2010 FIA rules

[Time Machine]

I notice in the Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car rules the following:

FIA said:

Minimum tire pressure at start of run 6 PSI (.41 bar).

How on earth is that going to be enforced? Random pressure checks in the staging lanes?

[Bob Jarrett]

Time Machine said:

I notice in the Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car rules the following:

FIA said:

Minimum tire pressure at start of run 6 PSI (.41 bar).

How on earth is that going to be enforced? Random pressure checks in the staging lanes?

It's really a moot point as I run beween 6 1/2 - 7 PSI and the Dragsters are a little higher. When the track temp is below 50F then 6PSI may work but then again FIA rounds do not run at that temp.

[Eurodragster Tog]

This is something I have wondered about before Bob, could you give us an idiot's guide to tyre pressures on your car? What makes you decide one value over another etc.

[Tet]

Time Machine said:

How on earth is that going to be enforced?

Mostly it won't be. There's a whole lot of stuff in the regulations that is never checked. Would anyone know if a team was using something other than a 21 degree exhaust valve angle, for example? I suspect if the tyres look visibly low, then the start line staff might request the pressure to be checked, but as Bob has said, it largely it won't be an issue.

[ribaric]

This sounds a bit like one of those cases where, at some dodgy track in the boonies of Mississippi, some half-witted kid ran with super low pressures and hit the guard rail as a result. The kid's old man gets all uppity about it and takes the track to court (not unheard of in the USA). In the court, some smart-ass lawyer says "You have this 150 page rule book about safety measure and nowhere does it say anything about minimum tyre pressures". It would be a convincing argument to a local judge. Hence - a new rule.

[badbird]

ribaric said:

This sounds a bit like one of those cases where, at some dodgy track in the boonies of Mississippi, some half-witted kid ran with super low pressures and hit the guard rail as a result. The kid's old man gets all uppity about it and takes the track to court (not unheard of in the USA). In the court, some smart-ass lawyer says "You have this 150 page rule book about safety measure and nowhere does it say anything about minimum tyre pressures". It would be a convincing argument to a local judge. Hence - a new rule.

think youll find its the tyre manufacturers stating that that it the min safe working presure of the tyre below that they say the tyres are not safe and as there have been tyre related deaths in fuel clases the rule was made

since when did half witted kids run top fuel/ Funny cars cars??

This is an FIA / NHRA rule for top fuel

Does being born in mississippi qualify anyone as a half wit??

Edited by badbird on Sunday 1st November 19:17

Edited by badbird on Sunday 1st November 19:19

Edited by badbird on Sunday 1st November 19:22

[liner33]

He didnt suggest that the boonie was born in Mississippi

[dont know]

Tet. you know for sure then that the tech crew and scrutineers do not check any rules etc! what about when blower overdrive ratios were checked, when final drive ratios were checked,when wing angles were checked,when the number of clutch plates and floaters on the nitrous and blown pro mods were checked,when fuel is taken and checked,when ground clearence is checked,when engine capacity is checked,have you not witnessed all these cars being weighed? All of the above has been done in the last 2 years.

[Tet]

dont know said:

Tet. you know for sure then that the tech crew and scrutineers do not check any rules etc!

That's not quite what I said. I merely pointed out that many of the rules aren't routinely checked, and I stand by that. If nothing else, there simply isn't time. I have no doubt that the scrutineers could and would demand to check anything in the rulebook if they had reason to do so. Things like wing angle, overdrive ratios and final drive ratios are relatively easily checked from outside the car[1]. But realistically, has the angle of the vee ever been checked? Bore spacing? Valve angles? Please don't think I'm having a go at the scrutineers, because I'm not, and I think you guys do very well at a thankless task. I confess I'm intrigued about the check for the number of discs and floaters, though. Did you have a specific reason to check (such as a tip-off from another team), or was it just a random spot check?

[1] Although I think some of the wing angle measurements have been a bit suspect in the past. That should be improved (at Santa Pod, at least) now that the scrutineers have a properly level area in which to work.

[badbird]

You should look round the super mod pits
at the start of the year they are required to remove a head so all this can be checked then the engines are sealed, iv had n20 solanoids mesured, cam lift mesured cylinder volume mesured all random or after a win
There are some things that cant be checked on every car all the time, But my experience is you wouldnt get away with very much for very long in an FIA class or some of the high end sportsman classes,

[ribaric]

I didn't say the half-witted kid ran anything - except for an inapproriately low tyre pressure. Half-wits are everywhere.

Edited by ribaric on Wednesday 4th November 09:19

[badbird]

ribaric said:

I didn't say the half-witted kid ran anything - except for an inapproriately low tyre pressure. Half-wits are everywhere.

Edited by ribaric on Wednesday 4th November 09:19

no you diddnt but as the subject of the rule is Top Fuel/AAFC and not any sportsman classes, you would have to assume the theoretical half wit was in one of the cars that your theory says caused the rules to be made

[ribaric]

Fair enough.