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Audi R18

Audi R18 TDI
Audi R18 ultra
Audi R18 e-tron quattro
2015 Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro (20423176112).jpg
2015 R18 in low-downforce configuration at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Category LMP1-H
Constructor Audi AG
Designer(s) Ulrich Baretzky
Predecessor Audi R15 TDI
Technical specifications
Chassis Carbon fibre and Aluminum monocoque, CFC rear crash structure
Suspension (front) Independent double-wishbone push rod system
Suspension (rear) Independent double-wishbone pull rod system
Length 4,650 millimetres (183 in)
Width 2,000 millimetres (79 in)
1,900 millimetres (75 in) (2014, 2015)
Height 1,030 millimetres (41 in)
1,050 millimetres (41 in) (2014, 2015)
Engine Audi TDI 2011-2013: 3.7 litre
2014-: 4.0 litre V6 turbodiesel, mid-engined, longitudinally mounted
Transmission TDI: 6-speed, sequential semi-automatic
e-tron-quattro: 7-speed sequential semi-automatic limited-slip rear differential
Weight 900 kilograms (2,000 lb)
2013: 915 kilograms (2,017 lb)
2014: 870 kilograms (1,920 lb)
Fuel BP, Shell
Lubricants Castrol EDGE
Tyres Michelin
Competition history
Notable entrants

Germany Audi Sport Team Joest

Germany Audi Sport North America
Debut 2011 1000 km Spa
Races Wins Poles F.Laps
33 16 14 16
Constructors' Championships 2 (2012 FIA WEC, 2013 FIA WEC)
Drivers' Championships 2 (2012 FIA WEC, 2013 FIA WEC)

Germany Audi Sport Team Joest

The Audi R18 is a Le Mans Prototype (LMP) racing car constructed by the German car manufacturer Audi AG. It is the successor to the Audi R15 TDI. Like its predecessor, the R18 uses a TDI turbocharged diesel engine but with a reduced capacity of 3.7 litres and in a V6 configuration. For the first time since the 1999 R8C, Audi's Le Mans prototype uses a closed cockpit design. The R18 is also the first racing car from Audi to feature hybrid power.

Although Audi have previously given each new developed model of endurance racing car a distinct model number the head of Audi Sport, Wolfgang Ullrich, suggests the R18 designation for Audi endurance racing cars could be used for the foreseeable future as a result of rival car manufacturer Renault already holding trademarks for car model names R19 through to R35. There have been five further evolutions of R18 since the original spec introduced in 2011, the latest is the 2016 spec which competed in the 2016 World Endurance Championship.

As the new rules for Le Mans in 2011 the car features a stabilisation fin on the engine cover and has a new six-speed gearbox. The new gearbox is electrically controlled instead of pneumatically controlled, saving weight by eliminating the pneumatic system. Despite the capacity reduction, the 3.7L V6 is claimed to develop more than 397 kilowatts (532 bhp) of power. This is less than the outgoing R15, but the V6 engine's fuel consumption will more than likely be lower than that of the outgoing V10 engine on the R15. The new engine has a single Garrett (Honeywell Turbo Technologies) TR30R VGT turbocharger, as opposed to the twin TR30R configuration of both the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP and the previous Audi R15 TDI. The R18's V6 engine exhausts inwards between the cylinder banks, where the turbocharger is placed. This is called a 'hot side inside' configuration and is opposed to the traditional configuration with each cylinder bank of a V engine exhausting outwards to their respective turbochargers.


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