Australian Car Advice | News Blog

Normally aspirated
A Normally (or Naturally) Aspirated engine is one which is not turbocharged or supercharged and takes in air for combustion without any additional devices. For example a typical vehicle is normally aspirated. In general a normally aspirated engine is never found in a high performance car, but there are exceptions. For example the BMW  M3’s 3.2L normally Aspirated engine produces a magnificent 252 KW of power which is far more than  some engines of similar size who are aspirated by a turbo or supercharger. A great deal of power comes from the actual engine design and technology.

A Crumple Zone takes the impact of a crash by, as the name suggest crumpling when a crash occurs. By doing this, the crumple zone provides a space that is designed to take the impact of a crash. The reason for the crumple zone is to increase the time from when the car hits an object to when the car comes to a complete stop. As this time increases, the force of the crash is spread longer and hence the impact of the force is minimized.

For example, if you had a crash in your car which does have a crumple zone and as a result the time to stop was increased from 0.01 seconds to 0.2 seconds. The force that your body is then subjected to is reduced from 10,000 Newton’s down to a much more bearable 500!

Monocoque

The most common form of chassis construction for passenger cars and, ever more so, 4WD cars. Monocoque is French for “Single Shell” and unlike a ladder frame, where the chassis and body are separate for high strength, monococques are specifically designed to crumple in the event of a collision and absorb energy, protecting the occupants from the full force of the crash.

Limited slip differential (LSD)

LSD is a mechanical version of traction control, limiting wheel spin on an axle in two and four-wheel drives. We can notice the main advantage of a LSD when it is compared to a typical standard differential. Imagine a scenario whereby in the case of the standard differential one wheel has no contact with the ground. In this scenario, the contacting wheel will remain stationary, and the non-contacting wheel will rotate at nearly twice its intended velocity! Therefore the torque transmitted will be zero and the vehicle will remain stationary.

This sort of situation is rather rare in everyday driving, but in more extreme situations such as in motor sports or in off-road driving this situation is highly undesirable and does occur. Using an LSD limits the velocity difference between the two wheels and allows for torque to be transmitted correctly given that some friction is available on at least one of the driving wheels.

Low profile tyres

Low profile tyres have excellent grip on dry roads but are stiffer than ordinary tyres and therefore provide a firmer ride. These tyres have a greater width ratio to cope with the demands of higher performance vehicles. “Profile” refers to the height of the sidewall compared with the width of the tread, expressed as a percentage. A number of 60 or lower is considered low profile.

Disadvantages are:

• Much more road noise
• A stiffer ride, far harder than conventional tyres
• Less resistance to aquaplaning due to the amount of rubber on the road
• Price

The key advantages of low profile tyres are:

• Better handling and grip
• Far superior traction and braking power compared to ordinary tyres
• Looks

Ultra-low profile tyres (tyres with a number below 50) generally require a higher inflation pressure than taller profile tyres. This is due to Ultra-low profile tyres having a smaller internal volume and hence in order to carry the same load, these tyres require more pressure. However a problem that arises due to this is that lack of pressure can cause serious damage to tyres and is usually not obvious to the driver as the car still tends to behave normally evne if the tyre is inflated or even flat. Once the tyre has been damaged due to inflation it is usually irreparable.

Kilowatts is the measure of power used for cars. The higher the number the better. In order to change Kilowatts into Horsepower  use the following formula:

Horsepower = Kilowatts x 1.34 

Kerb weight - or kerb mass (also known as Curb), is the overall weight of the car, without any load except for half (or sometimes full depending on manufacturer) a tank of fuel. The Gross weight of the car is when it is fully loaded with people, cargo and fuel. Car companies and different countries have different standards for measurment.

Four-wheel drive systems

There are many 4WD systems, the most common ones are full-time 4WD and part-time 4WD. Obviously in Full Time 4WD the power is sent to all four wheels all the time, in more modern Full Time 4WDs, this setting can be changed by the driver. However in some Four Wheel Drive cars, such as those by Subaru (AWD) the power is going to all four wheels and is unchangeable. While in part time 4WD the car can work out when it is not needed (or the driver can tell the car) nevertheless in some systems, given the right conditions part-time systems automatically transfer power to the rear wheels on all surfaces.

Four-wheel drive (4WD) | All Wheel Drive (AWD)

Four-wheel drive is a system whereby all four wheels receive power from the engine simultaneously. Originally the system was developed for off-road vehicles but has become increasingly more popular on passenger cars in Australia. All Wheel Drive is also a term used to described the same concept. The basic advantage of an AWD or 4WD car is the additional traction (grip) on slippery surfaces gained by having all four wheels doing the moving.

Foglamp Foglights

An auxiliary headlamp mounted low on the front of a car (often on the bumper) for use in fog. Casts a broad, flat beam on the left-hand kerb. Sometimes the fog lamps can in different colours. For example the old Nissan Silva (S13) used a yellow beam. Alternative coloured fog lamps can be rather annoying for other motorists on the road.

Electronic brake distribution

This is an additional feature of more sophisticated ABS braking systems, where an electronic control system measures such parameters as road speed to distribute braking force more effectively. In other words the system automatically varies the amount of force which is applied to individual brakes. It works this out by taking into account the road conditions, speed, load and other factors.