Renault's Backward Exhaust

[Jiji_the_cat]

Just wondering if anyone has any info at all on Renaults backward facing exhaust?

My understanding is that it faces the front of the car, so the hot air expells against the air passing over the car rather than with it. With the banning of the fduct, have renault found a way to stall the rear wing through the hot air coming from the engine? To my thinking, this is what they have done, and if so, i commend them.

Any thoughts? any further insite?

[Joel]

I would like to see photos, I looked through many and didn't find detailed photos.

[Mothers Worry]

Renault confident exhaust trick worth the risk

From thef1times.com:

Renault confident exhaust trick worth the risk

Tuesday 01st February 2011

Renault team principal Eric Boullier is confident the outfit's 'risky' exhaust system will pay off when the season begins.

The media were puzzled by the apparent lack of exhausts on the R31 when it was launched in the Valencia pit-lane. Since then, it has become clear that the exhausts are routed to the front of the sidepods, exiting onto the underfloor of the car.

The Frenchman was coy about revealing too much about the unique feature, opting to leave it to their competitors to figure out.

"I'm not going to talk too much about it, I will let our competitors find out by themselves," Boullier told ESPNF1. "Yes, we have decided to go a little bit brave in this design and this area to make the car a bit different."

When he was asked whether the approach was risky, he replied: "Of course. We have to be. If you are too conservative you will stay at the back of the queue and we do not want to spend our time copying the others. If you want to be at the front you have to be creative and you also need to bring this creativeness in the team spirit.

"You need to reassure people by saying: 'Let's try something that you believe strongly will perform. Let's try it and if it doesn't work we will back you up'. That's a big change because then people can take some risks."

[kevrulezz]

 ...no wonder I couldn't find any pictures of this exhaust system, I was looking for them at the back of the car but blowing air back towards the driver...not down under the side pods next to the driver....

[chief350]

this will sound remarkably diferent live imo.

not to mention the driver saying...." what? i cant here you over the exhast" , on the radio alot?

interesting inovation tho. some of my mates have jammed a v8 into an esky that has forward pointing exhausts maybe they coppied the idea from us??

[Jiji_the_cat]

according to renault it sounds significantly different to anything else that was heard during the tests.

[Oldtony]

Probably the best place to find analysis and comment is the forum area on F1technical.com.
There are some very cuey charachters there, some of whom have access to considerable CFD computing power.
The accepted wisdom seems to be that the exhaust gasses are being used to provide a "virtual skirt" down the outer edges of the main and sidepod floor. If you remember the skirts on AJ's championship winning Williams, which were subsequently banned, you can see the way keeping the full flow through of air under the car increased ground effects.
Brilliant idea, but my guess would be that the amount of CFD and wind tunnel work to make it a significant system would be huge.
By the way it is also a way of getting heat into the rear tyres now they are bigger than the fronts, but with the swap to Pirrellis that might not prove a great idea.

[Mothers Worry]

Probably the best place to find analysis and comment is the forum area on F1technical.com.

I think you may mean this OT:

http://www.f1technical.net/

[Oldtony]

Yep! that's it MW. Sorry for the misdirection.
If you ever want the mysteries of F1 aero or something technical explained the forum section of that site gives you everything from CFD models to some pretty advanced physics and electronics.
Sometimes a Phd would be usefull in understanding some of the theories but it sure as hell beats the fanboy waffle you get in some forums.

[Mothers Worry]

Sorry for the misdirection.

No problem.... and yes; it is a great site.