Tire size affecting vehicle speed

[edgar c]

Recently experienced my vehicle catching up to and eventually bumping into the vehicle ahead at the dryer section of a conveyorized wash. The vehicles were sent in about 5 ft apart. At this wash my car always stops momentarily at the end of the conveyor, until the roller catches the back tire to push the car all the way through the dryer.

My first thought was catching up is impossible, but on further thought and watching the wash operate, I realized the roller and tire work together as the car go through. I have an older Honda with smaller tires than most modern cars, and think that since the tire is still in contact with the ground that it's size provide a different " gear ratio ".

Has anyone studied this? The wash company is deaf to my concerns.

 

[Axxlrod]

Impossible. It's a physics/science question. The chain moves all the vehicles on the conveyor at exactly the same speed. Different tires sizes does not change anything.

The only possible way for one vehicle to contact another inside a conveyorized car wash tunnel is if the car in front applies their brakes, thus stopping the car which causes the car behind to hit or the car behind puts their car in Drive and it drives forward into the car in front.

Both are caused by driver error.

 

[Earl Weiss]

The only possible way for one vehicle to contact another inside a conveyorized car wash tunnel is if the car in front applies their brakes, thus stopping the car which causes the car behind to hit or the car behind puts their car in Drive and it drives forward into the car in front.

Mostly true. Sounds like place is front wheel pull with safety roller spaced behind rear tire. At end roller touching front tire falls below and vehicle is motionless until roller catches up to rear wheel and starts pushing it. Conveyor speeds vary but you can figure 1 foot / sec for convenience so it roller is 2 feet behind rear wheel it will sit for 2 seconds and then contact rear wheel . Sure the roller can contact that rear wheel and give the vehicle a shove and if it has low rolling resistance and there is downhill exit cause it to roll forward more quickly but during that time the car in front will be long gone - excpt for those drivers who have the habit of applying the brake and then taking their sweet time to shift into drive,