common car myths

[bobbyv]

Every so often, people get the wrong ideas about aspects of a car's operation. Some examples follow, but I would like to know more about others:

* ABS shortens your stopping distance (you trade off braking distance for steering control)

* a car that's built like a tank is safer (crumple zones save)

* wide winter tires provide better traction in snow (narrower tires dig in better through snow)

* M+S (mud & snow) tires are suitable for winter (the M+S designation only specifies the tread pattern, not the tread compound)

* blue/"superwhite" bulbs produce more illumination than ordinary halogen bulbs (the bulb coating reduces the amount of transmitted light)

* soft seats are more comfortable than hard seats (the ergonomically-correct hard Benz seats provide true long-haul comfort)

* "I don't need winter tires because I have 4-wheel-drive" (since everyone has 4-wheel brakes, you don't have any advantage in braking, which is worsened by your braking from higher speeds)

* few people realize that the energy of impact is proportional to the square of the speed of impact

* few people realize the importance of torque


i'm sure there are many more ...