HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rbanksjr@nyx.cs.du.edu (Richard E. Banks Jr.)
Subject: What is engine braking?
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 92 16:18:47 GMT


Can someone please describe what engine braking is and how to do?

Thanks.
Richard Earl Jr.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: welty@cabot.balltown.cma.COM (richard welty)
Subject: heel and toe (was Re: Seat Adjustment (Laid-back driving))
Organization: New York State Institute for Sebastian Cabot Studies
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 01:20:44 GMT

In article <1992Aug25.152944.14214@iplmail.orl.mmc.com> wozniak@ais1.bal.mmc.com (Agnes Wozniak) writes:
>I often heard the expression "heel to toe"... What does it mean
>and what is it?

heel and toe is an often misunderstood technique for downshifting under
braking as a corner is approached.  in performance driving, it is essential
to complete any necessary downshift before reaching the turn in point for a
corner, which forces you to downshift while also braking heavily.  this
means that you must operate 3 pedals with 2 feet.

the technique is described in some detail in one of the monthly postings
(to be posted in about 6 days.)  to put it succinctly, you must operate
the clutch with the left foot, brake with part of your right foot on the
brake, and move another part of your right foot over to blip the throttle
briefly (which is to say, nail it really hard and release it quickly) while
shifthing and releasing the clutch, so that the downshift's effects on the
car's attitude will be insignificant compared to the braking.

which parts of the right foot are used depend on the driver and the pedal
cluster; heel-and-toe describes one traditional way of performing the
operation.  in my girlfriend's 2002, i do toe on the brake, heel on the
throttle, but in my Alfa sedan, i do left side of ball of foot on the
brake, right side on throttle.

some people get heel-and-toe confused with double clutching, which is
a different (and useful) technique intended to solve a different shifting
problem.

cheers,
  richard
-- 
richard welty                            518-393-7228
welty@cabot.balltown.cma.com
  ``if you can read this, mario, you're too close''
    -- bumper sticker seen on a CART safety truck
From: blu@cellar.org (Dan Reed)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Indy 800
Date: 26 Aug 92 20:33:56 GMT
Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system

russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto) writes:

> In article <1992Aug25.124506.23802@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu> jern@visual1.jhuapl.ed
> >ALERT!!!   ALERT!!!     ALERT!!!
> >
> >Just when I had begun to feel that we might have put this behind us - I pick
> >up the Washington Post this morning I read the WE ARE GOING METRIC AND OFFIC
> >FEAR A PUBLIC OUTCRY.  Like termites, these bureaucrats have been eating awa
> >at the foundation of our culture and have prepared a real war this time.
> >
> 


Good, as a good Canadian friend of mine says.. "If God Wanted Us To Go 
Metric, He Would Have Given Us Ten Fingers".  Personaly, Im tired of the old 
system, and as a person who is 21, I was almost _brought up_ being told "the 
US will be Metric by 1980".  Im ready for it, and Im tired of hearing old the 
old, stogy, farty people cry "but it HURTS to think about the number 10".  
Yes, many engineers, architects, and people who deal with numbers often would 
have to convert (which I am one) quickly.  I think in the end, it would make 
the US better off in the world economy.

We *should* change.

----- 
 Dan Reed (Blu-Max) blu@cellar.org - AutoCad Geek - VW Lover - InlineSkater 
68 Cougar XR-7, 89 VW Golf, 72 Honda CL360Twin, Ti/99/4a, Vextrex, Timex
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan)
Subject: Re: On the metric system...
Reply-To: jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan)
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 92 20:03:25 GMT

In article <1992Sep2.161928.3485@cbfsb.cb.att.com>, ashaw@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (andrew.shaw) writes:

|> Interestingly, base 12 is more useful for fractional calculations
|> than base 10:
|> 
|> 	Base	Factors
|> 	10	2, 5
|> 	12	2, 3, 4, 6
|> 	24	2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12
|> 	60	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30
|> 
|> So maybe that "inches in a kings foot" system was not so irrational after
|> all.
|> 
Construction workers know this well.  But then they're not making the rules.
From: russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Flashing to Pass: An Observation
Date: 26 Aug 92 01:45:11 GMT
Organization: College of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park

In article <1992Aug24.024418.24310@leland.Stanford.EDU> tedebear@leland.Stanford.EDU (Theodore Chen) writes:
>In article <23947@oasys.dt.navy.mil> bense@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Ronald Bense) writes:
>>As for backups, try a truck accident at the beltway on i-95 north. The
>>backups have been reported to start in Frederick, which is approximately
>>45 miles south of the beltway. Or yesterdays twin accidents on the beltway,
>          ^^^^^
>>causing two sections of 17-25 mile stopped traffic, as the beltway was
>>shut down in 2 places. (this was a first in 3 years for me)
>
>that's funny, i could have sworn i drove north from d.c. to frederick
>yesterday.

