Dome LMP Discussion

[MulsanneMike]

Originally Posted by templer

I think the figures are all for a Le Mans version. I have never heard that Dome tested a high downforce version.
The L/D figure is not bad but also not fantastic. The 2003 Bentley Speed 8 was in the same region. Since that the downforce was reduced by the rules, but I had thought that there were more improvements. But comparing wind tunnel data can only give a small intention, cause different wind tunnels, model sizes, and measure methods resulted in different figures.

It is really a shame that there is no good technical article about this great car here in Europe or the USA. The RCE article was also not one of the best of this magazine.

My impression is that the cars seem a bit draggy for Le Mans. With 1184 drag @ 200 you're looking at 1370 drag @ 215. Rough calculations say drag limited top speed would be around 197 mph assuming 90% powertrain efficiency and 1.8m frontal area. Point being, numbers seem a bit draggy. I seem to recall the Dome always being one of the fastest cars in a straight line as well as having really good lap times.