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WITH
Christmas just a few days away, motorists are already
having harrowing experiences at stoplights.
The
presence of many vagrants at almost every stoplight in
the metropolis not only creates traffic but, as I have
said, scary moments for many drivers.
How many
times have I been told of various incidents involving
snatchers who forcibly open the cars or vehicles of
unwitting victims while the red light is on? There are
many incidents of burglary in broad daylight while
vehicles are stopped on corners, and these crimes
continue unabated despite warnings from authorities.
Little
children and even babies being carried by their sisters
or mothers litter the streets during the day or night.
They pose dangers to the motorists, but the authorities
seem to be unmindful of them.
When
will we ever see a Metro Manila that is free of
mendicants roaming and guarding every street corner or
stoplight?
OUR
friend, Michelin chief country representative Rizalino
Dalangin, sent us a very informative article regarding
proper tire placement.
This
should serve as sound advise to all our countrymen,
especially those who scrimp and buy only one or two
tires to replace their worn-out set. Although it is
expensive, it is safer to buy four, instead of just one
or two tires.
Economics play a big role in the way Filipinos change
their tires and it will take some time before the idea
sinks in. So, for those who still prefer to buy their
tires one or two at a time, here are some of the
recommendations of Joe Walter, a technical contributor
of an American magazine, which should also be beneficial
to all local motorists.
Walter
says that: “the improper placement of two new tires and
two partially worn-out tires has led to several tragic
accidents on wet roads.
“As
passenger-car tires wear out during use, many
performance characteristics influencing vehicle behavior
change for the better or worse. On the upside, reduced
tread depth allows tires to respond more crisply on dry
roads, while lowering rolling resistance with an
accompanying improvement in fuel economy. However, when
roads are moisture-laden, diminished grip always
compromises driving safety. Reductions in wet tractions
and hydroplaning resistance would occur even if tires
were to wear at the same rate front-to-rear, which they
don’t, especially on front-wheel-drive vehicles,” he
said.
“Placing
two tries with the deeper tread in the rear, or better
yet, purchasing four new tires, is best for overall safe
driving during inclement weather,” he averred, but “most
drivers and many garage mechanics still wrongly reason
that tires with full tread depth should be fitted to the
front axle because this is where steering and braking
principally occur. Even those few individuals with
rudimentary knowledge of vehicle dynamics would argue
that two new tires placed up-front is the more prudent
fitment due to the tendency of this arrangement to
promote understeer—but this reasoning is correct only
for dry roads, and is erroneous for wet-weather
driving.”
Here’s
the catch now for his reasoning: “Rear tires generate
slip angles, albeit with a lag, and are just as
important as those up-front in controlling vehicle
direction. Lateral-force generation at the rear position
due to slip angles is necessary for vehicle stability.
This is why we never want to experience rear-wheel
lock-up during braking while the tire is fully saturated
and unable to produce stabilizing lateral forces. This
is the same reason that arrows are fletched at the after
end of the shaft. On wet surfaces, the ‘effective’
cornering stiffness of a partially worn tire is reduced
compared with dry conditions, and drops further as speed
is increased. Rear-wheel slides can easily be provoked
via braking or steering commands due to insufficient
lateral forces produced at the back end. This behavior
can occur quickly due to the shift of the handling
toward oversteer. While the problem can occur in any
vehicle, it is exacerbated in small four-wheel-drive
cars, as well as rear-wheel-drive pickups—both of which
tend to have less than 40 percent of their weight on the
rear axle. There is just not enough rear-wheel loads to
develop stabilizing lateral force.”
IT’S
good to see top corporate officials joining the members
of the media in any friendly competition or event.
Take the
case of the very successful Bosch Media Kart Enduro 2007
on December 6 at the CityKart Racing Circuit in Sucat,
Parañaque. Robert Bosch Inc. president and managing
director Franz Roland Odenthal, Automotive After-Market
Division general manager Mustafa Sed, visiting Bosch
Asean Sales and Automotive After-Market managing
director Alexander Haid, and even public relations and
corporate communications manager Kaycee Crisostomo
donned racing suits and participate gamely in the
exciting two-hour kart enduro that was participated in
by nine teams of five members each. Although a very
physical and very tough exercise, these officers gamely
hung on up to the finish and even awarded the trophies
to the winners.
Odenthal
and the other Bosch officers really sweated it out
throughout the more than four hours of wild karting on
that day (that’s because there were also more than two
hours of practice laps allowed all participants). Sed
even showed his very sore hands after the race since he
didn’t wear any gloves, while Haid savored the sweet
taste of the first-place trophy his team had won.
“In the
spirit of Bosch-led victories in the 24-hour Le Mans, we
wish to bring the same spirit of competition to our
media participants here in the Philippines. This event
also coincides with the company’s year-end thanksgiving
party for our friends in local media. It is our tribute
to camaraderie and friendship, and to an even stronger
partnership we wish to foster in the years ahead,” said
Odenthal. |