Northwest, and it certainly wasn't on I-95.  I-270 is more likely.

-- 
Matthew T. Russotto	russotto@eng.umd.edu	russotto@wam.umd.edu
Some news readers expect "Disclaimer:" here.
Just say NO to police searches and seizures.  Make them use force.
(not responsible for bodily harm resulting from following above advice)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: goudreau@batman.rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau)
Subject: Re: On the metric system...
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 92 14:41:23 GMT
Organization: Data General Corporation, RTP, NC

In article <94619@bu.edu> nicos@cs.bu.edu (Nicos Kontopoulos) writes:
>
>The funny thing is that in Europe we measure fuel consumption in
>liters/100km.
>...
>So for the US newsreaders, have fun if (when) the US changes to metric...

God, if/when we do convert, I certainly hope we don't replace the
practice of quoting mileage (kilometerage??) with this silly "fuel
consumption" figure.  It makes about as much sense as replacing
speedometers with "time consumption" meters marked in hours/100km.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Goudreau			Data General Corporation
goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com		62 Alexander Drive	
+1 919 248 6231			Research Triangle Park, NC  27709, USA
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: drew@ophelia.cs.colorado.edu (Drew Eckhardt)
Subject: Mountain driving and brake failure
Organization: University of Colorado at Boulder
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 07:54:50 GMT

Let's say you're driving in the mountains, up some moutain passes.
We're talking real mountain passes, above 12,000 feet,
that may involve 4wd-only, single lanes and no guard rails, that aren't 
open every year because some years in August they still have a 5-10' 
snow bank on top.  One side will be rock, the other a nice long freefall.

To make things more interesting, let's assume that your brakes 
fail.  You're driving something truly ancient, so 1st has no  
syncromesh and you can't shift into it without stopping, and
you can't stop without brakes.

What do you do?  

I know you can down shift 3-2, but that's not necessarily slow enough. 
Theoretically, at this point you're in low range (2.3:1) and you won't 
go over 15, but that's still too fast for *SERIOUS* hairpin turns with a drop
that would make Evil Keneviel dirty his shorts.

How much braking can you get if you turn off the ignition (Let's assume
the vehicle is ancient enough to lack a steering column lock, and that 
that isn't a problem)?  

How bad is this on the engine, assuming that one wanted to test 
it out in a non-critical situation?
-- 
Microsoft is responsible for propogating the evils it calls DOS and Windows, 
IBM for AIX (appropriately called Aches by those having to administer it), but 
marketing's sins don't come close to those of legal departments.
Boycott AT&T for their absurd anti-BSDI lawsuit.
From: alan@lancaster.nsc.com (The Hepburn)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: What is a "jake brake"?
Keywords: brake
Date: 31 Aug 92 17:14:40 GMT
Organization: National Semiconductor Corporation

In article <1992Aug26.170906.23424@access.digex.com>, jimb@access.digex.com (Jim Brooking) writes:
|> In article <1992Aug26.144306.28162@berlioz.nsc.com> alan@lancaster.nsc.com (The Hepburn) writes: 
|> >
|> >...and when a cement truck hauling 10 yards of wet cement rolls over your
|> >little putt-putt at the bottom of a loooooooong 6 1/2% down grade because
|> >his wheel brakes have overheated and faded you'll be saying "why didn't you
|> >use your Jake brake?". 
|> 
|> No... I'd say, "Why don't you get a good lawyer, 'cause you're gonna need 
|> one."  (Assuming I survived)  I'm sick & tired of seeing idiot
|> truck drivers hauling ass with a full load and driving like general
|> morons...  Every couple of months around here one of those
|> dump-truck-driving Mario Andretti wannabes gets into a (usually) fatal
|> rear-end collision with a 4 wheeler.  Not bright.

