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Automatic car washes have brought convenience to modern lives. This raises the question of what's actually better; automatic car washes, or washing a car by hand? While both have their advantages and disadvantages, sometimes it may simply come down to personal preference. Like shopping for car insurance , do a thorough comparison before deciding what's best for your vehicle.
Control Over The Results
A simple hose, and a bucket of water with car washing liquid still does a pretty commendable job in washing a car. One can enjoy being outdoors and be satisfied with a job well done. With a commercial operation, you are putting faith in others that your beloved car will be looked after. At home however, you have full control in washing your special car extra carefully.
High-Pressure Hoses
One benefit of visiting a professional car wash is the high pressure jet type hoses that many of them use. The sheer power of propulsion is enough to remove caked on dirt, and attend to hard to access areas like the joints and crevices between different parts of a vehicle. A hose at home may do a reasonable job of removing most dirt, but the force of the water may not be sufficient to remove the most stubborn dirt. If one's car has just spent some serious time in muddy off road locations, a high pressure hose can be quite useful at attacking dirt on the undercarriage of a car. These areas are quite difficult to get at otherwise.
The Time Factor
Using a professional car wash is certainly convenient. With the "drive-thru" types, one doesn't even have to leave the vehicle. One can even visit on the drive home from work, stopping in when the traffic's bad anyway. If others have the same idea during peak times though, queuing behind others for a car wash may end up being more time consuming than a home job. One can at least relax and enjoy some music while you wait though.
Water Restrictions
In some states, one may not be able to use a hose at home, or this may be limited to certain days and periods during the week. Having to resort to just a bucket or water, without the assistance of a hose can turn into quite a laborious task. Car wash outlets on the other hand, do not have the same restrictions and can be visited anytime. While one can visit a professional car wash, one is then using much more water than had you used a bucket at home. The convenience of professional car washes does then have an environmental cost.
Results
Some car owners claim that automatic car washes can leave scratching on paint work. Others say that washing a car at home doesn't get rid of all the grit, which can get stuck in the pores of a sponge. As the sponge is applied to the car, swirls can be left on the paintwork. High pressure hoses should certainly not be used close up on damaged paintwork, for fear of stripping this away. For hand washing, care should be taken to remove as much hardened dirt as possible before scrubbing. A bit of caution should see either type of car wash give satisfactory results.
Debate will continue as to whether manual car washing, or that done by machines provides the best result for cars. If you are happy with your current car washing arrangement, stick to it. If you feel like a change is needed, speak to fellow motorists about what car washing products, or car washing outlets provide the best results. Fortunately, consumers have a range of choices, just as with car insurance quotes.
Automatic car washes have brought convenience to modern lives. This raises the question of what's actually better; automatic car washes, or washing a car by hand? While both have their advantages and disadvantages, sometimes it may simply come down to personal preference. Like shopping for car insurance , do a thorough comparison before deciding what's best for your vehicle.
Control Over The Results
A simple hose, and a bucket of water with car washing liquid still does a pretty commendable job in washing a car. One can enjoy being outdoors and be satisfied with a job well done. With a commercial operation, you are putting faith in others that your beloved car will be looked after. At home however, you have full control in washing your special car extra carefully.
High-Pressure Hoses
One benefit of visiting a professional car wash is the high pressure jet type hoses that many of them use. The sheer power of propulsion is enough to remove caked on dirt, and attend to hard to access areas like the joints and crevices between different parts of a vehicle. A hose at home may do a reasonable job of removing most dirt, but the force of the water may not be sufficient to remove the most stubborn dirt. If one's car has just spent some serious time in muddy off road locations, a high pressure hose can be quite useful at attacking dirt on the undercarriage of a car. These areas are quite difficult to get at otherwise.
The Time Factor
Using a professional car wash is certainly convenient. With the "drive-thru" types, one doesn't even have to leave the vehicle. One can even visit on the drive home from work, stopping in when the traffic's bad anyway. If others have the same idea during peak times though, queuing behind others for a car wash may end up being more time consuming than a home job. One can at least relax and enjoy some music while you wait though.
