PAGANI HUAYRA

Power is nothing without control

—Pirelli say “Power is nothing without control”
and to assure complete control for the driver Pirelli
has developed the bespoke P Zero tires,
specifically for the Huayra. The Pirelli engineers
were faced with a demanding task, combining
road holding for excitement behind the steering
wheel and lower rolling resistance to reduce CO2
emissions and fuel consumption. These PZero
tires are built in a dedicated MIRS (Modular
Integrated Robotized System) facility, dedicated
to the production of ultra-high performance tires
and are at the forefront of what is technically
possible, suited to top speeds above 370 kph as
well as to lateral forces exceeding 1,5 G.

Skin

—The aerodynamic concept of the Huayra is that
of a wing. The vehicle can modify the properties
of this wing by varying the front ride height, which
can be adjusted dynamically, and by adjusting the
4 control flaps on each of the four corners of the
car. The goal is to have a neutral vehicle behavior
under all conditions and control body roll via
aerodynamic means. The behavior of the flaps is
managed by a dedicated control unit that is fed
information from the ABS and ECU, which pass
information about the car’s speed, yaw rate, lateral
acceleration, steering angle and throttle position.

The system improves aerodynamic efficiency in
a variety of driving conditions, where a low drag
coefficient is not the determining factor. During
braking, for example, the rear flaps and the front
suspension are raised to counteract the weight
transfer and balance the weight distribution
between front and rear axles, allowing a better
use of the rear brake force.

Another vital design tenant for the Huayra project
was to ensure clean airflow over the body of the
car. The shape of the two engine air intakes behind
the occupants’ shoulders are a tribute to the
supersonic aircraft of the late 1950s and 1960s,
but also allow the motor to breathe without disrupting
the flow. The intake for the gearbox radiator is
located between the engine bay window and the
carbon clamshell of the rear bonnet, which
provides an excellent airflow to the radiator
without having a substantial impact on
aerodynamic drag. This decision also led to
the omission of a rear wing, replaced by the
movable flaps.

The flow of air through the car was also carefully
studied. The radiators are angled to contribute
downforce and provide the best flow for hot air
to be extracted. Air from the central radiator is
extracted by vents on the front bonnet and through
the front wheelhouses. Air from the side radiators
is channeled to ducts cooling the brake discs
and wheel hubs. This air blows onto the brakes
at a temperature of approximately 50°C warming
the brakes up when cold and improving the first
bite significantly. Lateral air outlets behind the
front wheels generate a negative pressure inside
the wheelhouse providing efficient extraction to
lower the drag coefficient and generate downforce
on the front.

In addition to the downforce generated by the
flaps and body, two high negative pressure areas
were designed into the shape of the underbody
and the diffuser at the rear, thus enhancing the
aerodynamic stability and guaranteeing the
Huayra downforce under all circumstances.


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