Want to get an idea of what it's like to drive a modern Formula One car?

[imported_Truenofan]

actually, its worse on your engine. your oil isn't up to temperature so its still rather thick. and its not being pumped all around your engine which means there are parts that are metal on metal. its bad to just start up and drive. you should at least let your engine get up to temperature before driving anywhere.
your transmission/differential(if you have one) does not get warmed up until you actually drive your car when the transmission/differential is in use. unless you have some sort of pre-heater for your transmission.(at least on a standard car it wont)

 

[fbrdphreak]

If you're in the dead of winter at 2 degrees, yes you need an engine block heater to warm things up before you go anywhere.

But modern engines, running the specified oil grade, can be driven even when cold. The largest amount of friction wear in an engine comes from cold startup, not cold running. Again as long as the temps aren't extreme, the oil HAS circulated throughout the motor and you can go on your merry way. The difference is that beating on a cold motor could very well break something.

Maybe it's different for your rotary, but not for a good ol' four-stroke Otto.

 

[Fenixgoon]

:Q:Q:Q:Q

now i get what all you F1 fans rave about (hey, a video from *inside* the car makes it that much more exciting )

 

[warmodder]

I liked they're last episode (2 sunday's ago) when they bought the BMW and entered it into the 24 hour race. It was really amazing to watch. I suppose it's incredibly grueling but fun at the same time. I'd like to do something like that some day.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
actually, its worse on your engine. your oil isn't up to temperature so its still rather thick. and its not being pumped all around your engine which means there are parts that are metal on metal. its bad to just start up and drive. you should at least let your engine get up to temperature before driving anywhere.
your transmission/differential(if you have one) does not get warmed up until you actually drive your car when the transmission/differential is in use. unless you have some sort of pre-heater for your transmission.(at least on a standard car it wont)

That's ridiculous. I've never let any vehicle I've owned get up to temperature before driving off. 10-15 seconds is all you need to let it idle. Just keep the revs down for the first few miles and you'll be fine.

Oh, and modern Formula One cars are naturally aspirated (no turbo) 2.5l V8 engines which make about 700hp and rev to almost 20,000 rpms. Per FIA regulations one engine must last two race weekends so that includes Friday practice sessions, Qualifying and the Race on Sunday. If you change an engine early you are penalized 10 grid spots.

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Truenofan
actually, its worse on your engine. your oil isn't up to temperature so its still rather thick. and its not being pumped all around your engine which means there are parts that are metal on metal. its bad to just start up and drive. you should at least let your engine get up to temperature before driving anywhere.
your transmission/differential(if you have one) does not get warmed up until you actually drive your car when the transmission/differential is in use. unless you have some sort of pre-heater for your transmission.(at least on a standard car it wont)

That's ridiculous. I've never let any vehicle I've owned get up to temperature before driving off. 10-15 seconds is all you need to let it idle. Just keep the revs down for the first few miles and you'll be fine.

Oh, and modern Formula One cars are naturally aspirated (no turbo) 2.4l V8 engines which make about 700hp and rev to almost 20,000 rpms. Per FIA regulations one engine must last two race weekends so that includes Friday practice sessions, Qualifying and the Race on Sunday. If you change an engine early you are penalized 10 grid spots.

Fixed. As much as you claim to watch it and the commentators mentioning it so much, you should at least get the number right.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: mariok2006

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Truenofan
actually, its worse on your engine. your oil isn't up to temperature so its still rather thick. and its not being pumped all around your engine which means there are parts that are metal on metal. its bad to just start up and drive. you should at least let your engine get up to temperature before driving anywhere.
your transmission/differential(if you have one) does not get warmed up until you actually drive your car when the transmission/differential is in use. unless you have some sort of pre-heater for your transmission.(at least on a standard car it wont)

That's ridiculous. I've never let any vehicle I've owned get up to temperature before driving off. 10-15 seconds is all you need to let it idle. Just keep the revs down for the first few miles and you'll be fine.

Oh, and modern Formula One cars are naturally aspirated (no turbo) 2.4l V8 engines which make about 700hp and rev to almost 20,000 rpms. Per FIA regulations one engine must last two race weekends so that includes Friday practice sessions, Qualifying and the Race on Sunday. If you change an engine early you are penalized 10 grid spots.

Fixed. As much as you claim to watch it and the commentators mentioning it so much, you should at least get the number right.

BFD-So I made a mistake. And I do watch every single race and qualifying session...have been for years. I'm a wealth of useless F1 trivia but nobody is perfect...not even me.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: Truenofan

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
I had no idea about the engine needing to be heated up to even run.

its just like your normal car. you should never go and drive your car untill its warmed up. its not good for the engine otherwise.

you're missing the point: an f1 engine CANNOT be run without pre-heating. the tolerances are so tight, the metal must expand to something close to it's normal operating size and shape.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One_car
" The drivers do not utilise engine or compression braking, although it may seem this way. The only reason they change down gears prior to entering the corner is to be in the correct gear for maximum acceleration on the exit of the corner."

michael schumacher's ferraris had a knob on the steering wheel to control the engine braking properties. this was explained on tv, and ferrari's web site had an f1 wheel to play with.

http://www.f1technical.net/articles/30

 

[imported_Truenofan]

well i know for one, i will never drive a car cold. just my personal preference i guess.

it wasn't that he wasn't going fast enough to generate downforce. its that the tires weren't up to temperature. to get the tires up to temperature he has to go faster. but without enough grip to handle the speeds he was going at, he couldn't go faster lol. not without scaring the bejesus out of himself. I'd like to try out a Formula Ford or more preferably a Formula Mazda with its rotary engine of course. i don't know what I'd be able to do or not be able to do, but it still looks like it would be a great experience.

formula mazda looks very similar to the older formula one cars.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

not everyone has the funding for an f1 car, so i present a couple low-budget, street-legal alternatives:

Caparo T1
about $500,000US

Ariel Atom
about $50,000US

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
well i know for one, i will never drive a car cold. just my personal preference i guess.

it wasn't that he wasn't going fast enough to generate downforce. its that the tires weren't up to temperature. to get the tires up to temperature he has to go faster. but without enough grip to handle the speeds he was going at, he couldn't go faster lol. not without scaring the bejesus out of himself. I'd like to try out a Formula Ford or more preferably a Formula Mazda with its rotary engine of course. i don't know what I'd be able to do or not be able to do, but it still looks like it would be a great experience.

formula mazda looks very similar to the older formula one cars.

The aerodynamic drag on an F1 car is so great that just letting off the throttle at speed will generate 1g of deceleration. The faster you go, the more downforce is generated. You need the tires up to normal operating temperature and you need to go fast enough to generate enough downforce to maximize the grip of the car.