Water Restrictions
In some states, one may not be able to use a hose at home, or this may be limited to certain days and periods during the week. Having to resort to just a bucket or water, without the assistance of a hose can turn into quite a laborious task. Car wash outlets on the other hand, do not have the same restrictions and can be visited anytime. While one can visit a professional car wash, one is then using much more water than had you used a bucket at home. The convenience of professional car washes does then have an environmental cost.
Results
Some car owners claim that automatic car washes can leave scratching on paint work. Others say that washing a car at home doesn't get rid of all the grit, which can get stuck in the pores of a sponge. As the sponge is applied to the car, swirls can be left on the paintwork. High pressure hoses should certainly not be used close up on damaged paintwork, for fear of stripping this away. For hand washing, care should be taken to remove as much hardened dirt as possible before scrubbing. A bit of caution should see either type of car wash give satisfactory results.
Debate will continue as to whether manual car washing, or that done by machines provides the best result for cars. If you are happy with your current car washing arrangement, stick to it. If you feel like a change is needed, speak to fellow motorists about what car washing products, or car washing outlets provide the best results. Fortunately, consumers have a range of choices, just as with car insurance quotes.
INZIO has successfully trashed quite a few of the common conceptions of electric cars. If you're a car designer, the performance figures all add up to one thing – Power. Electric sports cars have been a sort of novelty in recent years, with some grunt but not much sustained performance to achieve the "Wow" effect. INZIO is very obviously a very different beast, and a competitive beast.
INZIO is expected to be coming out in 2011, with a price tag of $139,000. For a high-performance sports car, that's actually about average. This car has "classic" written all over it, and could actually be the Mustang of its generation.
The power factor has produced some very interesting statistics. Battery power output is over 40kW, with an upgrade to 96.7kW also available. The electric motor produces 145kW. This is no slot car, and those power figures would be respectable for a racing car. From available publicity, the manufacturer seems to be being a little coy about providing specification details, but to achieve that speed involves a very high level of power to weight efficiency, and let's face it, very good design.
The Green side of INZIO
INZIO doesn't produce emissions. If you want to be strictly tourist/purist about it, the high-power electric engine may generate a carbon footprint, but electricity can be sourced from anywhere these days, so that's a slightly specious way at best of looking at the car as a Green product.
As a matter of fact, the Greenest part of the INZIO concept is that it is very likely to encourage a lot of other car designers to start looking seriously at producing very good quality electric car designs. The seemingly endless struggle to get electric cars on the road in the face of petrol-based primitivism hasn't exactly encouraged innovation over the years, and INZIO has now provided irrefutable proof of high-power viability in electric vehicles.
A watered-down version of INZIO on a conventional frame would make a good family sedan, and probably make a positive difference to car insurance quotes as well, because they'd be very reliable vehicles. Mainstream vehicles don't need this sort of grunt, in fact they could probably make do with about half the performance of this car.
A further very Green aspect of this design is that finally it's looking like electric power for heavy vehicles is a real possibility. That's been a major issue, but this level of grunt could easily drive a range of basic freight vehicles without much difficulty, and it's fairly easy to see how extra power could operate the
big rigs.
At this rate, Li-Ion Motors may be the first car manufacturer to start winning environmental prizes. If so, they've earned them.
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Music storage has gone through a transition from cassette to compact disc to MP3 file. While portable MP3 players are great and easy to use, one may come across difficulties when trying to use them in the car. We look at how to overcome the challenges to enjoying MP3 music through your car stereo. It's also worth checking that your car insurance has a contents allowance, if your MP3 player is left in your vehicle.
The Apple Ipod is arguably the most popular, and certainly the most globally recognised MP3 player brand. While this article may refer to the Ipod, these tips apply equally for any type of MP3 player.
Standard Connectivity in New Cars
MP3 players have been around for years now, so most car makers really should be up to speed. MP3 players are the standard means for portable music, so any self respecting car manufacturer should have some sort of way to connect an MP3 player into a car stereo. Just how easy this is, and how well an MP3 player integrates with a car stereo is the test of car maker's efforts with sound system advancement.
