Track Review at Gingerman

[Bricks and Bio]

The car did the job

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQE3ZYfgOlU

 

[Bricks and Bio]

Here is a follow up video with narrative

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqAoIP4TwQQ

 

[Bricks and Bio]

And a POV on the street (no narration), may be another reviewer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hhBMeI04iY

 

[furinax]

Daily super with track capabilities. I'd say it still carries the spirit of the old car.

Just wondering why they went with brake by wire? Does it save weight?

 

[drmanny3]

My 2001 NSX had Drive by Wire which referred to the accelerator pedal. It saved a lot of linkage that would have made things more complex. It worked decently, though some complained about the lack of sensitivity. Brake by wire simulates pushing brake fluid through the system. However there is no traditional direct connection to the master cylinder. The pedal attempts to duplicate the feel. Sensors determine the speed in which the brakes are applied as well as the pressure. This information is then processed and results in either a combination of regenerative braking (charging the traction battery) and/or working the hydraulic brakes. As a result, engineers could get rid of the large brake boaster as well as the master cylinder. Our cars also have electrically controlled rear emergency brakes rather than the old cable controlled pull up emergency brake. There is a small backup system in case everything fails in which case you are essentially back to a hydraulic system. As I understand Formula 1 cars also have brake by wire. I also believe that the brake by wire has a faster response time when compared to traditional hydraulic brakes. My 2017 Volvo XC90 T8 Plugin has brake by wire so that regenerative braking can occur if appropriate. I believe there is a performance as well as space and weight savings. Someone else can chime in with either corrections or additional information. I believe this technology will become the norm.

 

[PrimeMvr]

drmanny's explanation is spot on. i'll just add that the other reason for brake by wire is to remove the jerky feel of traditional hybrid regen braking. You'd never know this car uses regen thanks to the electronics that blend regen and hydro. It's really great on the track.

Here's a lap of Road America last month. Much higher speeds than Gingerman and it really shows off how good this braking system is. I wish they would have built in better cooling though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8q0VSjVwjI