Enclosed Rear Wheels

[Arkangel]

I did do a search before posting, but alas, I was unable to uncover anything on this subject.

Early on in the game, I noticed that a few of the LMP cars, the Nissan R89C for example, have no visible rear tire. I have a few questions about this body style, and hopefully someone will know the answers.

1) Does the enclosed back wheel benefit the car in anyway or is it purely cosmetic?
2) I assume there is a door of sorts in place for changing the tires, however, wouldn't having to open and close this door cost them valuable time in the pits?

 

[3-Wheel Drive]

The cover is for aerodynamics. Since the rear wheels do not have to turn side to side, you can put a cover over them. Naturally, wheels and other gaps and such in a car body increase drag, so the cover is put over that to smooth the body out. They are removable, to aid pitting, and sometimes have a small hole to aid in brake ventilation.
I do not know if they cost time in the pits, however, if they do I don't imagine it being very significant.

 

[TheBigMan045]

Just what I was going to say 3-Wheel-Drive

 

[GT4_Rule]

3-wheel-drive basically said whatever I was about to say, although I do believe that the pitting will take longer due to the fact that they have to take it off, change the tires, and then screw it back in. The time differences will accumulate over time, I think. Hence the reason why we don't see any enclosed rear wheels on newer cars.

 

[Luca]

...we don't see any enclosed rear wheels on newer cars.

*cough*

*cough*

(you probably meant on newer race cars though; I doubt the Insight is designed for fast pit times)

 

[Scaff]

Hence the reason why we don't see any enclosed rear wheels on newer cars.

You don't see enclosed wheels/tyres on modern Le Mans cars as the current regulations don't allow them, who knows if they did then maybe a few woul still be about.

In regard to changing tyres, yes the covers would take more time to remove, but with clips this would be minimal Remember we are talking about endurance racing here, so all out pit-stop time is not as important as in shorter races, removing the covers could for example easily be done with a wheel change in the time it takes to change a driver and check fluids, adjust the car, etc.

Regards

Scaff

 

[GT4_Rule]

Alright, I should've clarified it a bit more. Newer race cars.

Thanks for the correction though, Luca and Scaff.

 

[Tedehur]

Better aerodynamics mean lower fuel consumption, which is the reason why the Insight has enclosed rear wheels.
Volkswagen has developped such a car with a fuel consumption of only 1 liter /100km (282 mpg).

Both are pretty ugly IMO.

 

[Automobile]

I wondered about this too, but for the fact that the tyre distortion in cornering would make the tyres rub against the sides. As far as those old cars with enclosed rear wheels, they might not have raced in races that were long enough to warrant a pitstop for tyre changes. After watching the last Formula One in Magny Cours, I noticed that some of the cars (Williams I think) were having some trouble with the rear tyres rubbing against the rear wing, which made me think of those enclosed wheel cars in GT4. Perhaps this extreme distortion is limited to Formula One cars though, the old cars with the enclosed rear wheels, using old types of tyres, probably don't achieve the kind of physical extremes for rubbing to be an issue.

 

[Famine]

I wondered about this too, but for the fact that the tyre distortion in cornering would make the tyres rub against the sides. As far as those old cars with enclosed rear wheels, they might not have raced in races that were long enough to warrant a pitstop for tyre changes. After watching the last Formula One in Magny Cours, I noticed that some of the cars (Williams I think) were having some trouble with the rear tyres rubbing against the rear wing, which made me think of those enclosed wheel cars in GT4. Perhaps this extreme distortion is limited to Formula One cars though, the old cars with the enclosed rear wheels, using old types of tyres, probably don't achieve the kind of physical extremes for rubbing to be an issue.

F1 cars use tyres with colossal sidewalls, which flex quite a bit, to do part of the work of the suspension for them. LMP/Group C cars had quite small sidewalls which don't flex anywhere near as much.

 

[Automobile]

F1 cars use tyres with colossal sidewalls, which flex quite a bit, to do part of the work of the suspension for them. LMP/Group C cars had quite small sidewalls which don't flex anywhere near as much.

Ya I thought that might be the case, F1 pushes all aspects of racing physics to the extreme.

 

[vectradriver]

I looked at that Chapparal yesterday with the enclosed rear end. It honestly looks like a rocket with front wheels. As for the covered wheel-arches, they were a popular design motif for road-cars in the 1950-60's. Cars like the Citroen DS (partially covered) and one of the Jaguar saloons (pre-MK2 IIRC)had them.

EDIT: Jaguar MK VII

 

[wfooshee]

I wondered about this too, but for the fact that the tyre distortion in cornering would make the tyres rub against the sides. As far as those old cars with enclosed rear wheels, they might not have raced in races that were long enough to warrant a pitstop for tyre changes. After watching the last Formula One in Magny Cours, I noticed that some of the cars (Williams I think) were having some trouble with the rear tyres rubbing against the rear wing, which made me think of those enclosed wheel cars in GT4. Perhaps this extreme distortion is limited to Formula One cars though, the old cars with the enclosed rear wheels, using old types of tyres, probably don't achieve the kind of physical extremes for rubbing to be an issue.

1988 Jaguar won the Daytona 24 and LeMans 24 with a car with enclosed rear wheels.

 

[Automobile]

1988 Jaguar won the Daytona 24 and LeMans 24 with a car with enclosed rear wheels.

I don't know that much about the different types of races. What kind of tyres do they use for endurace races? Are the pitstops frequent, or are they on some kind of hard compound tyre?

 

[Tedehur]

Fuel is the main reason why they pit, not tyres.
At the Le Mans 24 hours last month, the Audi R10 covered 380 laps and was pitting every 14 laps to fill in the tank (14 laps = 50 to 55 minutes).

They only change tyres every other pit stop during the day, once in 3 stops during the night, which means that the tyres have to last 2 or 3 hours. They have to choose pretty hard compounds then.