Full Integration
This is the ultimate. Many new cars now have stereos that are ready to accept MP3 player plug ins, and allow full operability on the part of the driver. Stereo controls on the steering wheel allow the driver to scan through tracks and albums on an MP3 player and select songs. On some systems, the track names will even appear on the car stereo.
Audio Jack
Having just an audio jack on a car stereo is a passable but sub-standard solution. A non integrated solution means that one needs to handle the MP3 player in order to skip tracks and the like. This can be a little dangerous if the driver is doing this and taking his or her eyes off the road. The shuffle option is useful in providing continuous music, but if the driver gets an incoming phone call or other interruption, it's harder to pause the music quickly and safely.
Cassette Adaptor
If your car has a cassette player, a cassette adapter can be used to link an MP3 player to a car stereo. Again, one can't operate the MP3 player remotely, and there will be some loss of sound to the adapter's analogue format, but it's a pretty cheap solution.
New Stereo
A new stereo is much cheaper than a new car. If you are planning on a new stereo, then it's worth looking for one that offers remote operation. If you are buying a new car, and music is important to you, take your MP3 player and cords into the car showroom, and see how easy it is to hook up.
MP3 players have revolutionised music. It is now possible to carry literally thousands of songs around with you in your pocket. With many of us spending considerable time in our cars, it's important to be able to also enjoy music libraries through car stereos. Taking heed of the points above will make this not only possible, but easy. When comparing car insurance quotes, make sure that installed accessories, like MP3 compatible stereos are covered under your insurance.
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Having your car's windows tinted can provide several benefits. These include reducing the amount of piercing light entering the car and limiting ultra-violet rays. Selecting the right mechanics or auto industry professionals to do the job is an important decision. Take time to ponder the process and requirements, in order to make the right choice.
Light Reduction
Having the bright sun shining right into a driver's line of vision is not only irritating, but can also be dangerous. One of the main benefits of car window tinting is substantially reducing this amount of light. Not only can this assist with vision issues, it also helps reduce infrared light and ultra-violet radiation, sometimes almost totally. Some window tinting professionals will have figures on just how much UV rays and the like can be reduced, so it's worth investigating.
Privacy
Window tinting also brings privacy benefits to a car. While the driver and any passengers can see clearly out of the car, those on the outside have great difficulty looking in. This can help reduce theft, by keeping internal contents pretty well hidden. With different gradients of darkness, it is imperative to ensure that the level you choose meets local standards. Law enforcement want to ensure that drivers can see clearly through window tinting at night, when visibility may be impaired. Police officers may also want to identify those in a vehicle themselves.
Installation
While it is possible to apply window tinting by oneself, unless you are absolutely sure what you are doing, you could end up with a sub-standard result. The reason being is that the work can be a bit tricky, particularly with the glass of car windows which is curved and needs special application. Cutting and sizing window tinting film to match properly can be a challenge. Applying window tinting film to car windows poorly can result in bubbled film, or tinting that separates from the glass. Specialised tools are also needed for this type of work, so embark on any do it yourself venture with caution.
Warranty
Should you choose to use the experts, check what sort of warranty window tinting installation comes with. Employing those that install window tinting daily should give a consumer extra confidence that the job will be done right. Some good operators offer lifetime warranties on their work, giving extra peace of mind. This is important, as one doesn't want to be left with a home type job, without any recourse.
Removal
Hopefully most customers are happy with the results of having their car windows tinted, and would never want or need to have it removed. If for some reason it does need to be removed, a few words of caution are required. Just like installation, removal on your own can get quite messy if you are not careful with what you are doing. Some window tinters remove whole plates of glass in order to put on the window film, so removing this at home may be a challenge. One can sometimes remove tinting with a hair dryer and some ammonia, but for a worry free removal, consult the experts.
Window tinting has some clear benefits, and the result looks pretty cool too. Be familiar with the options and regulations before shopping around. Just like with your regular car service, award the job to a reputable operator.
