Ferrari LaFerrari vs Mclaren P1 vs Porsche 918

Exactly!

 

F1 does not need 4wd due to the enormous down force ...
Pete

 

I still don't get why so many car makers are so focused and crazy over the Nurburgring times they can achieve. I understand it's a great place to test cars...but it has no relevance or correlation with real world driving or "real" track driving IMHO

And I don't mean this for these 3 cars but for all sports cars in general.

 

No other track is as real world road like. All the other tracks are way too smooth ...
Pete

 

2014 Toyota LMP1 car will have 4WD

 

Exactly. Some people don' t know their history though. As far as advancements are concerned, they apply both to 4WD an 2WD. Thus comparissons are valid. The fact that 4WD adds weight, reduces power (losses) corrupts steering feel etc remains true. At a track like the Ring, 4WD might have an advantage. On a smooth GP circuit though it is a hindrance.

 

Despite that, some say that it wasn't that easy to manage the driver(s) to reach this time...

The fact that they broke the old record a couple of times doesn't contradict this idea. They crashed one prototype while struggeling, the driver getting slightly injured and other drivers trying didn't show the results they expected.

The drivers that broke the record know are all factory drivers knowing the 918 already very long and very well. The drivers are the big plus in this game.

Exactly.

And:

That's why they do:

 

For the better understanding, it always helps to compare the average speeds. With the 6:11 Bellof still is the one and only who ever did an average speed of more than 200 km/h. There are worlds between that.

Beside the car, again it's the driver. And I really doubt, that someone could reach this record – not only talking about road cars.

Correct. That's 30 years ago!


OT: Let's see, how long this whole stuff will go on an the NS will still be alive... It's far away from being a modern and safe track and they will need a lot of money to change that. Money, no one wants to invest. For some manufacturers the testing there is important or at least a part of their game but it bears some risks...

 

I knew you were going to say that. Typical Glickenahus bravado.

Sooo many factors deciding, apart from AWD: petrol vs diesel, turbo vs NA, budget and experience, reliability...

Are you using AWD in your next car? Then, why not?

Absolutely, but one could argue that the minimum weight eliminates the advantage of a RWD car.

Re: the AWS Benetton, it was shelved because the regulations banned it, but it´s hard to tell if it could have worked or not, as it was only used in the final race of the championship, IIRC.

IIRC, it was the opposite: they decided RWD, then ACO changed the regulations.




Actually, I agree with you and think that at these levels of power, RWD is on the verge of extinction. But I though the same back in the early 90s with the Lamborghini Diablo VT, the Ferrari 408, the 911 Carrera 4 and many others... and for some reason that I don´t understand RWD is still around here, now that nobody cares about weight and it´s relatively easy to get lots of BHP. Some could say that it´s because of the lack of driver involvement of AWD, but it´s quite clear that the manufacturers don´t care about the minority of purists.

 

Great picture do you have a link to a high res please ?

 

Well, I see them sliding a lot anyways. And a LMP has a lot of downforce too.

Yet, those FWD Kit Cars had little downforce and could beat (only on dry tarmac, of course) the more powerful AWD Gr. A and WRC cars.

Many deciding factors, as minimum weight allowed, etc...

 

In pretty much any racing that Audi or Nissan entered with AWD cars, and yes this includes smooth and fast tracks, AWD was banned in a few years time. 'Nuff said.

 

this: http://autokult.pl/images/2013/09/Porsche-918-Spyder-Nurburgring-4-353982.jpg

 

"918 can go faster"
Hear it from the man himself!
Porsche 918 Spyder blitzes Nurburgring record

 

Watch out for this one:

F1 driver to lead Nissan GT-R Nismo development | Autocar

 

the time is being questioned:

RE: Porsche: Frankfurt 2013 - PistonHeads

seems odd to me.

 

Good choice. For a hybrid race car there is no question that is the way to go as Porsche did with the 918. Mc Laren's engineers told me they wanted to go AWD but couldn't fit it into their tub. For Petrol race car, except in the rain it's an open question and specific race regulations play a part as well.

 

No, that's how all manufacturers time their laps.
Watch the Corvette's lap and a lot of others, I can't remember, they all do the same thing.

 

Speaking Of The 918?. 6:57 | The Truth About Cars

That's what I said about a second lap. The LaF would win that.

 

The ultimate goal of a sports car is to go racing or get as close as possible to that racing experience. Some try to get there and keep enough luxury for day to day driving as well. That's why we buy fast cars or else we'll get a Bugatti or something. With that said, I believe there is no better way to judge a car's all around ability than to take it to the largest race track in the world that has a little of everything. So, if your car can beat another's time on that track then, regardless of what specs you say your car has, when it comes down to it, my car is still faster than yours. Simple really.

 

Once again the lap after lap boost that we found could be generated just by recapturing kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost to heat by recapturing that energy by braking on the long GP+NS lap was 50 seconds of 50HP.

Neither 918, P1 or La Ferrari will be able to run at maximum boost for more than, if even, one NS lap.

I say even that because if you watch the 918 Video you can see while 918 could run over 300KPH on the back straight it couldn't on the longer straight so by then it was losing power.

Using the petrol engine to produce boost lowers available power and on the road all of them will use Petrol to recharge for the next stoplight drag race with those pesky Lambo's.

All of their second laps will be slower and their third ones will be even slower.

 

It is.

 

do you think that it's possible that customers will not accept all this "hybrid revolution" in sports cars and companies will back to traditional conception?

 

On the Road I do. IMO the extra weight and complexity isn't worth it. Having been there and done that we're going back to basics lighter, smaller and simpler for our next Road and Race car. Carbon tub,1000KG, 550HP TTV6 and about 2.7M wheel base.

 

Lamborghini claiming do not use hybrid technology but Ferrari have plan to construct successor of 458 with electric motor