Does anyone know what the side pods of the 1978 Lotus 79 were made of? The monococque itself was aluminium with aluminium outriggers for the radiators.
My guess would be some type of fibre glass as carbon fibres weren’t used until the Lotus 81?
On the other hand, I have had race fairings on my track motorcycle and this was rather flimsy material. Would side pods (with the lower pieces forming the air ducts for the ground effect) made of fibre glass have been strong enough to withstand the downforce generated?
Thanks for your insights, cheers!
Erik.
Material of Lotus 79 side pods / ground effect ducts?
Re: Material of Lotus 79 side pods / ground effect ducts?
Yes, the sidepods were made of fibre glass. I'm not exactly sure how they were constructed but obviously they worked.
Your doubts about their strength is justified though. On the Ligier JS11 they apparently became too flimsy in the quest for less weight at some point and it took the team a while to realize that they were changing shape under aero load and hurt performance. It possibly cost them a championship as far as I remember.
Your doubts about their strength is justified though. On the Ligier JS11 they apparently became too flimsy in the quest for less weight at some point and it took the team a while to realize that they were changing shape under aero load and hurt performance. It possibly cost them a championship as far as I remember.
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Re: Material of Lotus 79 side pods / ground effect ducts?
Thank you jaykay! I had searched far and wide, only to find the answer on this very site! After I posted my question I noticed that there is a special forum on the site about the Lotus 79. Not only that, but even a topic with a photo that answers my question...
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