The primary key ingredient to discovering pleasure in driving is “dealing with.” The time period is a bit subjective as dealing with isn’t a quantifiable metric which you can cling a quantity on. In massive phrases, dealing with is what a automobile does in response to the driving force’s inputs. If the response is predictable, tactile, and agile, it’s going to often be described as a automobile with good dealing with. If the response lags behind your inputs, is erratic, unpredictable or wallowy, it’s going to often be described as a automobile with poor dealing with.
What dealing with isn’t, nevertheless, is placing on driving gloves and slowly negotiating a parking deck in Stevens Creek in your Tesla Cybertruck. That’s not dealing with.
The Twitter consumer @Teslanomics tweeted a video of themselves doing simply that final week, with the caption “The Tesla Cybertruck handles higher than any sports activities automobile on the earth, simply watch me drive it in & out a 6-story car parking zone with ease.” Nothing displayed within the video is a feat of dealing with. The best velocity I see on their speedometer on this video is 20 miles per hour, and each automobile on the earth can moderately negotiate a parking storage at low velocity. It will be rather more shocking (although perhaps not that shocking) if the Cybertruck couldn’t handle the parking storage.
To recommend this video is in some way proving that the Cybertruck handles higher than any sports activities automobile is absurd.
A automobile that handles nicely shall be a confidence-inspiring machine that predictably delivers the identical response to the identical enter each time. Dealing with is often a constructive attribute of sports activities automobiles, as they have an inclination to have decrease facilities of gravity, comparatively stiffer suspension, and might negotiate curves at increased speeds. A lot of dealing with is engineered into the automobile when it’s designed, because the suspension pickup factors, steering geometry, aero downforce, and tires can have numerous affect on how a automobile handles.
Vital items of the dealing with equation could be measured, together with lateral acceleration, weight, grip, and yaw, however the true measuring software for dealing with is your physique. It’s all the sensation of how your automobile processes inertia. If you flip the wheel, the burden of the automobile will wish to proceed transferring within the course it was earlier than. A physique in movement will keep in movement, etcetera. A heavier car can have stronger inertia, and can usually resist turning extra fervently. Top and heart of gravity shall be main components as nicely, as taller autos are usually extra vulnerable to leaning over by way of corners. That’s why most vans and SUVs aren’t sometimes described nearly as good dealing with autos.
Dealing with isn’t essentially about velocity and even lap occasions on the Nürburgring or no matter. The Mazda Miata, notably in its NA and NB generations, is taken into account among the many greatest dealing with automobiles ever offered, however whereas it’s going to punch above its weight at most race tracks, it gained’t be taking residence any lap data. A automobile with poor dealing with can positively beat a automobile with good dealing with at a race observe, notably if there’s a velocity and energy imbalance.
