Red Bull Suspension - by Sportsman

F1, don't we love it. Last year we had the double diffuser issue,"is it legal." This year we have Red Bulls suspension.

There are several self levelling suspension systems, most of them use a method of altering the length of the piston damper actuator within the damper unit itself. Under the current FIA regulations these may well be "illegal" or not, who knows. I certainly don't.

There is however another system which uses geometery to achieve the same effect.This system is not new, indeed it was patented in 1935, I think, by Ernest Earles. Widely used by BMW motorcycles, it was very effective in eliminating the forks diving under heavy braking.

"The Earles fork was a variety of leading link fork where the pivot point was aft of the rear of the front wheel — this was the basis of a patent for the design. Designed by Englishman Ernest Earles, this triangulated fork actually caused the front end of a motorcycle to rise when braking hard ".

I realise that RBR is not a motorcycle, but I believe that Adrian Newey, who is undoubtedly the most innovative F1 designer since Colin Chapman, has incorporated this geometery into the RBR6 suspension design.

By careful design of suspension attachment points, and possibly using a cranked suspension damper attachment point, he could reproduce the characteristic of the Earles fork of raising under load, and at the same time, the suspension would still operate normally.

This could then be used to hold the car at it's optimum ride height, irrespective of the fuel load.

The FIA have issued a letter to the teams, which re-iterates the FIA regulations in respect to suspension regulations.This is widely available and have no need to reproduce here.

I will however take one sentence and ask just how do you interpret this? 

"The ride height can only be adjusted when the car is not moving."

Taken literally, that means that if the car ride height increases as it would with a convential system, that is also illegal as well.

Newey has, I believe, turned the RBR6 suspension upside down, resulting in it decreasing as the fuel load is consumed. Fanciful, maybe but entirely possible.

It is also possible that the RBR6 has a constant ride height, irrespective of fuel load. Does that equate to self levelling?

There are specific requirements contained in the FIA technical regulations. Provided that the car meets those regulations and the ride height is an entirely mechanical design feature, I fail to see any question of legality.

 

Comments

[Chevy HHR cold air intake]

The competition in designs are tough and propaganda among this is very controversial. But let us admit that in our time today a lot of better suspension parts are out there legal or not.

[CGS intake]

Good, your working on a new suspension system that would revolutionize it even more. I hope all goes well.

[Air Suspension Kits]

The rules are just rules. They are always amended or repealed every time they see if it fits perfectly. Good luck to the new design of this suspension system.

[K Sport]

Most applications utilize an adjustable lower mount, which means you can adjust the height without losing suspension travel like other coilover designs do. With the mounts and most pieces of the coilover being designed with 6061 billet aluminum, the kit is lightweight, durable, and rust resistant.

[ISC Coilovers]

Replacing a suspension system averages about $1,000 -$2,000, and will often cost more than that for rare or luxury cars. A lot depends on the type of suspension system in a particular make, model and year and the amount of wear and rust underneath the vehicle.

[B&G Suspension]

Equally Red Bull have gone for a low differential, but the total effect is a very tall and bulky gearbox, albeit one that fits into the natural space created as the car tapers to the rear. But compared to Williams gearbox its clear to see where better airflow can be created at the tail of the car.

[Air Suspension Kits]

There is a lateral conflict on whether a low rider or high rider experience would help F1 racers feel comfortable as they deal with their race dragons. A perfect rear air leveling system should be enough to end the argument. Although it somehow depends on the type of rider, I'm pretty sure the devices used would amplify racing experience.

[air ride kits]

Red Bull have been running a pull rod rear suspension since 2009, while not a new solution, no team had run this set up for many years, as the aerodynamic demands of the rear diffuser drove designers to place the spring and damper hardware up above the gearbox to create space for tunnels beneath the car.

[Air Ride Parts]

Following the ensuing controversy, it has been reported that the FIA are considering allowing teams the right to make a single adjustment to their ride heights between Saturday and Sunday. It is hoped that this would prevent a spending war from breaking out over these costly systems.

[Truck Lowering Suspension Parts]

Every sport has its regulation and rules. It is also updated from time to time .