These testing demos illustrates the various methods of testing vehicles for their full capacity. The basic
test methods include, steering pad test, slalom test, single-lane and double-lane tests.
Steering Pad Testing
The steering pad test setup varies depending on the data needed, but driving technique is simply to
keep the car on a precise circular path, at the highest possible constant speed.
To a driver who is used to clipping corner apexes with the inside front tire, it is
probably easiest to try to keep the inside front tire on the painted circular stripe. That
tire will also be least affected by a change in friction coefficient due to the painted stripe.
Maximum lateral capability can be measured by taking the lap-time for each complete
revolution on the circle. This merely requires a split-action stopwatch and someone with a
very precise eye and thumb, or an automatic trap switch to start and stop the watch.
Slalom Testing
In the slalom test, the vehicle is driven as quickly as possible on alternating sides of a series of cones.
Large lateral acceleration is generally achieved. The comparative ranking of vehicles may depend on spacing
of obstacles due to different natural frequencies of yaw and roll modes for different vehicles. This problem
can be mitigated by relating the timing (and spacing) of turns to the natural frequency of the yaw mode, if
it exists (e.g. if the yaw mode is not over-damped at the speed at which the test is performed).
Single Lane Testing
In a single lane change test, the path defined by cones may represent a quick single lane change.
A more frequently performed version of this test is the one in which the vehicle is driven straight
at a specific speed towards an obstacle requiring a lane change to either side. The driver is told
as late as possible whether to go left or right. The main measure of performance in the test is the
shortness of time or distance to the obstacle when the avoidance maneuver can be performed without
striking the cones. This is a typical task-performance test, in which the outcome is determined by
the driver-vehicle system.
Double Lane Testing
In a double lane change test, the path simulates a maneuver, in which the vehicle quickly
changes lanes (e.g. to avoid an obstacle) and then returns to the original lane. The width of
each lane is defined as a function of vehicle width. The main result of the test is the maximum
possible speed of entry at which the test can be completed without striking any cones.
Brake Testing
In the brake test, the test vehicles are decelerated from a speed of more than 60 km/h down to standstill by full-brake application. The important parameters measured in this test are Time, Distance, Longitudinal g (Deceleration), Peak g, Avg g, & MFDD.
Acceleration Testing
In the acceleration test, the test vehicles are accelerated at full throttle to get the desire acceleration, as how fast you vehicle reaches the highest speed. The important parameters measured in this test are Time, Distance, and Longitudinal g (Acceleration),