Re: Curves and manual transmissions

[Brian Whatcott <betwys1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>]

At 02:56 PM 1/27/2004, Wilson, you 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.
>
> Wilson J. Gonzalez-Espada, Ph.D.

Aircraft can be flown level at a speed lower than that at which they stall
with engine off. As the angle of attack for best lift is exceeded,
an application of power can relieve the wings of some aircraft weight.
 The application of control is not intuitive, in that increased throttle
 permits slower speed.  (It is not only a matter of vertical thrust
component for propeller airplanes, but also the enhanced airflow
 over wing surfaces behind the prop.)

Cars can be driven faster round a curve than the speed at which they
might normally leave the road.   By increasing speed around a curve,
the drive wheels track at a larger angle to the direction defined by
the rims.  (This is often called 'slip angle')
The tail is said to hang out, and provide some extra centripetal component.

This action is enhanced in vehicles which "oversteer" i.e. hang out in a turn
without increased throttle. This characteristic is unstable and avoided in
 production cars, though historically permitted in some race cars.





Brian Whatcott    Altus OK    Eureka!