All sorts of reasons been given for Koby's and Peres's ability to make Pirrellis last longer than just about anyone else. Seems it might not be to do with driving style after all.
Went to my usual source of technical scuttlebut, the forum on F1 Technical.com and found some interesting information, which has been rumoured for a while, but was confirmed when a tyre was ripped off in the Monaco crash.
Sauber use hollow spoked wheels which hugely increases the volume of gas (CO2/Nitrogen blend) with which the tyre is inflated. This gives a flatter curve to the inherant spring rate of the tyre flex, allowing lower rated suspension springs. It also gives a larger volume to be heated allowing more stable pressure/temperature charachteristics for the tyre.
The idea was around in the BMW days but has apparently become much more effective since the change to Pirrelli with their different construction and designed in performance degradation.
Apparently OFF Roaders have been using the trick for years.
Topic: Sauber Wheels (Read 214 times)
