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Re: for sale: 85 Coupe GT, parts



Kenny,

I frankly don't know the gory details, but I did read that early tests
conducted by Audi showed, to their surprise, that the rolling resistance
was reduced compared to a virtually identical car with 2 wheel drive.  This
may not be true for all tire sizes, and I haven't read any other references
to such testing.

As far as the action of a contact patch, take a look at some of Carrol
Smith's books to get a better appreciation of how complex the action at the
contact patch is.  Driving the tire applies different forces to the
sidewalls and the patch, so it seems quite reasonable to me that rolling
resistance would be affected.

>I thought rolling resistance is a function of the tire in contact with
>the road.  A rolling tire will deform at the contact patch, heat and
>sound radiates.  I do not see how when torgue is apply at the center of
>the wheel or at the contact patch (by the road) change the energy loss of
>a rolling tire.
>
>> 0%, drivetrain frictional losses are balanced by the reduction in rolling
>> resistance because all four tires are recieving driving torque>
>
>
>
>Kenny

Richard Funnell,
San Jose, California
'83 urQ
'87 560 SL