How has F1 influenced road cars?

[Sodemo]

Just wondering, what innovations have actually directly filtered down to road cars over the past 60 years?

The only examples that spring to mind for me are the disk brakes that Bentley pioneered in the Lemans 24h, and maybe Semi Automatic gearboxes that (Ferrari?) pioneered in 1989?

[Valve Bounce]

That's funny!! I thought Jaguar pioneered disk brakes at Le Mans. Even if Bentley did, I don't think that Bentley ever had a car in F1.

My opinion is that very little has actually filtered down from F1 into road cars, and whatever did was in a very watered down guise. But that is only my opinion, and I accept that I may be totally wrong on this.

[Kicking-back]

There have been some things learned about tyre technology.

[TomS]

Same could be said for fluids

[Valve Bounce]

......and solids

[Raglanparade]

Yeah oils and coolants have probably developed the most from F1 racing.

[Silk Cut Jaguar]

I'd say it influnenced all the Vauxhall Nova owners who glue faux carbon fibre to the shell.

[Marbot]

Not much really,road tyre data mainly comes from rallying and touring car series, you could say the same for most things really.Pirelli and Goodyear aren't losing any sleep because their not in F1.

[RWC]

Originally Posted by Silk Cut Jaguar

I'd say it influnenced all the Vauxhall Nova owners who glue faux carbon fibre to the shell.

More seriously there have been very good technologies that have come from f1 but not so much as ideas or inventions.
Much more as pure research and materials advancements

Some i can think of are:

The turbo era-
excellent improvements in absolute fuel efficiency,combustion chamber design,materials

Tyres -
Have a look at the bridgestone performance tyre brochure that explains all their technologies and you'll see what i mean! The weird and wonderfull ideas + the strange chemistry they come up with is facinating
The world ***NEEDS*** tyre competition in f1 (but not under the current pitifully political rules though-change the circumferal grooves to a % of tread surface must be grooved,or something similar-i.e any tread pattern.That way f1 tyre tech will filter down to road cars even quicker)

The recent era -
The last few years the manufacturers have been making small but constant improvements in 'losses reduction'
That is-making bearings more slippery,stronger and smaller.
Making parts as small and light as they can possibly be (finite element analysis).
Small but continued improvements in combustion and thermal efficiency

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Valve Bounce

That's funny!! I thought Jaguar pioneered disk brakes at Le Mans.

It was Jaguar (with Dunlop) in the '50s.

Originally Posted by martyn bott

Not much really, road tyre data mainly comes from rallying and touring car series

and even then more Rallying I think.

Generally I think the main thing for manufacturers involved (engine, tyre, team, etc...) it improves practices and methods rather than specific items. Honda used to rotate their engineers so that their road engineers had experience of F1. A good idea I thought.

[Mike_Wooshy]

i hear the replacement for the Nissan Almeria will have a CVT gear box and that was with Williams Renult at the time.

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

It was Jaguar (with Dunlop) in the '50s.

...and that was a spin-off from Dunlop's aviation activities.

[Kicking-back]

Clearly F1 is more about concepts - while rallying and touring car racing have a much more direct link with road cars.

I'd suggest racing tends to be more about marketing the brands than engineering though.

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by Mike_Wooshy

i hear the replacement for the Nissan Almeria will have a CVT gear box and that was with Williams Renult at the time.

The first automotive CVT was used by DAF in the late 1950s, using a principle which had been around for a long time in industrial drives. All current CVT's are a development of that, the biggest difference being in the type of belts used nowadays.

[Gabrio]

Originally Posted by Mike_Wooshy

i hear the replacement for the Nissan Almeria will have a CVT gear box and that was with Williams Renult at the time.

Yes, Williams engineered it and it was banned before it got to the racing stage. However, for road use, the pioneer of Continuously Variable Transmission was DAF which used it in its road cars in the 70s.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Dave Brand

The first automotive CVT was used by DAF in the late 1950s, using a principle which had been around for a long time in industrial drives. All current CVT's are a development of that, the biggest difference being in the type of belts used nowadays.

Correct
See this page for CVT in DAF F3 and rally cars.

[Marbot]

Nothing new under the sun.

[Sodemo]

Was is Jag who pioneered the disk brakes? I could have sworn it was Bentley, can someone please confirm?

[FIRE]

If I remember well it was Bentley.

[Adam43]

Definetly Jaguar. On their C-Types at Le Mans* and it was very quickly on to the road cars too. Try here

*winning in 1953 - the first time the race was completed at an average over 100mph.

[Mackmot]

I think NASCAR has done more for oil and especially greases.

[Tweed]

Gearchange paddles, now there's a good idea for road cars......

[Adam43]

I hate the sequential (no paddles) shift in my car. Everytime I want to change gear I have to have a philosophical debate with the car about it. It isn't driving anyway.

Generally I'm not sure F1 has to be related to road cars. It is about achieving something different. However the general practices still do apply in engineering and manufacturers can still learn, although it won't be with any physical part of the car nowadays.

One aspect that they really can learn is control systems and monitoring for the ECU. Skills in fine tuning engine performance depending on various inputs help not only boost power, but also improve fuel effeciency. Improving power at the rear wheels is closely related to improving effeciency.

[Rich R]

the biggest improvments road cars get from f1 cars is generally i'd say from the tyre development. from michelin introducing radials to the many times you see a company come along with brilliant wet weather tyres as just 2 examples.

[Marbot]

The trouble with technology(and probably the reason we still change gear with a centrally mounted gear stick)is that you can sell technology to 17 year olds but maybe not to 57 year olds,all of whom still watch F1.Car manufacturers won't produce a car that has paddle gear change as standard unless it is an up market low volume vehicle.