--- Roberto Alonso [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I'll pick on your observation, Roberto. All else
being equal, rider mass will NOT affect stopping
distance. The more the mass to stop, the more the
downforce this mass has and thus increases
traction
available to stop. This continues until you
overpower
the brakes or blow-up the tires.
This was the day I was awake in physics class...
Fl Kev
h... not convinced, though I see your point.
Next time we ride down The
Stelvio pass, you carry all my luggage so you have
that extra traction. Oh,
you're welcome to give my lady a pillion ride, too.
Or maybe not, maybe I'm
right after all and someone will go down the side of
the mountain.
I believe the extra momentum of inertia (not sure
that's the correct word in
English) WILL account for extra distance coming to a
halt. Let's go find a
truck driver in San Francisco and ask him about
stopping a full load going
down Russian Hill.
Later!
The truck is on bigger tires--less traction due to
larger surface area with the same mass, plus, his
brakes are probably what will fail. From a PURELY
physics point of view--if the brakes can approach
lock-up and the tires don't blow--motorcycle tires
could stop the russian truck as fast as the GTS. The
available stopping ability is DIRECTLY related to the
mass by the normal force acting on the tires producing
the friction we call traction. My caveat was all else
being equal. Tires actually approach adhesive quality
now which throws out the friction only math. Tires do
deform and brakes may fade but if you try it, you will
find very similar stopping distances with different
masses.
FL Kev
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