Quote:
Originally Posted by Kampfer
A few years ago McLaren "bragged" about spending $7 million for just a few tenths of a second. I don't see how this translates or benefits a road car. Road cars NEVER need/see this kind of lift and they never really needed F1 principles to teach companies on how to build a low-drag car. Road cars don't need wings and diffusers and vortex generators to keep themselves from flyng off the road.
And like I said earlier, I have read enough motorsport engineer interviews that stated aero is the most worthless thing you can transfer from a race car to road car.
LIke you, I have some other stuff to say, but I can't spend too much time while at work...
Edit: read towards the end of the interview. It was done 14 years ago:
http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00222.html |
One may not need the exact principles or design intent that an F1 car needs for aero, but the computer dynamics are the same. Agree you don't need all the F1 gear to keep a street car on the road either - I wasn't implying that. But it's a training ground and great R&D center for those applications. And with ever tightening CAFE standards to meet, aero and mechanical efficiency will grow ever more important.
I think we all know that F1 feeds on itself to a great degree, and not everything is a purely business or practical decision, but there is more than meets the eye at first glance, that's what I'm saying.
