Brakes

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theholycow
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Re: Brakes

Post by theholycow »

My Buick does the rear spin/front lock thing. If I park it in my backyard when it's muddy, I have to use N to stop. I figure the rear brakes are too loose or the carburetor is idling too high. It's got a 3 speed auto and gets to 60 in no hurry so it's not like that 1st gear is ultra-low or anything.

I didn't realize that behavior was common.
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watkins wrote:Humans have rear-biased AWD. Cows have 4WD
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Re: Brakes

Post by ElectroGhandi »

I've never understood how you could have a 3 speed transmission.
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theholycow
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Re: Brakes

Post by theholycow »

No overdrive kinda stinks, though my Buick has a really tall ratio in the differential. In an automatic there's no need for anything like the 1st found in a manual; the torque converter with a gear like a manual's 2nd produces results similar to a manual's 1st and 2nd gears (though less exciting). Therefore, a 3 speed automatic is usable.

Now, a 3 speed manual, that just seems barbaric. Might as well go back to 2 speed transmissions and such...
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Re: Brakes

Post by LHOswald »

yeah a manual 5 speed is equivalent to an automatic 4 speed. the only reason a manual needs a 1st gear and the reason its so low, is to prevent that dreaded clutch wear. since theres no clutch to worry about in an automatic, its first gear is equivalent to a manuals 2nd gear. watch the next time you drive an automatic and it won't shift into 2nd until around 25 mph (around the same time you shift into 3rd in your manual).

yeah 3 speed transmissions are kinda stupid. especially since those engines don't exactly have the widest powerband or best fuel economy. a narrow gearbox would compliment an engine like that perfectly
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Re: Brakes

Post by Rope-Pusher »

theholycow wrote:My Buick does the rear spin/front lock thing. If I park it in my backyard when it's muddy, I have to use N to stop. I figure the rear brakes are too loose or the carburetor is idling too high. It's got a 3 speed auto and gets to 60 in no hurry so it's not like that 1st gear is ultra-low or anything.

I didn't realize that behavior was common.
Brakes are typically biased very heavily toward the front wheels, because of center of gravity being closer to them and also weight transfer during braking (while going forward - try stomping on the brake pedal while backing up - it's easy to skid the front wheels as the weight transfers off of them). High idle speeds exacerbate the problem.
It's not the car that is at fault, it is the driver, who is only applying enough brake pedal pressure to stop the car, but not enough to ensure that all the wheels are stopped. Problem is, how does one know if the rear wheels are still spinning or if they are stopped? In these modern times, it would be simple enough to let a confuser figure out that the car is actually standing still and to increase brake pressure to the rear wheels until they have stopped spinning.
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Re: Brakes

Post by Rope-Pusher »

ElectroGhandi wrote:I've never understood how you could have a 3 speed transmission.
It's actually quite simple. You just design and build one with only three available forward ratios. Any more than that are just superfluous, aren't they?
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Re: Brakes

Post by Tups »

Caramel wrote:I kinda like it, it's like an easy button for driving. Easy for parking especially. Just let it go do it's work and you tell it when to stop. Love driving slushies when i'm feeling super super super lazy. :D
Hey, come on... driving with a manual transmission is hard enough so you'd need an easy button ;)
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Re: Brakes

Post by theholycow »

Rope-Pusher wrote:It's not the car that is at fault, it is the driver, who is only applying enough brake pedal pressure to stop the car, but not enough to ensure that all the wheels are stopped.
Ah. Those brakes are maladjusted or worn, then. I put plenty of pressure on that brake pedal when it happens, since the car is not stopping but I'd like it to.
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Re: Brakes

Post by PILL »

theholycow wrote: Now, a 3 speed manual, that just seems barbaric. Might as well go back to 2 speed transmissions and such...
My Dad's first truck had a 3 speed with a column shifter. Called it a three on the tree.
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Re: Brakes

Post by fa22raptorf22 »

PILL wrote:
theholycow wrote: Now, a 3 speed manual, that just seems barbaric. Might as well go back to 2 speed transmissions and such...
My Dad's first truck had a 3 speed with a column shifter. Called it a three on the tree.

Dude im not going to lie....

Id rather drive a 2spd manual then my 5 speed auto. I hate automatics with every fiber of my being
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Re: Brakes

Post by theholycow »

I love column shifters for automatics. There's no point having the floor/seat space used up when the shifter can work just as well on the column, plus a column shifter is a nice place to rest my hand. I would not like one for a manual, though...I would hate that.
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Re: Brakes

Post by LHOswald »

yeah a column shifter on a manual sounds ridiculous. although i am EXTREMELY interested on how it would work. because its a manual im assuming it wouldn't be as easy as an automatic column shifter is to get through the gears. when i drive automatics i like to be in full control (hence the reason i drive stick) so i find myself messing with the shifter alot, probably not good for the transmission, but i do it nonetheless. so a floor mounted shifter, even in an automatic would be easier for me than a column mounted one
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Re: Brakes

Post by theholycow »

Column shifter manuals have an H pattern just like a more common manual.

Being in control of an automatic is fine. It won't hurt the transmission unless you do things you wouldn't do in a manual. For example, don't shift from N to D at high speed without rev-matching.
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Re: Brakes

Post by LHOswald »

i don't know why i thought it would be a sequential pattern like 1-2-3-4 instead of an H pattern. i guess that makes alot more sense. do most do dog leg style? or traditional
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Re: Brakes

Post by theholycow »

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watkins wrote:Humans have rear-biased AWD. Cows have 4WD
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