Is traction control still banned?

[team underdog]

Is the FIA spec ECU still mandatory? I thought that with KERS, TC would return... anyone know any different?

[Jungles]

AFAIK, TC is still banned.

[Ordinary Bloke]

Jungles said:

AFAIK, TC is still banned.

But how do they define it? Is it illegal to have rear wheel rotation sensors? Is it illegal to have accelerometers, and compare revs to G's? Is it illegal to compare revs/gear to front wheel sensors?

Do they check the software line-by-line?

[Marc W]

They have standard ECU's now so all the software on them is identical.

[Jungles]

Well, all previous attempts at TC was ECU-based, so the idea of having a control ECU was to stop them from taking advantage of that loophole.

I'm pretty sure the ECU software would be audited by the FIA.

[anonymous-user]

Ordinary Bloke said:

But how do they define it? Is it illegal to have rear wheel rotation sensors? Is it illegal to have accelerometers, and compare revs to G's? Is it illegal to compare revs/gear to front wheel sensors?

Do they check the software line-by-line?

The ECU software is controlled by the FIA. Teams have no access to the code, so the functionality cannot be modified. You can fit accelerometers, wheel speed sensors etc for data logging, but they can't be used for control (not for TC anyway). Bottom line is that there is no TC on these cars.

[german tony]

Do the teams have some sort of control mechanism in the KERS power delivery system or does it all just get pumped out in 1 uncontrolled go? & if there is a control system wouldn't that be a kind of traction control?

[BigBen]

uktrailmonster said:

Ordinary Bloke said:

But how do they define it? Is it illegal to have rear wheel rotation sensors? Is it illegal to have accelerometers, and compare revs to G's? Is it illegal to compare revs/gear to front wheel sensors?

Do they check the software line-by-line?

The ECU software is controlled by the FIA. Teams have no access to the code, so the functionality cannot be modified. You can fit accelerometers, wheel speed sensors etc for data logging, but they can't be used for control (not for TC anyway). Bottom line is that there is no TC on these cars.

Is that actually true about the teams having no access to the code ? I thought the point of it being standard is the teams can't make a custom ECU with hidden memory / functions and the code is easy to audit by the FIA, not that the teams can't bugger about with it all.

Ben

[SamHH]

german tony said:

Do the teams have some sort of control mechanism in the KERS power delivery system or does it all just get pumped out in 1 uncontrolled go? & if there is a control system wouldn't that be a kind of traction control?

Power from the main engine isn't delivered "in 1 uncontrolled go"; there's a throttle to control it and that isn't considered to be traction control. Surely the same could apply to a throttle controlling a KERS system? Anyway, I suspect that it will only be used when the driver want's maximum power; i.e. on the straights. Otherwise it'd be a bit of a waste.

[anonymous-user]

BigBen said:

uktrailmonster said:

Ordinary Bloke said:

But how do they define it? Is it illegal to have rear wheel rotation sensors? Is it illegal to have accelerometers, and compare revs to G's? Is it illegal to compare revs/gear to front wheel sensors?

Do they check the software line-by-line?

The ECU software is controlled by the FIA. Teams have no access to the code, so the functionality cannot be modified. You can fit accelerometers, wheel speed sensors etc for data logging, but they can't be used for control (not for TC anyway). Bottom line is that there is no TC on these cars.

Is that actually true about the teams having no access to the code ? I thought the point of it being standard is the teams can't make a custom ECU with hidden memory / functions and the code is easy to audit by the FIA, not that the teams can't bugger about with it all.

Ben

The FIA standard code allows specific functionality and the teams can only "bugger about" with the parameters that the fixed software code allows. They can't alter the code in any way to change the functionality. The teams are effectively now just end users of a fixed hardware/software package.

[BigBen]

uktrailmonster said:

BigBen said:

uktrailmonster said:

Ordinary Bloke said:

But how do they define it? Is it illegal to have rear wheel rotation sensors? Is it illegal to have accelerometers, and compare revs to G's? Is it illegal to compare revs/gear to front wheel sensors?

Do they check the software line-by-line?

The ECU software is controlled by the FIA. Teams have no access to the code, so the functionality cannot be modified. You can fit accelerometers, wheel speed sensors etc for data logging, but they can't be used for control (not for TC anyway). Bottom line is that there is no TC on these cars.

Is that actually true about the teams having no access to the code ? I thought the point of it being standard is the teams can't make a custom ECU with hidden memory / functions and the code is easy to audit by the FIA, not that the teams can't bugger about with it all.

Ben

The FIA standard code allows specific functionality and the teams can only "bugger about" with the parameters that the fixed software code allows. They can't alter the code in any way to change the functionality. The teams are effectively now just end users of a fixed hardware/software package.

Ah ok thanks, did not realise it was as locked down as that

Ben