Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylvan
So at the rear axle this gives us about 1.1 g's possible (1900/1700). So for all that work we gained a potential .1 g of acceleration in the rear. Yippee! Would that keep you from spinning out? Dunno, probably not unless you had an extremely well dialed-in suspension and you were a good driver.
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I'd love to hear from some experts here, but I was under the impression that it wasn't about getting the extra grip for acceleration, but rather for stability. Here's my thinking:
At low speeds, the wind resistance is very low (since it's an n^2 thing, as you mentioned). So the rear tires aren't having to "fight" the wind too much, and traction is fairly even all around. However, at higher speeds, say 100mph, the air resistance is actually a factor, and the rear tires (on a RWD car) are having to "push" harder against the air. Taken to the extreme, it would be like pushing against a brick wall, and the rear tires would just spin, causing loss of traction. The air doesn't exert as much force as a brick wall, but the loss of rear-end stability is still there, so when you go to turn at 100mph, your rear end is less stable than it was at 50mph.
Is my thinking correct? I've never really read an explanation, but that's the only thing I've come up with on my own. Any Formula 1 wing designers in the house?
