The maximum speed of a car is not obtained by dividing the maximum speed of the engine by the transmission ratio of the transmission system and multiplying it by the circumference of the wheels.


Because when the car is running at high speed, it will be affected by various resistances, such as rolling resistance, acceleration resistance, incline resistance, air resistance, and so on.


Only when the maximum power output of the engine reaches a balance point with the driving resistance, the car reaches the top speed. In fact, how fast a car can run is not determined by a single parameter. There are many things to consider, such as the following points.


1. The maximum power of the engine


The maximum power of the engine is the decisive factor in determining the top speed of the car. If the engine power is small and the car is heavy, the engine will not be able to drive the car forward, and the car's top speed will definitely not be high. Only when the engine is outputting maximum power, and the car is traveling at a constant speed, is the speed of the car at this time the top speed.


2. Air resistance


When the car is driving at high speed, the biggest influence on the car is the air resistance. When the car is driving at the highest speed, it is the moment when the driving force and the total driving resistance mainly caused by air resistance are balanced. If the maximum power is constant, the smaller the air resistance, the higher the maximum speed of the car.


3. The total transmission ratio of the vehicle transmission system


Many large trucks have very powerful engines, but the top speed is not high; while some small cars have much lower power than it, but the top speed is very high.


This is mainly because the transmission ratio of large trucks is large, and the rotation speed of the wheels is not high; while the transmission ratio of automobiles is small, the rotation speed of the wheels is relatively high.


"Speed" and "car" are two words that can never be spoken separately. When many people talk about a car, they don't care how cool the car looks or how much the car costs, but how fast the car runs. "Speed" has always been the focus of tens of millions of car enthusiasts. There are interesting reasons behind the pursuit of car speed by humans. Let's take a look.


Purely from the perspective of car performance, sufficient power can provide us with good climbing performance and sufficient confidence in overtaking and merging. In other words, under complex road traffic conditions, sufficient power can not only meet people's psychological needs, but also provide a basic guarantee for safe and comfortable driving experience.


Limited by the current congested traffic and speed limit rules, we cannot pursue the ultimate power experience during actual driving. But we can still intuitively feel the importance of car power to driving.


For example, when encountering a large truck at high speed, the overtaking speed will directly affect driving safety. On undulating mountain roads, climbing quickly and timely can avoid risks. In the dilemma of flameout on the incline, sufficient power can make the vehicle start in time. In daily driving, flexible steering avoidance also requires the support of the power system.


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Video: Truck Tropia