917 active rear wing?
Is that rear wing movable during the race?
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MovieChat Forums > Le Mans (1971) Discussion > 917 active rear wing?
On early 917's (with the original "long-tail" body style), there were little winglets (elevons) on each side of the back of the tail, which were moved up (outside) and down (inside) by suspension travel, to add extra downforce to the inside wheel to help nail the rear end down in corners. After the ban on moveable aerodynamic aids after the '69 Spanish GP, the CSI tried to get them removed before Le Mans, but Porsche resisted, saying the car had been homologated with them. The new, short ("Kurtz", hence the designation 917K) high-deck bodywork didn't have them; all the aero aids on the later cars were fixed in place (although the little winglet between the tails on the "short tail" version, added by Wyer, could be adjusted by loosening the mounting bolts, it looks like).
After the ban on "moveable aerodynamic aids", wings remained on the cars but they were fixed while on the track. Adjustments could only be made in the pits. That ban still is used today to outlaw devices on cars.
The FIA banned a moveable damper that was located inside the Renault F1 cars nose this past season as a "moveable aerodynamic aid". It helped the car be more stable but since it reduced the "porpoising" a car does sometimes it was deemeed an aerdynamic aid.