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Re: 15 inch tires

To: Larry Paulick <lpaulick@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: 15 inch tires
From: Theo Smit <tsmit@shaw.ca>
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2005 10:47:47 -0700
I'll try and beat Bob off the line here... it's rear-wheel torque that 
pulls you off the line, and engine power, not engine torque alone, 
actually determines how much rear-wheel torque you can generate. If you 
have 1800 engine RPM and you're putting it through a total reduction of 
say 6:1, you'll get 300 rear-wheel RPM, which you can translate to a 
given speed. The 313 foot-pounds of torque at the engine translates to 
1878 foot-pounds at the rear axle (neglecting for the moment the 
drivetrain losses). The same 313 foot pounds of flywheel torque at 3600 
RPM, which amounts to double the power, can be run through a 12:1 gear 
reduction to give you 300 rear-wheel RPM and 3756 foot-pounds at the 
rear axle. Double the power equals double the torque available at the 
rear axle.

Being able to use the engine's torque curve to advantage still applies. 
If you're mostly doing street driving, you want an engine that's not 
tuned to operate efficiently over just a very narrow powerband, which is 
what you've done, but for outright acceleration, generating the most 
power for the longest amount of time is what you need.

Best regards,
Theo





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