marcw
Well-Known Member
having discussed this on another thread though better to move. Here are the results of some highly scientific Googling....
energy from forward momentum is converted to heat due to friction between braking surfaces.
max braking power is ammount of friction that can be applied before losing traction.
having lost traction energy is still converted to heat but at a lower rate, hence increasing braking distance.
bike - low contact area with road limits max braking power as traction is lost easily. High centre of gravity means rear wheel can lift hence less traction.
car - heavy so needs large brakes to convert forward momentum into heat without melting/ wearing out quickly. low centre of gravity and four wheels means traction should be pretty constant.
Couldn't find much in the way of figures.....
Stopping distance in highway code is 23m at 30mph
this can be reduced with;
wider/ bigger tyres to increase traction + bigger brakes to increase braking power i.e a VW Golf GTI will stop faster than a stock Golf of the same weight with smaller wheels and brakes.
Stopping distance for a bike at 30mph according to http://www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/brakes2.html is 10.4m.
If the figures above are correct, the bike has enough braking power to brake in half the distance of a 'standard' car.
energy from forward momentum is converted to heat due to friction between braking surfaces.
max braking power is ammount of friction that can be applied before losing traction.
having lost traction energy is still converted to heat but at a lower rate, hence increasing braking distance.
bike - low contact area with road limits max braking power as traction is lost easily. High centre of gravity means rear wheel can lift hence less traction.
car - heavy so needs large brakes to convert forward momentum into heat without melting/ wearing out quickly. low centre of gravity and four wheels means traction should be pretty constant.
Couldn't find much in the way of figures.....
Stopping distance in highway code is 23m at 30mph
this can be reduced with;
wider/ bigger tyres to increase traction + bigger brakes to increase braking power i.e a VW Golf GTI will stop faster than a stock Golf of the same weight with smaller wheels and brakes.
Stopping distance for a bike at 30mph according to http://www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/brakes2.html is 10.4m.
If the figures above are correct, the bike has enough braking power to brake in half the distance of a 'standard' car.