Quote:
Originally Posted by cfg83
aerohead -
Would it be safe to say that all the salt-flat racers with the slightly convex racing disks are the standard, or are they just following tradition?
CarloSW2
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I don't think it's tradition.I believe the MOON cover to be superior.
The crown adds hen'egg geodesic strength allowing a thinner/lighter gauge.
The crown also better respects Whitcomb's "area-rule" or the ballistician's "sectional density.
" The MOON cover doesn't add frontal area,as it is hiding behind the sidewall of the tire.
MOON's cover is actually thickest at the center,where strength is needed and polar moment the minimum.
MOON's are not inexpensive,and a flat home made unit might look attractive from price standpoint.
MOON's offer no brake cooling,but that's not an issue with lakebed racing as parachutes do the lion's share of deceleration.
The MOON 3-Dzus quick-fastening system makes the cover popular with racers,as they're the easiest to get on and off the car.
Southwest Airlines employs a MOON style cover for it's fleet of Boeing 737 airliners.Their bean-counters may have seen a cost-saving business advantage for takeoff operations,intra-gear-up ops,and landings.( landing gear can double the drag of a plane)( wasted expensive JET-A ).
Danika Patrick runs MOONs on the "inside" of her Indycar wheels.Multi-million dollar racing enterprises with access to the best wind tunnels wouldn't "guess" with their use.