If you’re fortunate enough to have your car at college, don’t expect it to be in perfect condition when you graduate. Campus events, limited parking, and a slew of other conditions can really take a toll on your car’s condition. Here are the top 5 ways your car could take a hit over the next four years. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Mel on January 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Now, to the maintenance part for as you have seen there are actually many parts that form the whole brake system which is imperative that you keep in tip top shape as possible for safety’s sake. Any fluid leak should be inspected or at least have it looked at by a mechanic to ensure they are not a danger. Worn out hoses and brake lines can suddenly burst (the pressures are immense if you were only able to see the small brake pads in how they stop your vehicle) leading to sudden loss of pressure preventing them from functioning. There is however a safety feature on brake systems which is now standard which is a dual line system which divides the wheels into two brake circuits. The driver’s side wheel is linked to the one at the rear of the passenger’s side and the other way around. This allows braking even if one of the brake systems fails and as last resort, there is still the mechanical parking brake (check out the post on how to stop without power assisted brakes for if not done properly you could lock the wheels and totally loose control).

The brake disks and drums also have to be inspected for they eventually develop deep grooves that have to be re-milled in a process called re-facing wherein the rotor/disk and drums are machined to make the surfaces flat removing the deep grooves that occur naturally. The break pads are replaced even if they are new so as to avoid making new grooves on the newly re-faced parts. Wheel cylinders get stuck or springs leak (which usually happens if they get submerged in water, say in a flood) causing them to bind which leads to smoking wheels for the brakes don’t release and the wheels have a hard time turning. Some problems can be repaired and some may have to be replaced but with proper maintenance and care you should be able to have brake trouble free use of your vehicle providing for your transportation needs for times to come.

Written by Marcel on July 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment

The brake system of your car is one of the most vital safety features that without which driving would be impossible. There are many things that can go wrong with your brakes and as preventive maintenance and regular inspection, it would be best to check on a few parts so you don’t get caught without brakes on the road.

Under the hood of any vehicle there is a container or reservoir as it is called that contains brake fluid and to most drivers, is the most known part of the brake system. Don’t keep this only topped off but make sure you use the right type of brake fluid (DOT 3 is the most common brake fluid grade used). The metal thing this reservoir sits on is called the Master cylinder which contains the pistons that forces the fluid from the reservoir into the brake lines (more on the other parts as we go on) to the wheel cylinders. Directly behind that is a metal drum like thing that is the brake booster which has a rubber gasket inside which multiplies the amount of force exerted by your foot on the pedal into immense pressures to stop your car. The brake fluid then goes through the brake lines to each wheel which are actually metal pipes with some rubber hoses in tight corners and moving areas to the wheel cylinders. The wheels all have individual cylinders or pistons that push the brake pads or drums to close and stop the vehicle. The parts the pads come in contact with are the rotors for disk brakes and drums for drum brakes.

More on the next post regarding maintenance and troubleshooting of the brake system.

Written by Marcel on July 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Just in case you have not noticed yet, the weather has been totally crazy this year. It has been going bonkers for quite some time now, but this year, weirdness of the weather has gone up to a whole new level. While your driving habits aren’t the only reason for the degradation of the environment, you know very well that your own little contribution can add up to the little contribution of others to make a huge impact on the planet. Here are some green driving tips that you can follow.

Buy fuel efficient tires.
Fuel efficient tires? Do those things really exist? Yes they do, but do they actually help save fuel? The good news is that there are tires that do help in saving fuel. One manufacturer, Firestone, has created a range of tires that are aimed to do exactly that. Just ask your local tire store for the details. If it is time for you to change tires, why not go for the ones that will save you money and help the environment in the long run?

Buy green batteries.
It should be pretty obvious that I am not talking about batteries that are color green. There are many chemicals found in the conventional batteries that are harmful to the environment. The good news is that there are batteries that are eco-friendly. Take a look at your options and go for the green ones.

Buy eco-friendly car polish.
If there is one thing that turns me off, it is a dirty car. A lot of people think the same way, and they go to great lengths to keep their cars clean and shiny. But car polish products can be harmful to the environment. Why not look for products that are safe in this regard?

Remember, every little bit goes a long long way.

