WRC 2008 New Tire Rules... Good or Bad? [Archive]

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409industries

09-24-2007, 03:06 PM

So i was reading the Q&A with Chris Atkinson and a few things came up that i wasn't aware of for the WRC in 2008.
http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/index.php/news/article/qa_with_chris_atkinson_about_the_swrt_this_year

1) Everyone is going to be running Pirelli's

So even after Subaru gave long time tire sponsor Pirelli the boot for Michelin (BFG) theyre going to be back on the Impreza, and everyone else's cars. Advantages due to tire choice will be much less, will this create a more level playing field?

2) Anti-Deflation Devices Banned

Is this going to be dangerous for some of the drivers out there, or is it a good thing to force drivers to be more careful when attacking stages? There could be much more fluctuations in leaders based on good / bad luck with tire blowouts...

What do you think? Discuss...

SoCalBoomer

09-24-2007, 03:26 PM

I don't like Pirelli - I think it would have been better to have gone with BFG but, hey, it puts everyone on a level playing field.

As to no anti-deflation devices. . .it brings Rally back down to earth. When Loeb, Gronholm, et al can run a stage at, say, 95% with a deflation, then what's the point? It will make them be more cautious since they won't be able to afford a puncture!

bergdh

09-24-2007, 03:37 PM

ya I dont like those tires, or the anit deflation mumbo jumbo.

JacksonRally

09-25-2007, 10:20 AM

I don't understand. Everyones car is different so why put the same tires on all the cars. This is not NASCAR and they are not all 'spec' cars.

As far as the anti-deflation what is it exactly. Is it a tire liner (tire inside of a tire)? We run those on the trucks but its only advantage is to get you to the pits without running on a 100% flat. But thats because you are running in the middle of nowhere Baja Mexico not a stage rally. Either way IMO it would be neat to see some drivers being extra careful and the veterans hauln cause they know what they can get away with.

rollo

10-12-2007, 09:37 AM

Thread resurrection.. the anti-deflation device is a gel, it lines the inside of the tyre and if a puncture happens, the gel fills it and stops the deflation. It's a bit like the bad guy in T3 when you shoot him in the head (well okay.. not much).

It has had its downsides too, mainly that the gel has got unbalanced and made wicked vibrations in the wheel.

Personally I don't see any problem with it; it's a technology that could feasibly be transferred to road cars (rally as R&D) while punctures are part of rally, it's hardly like they're a part that everyone will be excited to see coming back (like, say, no traction control in F1 next year). They just throw in another random factor.

I presume the "same tyres" rule is to try and reel in spiralling dev costs, same as in F1. Questionable, but whatever.

SoCalBoomer

10-12-2007, 10:48 AM

409industries

10-12-2007, 01:22 PM

It's about money. . . :lol: . . .It's about the fact that Pirelli was about to be dropped by the last manufacturer that wanted to suck with Pirrelli tires (Subaru) so they wouldn't have any manu's left so they lobbied (bribed) FIA to make them THE tire manufacturer so everyone will suck evenly.

Michelin (and their subsidiary BFG) are furious - anyone know how the lawsuit is going?

This is news to me (the lawsuit) but i agree that pirelli lost out on WRC manufacturer's carrying them on teams because BFG's just perform better! Thats sucks for Michellin (BFG's daddy) since they were getting huge amounts of exposure through the WRC since everyone who was winning is on BFG's

momsaysimspecial

11-12-2007, 12:24 AM

actually its not just a gel. Its usually ribbs that are part of the rubber that support the tire when there is no air. this allows them to drive at a slightly slower pace. meaning that they dont need to worry about a flat nearly as much as they would if they were just using a gel