The weather has been dreadful in Europe, with heavy snowfalls in countries such as Great Britain, France, Germany and even Spain. Would it be possible to run a Formula 1 car on… snow tires?
Team McLaren posted a very interesting feature about this topic.
Hiroshi Imai, team McLaren’s resident tire expert knows a thing or two about traction and friction coefficients.
First, said Hiroshi, let’s immediately dismiss the idea that you could run a grand prix car in the snow using regular slicks: “A slick tire is designed to work at higher ambient and track temperatures,” he explained. “At sub-zero, the tread compound behaves more like a hard plastic than a soft rubber. Obviously, with a slick, plastic tire, you simply wouldn’t be able to gain any traction.
“Even worse, the tires could actually crack like glass if you used them too aggressively.
Hiroshi’s hypothesis then moved to wet tires, which have large grooves to dispel standing water. They also have a lower-temperature working range, so won’t become brittle and plasticky, like the slicks.
But they still wouldn’t work…
While traction could be generated by the tire’s treaded surface biting into the snow, it wouldn’t be sufficient to get the car moving. Even a heavily grooved wet-weather tire would need five times as many grooved surfaces to operate as a snow tire.
In addition, a Formula 1 tire operates at low pressure – less than two-thirds of a normal road car, and around five times less than the pressure needed for a heavy goods vehicle – which explains why truck drivers can be so adept in the snow, because their tires are perfectly pressured for the conditions!
“Okay,” continued Hiroshi. “Let’s improve the tread by adding studs to the tires and pumping up the pressures. You’d finally be able to get your Formula 1 car moving now.
“Still,” he added, “the massive torque of the engine would be your limiting factor. You’d need to use specially selected gear ratios and a delicate engine map that enabled you to use low revs to get the car moving.
“The available grip on snow is probably only around 15 to 25 per cent of what’s usually available on tarmac, so your traction levels would never by very high. Let’s put that in perspective: an F1 car can put all its power onto the ground to generate top speeds of around 350km/h. In the snow, you might only be able to hit speeds of around 180km/h – and even then you’d need a very delicate right foot!”
Team McLaren posted a very interesting feature about this topic.
Hiroshi Imai, team McLaren’s resident tire expert knows a thing or two about traction and friction coefficients.
First, said Hiroshi, let’s immediately dismiss the idea that you could run a grand prix car in the snow using regular slicks: “A slick tire is designed to work at higher ambient and track temperatures,” he explained. “At sub-zero, the tread compound behaves more like a hard plastic than a soft rubber. Obviously, with a slick, plastic tire, you simply wouldn’t be able to gain any traction.
“Even worse, the tires could actually crack like glass if you used them too aggressively.
Hiroshi’s hypothesis then moved to wet tires, which have large grooves to dispel standing water. They also have a lower-temperature working range, so won’t become brittle and plasticky, like the slicks.
But they still wouldn’t work…
While traction could be generated by the tire’s treaded surface biting into the snow, it wouldn’t be sufficient to get the car moving. Even a heavily grooved wet-weather tire would need five times as many grooved surfaces to operate as a snow tire.
In addition, a Formula 1 tire operates at low pressure – less than two-thirds of a normal road car, and around five times less than the pressure needed for a heavy goods vehicle – which explains why truck drivers can be so adept in the snow, because their tires are perfectly pressured for the conditions!
“Okay,” continued Hiroshi. “Let’s improve the tread by adding studs to the tires and pumping up the pressures. You’d finally be able to get your Formula 1 car moving now.
“Still,” he added, “the massive torque of the engine would be your limiting factor. You’d need to use specially selected gear ratios and a delicate engine map that enabled you to use low revs to get the car moving.
“The available grip on snow is probably only around 15 to 25 per cent of what’s usually available on tarmac, so your traction levels would never by very high. Let’s put that in perspective: an F1 car can put all its power onto the ground to generate top speeds of around 350km/h. In the snow, you might only be able to hit speeds of around 180km/h – and even then you’d need a very delicate right foot!”