Having your car's windows tinted can provide several benefits. These include reducing the amount of piercing light entering the car and limiting ultra-violet rays. Selecting the right mechanics or auto industry professionals to do the job is an important decision. Take time to ponder the process and requirements, in order to make the right choice.
Light Reduction
Having the bright sun shining right into a driver's line of vision is not only irritating, but can also be dangerous. One of the main benefits of car window tinting is substantially reducing this amount of light. Not only can this assist with vision issues, it also helps reduce infrared light and ultra-violet radiation, sometimes almost totally. Some window tinting professionals will have figures on just how much UV rays and the like can be reduced, so it's worth investigating.
Privacy
Window tinting also brings privacy benefits to a car. While the driver and any passengers can see clearly out of the car, those on the outside have great difficulty looking in. This can help reduce theft, by keeping internal contents pretty well hidden. With different gradients of darkness, it is imperative to ensure that the level you choose meets local standards. Law enforcement want to ensure that drivers can see clearly through window tinting at night, when visibility may be impaired. Police officers may also want to identify those in a vehicle themselves.
Installation
While it is possible to apply window tinting by oneself, unless you are absolutely sure what you are doing, you could end up with a sub-standard result. The reason being is that the work can be a bit tricky, particularly with the glass of car windows which is curved and needs special application. Cutting and sizing window tinting film to match properly can be a challenge. Applying window tinting film to car windows poorly can result in bubbled film, or tinting that separates from the glass. Specialised tools are also needed for this type of work, so embark on any do it yourself venture with caution.
Warranty
Should you choose to use the experts, check what sort of warranty window tinting installation comes with. Employing those that install window tinting daily should give a consumer extra confidence that the job will be done right. Some good operators offer lifetime warranties on their work, giving extra peace of mind. This is important, as one doesn't want to be left with a home type job, without any recourse.
Removal
Hopefully most customers are happy with the results of having their car windows tinted, and would never want or need to have it removed. If for some reason it does need to be removed, a few words of caution are required. Just like installation, removal on your own can get quite messy if you are not careful with what you are doing. Some window tinters remove whole plates of glass in order to put on the window film, so removing this at home may be a challenge. One can sometimes remove tinting with a hair dryer and some ammonia, but for a worry free removal, consult the experts.
Window tinting has some clear benefits, and the result looks pretty cool too. Be familiar with the options and regulations before shopping around. Just like with your regular car service, award the job to a reputable operator.
If you’re a tradesman, and you own a Mercedes 3C, what do you do with it? You turn it into a working car. In this case a utility van, complete with original panels. A work of art, no less, and a work of art with a real lesson for Mercedes owners. We’re not too sure how he handled the car insurance, but the job was superb.
The tale of the Mercedes
A 3C is an old Mercedes, but a good one. This was one of the last versions of the traditional Mercedes sedans, the classic model from which the modern Mercedes are derived. Finding parts for the 3Cs isn’t easy. It takes time, but being Mercedes parts, they don’t get thrown out. It’s usually possible, if you have the patience, to restore a Mercedes from about 1960 onwards.
This tradesman must have had the patience of God, or better. Even the upholstery was immaculate. It was all leather, the sort a hardworking tradesman can truly appreciate. Green leather, and good quality, heavy duty, stitched like the Mercedes grew it itself. It was absolutely immaculate in the easily recognizable front cabin. The dashboard was also fully authentic, the true classic Mercedes interior to the last detail, all in brilliant condition.
The notable difference, however, was an oversize radiator. It looked a little odd at first, but even the radiator was a very good effort at an authentic Mercedes radiator. A bit of investigation located the reason. Being a working car, the 3C had had its engine up-gunned. A reasonable precaution, because being a tradesman, the revamped Mercedes was carrying a tradesman’s load. The thing purred. Even the little suburban lawnmower cars around the neighborhood made more noise than it did.
