http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68673

FIA scraps plans to ban tyre warmers

Tyre warmers will remain in Formula One next year, autosport.com can reveal, after the FIA agreed to scrap plans to impose a ban in 2009.

The governing body had been scheduled to scrap the use of tyre blankets to coincide with the return of slicks at the start of next season in a bid to improve the racing and cut costs.

But that move led to concern from drivers about safety implications, after they tried out slick rubber without warmers in winter testing.

With a big difference in laptimes between cars on cold tyres and those with warmed up rubber, drivers feared about the increased chance of accidents.

Bridgestone was adamant though that the rubber it planned to use would not cause any safety problems - and it told the FIA that it saw no reason to scrap the tyre warmer ban for this reason.

However, one way of guaranteeing tyre safety was for Bridgestone to impose a minimum tyre pressure limit

 

I guess you were in favor of the ban?


I'm glad they scraped the ban, I thought it was a pretty stupid ban to begin with.

 

Yeah in the grand scheme of things...I'd rather have the guys (and girl) go out on warm tires than cold ones....These machines operate at their peaks within very strict tolerances. With no TC...I could see a bunch of drivers getting hurt on cold tires. Besides this is F1...they need to plaster logos wherever they can...have you seen some of the tire warmers? LOL.

 

They're drivers deal with it. only series that uses them. they cried when they lost TC, now they're crying again. Driving w/ cold tires is a skill, shows the big boys from the girls. When I raced karts we weren't aloud to swerve on the warmup lap to heat the tires. Opening laps were the best! I remember JPM in CART and F1 would kill everyone on cold tires.

 

Meh... I don't see any real point in banning them. Cost savings is b.s.

 

Good. I don't see what the big deal us.

 

they complain thats theres no passing in f1. To watch a f1 driver have to work his ass off to be fast on cold tires and fight to keep his position, THATS RACING!

 

Ok, you got me...

I was about to post WHAT girl? F1 has a lady coming into the ranks next year?
Then I realized, you were just talking about our little LH.

 

Honestl;y, I don't see it as an issue one way or the other. Racers would adapt if they were taken away, and yes, some would adapt better than others. However, we are only talking about a difference of one pap or less as it does not take a dozen laps to heat up the tires even if they are cold.

So, actually, putting cars back on track after a pit stop on warm tires makes it safer for those guys already running on hot tires. I think sending cars on cold tires out into the pack of hot, fast moving cars as safety issue. I see no need to force much slower cars out into the pack just so the guys already running have to be extra cautions with those joining back into the race.

Honestly, I would think cold tires would increase the number of accidents on the 1st corner after pit out...

 

Bingo.

And honestly, as has been proven time and time again, if you take away a $1000 tire warmer blanket in the name of cost saving, the engineers are just going to create a $100,000 sneaky replacement for them.