It's been my experience that a lot of those type of accidents are, in fact,
caused by the wannabees in the roller skates who decide at the last possible
moment that they want to occupy the space in front of the truck.  I've driven
many, many miles and have had some real winners try some really interesting
manoeuvres in my vicinity.  I'm not saying it's all the car driver's fault; I
agree taht you will find drivers of all types of vehicles that manage to find
the driver's license window at the local Salvation Army.  But what a lot of
drivers don't think about is the stopping distance required by a fully-loaded
truck.  Government de-regulation has't helped either.  In the past it took a
lot to get a job driving.  Now everybody with the down payment can go out and
buy a truck and start driving.  The overall experience level has dropped 
alarmingly, and with it a rise in accidents has been seen.  But to blame the
truck driver for all rear-end type accidents is simplistic, at best.
|> 
|> My problem with jake brakes is purely the fact that they can be heard for
|> several miles.  I don't believe noise is necessary for good braking...
|> 
Yes, they are loud.  But that energy has to be converted to something.  
Converting to heat is what the wheel brakes do, and you can only dissipate
so much heat.  And I would rather hear a jake brake doing its job than a
motorcycle wound out to 12 grand on a city street.

-- 
Alan Hepburn           "An ignorant person is one who doesn't know
National Semiconductor       what you have just found out."
Santa Clara, Ca              
alan@berlioz.nsc.com                              Will Rogers
From: alan@lancaster.nsc.com (The Hepburn)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: What is a "jake brake"?
Keywords: brake
Date: 26 Aug 92 14:43:06 GMT
Organization: National Semiconductor Corporation

In article <1992Aug22.170200.11207@access.digex.com>, jimb@access.digex.com (Jim Brooking) writes:
|> 
|> 
|> They should outlaw those damn things EVERYWHERE...
|> 
|> Jake brakes are devices typically used (by my observation) by large
|> dump trucks (and others of that size, like cement trucks.)
|> 
|> 

...and when a cement truck hauling 10 yards of wet cement rolls over your
little putt-putt at the bottom of a loooooooong 6 1/2% down grade because
his wheel brakes have overheated and faded you'll be saying "why didn't you
use your Jake brake?".  I would not drive a truck without a Jake brake, or
some other type of compression braking, because I know that the wheel brakes
are not enough when you're trying to keep a large vehicle under control.

My F350 pickup has a compression brake on it because I tow a fifth wheel and
the combined weight of truck and trailer is 16,000 lb.  If I were to rely on
my wheel brakes to control my speed on down grades I'd be at the bottom of
the grade a lot faster than I'd like, unless the brakes caught fire.

-- 
Alan Hepburn           "An ignorant person is one who doesn't know
National Semiconductor       what you have just found out."
Santa Clara, Ca              
alan@berlioz.nsc.com                              Will Rogers
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: wozniak@ais1.bal.mmc.com (Agnes Wozniak)
Subject: Re: Seat Adjustment (Laid-back driving)
Organization: Martin Marietta Aero & Naval Systems
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 15:29:44 GMT

I often heard the expression "heel to toe"... What does it mean
and what is it?


Thanks
Agnes


--
******         Agnes Wozniak              ******
*    Martin-Marietta Aero and Naval Systems    *
*    Net Address: wozniak@ais1.bal.mmc.com     *
******       Phone: (410) 682-2746        ******
From: jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Runaway Truck Lanes (was Re: Mountain driving and brake failure)
Date: 2 Sep 92 12:50:49 GMT
Reply-To: jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan)
Organization: Johns Hopkins University

In article <BtxI9r.IsK@xcluud.sccsi.com>, paul@xcluud.sccsi.com (Paul Hutmacher) writes:

|> We were in Nevada this summer driving around the Lake Tahoe area and on some
|> of the twisty-turny downhill runs there were signs indicating "Runaway Truck
|> Lanes."  They appeared to branch off the main road and into a lane full of 
|> gravel.
|> 
|> How does this work?  Is it a pit of deep gravel designed to make the truck
|> sink or is that 30 to 50 feet of gravel supposed to stop a runaway vehicle?

