New transmission

[dedieux]

I heard some talks about a new transmission technology in F1
that won't use a clutch anymore to engage the flywheel of the engine.
If that is correct, can anyone tell me how will it work?

[RWC]

Hi Dedieux.Can you tell us where you read this?

[dedieux]

Hi RWC.
I heard it from a british commmentator (speed vision channel)during the belgian grand prix. He explained how the whole thing will work:
By taking off the clutch, we reduce the weight of the car, reduce the friction and as a result gain more horse power. But I did not understand how the transmission and the engine will be linked!

[Arneal]

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns04716.html

[RWC]

Ahh.Thanks arneal! If this is what you heard dedieux,it wont make much difference to the car really.There's not much really radical about this.The car won't care much if the 'clutch'is in the diff instead of in front of the gearbox.This change WON'T allow them to lower the engine more as the article claims though because the crankcase is allready as low as possible.
Small but usefull gains in power,weight &less parts.

[RWC]

Has anyone seen pics or discription anywhere of the williams variable transmission from the early 90's(?)Apparently it converted rotating motion into reciprocating motion-onto some kind of adjustment plate-& back to rotating motion again.It had infinite variabillity.it was quickly banned of course.

[desmo]

The Williams transmission was a CVT similar in concept to the ones used on snowmobiles and golf carts. It was developed in concert with Van Doorne, the Dutch CVT experts and fitted to a FW15 chassis. Renault even developed a specially tuned 3.5l engine to complement it. It weighed 6kg more than the 6-speed box it replaced and was 93% mechanically efficient as opposed to about 96% for a standard transmission. It first publically appeared in testing in '93 and was banned the same year. This was an unfortunate event in terms of it potentially spurring roadcar development in CVT tech.

[RWC]

Thanks desmo.Do you know of any websites with more info?
I remember reading about this trans years ago when it was being tested,& i'm kind of sure (i think?)that patrick head himself said it was NOT a belt type design.The article then had a good description of the workings-but this is the part i don't know if it was suposition or not....?

[Lola]

Did any one notice the in car camera shots of JPM on sunday. His fingers didnt move when changing gear. Have Williams got their own system already?

[desmo]

There's precious little on the web about that particular application (the Williams) but quite a lot about CVTs in general. The FW15-Renault did have a belt CVT although it was a steel belt- similar to Audi's current unit in fact. These are sometimes referred to as 'pusher' CVTs. There is a good illustration by Tony Matthews of the layout and fitment of the CVT into the Williams in Peter Wright's new book, Formula 1 Technology published by the SAE. They are, as I pointed out above, currently illegal in F1.

[wuzak]

Lola, Montoya wasn't moving his fingers to change gears because the technical freedoms introduced at the Spanish GP allowed not only traction control, but also launch control and fully automatic gear changing.

The gearbox itself remains a manual gearbox with electro/hydraulic gear select actuation.

I guess the main advantage of running the control mode in fully auto is to optimise the upchange point - so that the gear is selected at precisely the correct RPM, and therefore maximise acceleration.

Don't know if downshifting is fully automatic, or if there are any advantages to this.

[rubinhothebest]

Hi, guys.
Ferrari's changes for 2002 seem to be much more important than what they look to be, because, all of the changes are form the better, for what I know till now.
Besides what all of you have said, there'll be improves in the aerodynamics, in the rear chassis. So it'll make change almost all of the rear part.
I think this will make the others to have no chance of beating Ferrari next year.

[Ray Bell]

Here's the forerunner to it all, way back in the sixties in F3...



desmo should have posted this for you...

[Inigo Montoya]

Originally posted by wuzak
Don't know if downshifting is fully automatic, or if there are any advantages to this.

The way I understand it, the downshifts are pre-programmed so that the driver can press a button and automatically be taken to the proper gear for the particular corner. I think that the upshifts are, as you said, fully automatic, but that the driver has the option of overriding this in case they want to short-shift.

Can anyone confirm or refute this?