Date:         Sun, 13 Jan 2002 14:27:48 +1200
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: A Snow Story (Whoa-vanagon!!!) and Lessons Learned
In-Reply-To:  <3C40A36E.4BCA0959@enteract.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

>Saw a physics demonstration by Earl Zwicker at the Illinois Institute of
>Technology. He used a model car on a board and locked up just the rear
>wheels.  When he lifted one end of the board far enough to make the car
>move, sure enough, it swapped ends.
>   I was a little surprised to see this, and it cured my urge to grab
>that emergency brake on ice or snow.

I guess a lot of volk believe using the handbrake will act as a sort
of sea-anchor. But instead of creating drag on the rear wheels, it
does the opposite... creates less drag on the rears while there's
still some traction on the fronts, hence the fronts try to go slower
and the rear overtakes them.

Subarus (front-wheel handbrake) excepted...

--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut
Friends don't let friends do Windows