Small Pursuit Mode question

[WittgenTT5/Rstein]

Does it also boost (ha!) KITT's acceleration?

[Assasinge]

I thought that's what it did?

[WittgenTT5/Rstein]

I thought that's what it did?

I thought it only increased KITT's top speed, or am I confusing it with SPM?

[Assasinge]

Uh...I'm pretty sure it increased his top speed? Also increasinf his top speed too?

[Knight Racer]

What I never got about Super Pursuit Mode was how could a human being keep up with anything on a road other than a deserted highway stretch with SPM. Did Kitt's systems have to assist Michael's driving? imagine going into a turn at 150 mph.

[Assasinge]

What I never got about Super Pursuit Mode was how could a human being keep up with anything on a road other than a deserted highway stretch with SPM. Did Kitt's systems have to assist Michael's driving? imagine going into a turn at 150 mph.

There's that factor of something that can't happen in real life, but can happen in a tv show!

[WittgenTT5/Rstein]

What I never got about Super Pursuit Mode was how could a human being keep up with anything on a road other than a deserted highway stretch with SPM. Did Kitt's systems have to assist Michael's driving? imagine going into a turn at 150 mph.

Apparently yes, if I gotta believe the Wikipedia and KR Wikia page about KITT.

[KFCreator]

I'm pretty certain that Pursuit just allowed KITT to have a higher top speed. As for SPM and the G forces Michael or any other occupant would have to endure going through turns rapidly, I think that's partially what the Passive Laser Restraint System was for, and I'm sure there was other unmentioned technology built in to KITT that would have helped compensate for those stresses (probably akin to Star Trek's inertial dampeners). Same thing for the EBS system (can you imagine suddenly decelerating from near 300 MPH to zero in a split second?), there would have had to be systems built in to deal with that.

[jup]

Here's what I thought the Pursuit Mode always did...

1) Redirect turbine thrust towards the rear jets, pushing the car along the road in much the same way a jet would propel the plane down the runway.
2) Apply extra power towards the engine's ability to drive the wheels.
3) Set safety functions to 100%, making the extra speed 'safer'.

If they can have Laser Restraints to fill in for seat belts, I'm sure they can have non-disclosed G factor inhibitors that ease sharp turning forces. If we really want to get fancy and free with the notions, that Jacket that Michael often wears is actually a G force reducing article of clothing. (Total theory, BTW.)

Of course, wouldn't it have been hilarious if the gag feature of Automan had been ported over. I'm referring to the 'face plants into car window' bit on every super G inducing turn.

[Lost Knight]

Here is another take: Maybe the original Pursuit is simply a light that activates automatically once the Knight 2000 achieves a particular speed? For instance, once Michael achieves more than 120mph, the vehicle has an automatic Pursuit indication? Note I am suggesting that perhaps the whole "mode" pre-Super Pursuit Mode may have never been a mode at all? SPM needed to be activated via a concealed button. Therefore, this leads to the question of K.I.T.T. being in ANY mode without activation via button press.

Or, K.I.T.T. may activate it based on Michael's tone or sense of urgency from his own circuitry, thus considering it an order? I am leaning more towards this.

Another question: What was K.I.T.T.'s top speed before Super Pursuit Mode was installed?

[Lost Knight]

What I never got about Super Pursuit Mode was how could a human being keep up with anything on a road other than a deserted highway stretch with SPM. Did Kitt's systems have to assist Michael's driving? imagine going into a turn at 150 mph.

I would love to say this is the case pre-Season 4; it most certainly was the case in the Pilot and subsequently may be the last time (at least consciously). I can't even say that was the last time K.I.T.T. just acquiesced to what he perceived as Michael's orders? "I like to make my own decisions!" and from there on, K.I.T.T. took the role of sidekick. There was an obvious "manual override" that would activate in an emergency; An example would be when he saves Michael in "The Scent Of Roses". This seems to go into a tangent and probably deserves its own thread.

Back to your original question: This seems to all rely on the Passive Laser Restraint System. Michael activates SPM via a concealed button, therefore shifting into an activated mode. Michael VOLUNTARILY activates the Passive Laser Restraint System on occasion when he activates SPM. This suggests Michael makes his own decisions by default and still decides (hey, it's the '80s) when or if he wants to activate it based on his assessment of the "most direct course".

[james olden]

Here is another take: Maybe the original Pursuit is simply a light that activates automatically once the Knight 2000 achieves a particular speed? For instance, once Michael achieves more than 120mph, the vehicle has an automatic Pursuit indication? Note I am suggesting that perhaps the whole "mode" pre-Super Pursuit Mode may have never been a mode at all? SPM needed to be activated via a concealed button. Therefore, this leads to the question of K.I.T.T. being in ANY mode without activation via button press.

Or, K.I.T.T. may activate it based on Michael's tone or sense of urgency from his own circuitry, thus considering it an order? I am leaning more towards this.

Another question: What was K.I.T.T.'s top speed before Super Pursuit Mode was installed?

This can shed light to your question about kitts performance and Top Speed.
In a article on https://www.volocars.com/blog/guide-to-kitt
They spoke about ki2ts top speed and performance which they said…
To fight crime and catch criminals, the KITT had to be fast. Its power system allowed it to go from 0 to 60 mph in just two seconds and travel a quarter-mile in 4.4 seconds. With the turbo boost equipped, the car could reach a top speed of 200 mph. Some fans even speculate that when the vehicle activated its super pursuit mode in later seasons, it could go over 300 mph. 

Note: The main person to ask about this and can confirm this is our buddy Victor Kros :the writer of the official Knight Rider companion book.

[WittgenTT5/Rstein]

Looking back at this thread almost five years on, I think I should have just titled it "Pursuit Mode question" to reduce the confusion. I wasn't specifically asking for SPM.