Competition Adjustment
07-30-2014, 09:00 AM
#22
Melting Slicks
Should be pretty easy to class cars by HP/lb ratio. Once that is done everything else is suspension, aerodynamics, and driver/crew ability.
Seems like that's all they need to try to control.
Seems like that's all they need to try to control.
07-30-2014, 10:28 PM
#23
Melting Slicks
Problem is that assumes that the cars have the same torque curve and they never do.
The car with the better torque coming off of corners will accelerate faster and even with the same power to weight ratio will have better lap times. The car coming off the corner better will be able to get by cars with the same power to weight ratio since it will have higher top speed and be able to slingshot cars with the same power that don't have as much low end torque. The reason is that you carry speed all the way down the straight and if you get off the corner a bit faster it snowballs all the way down the straight.
What happens then is that they handicap the car with better torque some more and then that car ends up with lower peak power and can never pass anybody so that guy is hosed.
Cars with better aerodynamics have a fundamental advantage so they end up with a smaller restrctor plate because with lower drag and the same power they would blow by the cars that don't have as good an aero package. Now the car with better aero gets hammered because he gets a smaller restrictor and now he can't accelerate as well and get off the corners as fast.
You can't make cars equal unless they are very similar in aero and motors. It can work in NASCAR since the cars are all pretty much the same, but with cars as different as real cars are, it's never going to be the "same".
What ends up happening is that the rulesmakers are constantly making "adjustments" and continually screwing one car or another and they just end up "taking turns" at winning... It's really pretty silly.
08-04-2014, 11:44 PM
#24
Corvettes and Cadillac both get a competition adjustment. Both get more weight and less throttle body opening killing their chances of a race win! It has been happening for the 55 years I have been involved and I still feel it is unfair. Most know stock BMWs, etc. in stock form cannot come close to beating a Corvette in stock form. Most racing associations just can't stand to see American continue to win. Hey, maybe they win because the drivers, crews and teams are better! Sad to see all that effort be pissed away by rule changes in mid season.
Jim
Jim
08-05-2014, 06:12 AM
#25
Safety Car
Actually the BOP isn't working in Sprint Cup this year. Toyota is in big time trouble. They're down about 25 bhp. Plus, they keep breaking.
TUDOR is doing it the old fashioned way. F1 is interesting in that they limit the amount of fuel that can be used. They are limited to 100kg per hour of fuel. Interesting approach.
Another idea that has been tried a lot is to limit the size of the fuel cell. Faster cars have to stop more often than the slower cars.
Richard Newton
RPM and Valve Train
TUDOR is doing it the old fashioned way. F1 is interesting in that they limit the amount of fuel that can be used. They are limited to 100kg per hour of fuel. Interesting approach.
Another idea that has been tried a lot is to limit the size of the fuel cell. Faster cars have to stop more often than the slower cars.
Richard Newton
RPM and Valve Train
08-17-2014, 04:58 PM
#27
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Jim