Because the ride comfort problem is a very complex problem, as a general feeling of well-being in a vehicle, only one aspect will be discussed in the paper, namely that of the mechanical vibrations in a frequency region of 0.1 - 100 cps.
The objective method of physiological and performance tests will be briefly related, but more attention will be paid to the subjective research methods, where a person gives his own sensation opinion. On the basis of the studies of human tolerance to vibrations, a number of comfort criteria is discussed.
With the aid of these criteria results have been achieved in the examination of acceleration records and tapes with modern high-speed level analysers and computing equipment.
Although the goal to establish a relationship between an “overall” comfort index and purchase price of passenger cars and buses today remains still unsolved (if ever possible to achieve), an attempt has been made to show the way to evaluate only the ride comfort index of different car makes, which can be compared to the price classes.