Renault R28

[manchild]

These are pre load adjusters for the torsion spring. Most teams have them, although they are covered up with stickers.

But couldn't it be that they've made it quickly adjustable (a turn or two) just like front wing? Why else would they be leaving it for the first time opened like that? I guess we'll have to wait till real pit stop occurs. I've never seen any team mechanic messing with them during pitstops.

bizadfar, correctly! Wet races! That's the first thing I had in mind but while I finished with that pic, uploading, posting, I completely forgot to mention it.

[scarbs]

I've never seen teams adjust them during a race. I dont think that altering preload is of any benefit in the wet.

[MrT]

Yeah, I see no benefit of altering preload during the wet at all.... Overall stiffness yes, but not preload.

[manchild]

There is a benefit for wet races too. Benefit emerges after wet conditions. When circuit dries out and you need stiffer suspension if the race was started on softer suspension. Perhaps in opposite situation too but quick fix to make suspension softer by reducing preload/lowering rideheight could easily lead to plank demage and DSQ

[Metar]

A new oddity visible on the R28

http://www.f1fotos.be/wintertests2008/v ... 20(26).jpg

Watch that rear wing - not only do the elements protrude over the endplates, but the smaller endplates around the wings have some sort of gills around - larger than the ones visible on other cars, and of a different shape.

[Saribro]

Actually, Renault has been using such a design for years.

[Metar]

Actually, Renault has been using such a design for years.

Whoops

Looking at it, even the R27 in my avatar has it. I must be blind.

[peroa]

These are pre load adjusters for the torsion spring. Most teams have them, although they are covered up with stickers.

But couldn't it be that they've made it quickly adjustable (a turn or two) just like front wing? Why else would they be leaving it for the first time opened like that? I guess we'll have to wait till real pit stop occurs. I've never seen any team mechanic messing with them during pitstops.

bizadfar, correctly! Wet races! That's the first thing I had in mind but while I finished with that pic, uploading, posting, I completely forgot to mention it.

Emmm, you are not allowed to change your setup from Qualy onwards - except for front wing and tyre pressure.

The reason why the holes are open is probably because it is a test session and at test sessions you test quite a lot of settings.

[bizadfar]

what about diffs, brake bias, the many other controls on the wheel. Can you list all of what you not allowed to change

[manchild]

The reason why the holes are open is probably because it is a test session and at test sessions you test quite a lot of settings.

How come we've never seen them before in previous tests?

I'm not sure that change of setup is prohibited simply because FIA has no way to control that. What can they do, put control stickers on each nut and bolt on suspension? Perhaps I'm wrong.

[peroa]

The reason why the holes are open is probably because it is a test session and at test sessions you test quite a lot of settings.

How come we've never seen them before in previous tests?

I'm not sure that change of setup is prohibited simply because FIA has no way to control that. What can they do, put control stickers on each nut and bolt on suspension? Perhaps I'm wrong.

Read the FIA Sporting regs, please.

[scarbs]

How come we've never seen them before in previous tests?

Look at the Ferrari, they have them. From start of Q onwards the suspension is non adjustable according the regs, you cannot alter; geometry, springs, damper or ARB.

[scarbs]

There is a benefit for wet races too. Benefit emerges after wet conditions. When circuit dries out and you need stiffer suspension if the race was started on softer suspension. Perhaps in opposite situation too but quick fix to make suspension softer by reducing preload/lowering rideheight could easily lead to plank demage and DSQ

Its a complicated subject, but pre load does not make the suspension stiffer,

[manchild]

Perhaps I'm not considering same thing under term "preload".

I was thinking about this - if you rotate the fixture point of torsion bar on chassis outwards, the ride height increases and suspension becomes "stiffer" since torsion bars are more loaded because they have to raise the car higher. It does make the suspension travel longer and therefore it can be considered as "softer" but the forces affecting the torsion bar are much higher than in opposite case.

I've done it on normal cars with torsion bars. Rotate torsion bar fixture on way to increase ride height and the other way to decrease it.

[MrT]

Preload doesn;t make the suspension stiffer... It just prevents movement until that inital force is overcome.... for instance put lots of preload on a spring and damper so that the damper is held at full extension against it's stops... Now for the damper to move it must experiance a force greater than that produced by the preload. However if it see's a force greater than the preload force then the stiffness of the suspension is still the spring rate combined with the motion ratio, i'e the same as that without preload. Ok it doe's have an inital stiffening effect as nothing moves until the preload force is overcome, but actually this is not a 'pure' stiffening of the suspension.