Acceleration
AWD vs RWD Launch: Exactly Where the Advantage Ends
All wheel drive wins the launch because it can put every kilogram of the car onto a driven wheel. A rear wheel drive car can only use what...
Section 01
Acceleration
Where a 0 to 60 figure comes from, and why the same car posts four different ones.
Acceleration
Factory Claims vs Independent Tests: Who Is Sandbagging
A manufacturer's acceleration claim and an independent test measure different things under different rules, so a gap between them is normal...
Acceleration
What Every Gearshift Costs in a 0 to 100 Run
A gearshift costs time in two ways, and the smaller one gets all the attention. The interruption itself lasts 20 to 100 ms in a dual clutch...
Acceleration
Launch Control: What It Actually Controls
Launch control is a slip controller, not a wheelspin blocker. Peak longitudinal grip does not occur at zero slip, it occurs at roughly 10...
Acceleration
The One Foot Rollout: How American Tests Shave Three Tenths
Rollout is the first foot, 305 mm, of a standing start, and in American testing the clock does not run during it. The convention comes from...
Acceleration
Quarter Mile Trap Speed: The Number That Cannot Be Faked
A drag strip slip carries two numbers, and they measure different things. Elapsed time depends heavily on the launch, so grip, tyres and...
Acceleration
Rolling Start vs Standing Start: Two Different Cars
A standing start measures the tyres, the driver, the surface and the drivetrain. A rolling start measures almost none of that. Once the car...
Acceleration
Air Temperature and Tarmac: The Tenths Nobody Reports
A performance figure is a measurement of a car and a day. Warm air is thin air: going from 15 °C to 35 °C at constant pressure cuts air...
Acceleration
The Traction Limit: Why 1,000 hp Cannot Beat Physics
Under about 100 km/h, acceleration is set by how much force the tyres can put down, not by how much the engine makes. For an all wheel...
Acceleration
0 to 60 mph vs 0 to 100 km/h: Why the Numbers Never Match
The two figures measure different things. 60 mph is 96.56 km/h, so a 0 to 100 km/h run covers 3.44 km/h more than a 0 to 60 mph run. On top...