If a car is 16 feet long, what is the narrowest road, or space, in which it can make a 180-degree turn?

I-is-smart

Depends on the wheel base - how far the front and back wheels are from each other - as well as the width of the vehicle. Mar 28 12, 3:03 PM

serpa

Two different measurements can be quoted for a vehicle. A curb or curb-to-curb turning circle will show the distance traveled by the wheels. The wall or wall-to-wall turning circle will include an allowance for the width of the whole car, including the overhang of the bodywork. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_radius To support I-is-smart The turning radius of a vehicle depends mainly on the wheel base and the wheel cut of the vehicle. Wheel base is the distance between the front and the rear axle. Wheel cut is the maximum angle through which the tires turn when the steering is rotated from the center. The smaller the wheel base, the smaller the turning radius, while smaller the wheel cut, the larger the turning radius. It may seem that a larger wheel cut is preferable. However, a larger wheel rotation will lead to more side forces on the tires, which might damage them. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Basic_Automobiles Mar 28 12, 3:23 PM

serpa

The basic formula to determine the curb-to-curb turning radius of a vehicle with front wheel steering is: CCR (feet) = WB (inches) × CF/OWC (°) Where WB equals the wheelbase, OWC equals outside wheel cut and CF equals conversion factor. The wheelbase is measured in inches from the center line of the front axle to the center line of the rear axle for vehicles with a single rear axle, or to the center line of the tandem spacing for vehicles with tandem rear axles. The wheelcut is measured in degrees on the outer front tire, not the inner front tire. When a manufacturer states that their vehicle has a 45° wheelcut, they are talking about the inner tire wheelcut. The outer tire wheelcut is always less, and that's what is used to calculate the turning radius. The conversion factor depends on the front axle, tires, wheels and wheelbase. It is different for every combination of these components and is something that has to be determined by the vehicle manufacturer. Looking at the formula, you can see that if you either decrease the wheelbase or increase the wheelcut, you will reduce the turning radius. Although that may look simple, there are many ways to do it. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. http://firechief.com/apparatus/firefighting_turning_circles/ more at this site Mar 28 12, 3:30 PM