megz wrote:I know how a dyno works and know full well it has limitations, but as EVERYONE has pointed out, what Ferrari are doing is legal, a terrible way to "test", and wont help.
Impoving fuel economy could be done on a dyno quite simply by taking the engine from an F60 from seasons end, running it, setting that as a baseline. Grab the new unit with the fuel economising upgrades, run it, compare.
Differences in the actual body of the engine are pretty much outlawed completely and the engines are very well understood by Ferrari (they've been largely unchanged since late 2006) and are probably optimised to the max. This means there will be no unpleaseant suprises in the structural strength of the "upgraded" engine and it's ability to handle the G-forces it'd be subjected to in the car, seeing as the "upgrades" are likely to come from ancilleries, changes to fuel maps etc. (We're assuming here of course that the 056 engines aren't being drawn and quartered at present by the chassis... and they're not.)
Of course improving fuel economy(while not changing the engine internals) can be accomplished using the dyno, but those changes made to the engine ancilleries, and fuel maps must be track tested before being put into "production". I've personally seen plenty of examples of engines leaning out too much under lateral g-forces causing hot spots and detonation. Also lubrication problems at high G's, not to mention first and second order vibration that never appeared on the dyno, but tore apart engines(and ancillaries) while in the car. There are allways problems that show up in track testing that dont show themselves on the dyno.
Would any team forego track testing and only rely on windtunnels and CFD for aero testing?
Would any team forego track testing and only rely on 7 post shaker rigs to test the suspension components?
Yet you are trying to say that they dont need any track testing to ensure reliability in the most complex part of an F1 car, that a dyno will suffice.
What you are saying is absurd can only be explained as blind rantings of a tifosi.
Yes, what Ferrari is doing is within the "letter" of the rules, but then again there is no rule that states you can not set fire to another teams transporter is there?