Handling Measurements

Handling is a bit harder to turn into a nice, clear number. There are some tests that are quite straightforward and repeatable, but no number can tell the whole story. Braking itself is fairly easy to measure, and is usually done by putting the brakes on as hard as possible without skidding from 60 mph and seeing how long the car travels before it comes to a dead stop. To be sure it can still stop when the brakes get hot, it is important to test the brakes several times, usually at least ten times for a street car. Cars that hit high speeds on a road course may need even more torture testing of their brakes to make sure they’re able to hold up to track use.

One way to measure handling is to see how fast a car can complete ...

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