Lateral G's? Can someone explain this to me?

jozi

Lateral G's read about them on some car site, last i remember seeing it was on the koenigsegg web site (lovely car by the way) and it think i seen it some where else in relation to an BMW M3 (some day i will own one, some day).

If anyone could explain or have diagrams i'd appresiate it.

Thanks,

Jozi

xm15e3

G's are a rate of acceleration. 1 G is the same acceleration as that of an object in earths gravity (9.81 m/s^2). So 2 Gs would be 19.82 m/s^2.
(You probably know that, but I gotta start somewhere)

When a car (or anything) travels in a curved path, there is an acceleration in the direction of the radius of the turn. You feel it as centripital (or centrifugal force), wich is F=Mv^2/r. v is velocity (meter/s), M is mass, and r is turn radius (meters). Divide this by the mass of the object, and you get lateral acceleration.

It simply is a measure of traction and the velcity the object can travel at a given turn radius.

F-1 machines break 2g's, F-16s can sustain something like 9g's , and the M3 (IIRC) was the first production car to break 1g. I could be wrong about that though.

KoNiT

Laymans terms

Lateral G is the 'force' pushing you into the ditch as you try to 'white knuckle ride' around a tight bend !!

jozi

both of you thanks for the reply's, i think i should have payed more attention in physics might have helped.
i taught it had to do with gravity alright but i was thinking it might have been a measure for downforce.
thanks anyway

Jozi

aodh_rua

Originally posted by KoNiT
Laymans terms

Lateral G is the 'force' pushing you into the ditch as you try to 'white knuckle ride' around a tight bend !!

Nicely put!