In F1 the KERS systems fitted to some cars store kinetic energy using either batteries or flywheels and release it to provide a power boost.

What about using a variable mass fluid filled flywheel with pumped fuel as the ballast?
-- Pat-O-Cake, Feb 01 2010

Be the flywheel Be_20the_20Flywheel
similar sentiment [bungston, Feb 01 2010]

For F1? Yes, why not? I don't fancy having a rapidly-spinning fuel-tank in my own car, though.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 01 2010


Actually, the driver is probably the heaviest single component of an F1 car - how about using him as the flywheel? To be realistic, he'd have to rotate axially, and would probably need to drive in a prone position. The steering wheel, indicators, windscreen washers, ashtray, satnav etc would all have to rotate in synch, so perhaps what's needed is a sort of cylindrical cockpit with rotable couplings to the rest of the car.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 01 2010


After ruling out the driver, the engine, and then the gearbox I opted for the fuel.

The gearbox was 2nd choice to the fuel! The diff would have been fixed in place along with the gearcage and eingine.
-- Pat-O-Cake, Feb 01 2010


And KERS stands for?

Kinetic Energy Release System?
-- zen_tom, Feb 02 2010


And the positive aspect of a flywheel system* could be that it stops the car from spinning.

And the negative aspect of a flywheel system* could be that it stop the car from turning.

*non contra-rotating.
-- Ling, Feb 02 2010


I'm not convinced that there is enough mass. How many gallons of fuel does an F1 car carry when full?
-- WcW, Feb 02 2010


Maybe more to the point: How many gallons of fuel does an F1 car carry when empty?
-- Ling, Feb 02 2010



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