The FRANC SYSTEM II™
During the past 27 years of motorsport the aerodynamics, engine technology,
transmission, suspension and tyres have evolved tremendously, yet the area
which transmits these huge benefits to the track has not!
If the racing tyres are not at the correct temperature all these extremely
expensive advances can easily go out of the window, but teams are still using
a system over a quarter of century old to heat their highly critical and extremely
important tyres (tires)... WE HAVE
THE ANSWER with
the FRANC System II™ concept.
Does the FRANC SYSTEM II™ actually work?
Two major F1 teams, a DTM team, a LMES team, a World MotoGP team, a World Superbike
Team, a US Dragster Team and three tyre manufacturers have tested our concept
over the past two years – all highly successfully!
Racing cars and bikes were fitted with tyres (tires) heated by the FRANC
unit and then sent out onto various circuits around Europe – at times
up to 200+ mph! Again the results proved successful.
Heated tyres (tires) were subjected to scrutiny by heat cameras, showing
that we gave an equal distribution of heat and also that the generated
heat remained in the tyre longer than if blankets had been used.
The time taken to heat a tyre (tire) to 85oC and the hub to 60+oC took
the FRANC system less than 10 minutes to achieve – in comparison
to 2 hours by blankets.
On our Maiden Race at the prestigious 24 Heures Du Man race with Team
Audi Goh WE WON……….. the comments in Business F1 magazine
by Audi I think answers this question perfectly!!!
TEAM FRIENDLY - easily put up within 5 minutes
"The unit is built into a normal flight case (0.8m x 2m), which when opened becomes the frame. Four wheels can be heated at one time - one simply sets the temperature required and walk away. The tyres (tires) are then automatically heated to the desired temperature and then maintained at that level until the wheels are required. A normal racing tyre (tire) can be heated to 80oC (175oF) within 10 - 12 minutes !!!
The FRANC SYSTEM II™ - a new concept
Although the original microwave system offered huge safety and track
benefits, it also had many anomolies against it. We therefore developed
this concept into the BLACK FREQUENCY II™ concept
which gave the same advantages but without any of the problems.
By using modern light weight aluminium profiles we have been able to provide
an easy to assemble/dismantle and ship frame work, capable of handling
4 wheels. Once built an insulated "blanket" covers the unit
and the motorised rollers, side and slave rollers, emitters and automatic
IR sensors are quickly clipped into place.
Our patented Black Frequency IR emitters use a black carbon element which
provides a kinder and deeper heat into the tyre (tire).
The operator simply places the wheels into the unit, sets the desired
temperature and then presses the GO button - our set & forget system
takes over and once the tyre has reached the set temperature the unit
automatically goes into a holding mode until the wheel is wanted.
The Franc Bike System
Advantages
The proven data on our system, gleamed from the amount of testing
we have done to date, are:-
1. Highly competitive in price to any other alternative
method
2. Because we can replace up to 16 sets
of tyre (tire) blankets with the BLACK FREQUENCY II™ unit,
the cost factor is equally balanced. Depending on numbers sold, we can
even be a cheaper alternative!
3. During testing the tyre (tire) engineers do not
have to get out of bed at 6 am to go and switch the tyre (tire) warmers
on, which happens every day of testing. Some of these tyres (tires) are “cooking” for
up to 12 hours, with quite a few being allowed to cool down at the
end of the day, ready to be “cooked” again the next! With BLACK
FREQUENCY II™ energy, the engineers can begin heating
only half an hour before the track opens.
4. It takes around 2 hours for a blanket to heat the
tyre to 85oC and the hub to 65oC – our system does that in less
than 10 minutes.
5. We can hold a heated tyre (tire) in our system,
automatically, for up to 2 hours.
6. We can heat a tyre (tire) up to 100oC without damaging
the structure of it – proved by a major F1 tyre manufacturer.
7. Because we can replace so many sets of blankets, which
are normally stored in the garages, we will save the team tremendous amounts
of valuable working space. The stock of tyres can be left in the trucks
until required.
8. Many times during testing, the weather – or
a tyre (tire) blanket problem – or a damaged tyre (tire) – can
seriously let a team down. They can then be left with no spare wheels
heated to the correct temperature and therefore in many cases, a very
important test has to be cancelled. Depending on the importance of that
missed test, this situation can cost a team tens of thousands of pounds
- along with a possible new development not been ready
for race day!
Due to the method and flexibility of our concept, this type of problem
should never occur.
9. Not all the potential advantages during actual race
day have yet been proved, but we feel that we can offer team advantages
for qualifying, and a few tenths of a second during the first few laps
of racing on newly heated tyres (tires). Because the wheels are up
to race temperature, the driver can drive out of the pit lane with the
knowledge he can race normally into the first corner – which must
be a huge safety advantage.
How the System Operates
One simply rolls in the entire wheel (part of our patent is
the fact that we can put large amounts of metal (rim) into the machine
without any problems) and shut the door.
The operator sets the temperature they want the tyre to be, before pressing
ON and walking away.
This new unit is easily erected and dismantled in minutes, which means
that it can be packed into bags and boxes for simple shipping around the
world.
Power requirements are 50%
down as is the cost!!!
The whole system is far cheaper in the overall picture than conventional
blankets and with our two year rental scheme, it allows teams to have
the luxury of having 21st Century equipment without breaking their budgets.
Now See
