Audi R10 vs wide front tires

[chernaudi]

This is something I've been thinking about after being told about it years ago. I heard that supposedly that the Audi R10 was used by Audi Sport to test out the wide front tires that would later be tested by the Audi R15 and used on the R18.

One, anyone know if there's any truth to this, and two, what benefits would the R10 have gained from it. Also, aside from bodywork and moving around some parts on the front end, what changes would Audi have to had made?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

This is something I've been thinking about after being told about it years ago. I heard that supposedly that the Audi R10 was used by Audi Sport to test out the wide front tires that would later be tested by the Audi R15 and used on the R18.

One, anyone know if there's any truth to this, and two, what benefits would the R10 have gained from it. Also, aside from bodywork and moving around some parts on the front end, what changes would Audi have to had made?

I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to:

https://www.crash.net/le-mans/featur...re-ing-project

The article talks about using wider front tyres on the R10, as a result of handling the torque of the diesel engine.
'"Torque is effectively ten times higher under high speed braking because of aerodynamic downforce," Bonardel continues. "However, the phenomenon of weight transfer means it's the front tyres that suffer the most. At the same time, the prototypes have a tendency to understeer. So, to optimise the balance of the car and to provide additional grip, we have increased the diameter of the front tyres by 30mm."'

[crmalcolm]

And more on the changes to the front end as a result of this can be found here - http://www.mulsannescorner.com/audir10-3.html



' Note the bulges on the fender for tire clearance. The bulges are a somewhat perplexing detail and seem to suggest a late change in tire diameter.'

[chernaudi]

I'm actually referring to something I was told that Audi did with a R10 after the Acura ARX-02 ran with wide front tires. I know (and it's pretty certain) the R15 was used at one stage to test such tires, but I was told nearly a decade ago that the R10 was the first car Audi Sport used to evaluate such a thing.