ABSTRACT
The first step in the analysis of vehicle dynamics and is the construction of a suitable mathematical model of the vehicle. This always involves the classical kinematic and dynamic laws of mechanics as well as basic assumptions about the type of model and the characterization of the force-generating elements. Although one could argue that an accurate mathematical model of a vehicle should include detailed nonlinear and distributed parameter effects, one must keep in mind that an overly complicated model may well be as useless as an overly simplified one if the point of the model is to understand the basic dynamic properties of a certain type of vehicle.
