Post by z3n on Jan 26, 2006 14:03:33 GMT 10
well in theory, if you keep everything else constant, and only vary the diameter then you maybe correct.
however we do not live in an idea world, where everything effects everything.
while increasing the diameter of the wheel, the weight also needs to be increased.
due to this increase in weight the enegery required to create centripetal acceleration / rotation is far greater. its logical that you need more effort to lift/push 10kg than 1 kg.
especially where on the streets its unlikely you'll be able to maintain a certain speed for a long peroid of time.
also, by increasing the diameter of the wheel, the width/thread of the wheel is usually increased to provide extra traction. since there is more contact with the road, the coefficient of friction increases, hence requiring more energy again to oppose this constant.
although these lil bits of energy/effort may be small individually, however as a whole, it adds up to decrease fuel efficiency (asking the engine to push harder to get the car moving)
weight is a big factor in our light vehicles, since the engines we have arn't THAT powerful.
even said all that, it also depends on the driver, how his/her style to accerate/maintain speed.
but it doesn't mean that if we put even smaller wheels on our car, that it will increase efficiency as well. i'm sure the car's research and development centres have already saved us the trouble calcuating all the factors associated with fuel consumption/ power/ comfort at a reasonable /affordable price.
however we do not live in an idea world, where everything effects everything.
while increasing the diameter of the wheel, the weight also needs to be increased.
due to this increase in weight the enegery required to create centripetal acceleration / rotation is far greater. its logical that you need more effort to lift/push 10kg than 1 kg.
especially where on the streets its unlikely you'll be able to maintain a certain speed for a long peroid of time.
also, by increasing the diameter of the wheel, the width/thread of the wheel is usually increased to provide extra traction. since there is more contact with the road, the coefficient of friction increases, hence requiring more energy again to oppose this constant.
although these lil bits of energy/effort may be small individually, however as a whole, it adds up to decrease fuel efficiency (asking the engine to push harder to get the car moving)
weight is a big factor in our light vehicles, since the engines we have arn't THAT powerful.
even said all that, it also depends on the driver, how his/her style to accerate/maintain speed.
but it doesn't mean that if we put even smaller wheels on our car, that it will increase efficiency as well. i'm sure the car's research and development centres have already saved us the trouble calcuating all the factors associated with fuel consumption/ power/ comfort at a reasonable /affordable price.
