Why do F1 tires have such a high profile?

I don't mind the bigger tires on small wheels. It gives the team more options when it comes to tire set up with pressures and volume. Depending on what they fill the tires with, there are a number of ways to manipulate the way the tire reacts to conditions, maintains consistent pressure, and holds/loses heat. At this point, wheel size is kind of irrelevant unless they add a stipulation to material and minimum weights or something other than size alone.

 

Michelin will be happy !! Bernie's insistence in keeping the 13 inch wheels scuppered their bid to be F1 tyre supplier last time.

I guess when the contract comes to tender again, they will try to get it.

 

So I had an email exchange with Julian Majzub on the differences betweeen radials and bias plys, and he pointed out that all, that is ALL, racing tires today are bias ply and not radials.

Matt

 

Read that but doesn't mean I have to like it though ;-)

18" will look like wagon wheels, 15 or 16 max would have been better.

 

When one looks at the combined mass of the wheel and tire::
As the wheel size grows (in diameter and weight) the tire sheds more weight than the wheel adds--up to about 18" then the situation reverses
and the weight increases with increasing wheel size.

 

it may also have to do with getting the manufacturers name and logo on the sidewall and be large enough to see and recognize in the days of multiple competitors.

now may also be about the color stripe, logo, etc...

 

Formula 1 to introduce 18-inch wheels in 2021 https://www.racefans.net/2018/07/20/formula-1-18-inch-wheels-2021/ … via @racefansdotnet

And tyre blankets to be banned from 2021.

 

Increasing the wheel diameter without fitting bigger brakes is pointless.
So it's yet another change dictated by commercial reasons, and to make F1 "relevant to road cars" (???).

Some people will say it's for the looks, too, but frankly what's pictured below reminds me of a Jetta on aftermarket 19s, proudly showing off its drum brakes. I wouldn't really call it an improvement..
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Sadly, between halo and now wagon wheels, F1 cars will never look good again to me.

 

I’m good with the change. That is an easily relatable change that fans can apppreciate. I for one don’t like the current setup... it looks outdated compared to the rest of the car. I certainly don’t want some ultra thin sidewalk, I.e the Jetta on 22’s example, but something a bit more sleek and modern works for me.

Hopefully Ferrari will switch to black wheels at some point.

 

I would like to see them fit steel brakes in an attempt to make the braking zone longer at that.

 

But will the tyres still be pre-heated? Like oven heated?

If not, that could be a game changer for F1... and the tyre supplier.

 

What current F1 cars would look like...

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I'm sure the teams will complain along with the tyre supplier....

 

here's an idea (w/o tyre warmers)

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About time

 

Less rubber + no tire warmers... gonna be some interesting starts on cold tires... and restarts.

 

The various tire manufacturers have been pushing for this for quite a while. Might we now have a return to a proper tire war? Michelin . . . Goodyear . . . Continental . . . Bridgestone/Firestone?

 

Absolutely !!

We have competition on the engine front, and on the aero front.

Let's have war on the tyre front now !!!

 

This is awesome news. Now maybe I can pick up a cheap set of tire cozies on eBay for winter driving the F-car! [emoji2]

Good to see Liberty finally focusing on important issues...T

 

I hope not... we have now finally 3 teams running close in front and some interesting races and apart from the Renault engine at RB all components are either within their control or standard (like the tires). When you now bring different tires at least one of these teams might fall behind because their supplier is weaker.
So having Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and next year RB as a Honda semi-works team (or at least the team they focus on) brings real challenge, different tires might take some of them out...

 

Fixed - IMHO

 

Michelin proposed the 18" tyre idea for F1 way back in 2010 and they have been producing an 18" tyre for Formula E since 2013. That was when 18" were still popular in sportscars now things have moved on F1 should be looking at 20" plus to make it "special" from the other formulas not the same.

They also need to get rid of the rainbow selection of tyres.

The tender is for a single supplier, they (FIA/FOM) don't want a tyre war.

 

Jumping from a 13" high profile tyre to a 20" low profile would need a complete rethink of the suspension in F1.
Engineers don't complain too much about the present 13" wheels and the high profile tyres, because they solve a lot of problems in suspension design, energy absorbtion, etc...

 

I read somewhere - a long time ago - that the small wheels were to lower cornering speeds.