The SPM Issue Finally Solved

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KnightRider2000
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The SPM Issue Finally Solved

Post by KnightRider2000 » Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:23 pm

Throughout the history of this website it has been argued whether the extra airfoils and spoilers where really necessary for the car to go 300+ mph. This help solve the argument:

A few years back Joe Kugel in his firebird trans am reached an AVERAGE speed of 301 mph and a top speed of 307 mph. This is a picture of his car:


Image


There is a raised air induction cowl, like KITT's in SPM, but that's it. No fins, no raised scoops, nothing. Just a little info that might persuade some of the members of this site. :wink:


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Post by 86chvs10 » Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:28 pm

that's a cool dragster firebird car.

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Re: The SPM Issue Finally Solved

Post by jup » Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:39 pm

I think KITT was capable of doing 300 MPH before the SPM came around. The SPM "wings" were just suppose to increase what KITT could already do at an incredibly rate of speed.

Case not closed.

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Re: The SPM Issue Finally Solved

Post by KnightRider2000 » Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:43 pm

Hmmmmmmm, i think i only say kitt go like 280 in regualr mode, then a little of 300 in spm. Well that's wut happens when sci-fi takes kr off. However, Kugel explained that fins weren't needed becuase the car was so heavy. KITT would probably be a heavy car too with all his gizmos and such..................


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Post by TurbomanKnight » Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:47 pm

The scoops and wings were there to reduce drag and to keep the car stabilized. So your not going 300+ into a wall and such. It is also there for more downforce so the car stays on the road.
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Post by 86chvs10 » Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:51 pm

in regular maode knightrider2000 kitt onlt went 250 mph. until kitt got spm and 40% more speed then it got kitt in to 300 mph.

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Post by 86chvs10 » Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:52 pm

the two words i messed up on i wanted to say regular mode and only 250 mph.

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SPM

Post by KnightRider2000 » Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:55 pm

Right, so even though SPM might of helped contoled the steering and such, it is still possible to exceed 300 mph without using the option, and like jup and turobman said the spm probably helped, but it is still possible for KITT to reach those speeds without SPM.


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Post by Deferranfan1 » Fri Mar 19, 2004 10:03 pm

The extra wing thing, is for down force, which would keep the car from losing control, during corning at high speeds.
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Post by 82TransAm » Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:30 am

Did KITT ever take corners at that spped? Seems to me every time SPM was used he always was going in a straight line.

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Post by jup » Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:49 am

82TransAm wrote:Did KITT ever take corners at that spped? Seems to me every time SPM was used he always was going in a straight line.
:lol:

Way too often. And, it looked terrible.

Speeding the film up while driving in a straight line sort of works. When taking curves, it looks somewhat unnatural. When taking 90 degree corners, it looks like one of those Tron speeder bikes doing an "L" turn. You just can't take the look of KITT making a 90 degree turn in zero-point-zero-one second without even slowing down that seriously...wings or no wings.

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Post by sarfraz » Sat Mar 20, 2004 3:54 am

TurbomanKnight wrote:The scoops and wings were there to reduce drag and to keep the car stabilized. So your not going 300+ into a wall and such. It is also there for more downforce so the car stays on the road.
Dude, you can't have drag without downforce. The two forces are connected. When air flows over the wings its creates drag (simple fact as adding any object into an airflow will create addition drag). The wings are designed to act as opposites to those on a airplane. Airplane wings generate lift by forcing air to accelerate over the top of the wing. This creates a higher pressure underneath the wing creating the lift effect. On F1 cars and SPM, this is reversed. Airflow is accelerated underneath the wing creating pressure on the top causing the wing to be pushed down, thus creating downforce. The downforce is what creates addition adhesion for the tires to grip to the road.

...sorry my thesis was on vehicle aerodynamics :oops:

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Post by KARR Engineer » Sat Mar 20, 2004 5:11 am

Notice:
That red car's front is more aerodynamic than KITT's and in the standard. So KITT needed some (at least) add-ons to help him, like: the spoiler rising or the outlets/inlets for cooling.

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Post by March2875 » Sat Mar 20, 2004 7:32 am

Not to mention when Kitt's spoiler raised up it was like having the newer style Spoiler and the older style spoiler combined into one.

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SPM

Post by KnightRider2000 » Sat Mar 20, 2004 10:55 am

Yeah, and there is some things that SPM doesn't have that Kugel's car has, like a body cat to elminate air running under the car and pushing it up, so in a sense the car as both similiarties and differences only adding to these questions of the ways a car can go that fast.


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Post by Knight Storm » Sat Mar 20, 2004 2:47 pm

I just went to the winter nationals two cars broke 320 mph there. The front was modified. But there were no additions to them. I know because I got to go look at them up close. :)

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Post by nivek » Sun Mar 21, 2004 1:15 am

Did KITT ever take corners at that spped? Seems to me every time SPM was used he always was going in a straight line.

there was one show were he did take truns don't ask me the name of it cause i can not think of the name of it.

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Post by SwEeTiNsAnItY » Tue Mar 23, 2004 12:32 am

Yeah, KITT's heavy enough so he'd stay on the road but all that... stuff would help him turn and... I dunno, never saw SPM in action, only through clips and piccys :( I guess he never turned in SPM though. That's okay, 'cuz we can blame the show for that, so technically, all that extra stuff WAS needed, in real life :P

... But don't look at me, I still think "Cars can't fly" whenever I see some rice burner with a spoiler bigger than its bummper...

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Post by Knight of Sweden » Tue Mar 23, 2004 10:43 am

he takes SPM turns in many episodes.. i was watching KR this weekand and saw atleast 2 times..
cant remember what epi.. but i think it can have been neither
"out of the woods" or "Knights Flight to freedom" or "KILLER KITT"
not sure.. ill check it again and come back to u..
but it looks really stupid :)
a nice things would be to do KR again with todays specials and stuff :)
i think that could be really cool :)

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