Gravel is now being used at road racing courses to scrub off speed.  The truck runoffs on Mingus Mtn slope uphill and look like a ramp.  I've wondered what would happen to the truck that didn't get stopped by the gravel.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: welty@cabot.balltown.cma.COM (richard welty)
Subject: Re: Tailgaters abound!
Organization: New York State Institute for Sebastian Cabot Studies
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 20:32:27 GMT

In article <1992Aug27.182155.3578@ctp.com> bpita@ctp.com (Bob Pitas) writes:
>  Just remember that the car in front of you takes just as long
>as you do to stop,

er, if the car ahead of me is being driven by a trained threshold
braker, and i lock 'em up, then he'll stop more quickly than i will
up until the point that i rear end him, at which point the two cars
will be come a coupled system ...

so we actually will take the same length of time to stop. i guess it
depends on how you look at it.

cheers,
  richard
-- 
richard welty                            518-393-7228
welty@cabot.balltown.cma.com
  ``if you can read this, mario, you're too close''
    -- bumper sticker seen on a CART safety truck
Xref: sparky rec.autos.driving:5248 rec.autos:21303
From: theune@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (Peter Theune)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving,rec.autos
Subject: Re: Driving school sought
Date: 3 Sep 92 04:20:32 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Johns Hopkins University

Gerry,

I highly recommend the BoB Bondurant school of high performance driving.

It's out west, and advertised in various car mags..

luck,
Peter.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto)
Subject: Re: left lane for big trucks
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 92 03:05:42 GMT
Organization: College of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park

In article <1992Sep1.183901.25934@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu> jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan) writes:

>I'll try again.  Left lane, no passing, 85 mph speed limit, pro drivers only.

So how do you tell the pro drivers from those of us who would do
ANYTHING to get away with going 85 rather than 55?

Or do you mean truckers only?
-- 
Matthew T. Russotto	russotto@eng.umd.edu	russotto@wam.umd.edu
Some news readers expect "Disclaimer:" here.
Just say NO to police searches and seizures.  Make them use force.
(not responsible for bodily harm resulting from following above advice)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: theune@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (Peter Theune)
Subject: Re: Runaway Truck Lanes (was Re: Mountain driving and brake failure)
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 92 17:17:36 GMT

scottg@rintintin.Colorado.EDU (SCOTT GEORGE NORMAN) writes:

>jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan) writes:

>>In article <BtxI9r.IsK@xcluud.sccsi.com>, paul@xcluud.sccsi.com (Paul Hutmacher) writes:

>>|> We were in Nevada this summer driving around the Lake Tahoe area and on some
>>|> of the twisty-turny downhill runs there were signs indicating "Runaway Truck
>>|> Lanes."  They appeared to branch off the main road and into a lane full of 
>>|> gravel.
>>|> 
>>|> How does this work?  Is it a pit of deep gravel designed to make the truck
>>|> sink or is that 30 to 50 feet of gravel supposed to stop a runaway vehicle?

>>Gravel is now being used at road racing courses to scrub off speed.  
>>The truck runoffs on Mingus Mtn slope uphill and look like a ramp.  

>There are about half-a-dozen of these on the Colorado Interstates, on the
>steeper passes. Most are uphill, including 2 within 2 miles of each other
>on the western descent from the Eisenhower Tunnel. But there is one _downhill_
>ramp on eastbound I-70 about 5 miles west of my office. It's considerably
>longer than the uphill ones. This descent into Denver is one of the more
>dangerous sections of highway in Colorado, and the scene of some nasty 
>accidents involving trucks that either didn't use or weren't close to the
>ramp.

>Somebody did an economic analysis of the runaway ramps and figured that they
>paid for themselves many times over in avoided accident costs. 
>-- 
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>George N. Scott                         EMAIL: george@nrel.gov
>Wind Research Program (formerly SERI)   VOICE: 303-231-7667
>National Renewable Energy Laboratory    1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO  80401-3393

There is a huge truck ramp on the downhill section of the interstate
entering Salt Lake City from  the east. I don't know what the Inumber is
for this road. My younger brother put a Peterbilt carrying a maxed out
load of steel onto this ramp about ten years ago.  He told me that the
truck finally stoped about 10 feet from the end of the 250 foot ramp.
The truck was up to the axels in the soft pea gravel, but he managed to
keep it straight and in the middle of the ramp. The Road Gods were
watching out for him I think.

	Any way, it took two of the largest tow trucks in Utah to get
the truck back on the road, which wiped out his profit for the trip.

BTW, He lost the brakes up near the top of the grade, he figured he was
doing in excess of 90 MPH when he hit the ramp. Lucky Man.....

