Re: Curves and manual transmissions

[James Frysinger <frysingerj@COFC.EDU>]

Some semi-random thoughts from a stick shifter....

1. In a lower gear, there is a feeling of more direct control of speed since
the transmission provides less "leveraging" of engine speed into axle speed.
When one eases off the gas a wee bit, there is more engine braking available.

2. In a lower gear, one is nearer the peak on the engine torque curve. When
one presses a wee bit harder on the gas, the engine responds (through the
drive train) in a more "authoritative" manner.

3. The lady-to-be-impressed sitting in the passenger seat must surely hear a
throatier growl coming from the engine when taking the curve in a lower gear
thereby making the cool-man-on-campus who is driving feel more manly. (If the
driver has a high imagination quotient he is less in need of an actual female
to impress; it can be a gedanken thing.)

Jim

On Tuesday 2004 January 27 15:56, Gonzalez-Espada, Wilson wrote:
> Hello all:
>
> Yesterday, a student of mine commented the following: He argues that when
> his car takes a horizontal curve with a certain speed and a lower gear
> (manual transmission) the car "handles better the road" compared with
> taking the same curve at the same speed but on a higher gear. Any
> explanations for this? I know that "handling of the road" is not a
> scientific observation but he argues that he has asked other people and
> they have experienced the same.
....

--
James R. Frysinger
Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
Senior Member, IEEE

http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj
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j.frysinger@ieee.org

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