Tires On The Car Against The Road example essay topic

Friction Driving a car could be a scary thing if you don't know how to handle different situations. You will have a very high risk of getting into an accident. Before getting into a car your should know how to handle it well, be aware of your surroundings and the conditions of your environment. Friction is the resistance to motion between two objects in contact with each other. When the resistance related to the tires on the car against the road, it is called traction.

The traction points on your car are where the rubber on your tire touches the road's surface. There are three main traction purposes: putting your vehicle in motion, stopping your vehicle, and changing the direction of your vehicle. The amount of friction that is made is limited even when all the important factors are good. When you are driving, you should avoid decreasing the available traction. When you are braking in a straight line, you may use all the available traction for braking. If you are braking and steer or, accelerate and steer, you reduce the available traction.

As soon as the traction requirement becomes greater than the amount available, your vehicle will start to skid. There are several factors, which affect the traction of your vehicle, such as: tires, the road surface, speed, and mechanical condition. Tires are made with grooved surfaces, which are called treads. They are designed to channel water and such through the grooves to keep the rubber in contact with the road.

Different patterns of treads are made for different uses and conditions, such as snow tires, or rain tires. There are two basic types of tires: the bias ply and the radial ply design. The bias ply has the plies (layers of cord impregnated with rubber) criss-crossed. This makes the casing strong in all directions; but the plies have a tendency to rub against each other. This conducts heat and tire "squirm" and the tires wear more rapidly and provide less traction.

The radial ply has plies parallel to each other and perpendicular to the tread. Belts usually made of steel are then attached in the same position as the tread, which then gets applied along with the sidewall. The benefit of this is more flexibility. The tread stays in contact with the road producing more traction.

Radial tires also wear more slowly. You should never mix bias and radial tires on your car. In time as the tire wears, the tread becomes thinner and eventually becomes bald. Obviously, a newer tire with all of its tread provides the best traction. A brand new tire that isn't properly inflated will also cause problems for you though. Properly inflated tires make the largest amount of rubber come in contact with the pavement, therefore giving the best traction.

The road surface is another important factor in traction. The best traction is available on smooth dry pavement. Anything else and the friction factor diminishes. On an icy road, you have 5% the friction factor of a smooth dry asphalt road.

Another important factor of traction is the speed of your vehicle. The speed at which you drive the vehicle also decreases traction, As your speed increases, distortions in the shape of the tire reduce the surface area that is touching the pavement. The increased airflow under your vehicle as your speed rises has a tendency to reduce the down force exerted by the weight of the vehicle on the tires, reducing traction. The last factor of traction is mechanical condition. The wheel alignment, the suspension and steering of your vehicle will also reduce traction when they are not in proper working condition.

One example: the shock absorbers are supposed to keep the tires in contact with the pavement. When they are in poor condition, the tires have a tendency to skip on the pavement, which causes a loss of contact and premature wear of the treads. Friction is a factor all its own, it affects braking distances. When friction is low in an area, you have a smaller stopping distance, so you will need to give yourself more space on highways. Also, your speed should be reduced in these conditions and you should watch out for drivers who do not know how to drive in certain conditions. When you take curves, friction also comes into play again.

Curves also involve what is called centrifugal force. This force makes your car want to move to the outside of the curve. Gravity keeps you on the ground when taking curves. When you take curves in an area with low friction, you have less traction, which high tens the chance of an accident. When there is low friction, you will have less friction and the force will push your car to go in a straight line, of the curve. This may cause a crash.

Some roads have remedied this problem by making the curved road also have a slight angle. Friction is a main factor in driving. You have a better chance of not getting into an accident if you can spot and identify a reduction in traction. If you can react and respond to the change, you have a good chance of not running into any problems.