Contact Patch | The Critical Footprint

Let's image that you are cruising down the highway at 65 miles per hour and suddenly you see an animal jump out in front of your car. Could be a 2lb rabbit or a 100lb plus deer, either way you want to avoid hitting it.

So you yank the wheel to turn the car away from the critter. Did you make it? Just a close call, or is there something behind the car laying in the road?

One of the determining factors that helped decide what just happened is the "contact patch" of your tires. So just what is a "contact patch".

Let's use our imagination again. This time we will image driving our car up a ramp onto a platform made out of very thick glass. Don't worry, its strong enough to hold your car, you and your mother-in-law up in the air.

Now walk under the platform and look up. Do you see where the tires are touching the glass? Well that's the contact patch. The contact patch is that portion of your tire that is in contact with the road surface.

Not too much touching is there? If we looked at a 3,000 car with 30 lbs per square inch of tire pressure it would have about 100sq-in of contact patch. Since there are four tires, each one would have about the area of a 4 x 6 inch index card. Or another way, about the size of your hand print.

This is all that is touching the road, and every maneuver you make with the car is transferred to these small patches of rubber.

The more you have, the better you apply the thrust the car has against the road surface to accelerate, brake or corner the vehicle.

So I hope your tires were in good shape and properly inflated when you encountered the situation we started out with.

By the way, what happened in your mind? Did you miss that poor helpless animal or are you attending a funeral?

More details about cars and their suspension parts later.

(Some information supplied by "Winning - a Race Driver's Handbook" by George A. Anderson.)

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BG-S2K Sport Suspension for Honda Accords

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Things I've Learned About Buying a Car

I have purchased a variety of different cars over the years. A couple brand new ones, some a couple of years old, and a bunch of much older ones. Along the way I have learned some things which I will pass on, hoping you don't make the same mistakes I have.

1. Don't buy the sheet metal. Ya, it might look fantastic, but if it's junk under the body design you are in for a world of trouble.

2. If you are only going to keep it for a couple of years, buy a used one. The first few years of depreciation are killers. If you trade often, buying a one or two year old model with low mileage will give you most of the current technology benefits and allow the former owner to eat the depreciation.

3. If you are going to keep it for a long time, a new car makes sense. You get all of the benefits, and as the years roll by, the depreciation levels out each year. I'm still driving a 1994 Camry we purchased new.

4. Lease vs. buy. The advantage changes based on the lease rates which can change dramatically from year to year. So what was a good deal one year may not be the best the next. Consumer's Reports have good articles on how to figure out the comparisions.

5. Don't buy the aftermarket "goodies" the dealer wants to sell you. You don't need, rust preventive, upholstery protection sprays and the like. It's just extra money from your pocket to theirs.

6. No opinion on extended warranties except don't buy them from a third party. Lot's of news about how you can't collect when something goes wrong.

7. Go prepared to negotiate. Buy reports (i.e. Consumers Reports or others) which list the actual costs of the dealer. Then negotiate up from there. Don't start with the asking price and negotiate down.

8. It never hurts to ask for something extra when the deal is almost done. Ya you really need better floor mats, or free service, or what ever. When they can taste the deal, you have more leverage.

9. Compare the features/cost with the top of the line model trim and the one below it. Sometimes one or the other will be the better deal.

10. Be prepared to walk away from a poor deal. This is the strongest bargaining chip you have. Vote with your feet.

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Honda Accord Performance Articles

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Seibon Front Lip Spoiler

I have been looking at different body products for Honda Accords. Two I have found at the Seibon Carbon fiber company.

One of them is the Seibon Front Lip Spoiler. It is a very attractive looking product and once installed gives the Accord a lower and meaner or exotic looking front end. This product is made out of one sheet of carbon fiber, unlike some of the competitive products that use multiple pieces, which can crack after a while.

The finish is called "wet" look, which is a glossy type of finish. It is enhanced by a clear coating which protects the finish from normal hazards such as fading from UV exposure. The company claims that this is better than a typical Gel coating.

There are a couple of different styles for different year Accords. From a practical standpoint I don't know that any particular style will give any advantage over any other.

Front spoilers were originally designed to allow the air flow over the car to press down on the front end. This was to keep the front end from rising as your speed increased. The last thing you want at speed is to take off like an airplane.

Since when a car accelerates there is a weight transfer to the rear, a front engine car will not have as much traction on the driving wheels as a rear engine vehicle. I'm not sure, but I assume a front spoiler will increase the traction for a front drive car. Does anyone out there know for sure? If so, please let me know and I'll post it here.

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Honda Accord Performance Articles

Honda Accord Appearance Articles

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