Transportation and Vehicle Safety: Stopping time.., 2007 chevrolet impala, chevrolet impala

Question
QUESTION: Hey Terry,

I'm wondering what the approx. stopping time and distance would be if a
driver is traveling 50km/h. I can tell you that road conditions are fine, no
snow ice or rain, the car is a 6 cylinder mid sized vehicle, and tires are simply
a standard tire in decent shape. I'm looking for numbers in seconds and
meters. Also, would you be able to show me how you find your answer? I
would like to be able to calculate this for other speeds..

Thanks in advance!

Cailin.

ANSWER: Hi Cailin and welcome to AllExperts!

Unfortunately, stopping distances are specific for each car depending on footprint, ballance, weight, size, type of disks/rotors, material of brake pads, type of tires, coffecient of friction, and many other factors.

When making such a determination, I would have to consult the vehicles charts for the year/make/model of the car, and take into consideration after market configurations.

For instance, the chart for a stock 2007 Chevrolet Impala with the large engine in stock configuration under ideal conditions would take 48 meters to stop from 97 kmh to 0 using proper threshold braking or full ABS braking.

There are many things that a formula can tell you, but for some, the manual must be used . Sorry for the brief response as I am aswering this on my iPhone which isn't easy.

I hope this has helped. Have a great day !

Terry

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Do you know where I could find these charts? I'm wondering if approx. 40
meters would be enough to bring a 98 impala stock to a stop in
Fair conditions..
I'm thinking it would be plenty?
Thanks for your prompt reply! I really appreciate it.  

Answer
Hi Cailin!

The two best places to find your information is:

#1 NHTSA (National Highway Transport Safety Administration
#2 VRTC (Vehicle Research and Testing Center)

If all you want is a down and dirty, close approximation, then you might want to check out the following website calculator:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/crstp.html

The only problem is that this calculator bases its results on a foundation of generalities and rule-of-thumb input. Remember that if your premise is wrong, your results will be skewed.

I hope this has helped.

Terry