Customer Reviews

Auto Math Handbook HP

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

One of the primary resources for creating my online gearcalculators. Besides the gear formulas I use, here are some others...

* Determine Displacement/Bore and Stroke

* Determine Compression Ratio

* Determine Carburetor CFM requirements

* Calculating Horsepower and Torque

* Weight Displacement

* Weight Transfer

* Determine Center of Gravity

and more...

This book does not overwhelm you with complex formulas. It keeps them simple. This a must have for the do-it-yourselfer automotive shelf.

As soon as I got this book it grabbed me: it even has the history of the word, "horsepower!" There are many useful formulas here, all presented clearly and in layman's language. However, some of the material is dated; there are several pages devoted to programming your computer to figure out the answers to the formulas, and the author says that he has included a section to help in adapting the program to a computing favorite, the Commodore 64! Hmmm, I wonder if my old one still works? That he even mentions this computer is odd, considering that the book was published in '93!

But overall, I like most of the book, and I'm sure it will come it useful as I rebuild my LT1 engine...

I was introduced to this book in college while completing my Bachelors Degree in Automotive Engineering. It is jam packed with useful formulas and equations useful to the engine builder or just the theoretical minded person who enjoys crunching numbers. I am now ordering my second copy today as my other one has been well used and has gotten a bit tattered and its time to retire it.

I was happy with the book. It was represented to give calculations, formulas, etc. in an easy to understand format for the auto enthusiast. It did exactly that. I was interested in calculating my compression ratio after milling my block and heads and using new (semi-flat top) pistons. The book conveyed this information effectively. As for the review that complained about not being able to calculate MEP, I had no problem understanding the authors point. MEP is not something you calculate, its something you measure. It is measured with a tool called an indicator. Again, I think the book is exactly as advertised. For "enthusiasts" not professors, engineers or automotive professionals, (although I know a couple professionals that enjoyed the book). As for the "filler" type material at the end of the book, some people may genuinely be interested or may actually need the information. There are many people out there with little or no knowledge about such things.
I was very happy with the book, and am looking forward to a sequel.

I bought the book with the anticipation of a great source of mathimatical relationships between systems and to what degree each acted upon each other. While it is a good book for beginning theory and simple math, it leaves too much out to be much good.

Its nice cause it has alot of formula's, but it lacks the ones I was really after so for me it was a bit of a waste, nevertheless I can see it being usefull and its cheap so its a worthwhile investment.

The book has a lot of equations for figuring out the stats on your car, it's missing one star, because it is missing a few that cam be nessesary.

This is the book for all of us Gearheads who fell asleep during our math classes wondering the relevance of the mathematics to the machine of our choice. After a brief introduction, Mr. Lawlor goes right into relevant formulae for determining everything from horsepower to how larger or smaller tires affect your acceleration and fuel economy. All of the math is presented in a very accessible manner and suddenly a formula is no longer a fearsome beast to inspire terror, but a useful tool to help you extract more efficiency from your auto, doesn't matter if it's a fire breathing pro- street Chevelle or a corner taming Alfa. In addition to demystfying mathematics, the book contains many useful conversions and tables. A must-have for any Gearhead or Garage Engineer.

Good basic information, but I do have a few gripes about this title: -The levels of information were inconsistent. Sometimes a chapter would be filled with useful information about weight transfer, horsepower and torque conversions, or figuring out how shift points based on gear ratios. But as I near the end I get to miles per gallon and BAC (which really had no place in a book like this) The last few chapters felt like filler. -Some of the equations are slightly misprinted in a few spots. I was able to spot these mistakes because I am fimiliar with working with these sorts of formulas. A more novice reader may encounter problems. -Some complex concepts aren't explained well enough. In the chapter that explains how to figure horsepower and torque from an engines basic charactics, it refers to MEP. It explains what the MEP is, but then goes on to tell you there's no real way to find out what the MEP is on a specific engine. So you're stuck guessing... Overall I would say some good information, good concept, but it really needs major revisions and a 2nd edition

If your looking for something beyond gradeschool math (read:algebra/geometry)then I wouldn't recommend this book. The formulas would be usefull in modifying from an already set or measured value (tire size,mph,mpg) but would not be usefull when trying to design, analyze or mathmaticaly model anything. Use of English units nice for laymen.

I was dissapointed at the lack of truely usefull equations, most seem to be shuffling of equations.

Conversion tables are nice however.