It came to me in a dream, about sailboats. I was watching the America's Cup hydrofoil boats lift off and cut through the ocean using water and air to create power and force. I woke up thinking downforce is simply not natural.
Could a racecar with zero downforce utilize the air like a sailboat to become even faster? Could downforce be replaced with "sideforce"? Is this just a silly idea?
"My Honda Love Affair"
This is a tribute to one of my favorite companies, a company that persevered and kept pushing to become world champions again in F1, a company that created ASIMO, created their own jet, a race bike with oval pistons, CVCC, when VTEC kicks in, the FCX... and they've done it through intelligent, thoughtful engineering to produce Dreams that point us towards a better future. This is my love letter to Honda.
Thoughts on the HLA (Honda Love Affair):
- 0% downforce
- 100% sideforce
- 2x Honda RA630e SuperPalindromic DriveRegen motors
- drive-through rapid inductive charging
- supercapacitor discharge and storage
- all 4 wheels are independently controlled for:
- steering
- drive
- braking
- stability/wind gust control
- 100% regenerative braking (no hydraulic braking system)
- interchangeable left/right and front/rear drivetrain and suspension components to reduce costs
- 550kg/1213lb (same as a 1970's F1 car and ~250kg lighter than today's ultra-complex hybrids)
- 4500mm long (current F1 hybrids are 5500mm)
Initial Thoughts about sideforce:
PROS
- ultra-low drag (downforce IS drag, whether aerodynamically or mechanically through the tires)
- turning relies on the redirection of air flow, not on the stickiness of the tires
- (downforce generated through wings and ground-effects transfer the downward forces through the body, through the suspension, and ultimately to the contact patches of the tires, where the downward forces create mechanical grip by smashing the rubber into the tarmac as hard as possible - all of this is extremely inefficient and wasteful, and requires an ultra-stiff suspension and low ride height)
- suspension can be much softer - also no porpoising
- tires are under much less stress because much of the mechanical grip is replaced by laterally redirecting airflow - tires could easily last an entire race - no more pit-stops for "the show"
- untapped innovation possibilities
CONS
- braking performance is sacrificed, may need to add air-brakes
- possible turbulence issues when cars are turning?
- wheel hubs become much larger and heavier to support the sideforce generated by the fairings
- would this concept even work?
