Why do the DeLorean's effects not always start at 88 mph?
How come, the DeLorean's effects don't always start at 88 mph. For example, in Back to the Future 3 the effects started at 65 mph. Also, when Marty escaped the Libyans by going to 1955 the effects started at 86 mph. One other time, was when Doc and Marty were pushing the DeLorean with the train and the effects started at like 82 mph. Why do the time travel effects start at different times?
Best Answer
The problem is that you are comparing technically different time-machines.
Over the course of the trilogy the DeLorean was changed 2 times.
So we have:
- The original powered by plutonium (1985)
- Upgraded version powered by Mr. Fusion (2015)
- MacGyver version with a vacuum control unit (1955/1885)
Versions 1 and 2 behave the same way:
Reach 88 mph > Flux Capacitor lights up > Flux effects start > Time travel
There do appear to be delays between achieving 88 mph, Flux Capacitor lighting up, and Fux effects, but I would credit them to the 1.21 gigawatts power requirement - it may take the different power sources different times to achieve the 1.21 gigawatts. Or there is perhaps some auto/manual setting (after all Doc would not want to time travel every time he hits 88 mph).
The significant exceptions is when lightning is involved:
1955 to 1985 was instant, once the lightning energy was received; also the 1955 to 1885 time travel - when the lightning hit the car was just hovering but still due to energy overload the time transfer was achieved.
The problems start to appear with Version 3, this Frankenstein's monster is not only old, but many parts were replaced with 1955 technology,...
So it easily understood that there are bugs.
One is that the flux buildup/effects need to start sooner, before 88 mph is achieved.
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How fast can a DeLorean reach 88 mph?
Doc needs to know how long it would take the DeLorean to travel its own length. Assuming the wormhole remains open for . 1072 seconds, and that Doc knew this fact, he could divide the length of the car by 107.2, arriving at 39.33 meters per second or 88mph.What speed did the car have to go in Back to the Future?
The speedometer on a production DeLorean's dashboard only went up to 85 mph. But if you know your BTTF trivia, in order to the travel in time, the car had to be driving at 88 mph, which was, in fact, impossible!Why did the DeLorean go to 1885?
The sudden rotation of the DeLorean from the lightning hit accelerates it to 88 miles per hour when it spins. The date 1885 came about because of a lightning-induced malfunction: The lightning created an overload and caused a malfunction in the time circuits sending the vehicle back to January 1, 1885.What does the DeLorean run on in Back to the Future?
Originally fueled by radioactive plutonium, the time machine was modified in 1955 to run on the electricity in a lightning bolt. In 2015, a Mr. Fusion power plant was installed, allowing the time machine to run on practically any available matter. On a trip to 2015, Doc Brown had a repulsorlift flying unit installed.The DeLorean paradox: how it failed and became a legend
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Answer 2
In the third movie the time circuits were replaced with analog 1955 parts. Presumably this analog time circuit doesn't have the clean "on-off" functionality as the original version built into a microchip. It makes sense that it's function would slowly ramp up. You can also see that the flux capacitor slowly brightens instead of immediately lighting up like in the first movie.
This is one detail that, IMO, they did a very good job on.
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Images: Miguel Á. Padriñán, Stas Knop, Pixabay, Fabiano Rodrigues