🚀 go-pugleaf

Kiki wrote:

> In rec.autos.driving floyd a rogers <fbloogyudsr@accessone.com> wrote:
> : The ratings are based PURELY upon static measurements:  they
> : compare the location of the center of gravity and the width of the
> : rear wheels/tires.  Nothing else, if I read the articles correctly.
>
> Which I have a problem with (not to mention that it seems they only picked
> select cars and I know they didn't have a Pathfinder which means they
> didn't even test all SUVs... how can they say GM's is the worst when they
> left at least one SUV out of the picture? And how can they say Accord
> was the best when they didnt' test all cars? Until they test all cars, I
> refuse to believe an Accord is more stable than a POrsche or a
> Lamborghini).
>
> Stability of a car does not just involve center of gravity and width of
> tires. Yeah, that is very important. But also important is the suspension.
> The problem the Troopers had when CR had a fit about them was that the
> suspension was soft and springy and would collect momentum so that when
> you did an S shaped turn the suspension was building momentum from the
> first tilt to the second tilt and causing the car to have even more
> momentum from tipping over).
>

CG height and lateral wheel spacing (NOT width of tires) may not be the only
things involved but they are certainly the most important by far.  Someone on
stilts is always going to be more unstable than someone afoot.  You are right,
though, suspension can have some effect.  If it is known exactly what a test
is going to be, the suspension can be tuned to minimize the response to it.
However, this would quite likely mean that the response to a similar but
slightly different test could be maximized!  I don't know if the manufacturer
of the Trooper had made a conscious effort to tune for a particular test.  If
so, CR was very inconsiderate to use their own test. <sarcasm alert>
Everyone knows that avoidance manuevers are always the same.