| Re: Coping With The New CAFE Standards OR Defying the Laws of Physics [message #793285] |
Wed, 06 February 2008 08:45 |
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>> And the deceleration isn't linear is it?
"Alan Baker" <alangbaker [at] telus.net> wrote
> No. But that doesn't change the principle that having a longer distance
> over which to stop will decrease the acceleration.
It's a good principle. What makes you think that it is the only principle
at work?
The simple fact of the matter is that putting the engine in the back of
the car and the luggage compartment in the front, provides greater
<potential> crash safety than having the engine in the front. The reason is
that in a crash the engine crushes the section in front of it, and itself is
uncompressable, leaving only the small compartment between it an the
firewall to reduce the speed of the rest of the car (and passengers) behind.
While in a rear engine car, the entire car stops the engine and the
passengers have 2 to 3 times as much room between them and the impactm and
hence as you should appreciate 2 to 3 times the distance to stop.
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