Why are new cars so TALL ?

[Cd]

Here is my stock height Civic between two 'small' cars. ( A Versa and an Aveo )


http://www.flickr.com/photos/6037656...n/photostream/
Hey... why is the image not showing up ?

[Cd]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

Not really, these rarely fall over.

I think its more to do with weight distribution and height.

In fact, how about 'drifting buses', - not so much The Fast And The Furious Tokyo Drift, more like The Sluggish And The Slightly Grumpy - Chiswick Snake :
From the age where everyone in Britain called hands "hends"...

Thanks for posting that. That was interesting and entertaining.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

A seating position that is nearly bolt-upright is far more comfortable than a semi-reclined seating position.

Maybe for you. Not for me. I hate having to ride in other people's cars that force me to sit like that.

[Frank Lee]

^Agreed.

And Capri's comment about weight being the biggest factor in fe... I don't think so.

And ya need more glass and metal to go taller too.

[bestclimb]

Originally Posted by CapriRacer

Look at it this way.

And as we all know, reducing weight probably has the largest effect on fuel economy.

In city yes, at speed weight has little to do with it.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

And Capri's comment about weight being the biggest factor in fe... I don't think so.

Consider competition sailplanes, which are pretty much the ultimate in fuel economy. The cockpit has reclining seating and is usually quite tight, but is comfortable enough to sit in for hours, while weight (water ballast) is often added for increased performance.

[mnmarcus]

I think the main reason is the tall driver design... People feel safer when they are higher up. Plus there seems to be a downsizing in the general populace, out with suvs (a little) in with the tall car (I own a vibe so +1). On top of these, the new european standard for pedestrian safety dictates a tall hood which dictates an even taller roofline (dictates isn't the right word...).

[bestclimb]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Consider competition sailplanes, which are pretty much the ultimate in fuel economy. The cockpit has reclining seating and is usually quite tight, but is comfortable enough to sit in for hours, while weight (water ballast) is often added for increased performance.

While this is true about sail planes the correlation is not quite there.

The engine out glide ratio for a most planes stays the same across it's entire weight range (from nearly empty to full gross weight) more weight means the rate of decent is higher, but higher airspeed means you cover ground faster. So the distance traveled per altitude lost says the same.

So knowing that an aircraft goes just as far in a glide heavy or light why bother with the water ballast?

An airplane balances on the wing. The lever arm forward of the wing must equal the lever arm aft of the wing. you can do this a couple ways. Most aircraft have a smaller wing in the back providing down pressure to lift the weight forward of the wing. This situation is very stable from the pilot's perspective and easy to learn on. The down side is that by creating this negative lift we make induced drag. If weight is added aft of the wing we can balance the aircraft without the induced drag. If we add a bit more we can make the tail plane (horizontal stabilizer) make a bit of lift to make up for the parasitic drag it already has without inducing much more. This situation is very good for performance but is unstable. Water can be dumped and the plane made more stable.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by mnmarcus

I think the main reason is the tall driver design... People feel safer when they are higher up.

It's part of the same sales pitch that was used in commercials for SUV's: they said you will "feel" safer. Marketing is all about massaging the customer's ego and making him feel good.

[mnmarcus]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

It's part of the same sales pitch that was used in commercials for SUV's: they said you will "feel" safer. Marketing is all about massaging the customer's ego and making him feel good.

I think its more than that, I think if you got in a tallish car you'd "feel" safer without any marketing. Good vision mosty, I think. But a tall car isn't always big FA. I think in this case "tallness = safety" is the egg and any marketing is the chicken...