Questions tagged [automotive-engineering]
482 questions
13
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4 answers
How much clearance does a car need when turning a corner?
I am contemplating buying a new car. However, the approach to the underground garage in my apartment has a 90 degree frustrating turn. Given the dimensions of the approach and car, what is the max turn circle for the car to fit the garage and…
Misha
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4
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1 answer
How efficient is the opposed cylinder combustion engine design?
The Opposed cylinder design for gasoline engines is rather uncommon, though several have been made in the past.
The expansion forces in an opposed cylinder engine are balanced. For ever force there must be an equal and opposite force. Thus V shaped…
Dale
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4
votes
3 answers
Where to learn programming for mechatronics and overall?
I have recently finished Matriculation and currently trying to build up certain skills I think will be useful. I have applied for university and one of the courses I am looking at is mechatronics. I was wondering if anyone had information on what…
Liam McEvoy
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2
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1 answer
How do automotive engineers determine the manufacturer rated towing capacity?
My layman’s understanding is that the limiting factors for towing capacity are usually the brakes, engine work capacity, and the transmissions ability to handle the prolonged torque without overheating. Are there other factors I’m not considering?…
Chema Caillet-Bois
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2
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0 answers
Determining the threshold condition of an ABS brake system
In an ABS system there are sensors on each of the wheels which determine the angular velocity in order to pulse the brake of an individual wheel which registers a diverging reading indicating brake lock-up.
My understanding is that when one of the…
ose
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2
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0 answers
What is the rationale for a 6x6 truck chassis with 2 axles front vs. 6x6 chassis with 2 axles rear?
What is the rational for these two different 6x6 truck chassis arrangements? Is it merely a matter of intended distribution of weight across the chassis while in use?
As in, two axles up front to support a heavy engine, two axles in the rear for…
Rekov
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2
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1 answer
Why people experience more jerk or shock sitting in the back seats of a bus?
Those sitting in front and mid part doesn't experience much shock, while those those sitting in back does. Why?
Biju
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2
votes
2 answers
Why do petrol engines have lower compression ratio than diesel engine?
Patrols have higher self-ignition temperature than diesel, but still, petrol engines have lower compression ratios than diesel engines. As the self-ignition temperature of petrol is shouldn't we be able to compress it more. I am not saying compress…
GRANZER
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2
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0 answers
Explosion in an open pipe
I have a design for a gasoline engine cylinder that is open at the top, closed at the bottom (a single pipe cylinder) that operates on opposed force (the pistons move lateral to the up-down direction of the pipe. I believe it's an extremely…
ntdsc
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2
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1 answer
Why is the wheel lug count on vehicles increasing over time?
There seems to be a very strong trend of the number of wheel lugs on cars and trucks increasing over time. For instance, many small cars in the 80s used 4 lugs, but have since switched to 5 (e.g., Honda Civic, Volkswagen Golf).
More stark examples…
asynchron
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2
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1 answer
Why do bikes have different sized tires?
I see figures claiming that the front brakes provides 75% of the stopping power for a bike. So why is the front tire not as wide as the rear, especially since the engine and rider are closer to the front?
The front tire has bigger demands on grip…
Jesvin Jose
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1
vote
0 answers
Small enigne ECU self development
Has anyone used Freescale's (now NXP semiconductors) small engine ECU development kit? If so, please give me pointers on which model to choose to tune a 50cc Yamaha GY6 engine. Also as I'm still in college will the difficulty be too high ( i.e,…
vpp
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1
vote
0 answers
How do non pneumatic tires cope with mud and dirt?
I saw that several producers are going to put on the market car wheels made of spokes that connect to a tire without an air chamber. The pictures I saw in this article show tires with thin shoulders that are directly connected to the spokes. With…
FluidCode
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1
vote
2 answers
How do dual electric motor drivetrains work?
Shopping for electric cars, I had a thought: how do dual motor, AWD drivetrains work? On a conventional car there’s one engine distributing power to both via a shaft and gearing, but it would seem on the EVs the two axles are not locked with gears…
A Tyshka
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1
vote
2 answers
Could a torpedo engine be used to propel an automobile?
There are cars powered with around 300 bar compressed air (around 4000 psi), stepped down to around 500 psi, with a range of 50 - 100 miles.
Reading about early torpedos, it was found that heating the air released from the storage cylinder would…
Robert DiGiovanni
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