healeys
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Tires, stopping, etc. (longish)

To: glemon@neb.rr.com, RAHosmer@aol.com, whammie@iopener.net,
Subject: Re: Tires, stopping, etc. (longish)
From: RAHosmer@aol.com
Date: Fri, 8 Apr 2005 00:08:13 EDT
I've got sort of a fun "stopping" story involving my first Healey, a 59 BN7, 
one of the very first 3000s.

Coming home from work one night, in San Francisco, I chanced upon the 
California Highway Patrol doing some "public service" roadside 
reaction-time/brake 
testing in Golden Gate Park. I thought it would be good for a laugh, so I 
joined 
the queue. When my turn came, the "tester" (not a uniformed officer) made a 
big show of getting in the car - he'd had a full day of old ladies in Chevies, 
I guess. I told him to buckle his seat belt "Naw, I'll be OK, sonny" (this was 
1960) he said . . . . . .

The test apparatus consisted of two metal tubes, each loaded with a piece of 
chalk and a .22 blank, hung on the front bumper, pointed at the ground. The 
first barrel was fired by the officer, using a string which you could not see. 
The second was tripped when you hit the brakes - thus, your reaction 
time/distance, and the stopping distance could be measured. 

We started out, and he cautioned me about going too fast (it was like 15-20 
maybe, I don't know). Anyhow, he pulled the cord, and I must have either been 
lucky, or anticipatory, for I hit the brakes nearly instantaneously, and he 
went sailing up out of his seat, winding up draped over the windshield - in 
view 
of all his buddies (remember the bravado about the seatbelt). The car had 
stopped almost immediately. Then he got down and started looking for the marks 
- 
which with some of the old ladies, had been a long way back down the road. 
After a bit of this, I suggested moving the car so he could check underneath. 
"Nah 
- we had a bad test" said he.

Well, needless to say, I pulled the car ahead, and BOTH marks were there! 
Might have been his first experience with disc brakes - he was ASTOUNDED - said 
that was the best test they had ever recorded, up to that time! I just chuckled 
to myself and went on home.




<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • Re: Tires, stopping, etc. (longish), RAHosmer <=