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21 Apr 2011, 15:31 (Ref:2867578) | #1226 | ||
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I like the #2 and #3 better than the #1--separation between Audi Sport NA and Audi Sport Joest (even though we all know that they're the same team!)?
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21 Apr 2011, 15:37 (Ref:2867581) | #1227 | |||
Racer
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These R18's liveries are a bit weak IMO but the car itself sure doesn't seem to be! |
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21 Apr 2011, 15:43 (Ref:2867585) | #1228 | ||
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21 Apr 2011, 15:50 (Ref:2867590) | #1229 | ||
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Gotta say that does actually look pretty badass.
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MBL - SpeedyMouse Race House |
21 Apr 2011, 15:56 (Ref:2867593) | #1230 | ||
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It seems according to that story that the R18s were doing a pre-LM test 30 hour test. In the Fourtitude video, Dr. Ullrich said that Audi would likely do a 30 hour test there in May. That's a given to gather info about the car, but this is a little early to be sometime in May.
However, he didn't say anything about before May as far as endurance testing. And the E-I piece says that the V6 out of the R15 is about 25% lighter than the R15's V10. |
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21 Apr 2011, 16:09 (Ref:2867603) | #1231 | |
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Join Date: Apr 2011
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Thoroughly dislike the mostly grey livery, but the one that retains most of the black, I like.
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21 Apr 2011, 16:26 (Ref:2867612) | #1232 | ||
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Quote:
The motivation for the black-gray livery is to highlight the use of carbon fibre. The whole focus of the car is a low weight, so perhaps they are saving weight by using less paint. For what it is worth, the official power number for the R18 engine is "over 540 hp (397 kW)". Baretzky talks about "an unusual engine concept", which sort of confirms the turbo inside V theory. The gearbox "has a high amount of carbon-fiber composite material". I guess that means a carbon fiber instead of aluminium casting. The gear box is operated electrically, instead of pneumatically. Another important feature: "Optimized airflow through the cockpit should make air-conditioning redundant." There were rumors that Peugeot does not use air conditioning either. Last edited by gwyllion; 21 Apr 2011 at 16:37. |
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21 Apr 2011, 16:33 (Ref:2867615) | #1233 | |
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so, any data yet from paul ricard, if they tested there? i'd be very interesting to compare some numbers with those of the 908.
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21 Apr 2011, 16:34 (Ref:2867616) | #1234 | ||
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And it seems that the R18's gearbox casing has numerous carbon fiber components on it and that the gear change system is no longer electro-pnumatic, but is purely electronic.
I wonder how much weight that's saved, along with the alleged compound turbocharger system, which wasn't mentioned. I think anyone near the R18 this weekend should have their cameras ready... Certianly, the R18 is undoubtedly lighter than the 908, which has a V8, electro-hydraulic gear change, and the main reasoning behind the "evolution 2" bodywork was to shed 40kgs or almost 90 lbs of weight. Even though it has to weigh 900kgs, that means more freedom to move around ballast and to allow for their rumored KERS system next year. If Audi are able to get close to the 908's strightline speeds, they'll be with a shot to win LM or anywhere else on performance, rather than strategy or Peugeot mistakes/issues alone. |
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21 Apr 2011, 16:35 (Ref:2867618) | #1235 | |||
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Quote:
Also, carbon fiber gearbox? I sense a potential weak point right there. |
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When in doubt? C4. |
21 Apr 2011, 16:44 (Ref:2867620) | #1236 | |||
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Quote:
Quote:
As long as they don't use carbon fibre for the gears, I see no problem. In F1 gearbox castings are made from aluminium, titanium or carbon fibre, depending on the preferrence of the team. Last edited by gwyllion; 21 Apr 2011 at 16:52. |
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21 Apr 2011, 16:44 (Ref:2867621) | #1237 | ||
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It's more than just figures with the new Audi, in those videos at Sebring it seemed to move around the circuit effortlessly, so it's working in practice as well as in theory.
I can see the Audi having a massive advantage in being nimble, which should definitely play in to Audi's hands at the smaller ILMC races and probably ace sector times in the last sector at La Sarthe. One weak-point could be driver visibility; the R18 seems to have a narrow windscreen, maybe even more narrow than the 908. Considering the Audi drivers have little experience of lapping GT cars in a closed, modern LMP it could be a cause for concern, especially having tested for hours on clear tracks. It took the Pug drivers the whole of 2007 to learn how to not drive in to GT2 cars. Last edited by Gingers4Justice; 21 Apr 2011 at 16:53. |
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21 Apr 2011, 17:12 (Ref:2867635) | #1238 | ||
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All the Audi guys aside from McNish have experience in GT cars, and Allan has driven the Toyota GT-One at LM, and he didn't have any problems with it. And we can't forget that Andre and Benoit run in the Super GT GT500 class, which are fairly closer to front engine LMP1 cars now--I've read that they run carbon monocoques and I know that they run pushrod double wishbone suspensions on them, and the cockpits of those cars aren't much different from the R18 in layout and use of the HANS.
