j.yank wrote: ↑10 Jun 2017, 15:28
If Mercedes split turbo layout doesn't make any difference, why they were so dominant for three years in a row?
Better combustion design.
Better ERS utilization.
Better engine all around, really.
Better chassis (certainly compared to their closest engine challenger - Ferrari in 2015 and 2016).
j.yank wrote: ↑10 Jun 2017, 15:28
Can you elaborate why do you think that the temperature of the inlet air in compressor is with minuscule significance to the temperature of compression process itself?
The air going through the compressor is there only for a short time so very little time to have heat gain. And the temperature gain in the compressor is >>100°C from compression alone.
And it is not like the turbos that Ferrari and Renault use have the turbine in direct contact with the compressor. There is a gap between them, small as it may be, which limits heat transfer.
j.yank wrote: ↑10 Jun 2017, 15:28
About the position of the compressor: there were number of article that claimed just opposite of what you say - the path is tortuous exactly when the compressor is behind the engine block. As about the mass balance, the name "split" speaks for itself - when you split the mass on both sides of a block you are getting better overall center of gravity than if you put the additional mass only on one of the sides.
The front mounted compressors have two ~90° bends in them to go from the roll hoop intake to the compressor intake.
The rear mounted compressor has a straighter run from the front to the compressor intake, less severe bends.