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drewkite
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low end power

Postby drewkite » Thu Aug 01, 2013 6:14 pm

i have an question, what is low end power i dont really know what that means? and also when somebody says back of the window and front of the window what does that mean, more towards 12 oclock?

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Re: low end power

Postby rtz » Thu Aug 01, 2013 7:11 pm

Have you ever rode a motorcycle? A 600cc bike has no low end power compared to say a 1000cc bike.

A 4cyl car has no low end power. A V8 has huge grunt(torque) down low in the RPM range.

In fixed bridle kites; some general use ones have great low end grunt(power at slow speeds) but aren't very fast kites(top end speed). While some(all?) race kites have no low end power; but are very fast once moving.

An LEI that has no low end power(grunt); you will notice it when doing the board start and when you are first trying to get going on it. Compared to a kite that has a ton of power right from the board start.

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dyyylan
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Re: low end power

Postby dyyylan » Thu Aug 01, 2013 7:54 pm

Jesus why do people have to make car analogies for everything in the entire world


Low end power just means more power in less wind. For example a 12m switchblade has great low end because you can be riding in 10-11 knots. A 13m Fuel has very bad low end, as it gets going in 13-15 knots.

Forward-backward in the window might not be obvious to you depending on what kind of kite you ride, as some sit very deep in the window and don't move unless you do something obvious like this: ride straight downwind at your kite, it will drift backward into the power zone (though pulling you less, since you will create slack on the lines). After a second or two, start to edge upwind again and you will see the kite surge forward. That's just an example of what it means...

...in practice, this usually describes where kites like to sit. Some kites, like ones designed for racing or mega boosting, sit very far forward in the window. Some kites, like more wave-oriented or wakestyle kites, sit farther back in the window and give a more consistent pull. Some kites, like most C kites these days, fluctuate a lot depending on how hard you edge your board.

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Re: low end power

Postby golfaroo » Sat Aug 03, 2013 3:32 pm

Hmmm, I'm a newbie as well and you guys got me confused, your answers are conflicting. I also thought that low end power means the power at the lower wind range (like dyyylan is explaining). But rtz says it is the power when you start up (i.e. with zero apparent wind), which also makes sense, and I think the car analogy is actually pretty good. So which one is it now? :D

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Re: low end power

Postby edt » Sat Aug 03, 2013 6:02 pm

drewkite wrote:i have an question, what is low end power i dont really know what that means? and also when somebody says back of the window and front of the window what does that mean, more towards 12 oclock?
o'clock is just where the kite points. You should have had this explained in your first lesson, here's a diagram best has that might explain it

Image

Look at where it is red. That is the smallest half circle. The kite won't stay there very long. To get the kite deep in the wind window you have to either kite loop it or sine it really hard. Now look at the blue stuff. The kite will automatically go to the edge of the wind window if you don't do anything. That's where it flies if you park the kite. Inbetween the front and back of the wind window is where the kite will temporarily go if you are sining it hard enough to do a water start.

As far as I know, "low end power" is a term made up to sell kites. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

A bigger kite will pull harder. And a kite that is designed to fly deeper in the wind window (like a C kite) will feel heavier because it trades upwind performance for some downwind pull, so yeah that's what is sometimes called low end power, but I'm not real fond of the term.

The closer the kite flies in the top of the wind window in the blue zone, the better upwind performance and the lighter the kite feels in the air, the closer the kite naturally flies deep in the wind window the more pull it seems to have and the more it drags you downwind.

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dyyylan
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Re: low end power

Postby dyyylan » Sat Aug 03, 2013 6:33 pm

golfaroo wrote:Hmmm, I'm a newbie as well and you guys got me confused, your answers are conflicting. I also thought that low end power means the power at the lower wind range (like dyyylan is explaining). But rtz says it is the power when you start up (i.e. with zero apparent wind), which also makes sense, and I think the car analogy is actually pretty good. So which one is it now? :D
what rtz is describing is usually referred to as "grunt". kites that have a lot of low end grunt just constantly pull even if you don't have any apparent wind

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Peter_Frank
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Re: low end power

Postby Peter_Frank » Sat Aug 03, 2013 6:48 pm

"Low end power" is simply how much power a kite with a given size are able to deliver when riding straight out, in low wind and relatively low board speed.
Some call it low end "grunt" also.

Got nothing to do with where it is in the window IMO, eventhough some kites has a different edge position true, but off topic.


Anyways, kites with low end power are designed with a curve and profile, so they deliver more power (pull in the lines) for the same kite size.

The reason why we dont want max low end power (so we can choose a smaller kite), is because it is on cost of windrange, as a good low end kite will always have very narrow windrange, so it is horses for courses.

Also, the heavier you are, the better and easier "low end power" kites can be handled and feels right, typically.
Of course you choose a bigger kite if you are heavier, but you will normally also choose a kite "type" with more low end, as you can handle it better.

If you are light, you will be tossed around in wind gusts if too much low end power, so here you want a kite with huge windrange instead.
If you got a kite with big windrange you will also be able to absorb gusts much better and easier, but you need a kite a bit bigger than if a "low end power" kite.


So whether the low end power of a specific kite is high or low, is important for you, for two reasons:

1. If you got an existing kite and has to add a new one, a different type - you need to know how the low end compare in order to match the size correctly.

2. In order to choose the right kite type for your liking (f.ex waveriders typically dont want low end power but windrange) and your weight as told above.


Hope this explains ?

8) Peter


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