Book excerpt: An updated edition of the classic reference on the dynamics of road and off-road vehicles As we enter a new millennium, the vehicle industry faces greater challenges than ever before as it strives to meet the increasing demand for safer, environmentally friendlier, more energy efficient, and lower emissions products. Theory of Ground Vehicles, Third Edition gives aspiring and practicing engineers a fundamental understanding of the critical factors affecting the performance, handling, and ride essential to the development and design of ground vehicles that meet these requirements. As in previous editions, this book focuses on applying engineering principles to the analysis of vehicle behavior. A large number of practical examples and problems are included throughout to help readers bridge the gap between theory and practice. Covering a wide range of topics concerning the dynamics of road and off-road vehicles, this Third Edition is filled with up-to-date information, including: * The Magic Formula for characterizing pneumatic tire behavior from test data for vehicle handling simulations * Computer-aided methods for performance and design evaluation of off-road vehicles, based on the author's own research * Updated data on road vehicle transmissions and operating fuel economy * Fundamentals of road vehicle stability control * Optimization of the performance of four-wheel-drive off-road vehicles and experimental substantiation, based on the author's own investigations * A new theory on skid-steering of tracked vehicles, developed by the author.