Safe Driving with Driverthink

We drive many different types of vehicles with many different attributes.  One thing is for certain.  If we think of our buggies as nothing more than an extension of our living rooms, sooner or later they will get insulted.  They will get even with us!

Maybe it’s time to get in touch with our car.  Let’s take a walk out to our daily driver and get re-acquainted.  We may even want to take the operating manual with us – or at least the original window sticker if we still have it.

We already know about its cushy seats, and numerous cup holders.  We may also take delight in other convenience items stuck within its confines.  The stereo system, perhaps a GPS and even a DVD player to keep the kiddies occupied on long trips.  This is all neat stuff but it’s not what we’re going to be focusing on at the moment.  None of that stuff has anything to do with how our basic buggy – drives!

What kind of engine resides under that hood?  Where is it?  How much power does it have or not have?

It’s probably a four, six or eight cylinder motor but it could be some kind of hybrid.  A smaller, less powerful engine might be great for gas mileage but it might also leave something to be desired when we’re on that highway merge and really need some extra juice to come up to traffic speed.  Is it Turbo Charged?  Super Charged?  Each will drive differently.

Speaking of that stereo/GPS/every thing else console, how easily does it operate?  Are there simple buttons and turn dials, or does it come with some kind of computer mouse thing that might take more than a little attention when we’re surrounded by highway hazards on open road?  Let’s get comfy with its operation now, in the driveway, rather than on a busy road that requires full attention.

Where is our buggies center of gravity?  Is it low, which will allow sharper and faster turns, or higher up, as on an SUV?  Will it skid sideways if it breaks traction or simply flip us over a few times?  Does it have traction control that simply won’t allow us to skid – even if we may need a controlled skid to get out of trouble?

Does that ETC have a switch to turn in on or off?

How sticky are those tire things at each corner of the vehicle.  Today’s modern rubber compounds offer countless varieties of tires – from very grippy on the highway to maybe not quite so sticky.  What about the walls of those tires?  Stiff and resistant or more cushy and comfy?  Are they rain tires?  Highway tires?  All season or even perhaps, off road rubber?

Let’s give a quick thought to our suspension systems – because they’re not all created equal. 

Modern front suspensions are generally of the MacPherson Strut or Double Wishbone persuasion (with variations of each) unless we’re driving a truck.  We’ll call these satisfactory for most, every day driving.

The rear suspension gets more interesting.  It will be either a straight (live) axel or Independent Rear Suspension.  The straight axel is just that.  There’s a straight axel that connects one rear wheel to the other, with a differential in the middle on rear or all wheel drive.  With the IRS, there are universal joints that allow each rear wheel to act independently when encountering bumps or turns.  This will affect our “sprung” or “un-sprung” weight and how our car handles – specifically in turns.

Speaking of the drive system, is it Rear Wheel Drive, Front Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive?

With the Front Wheel Drive, power is delivered to the front wheels.  These wheels then basically pull the car along.  With Rear Wheel Drive, the rear tires get the go power and push the car through its paces.  All Wheel Drive?  The power pretty much gets applied to the wheels that need it most.

Each of these differing components may have advantages or disadvantages over the other (cost often being a major factor) but they will definitely affect how our “living room on wheels” behaves in different highway situations.

In order to really get to know the car, lets take it to a lonely, curving road where we can safely run it through its paces.  Power it through some turns.  Mash the pedal to get a feel of its max power.  Hit the brakes.  How does it panic stop?  We don’t have to drive it to its limits to get a real good feel for its capabilities.  We just have to gradually keep nudging it — until we find our comfortable limits.

That sofa on wheels is still a motor vehicle.  Better to get in touch with it – before it suddenly decides to get in touch with us!