I was watching the US Grand Prix last night (recorded tape) and the broadcaster -- not Eddie Cheever Jr.-- claimed that F1 cars can stop from 185 mph in 3.5 seconds and the driver experiences about 5 Gs!! Is this true?

 

You have to admire the engineering in those carbon disks & pads

The braking power of a modern F1 car is truly awesome, it is the feature most people comment on after taking a ride in the 2 seat demonstrators some of the teams (Mclaren, Arrows, Minardi) run.

5G under braking is not inconceivable, they pull more than 3 lateral G through some corners!

 

If you stop from 185 mph in 3.5 seconds your average acceleration is 2.4g, so it's not hard to believe that the peak acceleration approaches 5g. I've heard other announcers mention F1 breaking in excess of 4g, so that's some corroborative evidence. And I've seen it written up as well. More evidence.

The greatest deceleration will occur when the car is set up with the greatest downforce, as that increases the effective weight of the car. Note, too, that the greatest deceleration will occur at the fastest speed, and will lessen as the car slows.

 

I was at Indy this past weekend. I sat in the NW visitors stand after watching the take-off from The paddocks.

Those guys gave me white knuckles watching them going into the 1st corner from 200 - 210 mph.

Last year on Fox Sportsnet the commentator said these cars can go from 0-60 and 60-0 before a average $40,000 sports car does 0-60

MIke

 

At a steady 2.4g deceleration, an F1 car would stop from 185 mph in 134 feet! It takes my S2000 120 feet to stop from 60 mph!!

I'd be afraid to stand on the brakes for fear of hitting my head on the steering wheel. Give me a HANS.

 

The first time I saw an F-1 car brake in person I thought my eyes were deceiving me. The sheer rate of de-acceleration is unbelievable. Any modern car will experience the greatest g-force under braking, so the 5g is believable in a F-1 car when I know they can experience several g-s in cornering forces.

I too sat in the Northwest Vista and the part I though was funny was the sound of the downshifts bouncing off the concrete wall and coming to my ear well after the car had already gone through turn one. Like the delay in lightning and then the thunder.

I was heart broken when Barricello started smoking so close to the end and in first place. Oh well- Mika can enjoy his win as he rocks away on the front porch during his retirement. There is nothing wrong with being a 2 time world champion!!!

 

Wasn't Rubenho in second when he started to smoke? He was catching up to Mika like crazy, but was still behind, as I recall.

 

It really is amazing to see how quickly they decellerate. A few races back they were talking about the carbon rotors that they use. They said it takes about six months total to make a set of those rotors... takes them a couple of hours to use them up.

 

I thought M.Schumacher took 2nd before Reuben went in smoke ....?

So Mika is the Champion this year? I thought Schumacher took many wins this year and Suzuka is his kingdom.

 

Schumi (and DC as well) passed Rubenho before he stopped, but he'd been smoking in second place for several laps before that. I think the first puffs appeared with 10 laps to go . . . or was it 6? I forget.