Written by Marcel on February 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment

When it comes to improving a car’s performance, installing a lowered spring set is one of the most underappreciated upgrades – it can give you so many benefits for a relatively low cost, that you have simply no excuse for not getting a good kit installed in your car! And if you want to make sure you’re shopping for the brand that’s right for you, you should definitely try an Eibach lowering kit – with so many people talking about these beauties lately, they really have some products you should check out!

Eibach offer various products useful for lowering your car’s suspension – apart from the regular springs themselves, you can get complete Eibach lowering kits, which include shackles and coil springs, as well as leaf springs which can further make use of the vertical space beneath your car as efficiently as possible!

It’s important to pick the ones that are right for you when browsing through Eibach’s selection though – the company has developed a vast range of products so that they can suit mostly everyone’s needs, but this can also make shopping for them a complicated task for those who’re not experienced enough. Examine your car carefully so that you know what kinds of springs you need, and how much you’ll be able to take off its height through a new set.

Also, don’t forget the aspect of installation itself – even though Eibach make some stunning products, installing them will still be up to you – so you better know someone skilled you trust highly to do the job for you, otherwise you’re risking quite a lot.

Written by dave on February 14, 2011 | Leave a Comment

The car has killer looks and that might be due to the prestige associated with the brand. More related to James Bond than any other car (well in one movie he used a Mercedes and controlled it with a Nokia Communicator), the brand has become synonymous with cutting edge technology and sleek stylish looks inside and out.

With a chassis made up mainly of aluminum, magnesium alloys and carbon composite materials (which has been the trend to increase fuel efficiency making them lighter and stronger than steel) the car truly is a product of cutting edge research into alternative materials that have begun to go out of the space industry. An all alloy engine with quad-overhead camshafts, 48 valves, 5935 cc. V12 it is one of the most powerful and complex engines around. The brakes are also out of the sci-fi box with six pistons which would be needed for it has a maximum speed of almost 200 miles per hour.

The steering has servotronic speed-sensitive power assisted and the suspension, well, it has double wishbones in front with incorporated anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bars and monotube adaptive dampers. For the rear, we have double independent double wishbones with anti-squat and lift technology (mostly derived from F1 Racing technology as most European cars have under the hood). The nice thing about this monster, it has settings for road and track making racing as easy as pie with the switch of a button adjusting all suspension, steering, engine and braking systems accordingly.

The headlights are high intensity discharge adaptive lights that are now becoming standard on most luxury cars allowing maximum illumination during the darkest driving hours. The rear brake lights are LED type with adaptive displays allowing maximum visibility on and of track. The Aston martin DBS, a breed on it’s own.

Written by Marcel on August 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment

A True American Classic which comes from a long line of muscle cars that have graced racetracks all over the world. Loaded with an 8.4 liter V10 a356 T56 Aluminum engine, capable of generating 600 hp controlled by the new Venom Engine management system giving maximum output while still staying within idle and OBD requirements. It has a 6-speed manual transmission using wider gears (10%) giving more power than previous generations. It has independent front and rear suspension, along with a 4-wheel disk brake with ABS. The car is a true muscle car in its class and along with manufacturer approved and tested upgrades it can even get better. Priced under $100,000.00 US, it is still in the moderate range falling below European cars that are in the upper echelons.

Being a Muscle car, it can go from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds, the engine features variable valve timing which allows phasing of intake and exhaust called Cam in Cam making it more fuel and emission efficient. Using twin disk clutches, it shifts easier and faster than previous models and can rival any other car in its class. Using Brembo Brakes for unparalleled braking and cornering allowing maximum control even on those tight corners coupled with GKN Visco-Lok Limited slip differentials you get the power when and wherever you need it. And it doesn’t stop there, the styling and looks of the viper truly makes it worthy of the name Viper which has been known for stunning looks that is sure to make heads turn where ever you go whatever the weather adding the hum of it’s powerful engine that is music to the ear of the most avid car lover.

Written by Marcel on August 13, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Well, this might have to do more with the way the human body is designed and how much information we can process in a short period of time. Scientific data has shown that our actual active line of sight window (or the area of our vision which is fully analyzed and can be reacted to instantaneously) is limited to a few square inches in front of you. The rest is what is considered to be the peripheral vision area which we are aware of but do not have too much concentration on. Add to it the tunes playing on the radio, the shifting combination of the depressing the clutch and changing gears and you have a lot of information to handle for the human body to actually process (try this test to see if you are a safe distance from the car in front of you).

