The Technical Questions Thread

[RacingManiac]

Could a pair of CVTs in series give it that necessary range without adding too much complexity?

Corresponding decrease in efficiency is probably not desirable...

[Matra et Alpine]

Raises another important point about CVT.
You have to have high pressure to control the position of the "cones" for the drive.
( though if high I guess you can have "locking pins" that would remove the need for pressure during constant speed phases )
So as well as the losses in the chain(or belt) there is also the power lsot in the control.
One good thing about plain old gears is once IN place the mesh losses through friction can be minimised and don't change.
Anyone seen measurements of the latest CVT drivetrain losses ? I only find lots of guesses

[RacingManiac]

I am guessing though whatever the losses its gained back elsewhere, since the end measure, the MPG, is improving.....

The losses in conventional auto is not negligible also, between the masses of planetary gears and torque converter....The simplicity of the manual transmission is ultimately losing to not being able to get as much ratio in it....

[McReis]

DAF's marketing department had decided to call the gear shifter (for forwards and backwards engagement) "het pientere pookje" which does more or less translate as "the clever stick" (without the alliteration). It does not require much imagination that that term could also be applied to very specific male body part.

I wouldn't guess because my stick isn't always clever. Because of it I've already done some very stupid decisions.

[henk4]

I wouldn't guess because my stick isn't always clever. Because of it I've already done some very stupid decisions.

as long as it stays in gear there should not be a problem.

[karabiner98k]

Guys,
I have a question about Slalom and Handling.

I have seen in some magazine tests that one car (A) has better slalom speed than another (B) but the car with less slalom speed (B) achieves higher score in handling rating than the car with more slalom speed (A).

How can this be possible?
I thought better slalom means better handling! It seems that I was wrong.
Please enlighten me.

[henk4]

Guys,
I have a question about Slalom and Handling.

I have seen in some magazine tests that one car (A) has better slalom speed than another (B) but the car with less slalom speed (B) achieves higher score in handling rating than the car with more slalom speed (A).

How can this be possible?
I thought better slalom means better handling! It seems that I was wrong.
Please enlighten me.

slalom speed is objective, handling rating is subjective. Journos tend to favour cars with nimble handling (and RWD) over cars that go fast but still feel heavy (FWD). Point in case is the Citroen C6 which scored amazing slalom times, yet subjectively the handling was less appreciated, probably because of significant body roll.

[Matra et Alpine]

also slalom introduces a factor of repetitive weight change and if a car just happens to have the perfect spring and shock settings for rebound then that dampens the "swing" that builds up in a car that doesn't. Conversely a spring/damper arrangement that has a harmonic at the same frequency as the slalom swings will AMPLIFY it.
Why it's a stupid rating as both the settings above COUDL be ideal on open roads or horrendous on open roads, just they work for slalom. On top of that if any manufacturer has the chance they'll tweak so they get better results for each or "program" the computer controlled springs/shocks to counter ( though to be fair that's what they're doing in it anyway )

Personally I see it as it's obsession with NUMBERS instead of relying on skilled, GOOD, decent , honest journalists to evaluate and report. And there in lies the rub
I see it simply as a fall out from most of them being brought up hearing stupid statistics on EVERY aspect of the sports they watched and then believing that to the second decimal place these things are "accurate" pmsl

[culver]

Something else worth thinking about is the affect vehicle width has on slalom numbers. A wider car by default must move its CG more to the left and right to clear the cones. A motorcycle can do the slalom very quickly because it's narrow. I recall reading somewhere at some point that for an F1 car (presumably before the rules made them so narrow) to pull the same slalom speed as a Civic Si it had to pull something like 1.3G vs the Civic's .9. Please take those numbers as very poor recollections but the intent of the message is wider helps many aspects of handling but not slalom numbers.

[Matra et Alpine]

^^^ good point

[NSXType-R]

Just curious, how would you "chrome" color a car? Is it just a vinyl wrap thing?

[clutch-monkey]

that's the most common way, yep.

[Cyco]

There are also a couple of 'chrome' paints,for example as used by McLaren in their F1 cars

[RacingManiac]

There are also a couple of 'chrome' paints,for example as used by McLaren in their F1 cars

They could still be wrapped...quite a lot of racing car are going the wrapping route...

[karabiner98k]

I read in a magazine about the handbrake of Hillman Avenger.
It said:
"The handbrake is very effective and holds easily on 1 in 3."

What does it mean by 1 in 3??