What was interesting was that the car’s engine housing and the body wasn’t modified for this obviously much more powerful engine. This was our first clue to how well the conversion to a utility had been managed. The replacement was seamless. No body work, no resizing, just a new engine under the original cream yellow
The suspension was also reworked to deal with a back load. Tools, materials and heavy equipment can take a working truck apart over time, let alone a Mercedes. If you’re now getting the impression that this guy knows a bit about cars, you’d be right.
The piece de resistance, without a doubt, was the body work. The tradesman managed, somehow, to find a complete panel to join the large tray to the Mercedes body. This was a customized piece, and it was identical to the unmistakable original Mercedes body and doors. A perfect color match, too, absolutely authentic.
The sheer visual impact of this car, sitting majestically in the car park outside a local village retirement home, where the tradesman was working, was astonishing. A Rolls Royce couldn’t have got more attention from the local car aficionados. Wherever this guy gets his car insurance quotes, he must have to talk for hours to the insurance people.
The tale of the Mercedes
A 3C is an old Mercedes, but a good one. This was one of the last versions of the traditional Mercedes sedans, the classic model from which the modern Mercedes are derived. Finding parts for the 3Cs isn’t easy. It takes time, but being Mercedes parts, they don’t get thrown out. It’s usually possible, if you have the patience, to restore a Mercedes from about 1960 onwards.
This tradesman must have had the patience of God, or better. Even the upholstery was immaculate. It was all leather, the sort a hardworking tradesman can truly appreciate. Green leather, and good quality, heavy duty, stitched like the Mercedes grew it itself. It was absolutely immaculate in the easily recognizable front cabin. The dashboard was also fully authentic, the true classic Mercedes interior to the last detail, all in brilliant condition.
The notable difference, however, was an oversize radiator. It looked a little odd at first, but even the radiator was a very good effort at an authentic Mercedes radiator. A bit of investigation located the reason. Being a working car, the 3C had had its engine up-gunned. A reasonable precaution, because being a tradesman, the revamped Mercedes was carrying a tradesman’s load. The thing purred. Even the little suburban lawnmower cars around the neighborhood made more noise than it did.
What was interesting was that the car’s engine housing and the body wasn’t modified for this obviously much more powerful engine. This was our first clue to how well the conversion to a utility had been managed. The replacement was seamless. No body work, no resizing, just a new engine under the original cream yellow
The suspension was also reworked to deal with a back load. Tools, materials and heavy equipment can take a working truck apart over time, let alone a Mercedes. If you’re now getting the impression that this guy knows a bit about cars, you’d be right.
The piece de resistance, without a doubt, was the body work. The tradesman managed, somehow, to find a complete panel to join the large tray to the Mercedes body. This was a customized piece, and it was identical to the unmistakable original Mercedes body and doors. A perfect color match, too, absolutely authentic.
The sheer visual impact of this car, sitting majestically in the car park outside a local village retirement home, where the tradesman was working, was astonishing. A Rolls Royce couldn’t have got more attention from the local car aficionados. Wherever this guy gets his car insurance quotes, he must have to talk for hours to the insurance people.
It's been long since many classic cars were used to mounted with TRU spoke wire wheels. They were darling wheels of the masses. Many American GM cars and old models of BMW and Mercedes use to have them but now they are extinct. Many classic car lovers have not forgot 1953 Corvette (Recreation), 1983 DUESENBERG II SJ LA GRANDE, 1929 MERCEDES-BENZ BEAR CAT REPLICA e.t.c and many other classic roadsters all having Wire Wheels on them. But now no more car manufacturers fit TRU spoke wire wheels in their cars. The inspirations these kind of wheels should have been spoked cart wheels. Ever seen the wheels on the cart?
Wire wheels are the wheels in which it's spoke. That is a rod attaches from the center of a rim's hub to the outer rim. It appears as a whole dense network of spokes on a wheel. Numerous spokes provided a great structural strength to the whole wheel.
However these wheels are still used in bicycles and motor cycles but their role in the car wheel is not any more unless a vintage car enthusiast customize them on their wheels.
The reason for these kind of wheels getting out of fashion is of course the change of taste. Like any other thing, fashion or trend also has its life. These were popular specially in the decade of 60's and they lived until 90's. In 1960's even the sports cars have these wheels mounted over them.
