WOOO!

["Al Powell" <APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu>]

> - -- [ From: human * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
> 
> Gee, my '71 911 with ~160 hp stuck the throttle wide open in 2nd  - and it 
> certainly had enuf power to overcome the brakes!!!  I am not sure if the 
> brakes on the 91 200q would bring the car to a stop if one was doing about 
> 2500 rpm and hit WOT and the brakes. Not gonna try it either (I hope).

Please note distinction (originally made in the much-maligned Car & 
Driver magazine.....by Pat Bedard): the UI cases were based on cars 
at FULL STOP and the drivers said they were pushing the brake as hard 
as they could.  Under *THIS* circumstance, I have never seen any 
vehicle with brakes which could not prevent the vehicle from moving.  
Obviously, the drivers were pushing the gas and simply thought they 
were on the brake.  Cars CANNOT overcome their brakes in the scenario 
as given: full stop, full brake.

Once the car is rolling, you have a whole different situation, and it 
has been discussed on this group - HP, braking action, yadda yadda.  
But it will take some distance to stop a car once rolling, regardless 
of how good the brakes are - even at total lockup, at which point the 
brakes are no longer a factor  - the only thing left to deal with is 
physics.

So please note that UI as mis-reported and mis-theorized was at full 
stop.  Driving situations are a bit different.

And BTW - I've had the experience of having a 1966 Pontiac GTO at 
full song (389 c.i., 4-speed, 4-bbl flush toilet carb., 440 lbs/ft of 
torque at 2800 rpm) in second gear - passing another car, downhill, 
on an Idaho back road between tight corners - and having the throttle 
return spring fall off!!!  WOOOOO!!  I shifted to third, and discovered the 
missing spring by the fact that the throttle stayed WIDE open, 
resulting in my inadvertantly performing a full-power shift next to the 
gent's open window!  I LAUNCHED past him leaving a trail of rubber, 
and just got my toe under the loud pedal in time to prevent a most 
interesting cornering clinic at the 35 mph-rated corner coming up FAST.

At such times, brakes are a secondary issue to reactions and fast 
thinking.  After negotiating the corner, I used the go-pedal as a cruise 
control until I reached the next town (it would stay at any point in its 
travel I left it...) and then found some abandoned (rusted away...) cars 
next to an old service station.  Not hard to find a spring which will 
work when you have 90 miles of mountain switchbacks between you 
and your destination!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Al Powell                           Voice:  409/845-2807
107 Reed McDonald Bldg.             Fax:    409/862-1202
College Station, TX 77843           Email:  a-powell1@tamu.edu 
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