Published Research

The Lab

Real tests. Real methodology. Real findings. Every post is reproducible — the tools, the protocol, and the data are all documented so you can replicate it yourself.

All
Explain
Replicate
Equip
Decide
Series 1
Steering Wheel Vibration
From understanding what you feel to measuring it across five vehicles. Six posts. One methodology. All the data.
Explain
01
What Your Steering Wheel Is Trying To Tell You
NVH sources, orders, FFT explained — and why tires get blamed for things they didn't do. The foundation for everything that follows.
Read on Substack →
Replicate
02A
How I Measured Steering Wheel Vibration on a Ford Escape — and How You Can Too
The full setup: accelerometer calibration, mounting location, idle measurements, highway test conditions, and data logging procedure. Every step documented so you can replicate it.
Read on Substack →
Replicate
02B
What The Data Actually Says — Reading The Ford Escape FFT
Two peaks matched the math. Five didn't. A full walkthrough of cleaning the signal, running the FFT, and identifying tire and engine orders — including the ones that don't have an answer yet.
Read on Substack →
Decide
03
Five Cars, Five Results. Does Tire Category Actually Predict Ride Quality?
A sport car, two sedans, a crossover, and an SUV. Same protocol, same speed. The sport car measured worst. The best performer felt the roughest. The data has an opinion.
Read on Substack →
Explain
04
Why FFT Wasn't Enough
Introducing band-limited RMS analysis. Why the Ford Escape felt shakier than the FFT alone suggested.
Coming soon
Replicate
05
Surface and Speed Sensitivity
What changes across road surfaces and speeds — and what stays consistent. Validating methodology robustness.
Coming soon
Equip
06
Excel vs MATLAB for FFT
Full breakdown of both tools for enthusiast-level vibration analysis. What each costs, what each gives you, when each is worth it.
Coming soon
Series 2
Tire-Road Interaction
Using OBD data and accessible tools to understand how tires actually grip the road. Coming after Series 1.
Explain
01
The Mu-Slip Curve With a $154 OBD Adapter
Estimating longitudinal friction coefficient across dry and wet asphalt using OBDLink MX+ and FORScan enhanced PIDs on a Ford Escape.
Coming soon

New posts every week.

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