The advantage of wired wheels was that the damaged wheel could be repaired without the need of getting it dismantled from the car. Bring the wheel into shape and then re lace additional spokes in to the wheel thus giving back the wheel whole new look. Since as spokes steel, copper or other metal used was in the form of thick wires, they used to be lighter than other wheels.
TRU spoke wire rims were not without any disadvantage like any other thing. They were very difficult to get cleaned as navigation through the whole dense network of wires was difficult. I guess that was the only demerit of it.
However if you are really a fan of these wheels don't get disappointed. As the history repeats itself, so does any trend. Spoke wire wheels on cars are very trendy in hip hop videos now a days. A hit movie where the hero drives with these wheels on his car can really do the trick in favor of these rims. Who knows!!!
Ever wonder why there are different patterns on the car tire? Are these designs or patterns only to quench our aesthetic thirst or do they have some stability purpose too? Definitely these tire tread patterns play a great role in car's stability and tire traction while driving at different terrain. Not one type of tire tread pattern is suggested for all types of roads in all weather conditions. Some are best for wet conditions, some for winters and some for summers. Similarly different tires are advised when driving for different purposes. Drag racing tires or street racing tires are different for driving on a smooth track or for domestic purposes. You use a non compatible tread pattern and the tire traction will be lost which may result in severe results.
Below I will discuss some types of tread patterns you may find on different tires along with their appropriate use and their good and bad points. You may find following patterns on a normal tire.
1). Asymmetric Tread Pattern
The tread pattern differs from both sides of the tire. It also means that a tire features two patterns along its whole circumference.With this type of pattern, the manufacturers ensure that majority of the possible terrains are dealt with a single set of tires so the drivers do not need to change their tires in different conditions.
Since the tire with this type of pattern provides a higher contact area, it is considered good for high speed cornering. More than one type of tread pattern means that the inboard and outboard halves have two sizes of groove blocks. The grooves on the inward halve (smaller blocks) help retain tire traction on wet surface while the larger blocks on outward halve, helps great in cornering.
Because of these features they are proposed for high performance and motor sports needs. However you need to position them right way around to make them perform well.
2). Symmetric Tread Pattern
As the name suggest, the there is a single tread pattern on the entire tire. Therefore the inboard and outboard halves represent the same patterns. Hence the name, Symmetrical. Tires with such tread patterns emit high noise than other tires. They allow using multiple tire rotation patterns.
3). Directional Tread Pattern
A.K.A unidirectional tread, the whole pattern along with lateral grooves, roll around in one direction along the entire tire's circumference. These lateral grooves allow water to eject more efficiently (hydroplaning) hence prevents the car to skit on wet surface. These are also considered effective as street racing tires however there is one disadvantage of them.
When rotating tires with unidirectional treads, the tire on the front axle should be shifted to the rear axle, and vice verca. If different tire sizes are used on the front vs. rear axle, the tires become location-specific and prohibit tire rotation unless remounted.
4). Asymmetric And Directional Tread Pattern
These have V-shaped lateral grooves on them. Hence they are also known as V groove tires.They are much near to directional tread pattern tires hence they should be treated like them. Disadvantage is as same as directional pattern tread pattern tires.
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Below I will discuss some types of tread patterns you may find on different tires along with their appropriate use and their good and bad points. You may find following patterns on a normal tire.
1). Asymmetric Tread Pattern
The tread pattern differs from both sides of the tire. It also means that a tire features two patterns along its whole circumference.With this type of pattern, the manufacturers ensure that majority of the possible terrains are dealt with a single set of tires so the drivers do not need to change their tires in different conditions.
Since the tire with this type of pattern provides a higher contact area, it is considered good for high speed cornering. More than one type of tread pattern means that the inboard and outboard halves have two sizes of groove blocks. The grooves on the inward halve (smaller blocks) help retain tire traction on wet surface while the larger blocks on outward halve, helps great in cornering.
Because of these features they are proposed for high performance and motor sports needs. However you need to position them right way around to make them perform well.
