I knew that in Formula One car racing the pit crews can do things incredibly fast but I was not aware that they could remove all four tires and replace them with new ones in less than two seconds. Watch.
This made me curious about what holds the tires in place that enables such a quick turnaround. Magnetism? Or is there a single clasp that holds each tire in place?
(Via David Pescovitz.)
There is a single center lug nut on each wheel. They use air guns to spin them on and off. You can see the air hoses in the overhead views. Look fast!
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/108724/the-secrets-of-a-twosecond-f1-pitstop
Wow! I used to watch F1 back in the 90s and early 00s when a <10s pitstop was impressive. I had no idea they'd got it down to less than 2 seconds!
It’s crazy dangerous, too. Don’t look up “pit stop fail” unless you can stomach pit crew running around on fire, or wheels coming off and hitting things.
larpar @#1,
Thanks for that link! I ran this video again at 0.25 speed and saw what you described.
@sarah00, #2:
Refueling has come and gone in F1 -- the pit stops are slower, but even more dangerous, when refueling is allowed (fire anyone?)
Note that there are 2 people whose only job is to steady the car while it is on the jacks so the wheel-changers have an easier time. They do have to move quickly out of the way so they don’t get run over by the rear wheels…