humble sabot wrote: ↑10 Feb 2019, 20:17
As 2019 starts I'm thinking more about this. The total amount of deflection on current F1 setups is not insignificant but as has been stated, it's primarily sidewall flex. How much change are we really going to see? LMP1 suspension seems to offer a similar amount of mechanical movement to current F1 but offers less sidewall deflection.
Will we see extra development in wheel designs since the metal part is going to make up a larger part of the unsprung and rotating weight?
I'm guessing they'll probably adopt LMP1-like wheels, with a flat part on the outside.
You need some open space on the wheels to cool the brakes, once you leave that space, anything more will just create more drag and turbulence.
What I'm most interested about is the actual suspension development. As far as I know, right know most of the suspension travel comes from the sidewalls flexing, so when you eliminate a big part of that, the suspension is probably gonna need more travel and some changed concepts to provide the best mechanical grip.