2). Symmetric Tread Pattern
As the name suggest, the there is a single tread pattern on the entire tire. Therefore the inboard and outboard halves represent the same patterns. Hence the name, Symmetrical. Tires with such tread patterns emit high noise than other tires. They allow using multiple tire rotation patterns.
3). Directional Tread Pattern
A.K.A unidirectional tread, the whole pattern along with lateral grooves, roll around in one direction along the entire tire's circumference. These lateral grooves allow water to eject more efficiently (hydroplaning) hence prevents the car to skit on wet surface. These are also considered effective as street racing tires however there is one disadvantage of them.
When rotating tires with unidirectional treads, the tire on the front axle should be shifted to the rear axle, and vice verca. If different tire sizes are used on the front vs. rear axle, the tires become location-specific and prohibit tire rotation unless remounted.
4). Asymmetric And Directional Tread Pattern
These have V-shaped lateral grooves on them. Hence they are also known as V groove tires.They are much near to directional tread pattern tires hence they should be treated like them. Disadvantage is as same as directional pattern tread pattern tires.
Replacing your stock exhausts with new and upgraded, aftermarket cat back exhaust systems has been a popular form of car upgrades now a days. Cat Back system really allows your car to perform well with some power upgrades and increased efficiency. Pimping your ride with a new cat back exhaust kit has been popular because the whole system is easily available with being too much onus on your pockets. Secondly, installing cat back is lot easier and considered by many people, a DIY job.
What Is A Cat Back Exhaust System?
Many people who are interested in car mods but yet they are not so good in technical terminologies. For them I would explain the meaning of a cat back system. "Cat Back" is the whole part of the exhaust system installed from the catalytic converter to the tailpipes. Therefore the exhaust manifold is excluded when we speak of a "Cat Back System"
The entire system can be categorized in to three parts. First is a straight pipe which goes to straight to the axle. The second are the exhaust tubes looping around the axle and the third part is a set of tailpipes ending on the mufflers.
Since the cat back exhaust gives a more efficient performance hence they are seen as a replacement of the OEM stock exhausts with low power. Adding these definitely adds into your car's horsepower. Furthermore, the sound which is created by the cat back exhaust (the famous growling and roaring), is adored by the car enthusiast, hence another reason to get their old stock replaced.
Legal Issue:
Amendments in your emission system does not leave you without some legal implications. We suggest you read our post, Lawful Car Modification, to assess your legal position after you tamper with your emission system. Additionally, some countries may have maximum sound restrictions regarding car modification. So we would advise to have a good knowledge of the local road laws and regulations. However if you believe to modify the parts of the exhaust system which will not have any implications on your car emissions and you are able to prove as well, then definitely you will not be charged for it.
READ MORE
What Is A Cat Back Exhaust System?
Many people who are interested in car mods but yet they are not so good in technical terminologies. For them I would explain the meaning of a cat back system. "Cat Back" is the whole part of the exhaust system installed from the catalytic converter to the tailpipes. Therefore the exhaust manifold is excluded when we speak of a "Cat Back System"
The entire system can be categorized in to three parts. First is a straight pipe which goes to straight to the axle. The second are the exhaust tubes looping around the axle and the third part is a set of tailpipes ending on the mufflers.
Since the cat back exhaust gives a more efficient performance hence they are seen as a replacement of the OEM stock exhausts with low power. Adding these definitely adds into your car's horsepower. Furthermore, the sound which is created by the cat back exhaust (the famous growling and roaring), is adored by the car enthusiast, hence another reason to get their old stock replaced.
Legal Issue:
Amendments in your emission system does not leave you without some legal implications. We suggest you read our post, Lawful Car Modification, to assess your legal position after you tamper with your emission system. Additionally, some countries may have maximum sound restrictions regarding car modification. So we would advise to have a good knowledge of the local road laws and regulations. However if you believe to modify the parts of the exhaust system which will not have any implications on your car emissions and you are able to prove as well, then definitely you will not be charged for it.
