Robert Linton

Several days ago, Princeton asked about progress on what I have come to call the humpty dumpty project. As I mentioned, one of the final areas being addressed is that of the wiring harnesses. In this regard, you might be interested to know that, for example, the main cockpit harness which originally weighed approximately 14.8 kg (32.62 pounds) has been replaced with one weighing approximately 4.5 kg (9.92 pounds).

poorb0yw

What materials were used to put together the harness?

Robert Linton

The short answer is Raychem Type 55 (M & A) wire up to 24 AWG (in other applications, i.e., wherein proper motorsport connectors with appropriate strain relief are used everywhere, 26 AWG, 28 AWG and even 32 AWG could be used in certain areas), Raychem jackets (the lightweight versions as appropriate) and, when reasonably possible, Deutsch aluminum and composite connectors. The long answer is to do this job properly requires master circuit diagrams, master loom diagrams, electrical engineers and electrical technicians skilled in (a) analyzing the entire existing system, (b) designing an appropriate new one, (c) building looms, (d) test fitting and (e) final installation. Additionally, for a vehicle with the number of looms of, e.g., Type 993, over 1000 hours might be required to engineer and produce the first set (subsequent sets could be done in a fraction of this). Finally, you should note that in a very high end race car with a big development budget, all of the fuses, circuit breakers, relays, etc. might be eliminated and replaced by a power control module to both reduce weight and, even more important, improve reliability.

Robert Linton

Having just reviewed all but one of the new harnesses, the overall weight savings is in excess of 30 pounds.

S3

All I can say is: Wow!