why a car stops to refuel..?

Question

why a car stops to refuel rather than takin enough fuel at the start in order to complete the race without stopping?

Answer 1

First of all, the car does not have a tank large enough to finish a race, second if it did it would be very heavy and extremely dangerous in the event of an accident and third the refuelling and changing of tyres etc gives the mechanics a chance to see the car and it is also a part of the race to see how you can work quickly and easily with the car.

Answer 2

A F1 car is perfectly capable of riding an entire race without refuelling.
However the weigth of a car is a very important factor. A lighter car is able to drive a lot faster (up to seconds/lap) than a heavy car so stopping for refuelling might actually be faster than taking enough fuel from the start.
The strategy that is chosen also depends on the length of the pit-street. On tracks with a short pits you will often see a strategy of three pit stops because the penalty of stopping for fuel is less.
Some trivia:

In 1997 Mika Salo finished the Monaco Grand Prix (5th place) without taking a pit stop. It was a race in the rain so the cars drove slower and fuel consumption was also lower. The race was ended prematurely because the 2 hour time limit was exceeded.

Between 1987 and 1994 refuelling was not allowed in Formula One.

Last season tire changes were not allowed but cars still stopped for fuel stops.

Answer 3

Formula 1? The grid positon at the start of the race is determined by who is fastest in practice. The cars are not allowed to re-fuel after the qualifying session. A lighter car is faster than a heavier car and so its a delicate balance about getting a good position on the grid and a good strategy for winning the race.

Answer 4

The fuel capacity of the tank and the car's fuel consumption - which varies according to speed/ weight carried/ natural conditions, determines how far a car can travel. If the journey is too long there would not be enough fuel to take it to its destination so it would have to re-fuel.
I hope this makes sense to you.

Answer 5

Depends on what you are talking about but if it is F1 the fuel tank size is defined in the regulations to force the car to stop. The FIA (governing body) think it makes for more exciting racing.

xxB

Answer 6

if your talkin nascar, they do it for weight ratios, as well as the cars dont get that good of mpg.

if they took enough gas to compete the race. they wouldnt be going more than 40-50 miles an hours

also the crashes would always be fatal with that much fuel

Answer 7

as in F1?
To make the high performance cart go the distance without a fuel stop would require extra weight that would slow it down too much, stopping is quicker

Answer 8

i would hazard a guess that it has something to do with the weight of the amount of fuel you would need to complete without stopping being a disadvantage.

Answer 9

Tank capacity not big enough to last entire race.
A full tank will slow down the car.
Need for fresh tyre for better grip/handling.
Race strategy.

Answer 10

you could do with rephrasing the question.

In car racing the car fuel capacity is limited because of safety.