[SLK]

Originally Posted by bj96

To topple there should be a lateral force parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the direction of motion. With stock car and tyres, the CG (centre of gravity) will be low enough that normal driving will not create a moment of inertia so strong to unsettle wagon-r. I have been driving one for around 50,000 kms now (8 years) .

Been driving one for 9.5 years.... done 150km/h... still it kept going on its feet.

[emil]

When we discuss the WagonR and the Santro, the new Estilo has to be considered in the same discussion. It already has the K-series engine (which the WR may get in a month or so), is slightly less tall than the WR (hence more stable), has a better gear shift and identical sitting space.
Finally, looks are subjective but the new Estilo has shed the looks of a baby Innova or possibly a computer mouse with its bold new front styling.

[jigbarai]

Originally Posted by bj96

Cheetah is both tall and narrow and can reach over 100 km/h. Does he topple while running?

If you go @100 kmph and take a u-turn, even a honda city will skid, if not topple. Ok, there are cars which can take a u-turn at 100 kmph, but, he can't afford them probably with his budget (shortlist of Wagon-R/Santro).

To topple there should be a lateral force parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the direction of motion. With stock car and tyres, the CG (centre of gravity) will be low enough that normal driving will not create a moment of inertia so strong to unsettle wagon-r. I have been driving one for around 50,000 kms now (8 years) .

Pls advise your friend to pick up "101 on mechanics" and refer to sections on laws of motion, free body diagram, centrifugal forces, moments of inertia, friction etc.

-BJ

@ Cheetah - LOL.
Buddy, you are comparing an automobile to an living animal. A car does not have brains to think and adapt. A Cheetah can bend/duck you see.

You also dont need to be a physics grad to understand dynamics of a tall-boy design / light weight vehicles, when thinking about safety + high speed stability. And please do not confuse between skidding and toppling.

The point is, would you feel comfortable and safe taking a sudden turn at high speeds, in such cars, if situation demands ?
I bet, no one can.

I am not talking of doing drifts purposefully, but say if you were driving on a highway at 100+ speeds and something suddenly came into your way, where you needed to make a quick move sideways - would you break a sweat, would your BP go up ?

Santro/WagonR/Estilo/Nano and even some SUVs have a higher center of gravity which is a strong -ve point for them.
Awesome vehicles they are, provided one understand the limitation. Pottering around the city at normals speeds is not the point here. Even 3-legged non-living creatures with some idiots on the driver seat can manage that.

The old Zen had a far far better ride quality at front / back, compared to the Wagon/Santro. This, with the same or older suspension setup. Why ?

[bj96]

Originally Posted by jigbarai

The point is, would you feel comfortable and safe taking a sudden turn at high speeds, in such cars, if situation demands

Sudden truns/swerving conditions which could unsettle a Wagon-R, would probably unsettle other cars in similar class too.

What I want to say is, though, wagon-r is a tall boy, most of its body mass is concentrated towards bottom. The top is light. Hence, the delta between height of CG of wagon-r and zen would be very low to cause any unsettling. However, because we sit higher in wagon-r and delta CG height more in tall body design cars- they have more rolling and pitching compared to other low slung cars like old zen.

Yes, in theory, this may give a feeling that car is easier to topple, but, for all practical purposes it doesn't. If this fear holds one back from owning Wagon-R, then it wouldn't have been the highest selling car in its category. Well, wagon-r is not a car for the Schumachers, we know that.

-BJ

[SLK]

Originally Posted by bj96

Well, wagon-r is not a car for the Schumachers, we know that.

True, neither is the old zen.