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(I still can't get my head around why the kenetic force is not acting but I'm willing to let it go because of lack of physics knowledge!)


Think of a spaceship cruising through space at 20,000 mph - engines off, unaffected by any gravitational pull. It keeps moving from its own momentum.

The motors are fired for a while and the ship accelerates to 25,000. (Forced applied)

The moment the motors are shut off, the ship ceases accelerating. It now has the momentum to cruise unaided at 25,000 mph.

The applied force enabled it to change speed, but the instant the force was removed, it ceased changing speed.
 
Just to add to DPJ's analogy... what you need to remember is the difference between moving forward at the same speed and making that speed increase.

To increase your speed you need to increase the force you are applying to the car (or spaceship...). Using the spaceship analogy... when you reach a certain speed you can carry on at that speed, in space, as there is no force stopping it. There are no friction issues through tyres, no wind / air resistance, no engine braking, no gravity, so you carry on at the same pace as you were when you turned the motors off.

To increase that speed and accelerate, you need to apply more force. Like a skateboard... you kick out a few times to move forward and then put both feet on and you carry on going, but if you want to go faster you need to kick out again. If you don't, eventually the forces acting against you will slow you down.
 
try it with a small toy car push it along and let it go, it doesnt go faster just slows down, it doesnt get that little burst after you let go.
Now think about that only 16 times bigger.
 
Cheers, I think I get it now thanks to those 3 posts and guys at work giving me explainations with meteorites!

I feel a little thick for suggesting it now.

Anyway, back on thread. I think I'm about 6.5 to 60 (with a change to 3rd!)
 
Who gives a crap if a car is .5 seconds faster than another one or whatever.

The LCR's the best looking car in its class.

And let's be fair - it's all about who's driving.
 
Oooohh! Look at you getting all technical! ;)

(I bet a remapped LCR could beat it though... they can beat anything in - and out of - the galaxy you know!)
 
Hello,

I bought a 2002 Leon Cupra R a couple of weeks ago and have been browsing the forum for useful information since my purchase, its nice to know what may go wrong! Lots of good information here it seems

Anyway, I have been reading this thread with some interest and felt compelled to write a reply.

As stupid as it sounds, a car that is accelerating, or any object for that matter, won't stop accelerating the instant the power is removed. What will happen is the rate of acceleration will start decreasing as soon as the power is removed. The rate of acceleration will fall until it becomes zero and then it will start decelarating. If you think about something accelerating at the rate of 10m/s/s it won't just stop accelerating as soon as the power is removed. In the case of a car with loads of aerodynamic drag, friction from mechanical components, tyres etc it won't take very long for the rate of acceleration to hit zero and become a rate of decelaeration but it certainly will not be instant.

Matthew.