Peter Theune




Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: scottg@rintintin.Colorado.EDU (SCOTT GEORGE NORMAN)
Subject: Re: Runaway Truck Lanes (was Re: Mountain driving and brake failure)
Reply-To: george@windslc.nrel.gov
Organization: Colorado State Reformatory for Young Hussies and Trollops
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 16:03:44 GMT

jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan) writes:

>In article <BtxI9r.IsK@xcluud.sccsi.com>, paul@xcluud.sccsi.com (Paul Hutmacher) writes:

>|> We were in Nevada this summer driving around the Lake Tahoe area and on some
>|> of the twisty-turny downhill runs there were signs indicating "Runaway Truck
>|> Lanes."  They appeared to branch off the main road and into a lane full of 
>|> gravel.
>|> 
>|> How does this work?  Is it a pit of deep gravel designed to make the truck
>|> sink or is that 30 to 50 feet of gravel supposed to stop a runaway vehicle?

>Gravel is now being used at road racing courses to scrub off speed.  
>The truck runoffs on Mingus Mtn slope uphill and look like a ramp.  

There are about half-a-dozen of these on the Colorado Interstates, on the
steeper passes. Most are uphill, including 2 within 2 miles of each other
on the western descent from the Eisenhower Tunnel. But there is one _downhill_
ramp on eastbound I-70 about 5 miles west of my office. It's considerably
longer than the uphill ones. This descent into Denver is one of the more
dangerous sections of highway in Colorado, and the scene of some nasty 
accidents involving trucks that either didn't use or weren't close to the
ramp.

Somebody did an economic analysis of the runaway ramps and figured that they
paid for themselves many times over in avoided accident costs. 
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
George N. Scott                         EMAIL: george@nrel.gov
Wind Research Program (formerly SERI)   VOICE: 303-231-7667
National Renewable Energy Laboratory    1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO  80401-3393
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: welty@cabot.balltown.cma.COM (richard welty)
Subject: Re: LIDAR - A detector alone is not enough!
Organization: New York State Institute for Sebastian Cabot Studies
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 15:59:12 GMT

In article <1992Aug24.212714.2327%jim.uucp@wupost.wustl.edu> mike%jim.uucp@wupost.wustl.edu (Mike Suter) writes:
>I have seen many cars around here (Missouri) lately with various
>plastic license plate covers.  If these are legal (or even if not :),
>one could probably make a cover that would scatter the laser emission,
>which may give the driver enough time to detect the transmission and
>check his speed.  (the demonstration of the LIDAR devices I saw had
>the operators aiming the guns at the (rear) license plates)

>What do you all think?

i think that this is silly and unnecessary.

CMI (the people who brought  you the Escort and Passport) have done
some studies, and concluded that simple atmospheric scatter is
sufficient to meet anyone's needs for laser detection.  their
$100 laser detector is good for 2 to 3 miles of warning, subject to
the usual cautions about instant on type devices being used by revenue
enhancement officials, and the resulting need to be very careful traveling
on empty highways.

cheers,
  richard
-- 
richard welty                            518-393-7228
welty@cabot.balltown.cma.com
  ``if you can read this, mario, you're too close''
    -- bumper sticker seen on a CART safety truck
From: nicos@csa.bu.edu (Nicos Kontopoulos)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: On the metric system...
Date: 26 Aug 92 18:00:18 GMT
Reply-To: nicos@cs.bu.edu (Nicos Kontopoulos)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Computer Science Department, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

ham@wam.umd.edu (Scott Richard Rosenfeld) wrote:
>
>30 mi/gal * 1.6 km/mi * 1 gal/3.785 l = 13 km/litre
>


The funny thing is that in Europe we measure fuel consumption in
liters/100km.

The way to convert mpg to lt/100km (and vice-verse) is to DIVIDE the constant
235.239 by the value you have, to get the other one:


 MPG   lt/100km
 23.5    10.0
 25.0     9.4
 26.1     9.0
 27.0     8.7
 29.4     8.0
 30.0     7.8
 33.6     7.0
 36.0     6.5


The constant is calculated by:

1MPG = 1.609km/3.785lt = 0.425 km/lt => 2.35239 lt/km = 235.239 lt/100km

or

1lt/100km = 0.2642G/62.15M = 0.00425 GPM => 235.239 MPG




I did this when I bought my first car in the US. A '82 VW Jetta capable
of 28mpg <- the figure didn't say anything to me :-)




So for the US newsreaders, have fun if (when) the US changes to metric...




-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Nicos Kontopoulos                             Voice: (617) 787-1780
   INTERnet: nicos@cs.bu.edu                    BITnet: ecolpqc@buacca
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving