We have a new big wig here at the office. I was in a meeting with him this morining and it was obvious he was a big time car geek. Hanging on his wall is a clock - and it is made out of a 935 brake cooling disc! He said he got it at the rensport reunion. VERY cool. I will bring in a camera and see if it is cool with him to take a pic.

Why are these not seen very often - even at vintage events? Has brake technology come that far - or is it just way cheaper and as effective to run some ducts and hoses? I cant imaine they would be to difficult to replicate.

Just curious.

My guess would be that they add a bit of unsprung weight to the wheel what would need more unsprung weight to balance.

Plastic ducting is cheaper, weighs less, and what weight it does add is sprung weight.

Zach

Oh, you mean "wheel fans"! Yeah, we don't see them much nowadays. I've never really thought about that before, but I'd bet that the ducting is more effective and lighter.

--DD

Magnesium corvair cooling fans work good too.
here are the real deal

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Very-Rare-O...sspagenameZWDVW

On the 935's those were used *with* big ducts! (that opening in the air dam between the central oil cooler and the headlights...)

in 1978 - no carbon fiber brakes.
front wheels were still in the 15" - 16" range - limits how big a disk and caliper you can hang under there.

Their use varied with the course. I don't recall them on the Daytona and LeMans 24-hour cars - gotta go check my reference photographs. At Daytona drag is everything (LeMans was the first time I saw a car with a pitot tube for airspeed...)

Tracks with heavy braking got all the tricks thrown at them.

Ad from an old Panorama

T.C.

Click to view attachment

big brakes and carbon brakes have made them useless.... unless you look at f1.

modern brake material works much better than old stuff at high heat.

I have a set of wheel fans for the 7&9X16 wheels I use on my 914..

the do pull alot of air through the wheels....the amount of brake dust that is brought to the front of the wheels is amazing..so they do move some air..