Total Suspension Travel and Sag levels

[sporty.dave]

:confused: I am trying to model an F1 car driving on a straight piece of track. Can anybody tell me the ammount of total suspension travel, the approx proportions of the travel coming from the tyre and the percentage suspension sag the car would have at rest.

Thank you for any help you can give me

David

[THR]

think its something like....
50% from tires.
with the actual travel of the suspension quite low.
at the from something like... 15mm
and the rear abuot 80 id say...

but the 80 would only get reached over kerbs.. on a straight probs would be more like 20mm

[Red Dog]

I don't think they get anything like that amount of travel
I would guess at between a quarter and three-eighths of an inch of suspension movement max with perhaps the same again from the tyres. Over a bump the tyres are going to yield a bit more but not the suspension. Look at the slow-mo's of them hitting the kerbs going through the chicanes. The tyres leave the track frequently but the suspension hardly moves. This restriction on travel is to keep the ride height and pitch within very closely defined limits - crucial to consistent downforce.

[UAV]

I would wonder how much shock dampening the tires produce compared to how much the normal shocks dampen thinks. Having little suspension movement makes for very stiff springs, and lots of energy to dissapate. I know the tires are designed to absorb certain loads and probably at certain frequences, ie 10 to 15hz. I only guessing. I do rememer at around 30hz, rubber becomes really good at absorbing these vibrations. All this realites to the acceleration of the wheel hitting the bump (curb). At high accelerations (high speed) you would want to dampen as much as possible to preventing the associated wheel from changing its slip angle radically, or leaving the ground altogether. regardless of downforce your effected wheel is going to something. When watching on television most of the time you can't see the deflection because its too fast or they are not hitting big enough bumps to see. I suspect 25 mm to 30 max in compression. Ride height is of course critical, but the front wings are higher than before. I saw four f1 cars close up at the Toronto Automotive Show.
Maclearn, Williams (almost beside each other) Toyota and Beneton. All the 2001 year, with what seemed a med to slow aero package. Or more so likly the tour package. I also noted lots of antidive geometry. best show yet.