Quote:
Originally Posted by No one
With even load, of course. But when the car shifts it's weight due to inertia (when you are braking, in particular) what's there to push the unloaded wheel against the ground except it's own weight? Touching the ground just barely should lead to slipping I'd presume.
AFAIK Formula 1 cars' grip is pretty much all about aerodynamics, they are undrivable at low speeds. And they reportedly have very stiff, rock hard suspension. |
Maybe formula one was a too extreme example. Single seaters without wings are more relevant. They have super light wheels and suspension, not all that stiff springs and dampers, and they have lots of mechanical grip.
When driving over a bump, or just tarmac that isn't super smooth, the wheels will have vertical motion. The lighter they are, the quicker they can move down (pushed by springs) after being forced up by the ground. Heavy wheels can not accelerate quick enough, and will bounce. This causes uneven load on the contact patch to the ground. Lighter wheels will follow the ground with even load, more grip, and less tyre deformation.
This load I talk about is for one wheel isolated. The load changes between different wheels you mention, are the not really affected by unsprung weight. Both cars with low and high unsprung weight can get airborne wheels in very dynamic situations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by No one
Could it be more effective engine braking? Have you got rid of runflat tires already?  |
Yes, the summer runflats are gone. I still have the winter runflats. They are actually quite okay.
I think the lower unsprung weight and less intertia is the key to short stopping distance, if you have perfect balance between the front and rear tyres. Bigger brakes is not about shorter braking distance, but ability to brake more often. The whole concept of braking is to convert kinetic energy into heat, and the bigger brakes have more heat capacity.