resources they would spend on an F1 car.   

 Monocoque instead of tube chassis?  Some form of rear suspension?  Maybe a "sidewinder"  layout?  

 And whether the  F1 team built to existing dragster rules  or a form of dragster  "formula libre".    

Edited by Kelpiecross, 02 June 2019 - 01:45.

  Woozy - I think if you start thinking about how to make an F1 car more suitable for drag racing with sticky tyres etc. -  finally you would decide on a longer wheelbase, light as possible at the front etc.  The car in fact would end up looking more and more like a conventional  dragster.

Actually would rather see how fast an F1 car is over the 1/4 mile within the rules. Obviously there are parameters that could be changed to make them faster, such as wing settings and suspension settings. Then you could slightly go outside the rules, lowering tyre pressures, upping the fuel flow rate.

Actually would rather see how fast an F1 car is over the 1/4 mile within the rules. Obviously there are parameters that could be changed to make them faster, such as wing settings and suspension settings. Then you could slightly go outside the rules, lowering tyre pressures, upping the fuel flow rate.

 What rules?  F1 or drag racing?  I imagine for all-out racing they could turn the turbo up to 2,000HP or so.  They would never be able to compete with an equivalent dragster because of their unsuitable weight distribution/sluggishness off the line.     

 What rules?  F1 or drag racing?  I imagine for all-out racing they could turn the turbo up to 2,000HP or so.  They would never be able to compete with an equivalent dragster because of their unsuitable weight distribution/sluggishness off the line.     

F1 rules.