At 40 kmh, the average car (with stock brakes) can stop reliably in about 5 car lengths which translates to around 50 or 60 feet. This might sound quite far but this is true. Now back to the speed limit thingy, well these are placed due to many considerations such as the type of road surface, the amount of traffic that is to be expected, and the surmised fuel savings and so on and so forth. The one about speed in relation to fuel consumption is a good one, for at 80 kmh, your vehicle is running in balance with it’s weight and the momentum or it’s forward thrust that the engine is running efficiently burning only enough fuel to maintain that speed no more and no less. Now with most carburetor type vehicles that would be a good idea for these vehicles do not have computer brains like the newer models of cars which seem to have technology crammed into each and every corner.

The ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or computer of newer cars has the necessary programming to obtain information from a bank of sensors on the engine (temperature, idling speed, revolutions, amount of air entering the engine and many more) that allows it to adjust the performance of its parts to provide or attain maximum efficiency while maintaining fuel economy. Depressing the gas pedal on a carb-type vehicle and you pour gas into the engine even if it doesn’t need it sending some into the overflow line onto the street. Newer cars have recovery lines which send excess fuel back into the fuel delivery system or the gas tank for re-use. The speed limit is the determined safe speed to maintain necessary distances for braking allowing you enough time to react properly to the events that unfold such as in emergency cases in front of you. The human body reacts quite fast (in milliseconds actually which is the time your eyes see the information, sends it to the brain, processes it and comes up with the necessary response and sends the nerve impulses to the necessary muscles on your limbs for you to react) but at high speeds, that might not be enough. Why race down a street which is only a few blocks long? Just ease on the gas pedal and accelerate gradually for it not only saves fuel, it also saves on the wear and tear on other parts of the vehicle(brakes, suspension and other parts). Enjoy the trip and not the ride for it allows you to ponder about better things than the darned traffic jam ahead of you.

Written by Marcel on June 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment

These days are the days of environmental awareness. We really just cannot close our eyes and ears to what is happening to our planet. Otherwise, we might have really bad environmental conditions in the next several years. This is the rationale behind a recent move in Scotland, which encourages motorists to become “green drivers.” While this initiative is in effect in Scotland, I believe that even those of us who are based in other parts of the world can benefit from following their program.

BBC has a report on this:

The Energy Saving Trust said “greener” driving habits could save motorists in Glasgow £24.5m a year and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 64,000 tonnes.

It will bring a driving simulator to Braehead Shopping Centre later to demonstrate eco-friendly techniques. Advisers will also visit Cumbernauld Shopping Centre.

The campaign offers four key pieces of advice for motorists:

• Shift to as high a gear as possible
• Anticipate road conditions and drive more smoothly
• Maintain a steady speed in as high a gear as possible
• Drive a little slower than your normal speed

Look at those key pieces of advice. If you think about it, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that these tips would help you save fuel, and contribute to the conservation of the environment as well. I suppose it is a matter of initiative and motivation. This, we cannot force. We have to find it in ourselves and do it of our own accord.

Photo courtesy of j_avonni

Written by Marcel on April 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment

We’ve all heard the bad rap biofuels has gotten with the increased pollution and macro-economic impact it has on society but you’ve gotta’ give credit for these engineers who have managed to come up with alternatives to our increasingly oil dependent economies in so short a time. The problem wasn’t with the fuel itself for it fulfilled all pre-set criteria for a fuel that burned with less emissions than oil-based fuel products. As it turns out, it takes more energy to produce a liter of biofuel that off-sets the gains of the said alternative. The foray of engineers into the hybrid arena was merely to fill in the gap till fully electric systems became more feasible.
Fuel cell technology today, has resulted in some of the coolest cars around. From electric compacts that run on hydrogen or compressed natural gas that has similar abilities as bio fuels used in conjunction with better fuel cell technologies and reactors they all make for a better transition from an oil-based economy to a hydrogen or LNG-based one. The benefits of these alternative fueled cars is so much that research has been pushed to the extent of breakthroughs being put into prototypes as soon as they are discovered making for some really cool cars. With some manufacturers fielding test fleets to iron out the kinks in the system, they should have a working infrastructure by 2010 when most manufacturers schedule the release of their versions of the electric vehicles to take up the slack where bio-fueled vehicles left off.

Written by Marcel on February 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment