Formula E - noisy tires ? my imagination ?

I was flipping channels the other day, and caught part of a Formula E race from... I forgot where it was exactly. Anywho, there was a lot more tire noise than I was expecting to hear. Lots of perceived understeering into corners and the accompanying front tire squeal giving me autocross flashbacks.
What I'm wondering is, am I just noticing the tire noise because it's not being drowned-out by the usual very loud combustion engines ? Or is there something funny about the tires and handling ? is the broadcast audio making it sound louder than it really is ?

I know it's a pretty new series, and I'm sure that even though they look like any other open-wheeled race car, they won't necessarily behave/handle anything like one, with the presumably very heavy battery packs, and whatever kind of weight distribution they have.
Also, I've seen a reasonable variety of race car types up close at various IMSA and Indy (and companion series) races, but those tires always seemed pretty quiet by comparison, even during hard and high speed turns (until somebody spins).
Any thoughts ? Has anyone seen them up close ?

I watch that series with the sound way down. The drivetrains sounds like nails on a chalkboard.

The tires are less grippy than r comps.

I wanna see quick battery changes for me to take the series seriously.

Formula E uses the same tires for both wet and dry conditions, so I'd go with they are unlike any other "race" tire we've seen in use so far. http://www.totalformulae.com/tires.html

wvumtnbkr wrote: I watch that series with the sound way down. The drivetrains sounds like nails on a chalkboard. The tires are less grippy than r comps. I wanna see quick battery changes for me to take the series seriously.

I would rather see it left open to teams how they would like to get juice back into the cars. If they want to run enormous cables to charge whatever battery/capacitor is in the car I'm OK with it.

I'd also be OK with the car switching if it wasn't for the mandated time for the stop.

ncjay wrote: Formula E uses the same tires for both wet and dry conditions, so I'd go with they are unlike any other "race" tire we've seen in use so far. http://www.totalformulae.com/tires.html

ahhh I see, here, the page does say:
"Michelin will supply tyres that will not only deliver exciting racing but also cope with the demands of the abrasive street circuits and all weather conditions."
IT sounds like they are a sort of Low Rolling Resistance Performance Wet Dry Run Flat Green Do Everything tire.
which could explain things a bit. makes sense I guess.
During qualifying I was watching the on-screen telemetry for one of the cars, and his battery power dropped something like 10% in a single lap. So I suppose they are doing everything they can to try squeezing extra distance out of these.

As a side-note on the sounds. I will admit, that while I love traditional race car engines, I do kind of like the gear-like whine a little too. And, one of my favorite sounds at the IMSA or WEC races, is that aerodynamic whistling sound you hear when a car is off-throttle coming off a long straight into a hard braking zone right before a turn.
reminds me a little bit of going to an airshow....
like that one low, high-speed pass from behind the crowd, that they don't warn you about... you hear a tiny whistling sound as it flies past...minus the fantastic stomach liquifying afterburner rumbling in this case, of course.

I noticed the tire noise too. Thanks for the info ncjay.

Somewhat off topic FE question: why are all the races on street circuits? I'd like to see them on some actual tracks!

Spoolpigeon wrote: Somewhat off topic FE question: why are all the races on street circuits? I'd like to see them on some actual tracks!

Good question...that's just what they decided to do from the beginning for some reason.

I like the sound of the FE cars more than the new V6-turbo F1 cars.

I think they chose the urban locations because most electric cars are city cars, especially in Europe where many cities are limiting internal combustion engines and they want to show that even in a future with no ICE's motorsports can live on. On top of that, I'm sure they want to be seen as "cool" and cities typically give off more of a "cool" vibe than a rolling racetrack in the middle of BFE.

pushrod36 wrote:

wvumtnbkr wrote: I watch that series with the sound way down. The drivetrains sounds like nails on a chalkboard. The tires are less grippy than r comps. I wanna see quick battery changes for me to take the series seriously.

I would rather see it left open to teams how they would like to get juice back into the cars. If they want to run enormous cables to charge whatever battery/capacitor is in the car I'm OK with it. I'd also be OK with the car switching if it wasn't for the mandated time for the stop.

According to the organizers, the batteries contain about 28kW-hr of energy. Which is just over 100,000kJ. To charge that in 10 min, it would take 168kW of electrical power. At 500V, that's 336A. That's for a 10min charge. Which would be an eternity for a pit stop.

One min, it's 1,680kW. 1000V * 1680A. For a 60 second pit stop.

Assuming perfect charging, that is- all the power going in is 100% stored.

In reply to alfadriver:

Man, imagine how hot the batteries would get if you did that!

In reply to Knurled:

It just dawned on me that we were melting dirt with about ~400A*400V back in the late 80's.

Geez.

(the goal was to capture dangerous waste in glass- which came from the melting dirt)