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From: tron@fluke.UUCP (Peter Barbee)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Miscellaneous Ramblings
Message-ID: <935@vax1.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-Mar-85 11:08:58 EST
Article-I.D.: vax1.935
Posted: Fri Mar 15 11:08:58 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 19-Mar-85 05:57:11 EST
References: <330004@acf4.UUCP> <330020@acf4.UUCP>
Reply-To: tron@fluke.UUCP (Peter Barbee)
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Lines: 57

>PHYSICS:
>
>I think comparing a car with its weight hung out over the ends to
>a high-wire act is my point.  After all, the high-wire walker cannot
>subject himself to any highly transient motion.
>
>Furthermore, stating that a mid-engine car can really spin may be true,
>but with the lower polar moment of inertia, it should STOP spinning
>before one whose mass is concentrated at the ends.
>
I disagree - when an ice skater wants to STOP spinning what do s/he do?
Extend their arms of course.  What makes a car stop spinning is a bit
different perhaps, I'm quite certain it is depedent on the friction
force at the tires.  Let's see now, dynamic friction has an inverse
relationship with velocity so the slower spinning car should stop
spinning first, but you are right about more inertia so maybe it
will be a draw.

Anyway, after (or during) a spin is a little late to be worrying about
this, I'd rather not spin.

>Putting the weight on the ends of a car is the typical problem of big
>old American sedans, with their big engines in front and huge, over
>hanging trunk in rear.  And beleive me, those things spin out.
>
Come now, "big old American sedans" have a myriad of bigger challenges
to their handling than weight distribution - and I would be surprised
if very many of them had "50/50" distribution anyway.  Let's keep the
discussion relevant.

>BRAKES:
>Corvettes have been endowed with four wheel disc brakes as standard since
>1966.  They also have had a fully independent rear suspension since 1963,
>something which Alfa still lacks :-) (DeDoin is not considered independent)
>
Hmm...my Alfetta has a transaxle with two rear axles, each one of which has
a universal joint.  It also has "inboard" rear disks.  Gosh, isn't this
independent rear suspension?

My reply mentioned the meaning (especially to me) of "high-tech".  I think
things like transaxles and inboard brakes are "high-tech", I didn't say
they work better.  In another realm a comparison might be between possible
types of data displays - active matrix LCD displays are about to hit the
market and will be an alternative to CRTs for 24 line by 80 character displays.
They won't be quite as good for viewing, will be more expensive, will be
in a smaller package, and will definitely be "high-tech".

Do we need to harp on about "my car is better than yours is", or do we
want to discuss issues common to all car lovers and aficiondos?

Peter Barbee

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