And of course, Tom and Dindo raced the '03 Bentley, which seems to have heavily inspired the R18's cockpit design. I'd expect the Audi guys to adapt quicker than the Pug guys did, and you can bet that Audi studied the 908 as well to get what they wanted. |
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21 Apr 2011, 17:20 (Ref:2867640) | #1239 | ||
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I think it looks good, a big improvement on the earlier pictures and will see what it looks like in the flesh in 2 weeks at spa
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21 Apr 2011, 17:21 (Ref:2867641) | #1240 | ||
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Looks great!
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I can't drive 55. |
21 Apr 2011, 17:54 (Ref:2867661) | #1241 | ||
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I think they look septic !!!
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21 Apr 2011, 18:25 (Ref:2867686) | #1242 | ||
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With all this weight saving, the risk of mechanical failure is increasing. Especially under race condition where the car will be pushed a bit further than under testing.
With only one race (Spa) before Le Mans, could Audi run another potentially very risky design? |
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Hvil i Fred Allan. (Rest in Peace Allan) |
21 Apr 2011, 18:55 (Ref:2867697) | #1243 | |
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Yep, they make the same mistake as in 2009, field a poorly raced car. No testing in the world can make up for actually racing a car and looking back at their poor result, they would have been much better off putting the R18 through Sebring to iron out the kinks..
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21 Apr 2011, 19:06 (Ref:2867704) | #1244 | ||
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Well, the early Peugeot 908s were heavy cars that were made light, and that didn't help their reliablity, especially the first couple of years.
For an aircraft anaology, the DeHavilland Mosquito, Lavochkin La-5 and La-7, and the Yakovlev Yak-9 and Yak-3 were lightweight aircraft of their type, in small part because they were basically varnished caskets. In other words, they were made largely out of wood, a non-strategic material and usually fairly light weight. The Yak-3 was one of the smallest fighter aircraft or World War II, and it had it's defects--it's Hispano Suiza 12Y derived Klimov M-105 engine was being pushed to it's limits as far as a favorable power/reliablity ratio (due to the Russians not having western aluminum alloys available to make improved engine internals, and indifferent wartime production standards) and wing skins tended to break off if the plane had a few too many 500mph+ dives (due to indifferent wartime production standards), but it was as manuverable under combat situaltions as the Mitsubishi A6M Zero (an other lightweight fighter), but was better protected and armed, more durable, easier to repair, and not to mention that it outperformed the Zero in every other field. As Gwyllion pointed out, F1 teams have used a lot of the this technology for years, and as the 908 proved, it's easier to beef things up than to pare off weight. I believe that most of the 908's problems though out it's life was because of the team trying to pare off weight off the rather overweight 908s, and reliablity only really improved when the extra 30kgs of ballast was added to the diesel LMP1s--the Pugs had trouble getting much below 925kgs at Sebring '09, and they had reliablity issues there. The R18 survived 2 30 hour tests at Sebring--probably the most demanding track on cars that sportscars race at--and the photos that Audi released were from a Paul Ricard test that was probably a 30 hour test, and aside from Monza, Paul Ricard because of that 3/4 of a mile Mistral Straight, is about as close to LM as you're gonna get nowadays with the old Hockenheim GP track being largely gone (a favorite Joest test ground because of it's resemblance to LM). If the R18 can survived the worst that these two test circuits can throw at it, it'll probably survive LM, but that's not gurentee. Peugeot did 12 30 hour tests last year, but none of their cars finished because of unproven parts being added at the last minute. As I said, Audi are playing it smart by designing a lightweight car first, as it's easier to add weight than to pare it off. |
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21 Apr 2011, 19:07 (Ref:2867706) | #1245 | ||
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Quote:
You have to see where they are saving weight:
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21 Apr 2011, 19:21 (Ref:2867715) | #1246 | |
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More pictures of the livery: http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/ga...iccard%20Test#
Last edited by gwyllion; 21 Apr 2011 at 19:40. Reason: better gallery |
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21 Apr 2011, 19:30 (Ref:2867721) | #1247 | ||
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If it wasn't for that stupid fin on the back this car would look epic. The ACO really do have to have a rethink about the fin regulations, it's just way too big.
I'm not saying some sort of fin isn't needed, but lets have something that actually looks like a Shark fin, rather than as if a huge Plastic door has been glued to the back of the car. |
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21 Apr 2011, 19:37 (Ref:2867728) | #1248 | |
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21 Apr 2011, 19:38 (Ref:2867731) | #1249 | ||
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I expect that the design choice of Audi will give then an advantage in the other ILMC races. However in Le Mans Peugeot might have the upper hand, because of the long straights. |
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21 Apr 2011, 19:39 (Ref:2867732) | #1250 | |||
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Quote:
Quote:
- Dindo Capello[/quote]source: http://www.fourtitude.com/news/publi...cle_6754.shtml |
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