Thursday, July 12, 2007

F2007 Update for Silverstone


Ferrari have once again developed a new rim cover, but this time it has been so thoroughly developed that it doesn't rotate with the wheel any more. The new cover is fitted inside the front wheel to help brake disk cooling. The assembly comes with a newly developed wheel nut (see left image). The nut consist of a central, silver coloured part that does not rotate and is fixed to the wheel axis. Around it is a blue part that does rotate with the wheel. When the fronts wheels are now changed during a pit stop, the carbon rim cover comes off with the nut as one part. After a new tyre is fitted, the wheel nut is again put on with the help of a specially developed screwer to ease handling for the pit crew.

The new system is ingenious in a way that it allows for the cooling exit (opening in lower left of right image) can stay at the same location all through the lap and hereby increase brake cooling and wheel aerodynamic efficiency. The fixed location meanwhile also has the benefit that it washes away earlier protests of rivalling teams who claim that the wheel covers (the ones that rotate with the wheel itself) are forbidden moveable aerodynamic devices.

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