Safe Speed Forums

Have a read of this...

http://www.vxronline.co.uk/messageboard ... .php?t=714

Now get them rear seats folded down folks, and watch the 0-60 times tumble!

_________________
CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!

So that's why all the chavs drive round with their seats folded so far back then?

What a muppet!

_________________
Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

as if by magic. I think he's trying to say weight distribution. Now moving a few kilos around on a 500kg single seater will make some difference to ultimate lap times, but in a 1.2 corsa?

By 'Police_driver'

I wonder if he leaves his uniform at home to save weight?

I'm sure that 38PSI on a little roller skate like that will reduce grip - but I'd like to understand why, I'm only speaking from experience. Does it reduce the contact patch?

And remember folks, skipping breakfast makes your car faster.

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

over pressure?... yes reduced contact patch and reduced ability of rubber in the contact patch to generate force (need to think that last one through).

....all that effort and inconvenience for a 0-60 of 9.3 secs :lol::rotfl::lol::rotfl::lol::rotfl:
and you can't dismiss the illusion gained from an overreading speedo

I'm repeating the full post here for preservation:

In the case of the Corsa, tires at high pressures may be detrimental if the car is capable of wheelspinning; otherwise higher pressures would reduce rolling resistance which in turn would add a very slight benefit to straight line performance at higher speeds

And illegal.............

Actually, it does work for me.

If I take the five rear seats out, then the car is noticably more frisky.

Trying to pick up on one serious point - high tyre pressures - among the rot of lost weight...

If contact area is reduced, the downward pressure on the bit that is in contact is increased, and retardation, provided the road surface can take it, should be no worse. However, if there is ANY loose material on the road, or water things will be dramatically worse. However - and thinking aloud/on the hoof - I think it will be BETTER in snow (despite the suggestions of letting tyres down in snow).

Ah - but when you've taken them out and put them in the shed, you can make the car even friskier by folding them flat. Really - try both runs...

Not sure about this. Over-inflating the tyres will make the contact patch "balloon" - as has been said, and this will reduce the footprint. If you're going to drive fast through a patch of standing water, the smaller the contact patch, the less chance of aquaplaning, I'd have thought! Obviously, the harder ride will create the illusion of speed (but the bigger rolling diameter) will reduce the speed displayed by the speedo)! Rolling resistance certainly goes down as the contact patch decreases and the sidewall flex less, though. The responses might also feel a bit sharper, again because of less sidewall flex. Ultimately, (although we don't know what size tyres he's running - most Corsas I see seem to have at least 18" rims with 300+ section tyres on them anyway!) I expect he'll only be using a reduced part of the footprint and will wear the centre of the tread out prematurely. I agree that the retardation in theory shouldn't be worse but in practice it probably will be as skinnier tyres do have less grip. If they didn't, racing cars would be on narrower tyres to reduce rolling resistance.

...Come to think of it, the fastest Corsas I've ever seen always have an extra (unrestrained) lad wearing a baseball cap sat on the middle of the rear seat with his elbows propped up on each front seat backrest. How on earth is this chap going to unleash all that extra performance if he folds his rear seats down?!

I feel he has overlooked one important saving...
go on a diet and lose a few pounds - maybe eat a few less doughnuts?

Also lose the radio ariel or get a retractable one, and keep the paintwork clean and polished - less dirt = less weight AND drag!

Since winding down the windows is not good, I'd take out the window winders too, and keep the use of any electrics to a minimum.

Reminds me of when I was still at school, and lads on their FS1 E's used to laydown low over the tank to get an extra mile per hour - often sacrificing vision and handling, and ending up coming off on wet manhole covers!!

_________________
Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

Surely winding down the windows will save weight...

One tiny flaw in his statement..........

I suspect that when he bought it, it was polished and empty. IF he finds a buyer I suspect it will sell polished and empty......

So pretending for a moment that he's not talking complete tosh (which he is) then his 1.2 SXi actually isn't any faster than a "standard SXi" because all he's doing is keeping it clean and tidy, same as it was supplied to him. On second thoughts though, whilst getting concerned about the aerodynamics of the paintwork, he's cancelled out all his elbow grease and weight saving measures by fitting an extra badge to the car

We had a good laugh at this on UKCougar at the end of last week. Glad it found it's way on here.

It does worry me a bit that this is the present calibre of Police officers.................

_________________

I dont know if it would save weight... but it WOULD lower the centre of gravity!!
I'd also be seriously concerned about the effect of his wipers on the performance. Taking them off is a risk - having to put them on every time it rains would be tedious.
Do Halfords do "Low Profile" wipers or should he invest in some "Rain-X"?

_________________
Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

He could try scrubbing off some of the tyre tread to reduce weight and to reduce diameter, thus lowering the final drive ratio and increasing acceleration

_________________

aw.. they locked it and removed the original post.

still love this bit though:



weight... energy.... area.... pressure...... mmm hmmm

Where did you find that bit? Is it a deleted bit? If it is, what's the rest of the deleted bit?

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety