Many people consider dual-clutch transmissions to be just as engaging as regular manual transmissions but without any of the downsides. To some extent, that’s true. That’s what helped Audi dominate the Group B rally scene in 1985. Dual-clutch transmissions are one of the few choices around that allow you to … Read more
Radial tires are a Michelin invention. Tires are the most important component found on your car and are sometimes still overlooked. They are the only way the car touches the ground to create grip. Thus, tires were a significant concern for engineers, who managed to discover and revolutionize the tire … Read more
Car manufacturers are pushing subscriptions on buyers to bolster their bottom lines. If automakers have their way, you may soon pay a monthly charge for heated seats, remote start, infotainment system connectivity, and a host of other features or services included in the upfront price. Yes, tomfoolery abounds in an … Read more
The winch is something that you must need if you love to go off-roading on a regular basis. Just imagine your car or jeep has been stuck on a muddy road and not moving an inch. What will you do in that situation? For such problems, self-recovery tools are a … Read more
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a centrifugal clutch and a torque converter? In this article, we will discuss the differences between these two types of mechanical devices, their pros, cons, and application. Centrifugal clutch Torque converter Mechanism Centrifugal force Hydraulic power Gear ratio Fixed Variable Slip … Read more
Thanks to strict pollution norms enforced around the globe, catalytic converters have become mandatory. That’s because a catalytic converter can change highly noxious gases into agreeable compounds due to the clever usage of precious metals and chemistry. Platinum, rhodium, and palladium aid a chemical reaction by working as a catalyst, … Read more
Car manufacturers are running away from V8 engines at a steady clip or at least it seems that way. This week, we learned that Nissan will replace the 5.6-liter V8 powering its Armada SUV with a twin-turbocharged V6. We cannot say for certain if the Titan pickup truck will be … Read more
Manual transmissions are the original kind of transmission, as ancient as the first cars produced. However, their design changed massively over the years. Even so, manufacturers and people alike wish to phase them out, thanks to the convenience of automatics and the emergence of electric vehicles. Two or Three Shafts … Read more
Every engine has a V-engine layout to some degree. The regular in-line engines have a cylinder bank angle, that’s the angle between two nearby connecting rods, of 0 degrees, hence the name of “in-line”. Consequently, we can find 60-degree angle V-engines, 90-degree, 15-degree in the case of VR engines, or … Read more
A turbocharger does the same operation as a regular supercharger, with a slight caveat. A turbocharger is powered by the engine’s exhaust gases, not directly by the engine via a belt or chain. Consequently, we can utilize those fumes’ energy to develop more power, and not just expunge them into … Read more
To extract more power out of an engine something is for certain: you need more air. The larger the quantity of air that enters the engine, the more fuel can be burnt. Consequently, the engine will develop a deeper and more powerful explosion inside the cylinder, translating into more power … Read more
Go shopping for a vehicle, especially an SUV, and you may find all-wheel drive (AWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD) recorded as the available choices. In both cases, power goes to all four wheels when these systems are running. While these two approaches work well in slippery conditions, handling is not … Read more
Regenerative braking is one of the numerous efficiency systems installed on all manners of electric vehicles worldwide. Simply put, they tap the vehicle’s inertia to use the electric motors as generators, thus stopping the automobile via the motor’s mechanical resistance and recharging the batteries in the process. The system has … Read more
What are the similarities and differences between all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive? When you look at the names, AWD (all-wheel drive) and 4WD (four-wheel drive) cars seem to be the same. But the differences are simple and quite a bit obvious when you learn a thing or two about what … Read more
Electric vehicles are the craze nowadays. Tesla considers electric vehicles to be the future. Toyota has gone heavily into electrification as part of its plan. Many manufacturers produce electric vehicles left, right, and center. But what’s about them anyway? How do they even work? Why are they so interesting and … Read more
The future of motorized vehicles is highly debated. Most people believe that all-electric vehicles are the future, regardless of their purpose. Others believe that hydrogen is the future, by using Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, or FCEVs for short. There are big disadvantages to hydrogen, and some people even have legitimate … Read more
Horsepower and torque are important numbers with the general idea that bigger is better since it makes your car faster. But what precisely do they represent? Simply put, horsepower and torque are a few figures which can indicate the performance of an engine. Importantly, they actually shouldn’t be taken at … Read more
The octane rating varies between gasoline grades. An octane rating is something you notice at the gas pump. But what does it mean? Simply put, the octane rating shows how difficult it is for said gas to ignite from temperature and pressure. The higher the octane rating, the more challenging … Read more
Engines are complex pieces of machinery that are built entirely on a “best decision for the supposed use” basis. Notably, one such choice is the design of the engine’s crankshafts, or more precisely, the crankshaft’s weights. A flat-plane crank engine is basically an engine where the crankshaft’s counterweights are alternating … Read more
Diesel engine runaway is rare, to say the least. These days, the chances of such an event happening are low, as most of the contributing parts are electronic. But first matters first: what exactly is “diesel engine runaway”? As defined, a diesel engine runaway, diesel runaway, or runaway diesel is … Read more
Most people with even the slightest interest in cars know how a regular car engine works, the most basic of principles being: air mixed with fuel makes power. Hence, mixing them must yield a specific ratio. Indeed, the ideal chemical ratio is 14.7 parts of air to 1 part of … Read more
A CVT works with an engine in sending power to the wheels. Every car out there must have a transmission, even the electric cars have a fixed transmission(1), so the first question is what even is a transmission? Basically, a transmission takes the engine’s rotation speed (RPM) and divides it … Read more
Early 2021 brought several weather surprises, including what’s become known as the Texas Winter Storm. That storm, though, ultimately affected much of the continental United States as well as parts of Canada and northern Mexico. Some 4.2 million Texans were without power as the state’s power grid buckled and rolling … Read more
In the near future, checking tire pressure may become a thing of the past thanks to innovative technology. Specifically, tire manufacturer Michelin and the General Motors Company (GM) are collaborating on updated tire technology that will eliminate the risk of flat tires and blowouts in passenger vehicles equipped with Uptis … Read more
Enhanced Leaf model extends vehicle range. The Nissan Leaf remains the world’s most popular electric vehicle, but the number of competitors on the market continues to rise even as gas prices plummet. For its part, Nissan continues to tweak the Leaf and will soon offer an extended range e+ model, … Read more
Display expands rearward vision by 300 percent. One of the most anticipated new cars from Cadillac is the CT6, a high-end full-size sedan set to debut in late 2016. Parent GM has promised to elevate Cadillac to the top of the mass-produced luxury segment and the new model will help … Read more
GM, Ford and Chrysler Embrace Fuel Saving Innovation. Fuel prices are continuing to fall, dropping below $2.50 per gallon for regular grade gasoline in some areas. That’s just the kind of move that has some shoppers looking at larger and less efficient vehicles, perhaps advancing certain auto trends not yet … Read more
The Consumer Reports 2014 Annual Reliability Survey is out, what paints a highly critical and negative picture of in-car technologies, particularly infotainment systems. Such systems typically provide audio, information and navigation access, but often do not deliver as promised. Instead, users may find these systems confusing, unreliable or simply unworkable, … Read more
J.D. Power 2014 Multimedia Quality and Satisfaction Study reveals much. New car owners love their technologies, but only when they work right. Today’s cars offer a varying range of audio, communication, entertainment and navigation (ACEN) systems with hand touches, finger gestures, buttons, knobs and voice commands among the ways that … Read more
Report offers support for an emerging infrastructure. A new study from the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, sees tremendous promise in hydrogen vehicles. The study says that fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) may be just a few years, not decades behind conventional electric vehicles, as … Read more