4 ms·

Yes, but the car has to accelerate around 20 times the mass. Bugatti Veyron is listed as having the highest torque [0] at 1,106lb/ft but then it weighs over 4,0

by hazeii 7y ago

Yes, but the car has to accelerate around 20 times the mass. Bugatti Veyron is listed as having the highest torque [0] at 1,106lb/ft but then it weighs over 4,000 lbs. Plus there'd a delay for the engine to rev up to peak torque before the launch (i.e. it wont produce 1,100ft-lbs at idle). Be interesting to test, but I'm not too practiced at racing Veyron's off the line on my bicycle. Having said that, I am very used to riding bicycles and (large) motorbikes around town, and from waiting for lights to change if I'm on a bicycle I'm generally first away even when motorbike riders are getting competitive (never mind cars). The advantage of the bicycle is generally only a few feet, of course. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Veyron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Veyron

dpark 7y ago
Race cars don’t launch at idle. If you’re racing cars that are idling when the light turns green, then you aren’t racing their engines. You’re racing the driver’s disinterested reaction time. The Veyron might weight 20x as much as you and your bike, but has over 300x the power output of the best sprinters in the world. Given equal reaction time and equal interest in racing, I am doubtful your cycling advantage would last for more than inches against a high end sports car.
- hazeii 7y ago
  I quite agree, as I've pointed out elsewhere although the bicycle is fastest away it's a short-lived advantage (I'm not discussion racing starts, so it's assumed all vehicles are starting from idle and reacting to e.g. lights changing). In a racing start, a well-driven torquey car (like the Veyron) will also launch faster than a motorbike - at least to start with. Once the speed increases, the acceleration drops and the motorbike can then use its superior power-to-weight ratio (which it can't fully use off the line). Eventually - once speeds are well into triple digits - a fast-enough car starts to catch up with the motorbike again (due to better aerodynamics).

by hazeii 7y ago

dpark 7y ago

Race cars don’t launch at idle. If you’re racing cars that are idling when the light turns green, then you aren’t racing their engines. You’re racing the driver’s disinterested reaction time. The Veyron might weight 20x as much as you and your bike, but has over 300x the power output of the best sprinters in the world. Given equal reaction time and equal interest in racing, I am doubtful your cycling advantage would last for more than inches against a high end sports car.

hazeii 7y ago
I quite agree, as I've pointed out elsewhere although the bicycle is fastest away it's a short-lived advantage (I'm not discussion racing starts, so it's assumed all vehicles are starting from idle and reacting to e.g. lights changing). In a racing start, a well-driven torquey car (like the Veyron) will also launch faster than a motorbike - at least to start with. Once the speed increases, the acceleration drops and the motorbike can then use its superior power-to-weight ratio (which it can't fully use off the line). Eventually - once speeds are well into triple digits - a fast-enough car starts to catch up with the motorbike again (due to better aerodynamics).