Syclone RTI
What is RTI, anyway?
Ramp Travel Index is a way of measuring the articulation, or flexibility of a vehicle. It’s a scale that’s used by off-roaders to compare the theoretical rock-crawling abilities of their trucks. RTI is measured by driving one wheel up a 20 degree ramp, until one of the three remaining wheels lifts off the ground. The RTI is then calculated based on the distance you made it up the ramp (measured along the slope of the ramp), compared to the wheelbase of the vehicle. If you manage to get the back wheel to touch the base of the ramp, your RTI is 1000.
Since it’s a pain in the ass to build a 20 degree ramp, an easier way to calculate RTI is to simply lift a wheel with a forklift until another wheel lifts, measure the distance from the tire to the ground, then do some math.
Why would you want to do this to a Syclone?
You wouldn’t. I just happened to be lifting one wheel to look at a failing half-shaft from underneath, and thought I should do an RTI test while I was at it. The results were not quite what I expected…
Under no circumstances should you attempt to duplicate this test, both because it could be dangerous in ways that need no explanation to thinking beings, and because I want to be able to say that I’m the only person who’s ever done it to a Syclone. So there.
Last modified 2/6/01
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