RESISTANCE

Resistance

Understanding what resists the motion of your vehicle is essential to safer, smarter driving. Whether it is rolling resistance, air drag, road incline, or even mechanical friction, each of these forces plays a role in how your car moves, slows down, and responds in emergency situations. But what exactly causes a vehicle to lose momentum? How do resistance forces impact your stopping distance or the severity of a crash? And can high resistance really increase the damage during a collision?

This page explores the key types of vehicle resistance and how they affect your control, fuel efficiency, and crash outcomes. Knowing how these physical forces work is not just for engineers, it is critical knowledge for anyone who wants to drive with greater awareness and reduce the risk of serious accidents.

Mechanical resistance is the force that tends to opposes or retard motion.

From this broad definition, you can see that with regards to vehicles, there are a number of factors that could retard its motion, such as:

➤ Inertia
➤ Traction (friction)
➤ Impact
➤ Force
➤ Momentum

When colliding with an object, the greater the resistance that object has, the greater its effect will be on you.

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🛈 Info:

⮟ Factors affecting the resistance of a vehicle to motion.

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🛈 Factors affecting the resistance of a vehicle to motion

Resistance is the force that opposes the motion of a vehicle. There are several factors that can affect the resistance of a vehicle, including:

Air resistance: Air resistance, also known as drag, is the force that opposes the motion of a vehicle as it moves through the air. The size, shape, and speed of the vehicle can affect the amount of air resistance it experiences.
Friction: Friction is the force that opposes the motion of a vehicle as its tires interact with the road surface. The type and condition of the tires, as well as the surface of the road, can affect the amount of friction experienced by the vehicle.
Gradient or slope of the road: The gradient or slope of the road can also affect the resistance of a vehicle. When traveling uphill, a vehicle must work against gravity, increasing resistance, while going downhill can reduce resistance.
Vehicle weight: The weight of the vehicle can also affect its resistance. Heavier vehicles require more force to move and, therefore, experience more resistance than lighter vehicles.
Mechanical components: The condition of the mechanical components of the vehicle, such as the engine, transmission, brakes, and suspension, can affect the resistance of the vehicle.

Overall, the resistance of a vehicle is influenced by several factors, and it is important for drivers to be aware of them to operate their vehicle safely and efficiently.

Drivers can reduce resistance by maintaining their vehicle in good condition, using fuel-efficient driving techniques, such as maintaining a steady speed, avoiding sudden acceleration or braking, and reducing air resistance by keeping windows closed and removing rooftop carriers when not needed.

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