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Typical driving patterns

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neutralsteer

Automotive
Oct 22, 2003
13
Does anyone have some data regarding the typical driving habits of people for:
1. lateral acceleration
2. steering angle (at the road wheel)
3. vehicle speed
4. and how do the above change with geographical area, type of vehicle?

This data would be good in deciding upto what limit a math. model of a vehicle needs to be validated.

A paper titled "Uneven wear of vehicle tires" (Tire Science Technology) Vol 21. No.4 Oct-Dec 1993 has some of this data. I'm not able been able to get a hold of that paper from the library.


 
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1 up to about 0.3 g for typical drivers

2, there's quite a lot up to 10 degrees, then not much until you hit full lock

3 yes but I can't tell you exactly. Basically in Australia everyone drives either at the speed limit or 10 kpgh below it. Our most common speed limits are 60 and 100 kph.

4 don't know.

There's an SAE paper on tire wear on a truck with different camber settings, that has some relevant data.

Cheers

Greg Locock
 
Here in SoCal, we mostly drive at speed limit or 10-15 mph over - when not stuck in traffic!

Jay Maechtlen
 
Greg,

I was going to argue with you about Australians driving at or below the speed limit, but on reflection you are right. If I set the cruise control 5km/h over the limit on motorways, I pass a lot a lot of cars, and not many pass me.

Of course Pat described his driving philosophy a few months ago. He might shift the average.

Jeff
 
1. Probably this is only anecdotal data, but it appears that the majority of drivers rarely drive above the linear range of tire behavior (around 0.3g, but perhaps a little more in the case of performance-oriented cars). What I know from some really cheapie instrumentation to be in the 0.5-ish g range easily catches up with most everything else in the turns. And virtually nobody runs above about 0.7g on the street regardless of the vehicle that they're driving.

3. Traffic volume and enforcement absence permitting, speeds in much of the northeastern US tend to run 5 - 8 mph above posted for secondary highways (posted at 45 - 55 mph) and 5 - 15 mph above the 55 - 65 mph Interstate postings.


Norm
 
5-15mph over the limit fits average DC driver, again when not stuck in traffic, but I've noticed that this range goes upward a tick on both ends of that range at night. Had the chance to live in Miami for awhile and typically ran across the flow of traffic being in the mid-80mph range, they fly down there, along with getting into many wrecks. But this 80mph pace seems slow when motorcyles seem to pass you at 2 that speed, ahh typical Miami behavoir, there crazy but I miss it.
 
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