On Thu, 17 Sep 1998 22:25:33 -0400 Matt Gaetke <mgaetke@MIT.EDU> writes:
>At 10:02 PM 9/17/98 EDT, you wrote:
>>I think it has something to do with 'moment of inertia', if I
>remember my
>>physics correctly. It's easier to turn something that has it's weight
>>concentrated in middle, rather than the outer edges.
>>
>>Bob Donahue (Still stuck in the '50s)
>>EMAIL - BOBMGT@AOL.COM
>>52 MGTD - under DIY restoration NEMGTR #11470
>>71 MGB - AMGBA #96-12029, NAMGBR #7-3336
>>
>
> That would be more true if a front-engine car had some massive
>object (about the weight of the engine) in the back also. And the car
>was
>rotating in space without the friction between the road and the tires.
> Even
>in the latter case, the engine up front would just cause the axis of
>rotation to be farther forward (since bodies tend to rotate around
>their
>CofG), and the moment of inertia would only come into play if you were
>forcibly rotating it around some other point (I guess it would still
>come
>into play, but it wouldn't matter whether it was mid- or
>front-engined, just
>where it would be rotating would be different).
> I think the real difference is that all 4 wheels bear a lot of
>weight in a mid-engined car, since the engine weight is distributed
>over all
>4. In a front-engined car, the engine weight is almost directly over
>the
>front axle, and therefore borne almost exclusively by those two
>wheels.
>More weight over a wheel means it will grip better.
> OK, so what did I miss? I'm taking a mech e class this term,
>so I'd
>like to think I know what I'm talking about, but we all know how that
>works...
Ok class,
The homework assignment for the week end is to read the first 3 chapters
of "How to make your car Handle", by Fred Puhn.
Special emphasis on the chapter headed "General information on handling"
There will be a test.
Rick Morrison
72 MGBGT
74 Midget
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