We have heard too many people say that Japanese cars are light and float at high speed. In their eyes, the heavier, the better the high-speed stability. One retort is that you see how heavy the tank is and how stable the body is. Although most Japanese cars are not as stable as German cars at high speed, the reason is not the weight of the cars.
First, the real murderer of car drift
The main culprit causing the car to float is not the weight of the car body, because the weight of the car body has limited effect on restraining "floating", so why does a car with similar weight float when driving, but it is stable when driving?
1. Suspension system
We can simply understand the car as a sedan chair, and the four people carrying the sedan chair act as the driving force and connect the sedan chair with the road. If the four people carrying the sedan chair are not tough and delicate, then you will naturally sway in the sedan chair, and so will the car.
At present, there are two orientations of automobile suspension training: either comfortable orientation, long shock absorption stroke, small resistance, soft and comfortable like lazy people, but poor lateral support; Either sports orientation, short suspension stroke, large resistance and poor comfort, but good support, a higher-end car can achieve the balance between the two.
Generally speaking, most Japanese cars are inclined to comfort training, which makes them more comfortable to ride, but when driving at high speed or turning quickly, they feel a little sloppy, so people feel a little floating.
2. Steering system
In addition to suspension, the steering system also has a great influence on driving stability, because when you are driving, the steering wheel is the most contact and interaction except the seat where your ass touches, and the steering wheel is the most direct link to express the "communication sense" between people and vehicles.
If you judge a high-speed and stable car, it is nothing more than A6, LaCrosse and Magotan, but these cars all have a more obvious feature, that is, there are more empty steering wheels, less road feedback and blurred steering. In this way, some slight vibration and displacement of the wheel will not be transmitted to you. When you gently turn the steering wheel at high speed, the body will not give you immediate feedback, nor will it deflect the driving direction, giving you a very smooth feeling. On the contrary, Japanese cars are generally more sensitive to the adjustment of the steering wheel, with fewer steering positions and more road feedback, which is the feeling that the steering wheel brings you.
In addition, the speed gain of the steering wheel will also affect your judgment on whether the car floats. For example, when some cars are driving at high speed, the steering wheel will become very heavy and it is not easy to shift gears, which will bring you more security. Some steering wheels are very light, which will make you feel a little floating.
3. Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics also has a great influence on the stability of the car body. When the car is driving at high speed, it will produce higher lift and feel that the car is not on the ground. So why do many cars have to install tails at the rear? This is to depress the car body by aerodynamics, and the tail can change the airflow direction to increase the downforce and improve the stability of the car body.
4. Other reasons?
Body center of gravity: The lower the body center of gravity, the better the driving stability brought to the owner.
Body rigidity: insufficient body rigidity will bring slight deformation of the frame at high speed, which will affect the stability of the body.
Tire: The wider the tire width, the stronger the grip and the better the driving stability.
Wheelbase: The longer the wheelbase, the more stable the high speed. Therefore, medium and large cars can achieve high speed and stability.
To sum up, the reasons that affect the stability of the car body are very complicated, which cannot be determined by the simple weight of the car. Because of the training of chassis and steering, the high-speed stability of German cars is generally stronger than that of Japanese cars, but it also varies from car to car.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.