Toyota announces WRC plans

[Mekola]

And when is expected to set the return to WRC? 2016? 2017?

[Mirek]

2017

[Lundefaret]

Maybe it's just me but I think the car is too soft and still somewhat underpowered.

Regarding the chassis looking soft, this is just set up.
For some reason they are trying a maximum soft set up, and what also looks like a higher ride height, and the car looks very "heavy" and "sluggish".
Why?
Well, all data is good data, if You know what to look for.
Being a bumpy road it could be interesting to find out where You gain or loose with either a stiff o a soft set up.

Here is a video from the same test but with a "normal" tarmac set up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSEnDpSd144

[Mirek]

Thanks, clear difference but still it doesn't look fast at all. Let's see how they can progress...

[AL14]

Speed apart I think Lundefaret will appreciate the understeering though.

[Lundefaret]

Speed apart I think Lundefaret will appreciate the understeering though.

Excessive understeer is off course not good, but excessive oversteer is worse when You are on the stop watch.

[Lundefaret]

Thanks, clear difference but still it doesn't look fast at all. Let's see how they can progress...

Agree that it does not look fast, but when You dont have other competitors in different cars to compare to, it can be difficult to judge the speed.

To me the dampers/springs (this is very subjective and is difficult to conclude on not being there) in either soft or stiff set up looks a little to linear on the compression damping. The car bottoms out, and does not seem perfect over the big bumps.

[dimviii]

blown turbo at testing
https://www.facebook.com/30494371637...24393461092330

[dimviii]

Camilli
https://youtu.be/4_NDy7m6hxQ

[Lundefaret]

BOS Dampers:
One question:
Mäkinen has quoted that he intends to use BOS dampers on the Toyota WRC.

In - i think it was 2008 - I did a research story trying to find out what went wrong with Subaru/Prodrive, and why Petter stopped winning after 2005.
There was off course several aspects, but one thing - that was confirmed also by other people than Petter, was that the BOS dampers was not up to scratch.
I believe the problem was that they overheated on the stages, which off course drives the performance in a negative direction.
Why this was not fixed, I do not know, but I know that Prodrive as a company wasn´t the worlds best payer off bills at that time, so if it was a lack of founds heading the BOS way, I am not sure.

Prodives own proof of not thinking that their BOS dampers was the best (or was it economical factors?), came when they entered in a later rally, to prove Petter wrong in that the 08-car was slow. The car was then on Öhlins.

It would be interesting to know why Mäkinen will choose Öhlins, and not one of the more straight forward choices like Reiger, Öhlins or Sachs.