Skidpad
A skidpad is a circular area of flat pavement used for various tests of a car's handling. The most common skidpad use is testing lateral acceleration, measured in meters per second squared (m/s2) or the scaled unit g-force. This usage has similarities to that of using a kick plate.[1]
Measurement of grip
A car’s maximum number of g-forces on a skid pad says something about the grip of the car on winding roads, or how fast it can drive in corners without losing grip. Some factors which can aid in achieving higher g-forces are high power, wide tires, low mass, appropriate suspension setup and large downforce.
Test setup
The test is carried out on a circular track with a defined radius. A car driving on said track is slowly accelerated, until the outermost tires on the car begin to slip. Going any faster would cause the car to drive outside the defined radius. At this point, the speed of the car is recorded, and given the centripetal acceleration formula (by the formula v²/r, that is velocity squared divided by radius) the car’s handling in terms of the maximum of lateral gs can be derived.[2]
Other uses
A new world record was accomplished in November 2020, when the Porsche Taycan set the Guinness World Records best mark for longest electric vehicle drift on the skidpad (measured in time). The car stayed sideways for 42 km (26 mi) in 55 minutes.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Yee Man Chan; Chi Yung Ng (16 December 2003). "Road Resistance". welltall.com. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
- ^ "Lateral Acceleration Testing: Sport Compact Car Magazine". sportcompactcarweb.com. 4 November 2007. Archived from the original on 4 November 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ Christopher Smith (24 November 2020). "Porsche Taycan sets Guinness World Record for longest EV drift". motor1.com. Retrieved 27 November 2020.