DiRT Rally What's the difference between tarmac and asphalt?

St3fan · Aug 18, 2015

Hi I'm new to Dirt Rally and only about 10 hours gametime (crashing into things especially in Wales). I noticed there were courses that had a certain percentage of tarmac and other stages had asphalt. Are they different in game? I thought irl they were different name for pretty much the same thing.

Tocca · Aug 20, 2015

I think tarmac and asphalt are the same stuff, today that is. Long ago the name tarmac came from a guy who patented the thing using tar (maybe his name was mac...something

). Todays asphalt is using different compounds. So, asphalt is what's used today. Tarmac is just the old name from when the stuff was "invented".

/Thomas.

Dan Allen · Aug 20, 2015

Tocca said:
I think tarmac and asphalt are the same stuff, today that is. Long ago the name tarmac came from a guy who patented the thing using tar (maybe his name was mac...something ). Todays asphalt is using different compounds. So, asphalt is what's used today. Tarmac is just the old name from when the stuff was "invented".

/Thomas.

The guy who invented tarmac was called Edgar Purnell Hooley.

More info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarmac

Tobbe Bergman · Aug 25, 2015

A day without Tarmac is like.........................Night

Rob Every · Dec 5, 2015

Tarmac is the name of a company who make asphalt

A bit like Hoover is the name of a guy who made vacuum cleaners! Or Sellotape is a name of a bonding tape!

4 8 15 16 23 42 108 · Dec 7, 2015

I don't yet own it. Does the game really call both names? As stated here, it should be the same (no native speaker), I find this odd.
You have another form of "black" ground, that's more greyish and should be common as concrete (Panzerplatte of Rally Germany).
I guess the developers just forgot to check spelling while adding tracks.

Karl Raudsepp · Dec 7, 2015

4 8 15 16 23 42 108 said:
You have another form of "black" ground, that's more greyish and should be common as concrete (Panzerplatte of Rally Germany).

Both tarmac and concrete are listed.

rubaru · Dec 8, 2015

I'm a civil engineer and know that the terms are not interchangable. Asphalt is a mixture of sand and oil. Tarmac has a much larger grain size (think pebbles or gravel) and is bound together by tar. With tarmac, you'll have a much rougher surface. While asphalt is much smoother, it can be a bit stickier under higher temperatures.