When I started this blog I signed up for many places through where I get news and latest press release about happenings and development in the auto world and what the major auto manufacturers are up to. What are there future plans e.t.c.
When I start receiving these updates, I was surprised that majority of the car manufacturers reveal their up coming sensations at the Detroit Auto Show. It was OK in the beginning but after frequent use of this car event and even the car testing, nominations and award ceremonies started to take place in this show, an excitement and interest started to take place in me. I became eager to figure out that why this motor show meant so much to these auto manufacturers. So I used the best source on Internet to know the reason. That's right "Wikipedia". After reading from this website I want to present the information about this auto show and share with you people too just in case you have the same eagerness about it like me.
What Is Detroit Auto Show
Detroit auto show's actual name is North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). It is held in Detroit, Michigan. Perhaps for this reason people for their convenience replace the above lengthy name with Detroit.
One of the reason for it being the center of gravity for auto manufacturers is that it is regarded as one of the biggest auto show of North America as well as Detroit serve as a location headquarter for the three American Auto manufacturers namely Chrysler, Ford and General Motors (GM).
It's being regularly conducted since 1907 except for 10 years this is from 1943 to 1952.
That's about the history, Now let's talk about how this show is conducted. It usually starts with with press preview days, industry preview days and a charity preview event. Fund raising means that this show has also got some humane side as well.This fund raising, for local children charity purpose, is often successful and in 2004 and 2005, they were able to raise $7 million.
This auto show distributes awards to various categories and got a segment of introduction of up coming cars.
The awards distributed for car of the year and truck of the year. The introduction category is divided into production car introductions and concept cars introductions.
An important award is also announced, which means a lot to the car designers, known as "Excellence In Design Award".
I think its enough for this post. I only meant to make a brief intro about Detroit Auto Show. I guess its sufficient enough to get acquaint of this great motor show.
If you have more information about this motor show, feel free to share it.
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When I start receiving these updates, I was surprised that majority of the car manufacturers reveal their up coming sensations at the Detroit Auto Show. It was OK in the beginning but after frequent use of this car event and even the car testing, nominations and award ceremonies started to take place in this show, an excitement and interest started to take place in me. I became eager to figure out that why this motor show meant so much to these auto manufacturers. So I used the best source on Internet to know the reason. That's right "Wikipedia". After reading from this website I want to present the information about this auto show and share with you people too just in case you have the same eagerness about it like me.
What Is Detroit Auto Show
Detroit auto show's actual name is North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). It is held in Detroit, Michigan. Perhaps for this reason people for their convenience replace the above lengthy name with Detroit.
One of the reason for it being the center of gravity for auto manufacturers is that it is regarded as one of the biggest auto show of North America as well as Detroit serve as a location headquarter for the three American Auto manufacturers namely Chrysler, Ford and General Motors (GM).
It's being regularly conducted since 1907 except for 10 years this is from 1943 to 1952.
That's about the history, Now let's talk about how this show is conducted. It usually starts with with press preview days, industry preview days and a charity preview event. Fund raising means that this show has also got some humane side as well.This fund raising, for local children charity purpose, is often successful and in 2004 and 2005, they were able to raise $7 million.
This auto show distributes awards to various categories and got a segment of introduction of up coming cars.
The awards distributed for car of the year and truck of the year. The introduction category is divided into production car introductions and concept cars introductions.
An important award is also announced, which means a lot to the car designers, known as "Excellence In Design Award".
I think its enough for this post. I only meant to make a brief intro about Detroit Auto Show. I guess its sufficient enough to get acquaint of this great motor show.
If you have more information about this motor show, feel free to share it.
Yet another honor for the great auto maker Audi. Its two FSI engines acquire two positions in the "Top 10 Best Engines" category nominated by the editors of Ward's Auto World. The awards will be awarded during the North American International Auto Show at Detroit on January 13th 2010.
The two Audi FSI engines shortlisted are turbocharged four-cylinder 2.0 TFSI engine with the A4, and supercharged six cylinder 3.0 TFSI engine for the sporty upgrade S4 model.
For the purpose of nomination, six editors of Ward's Automotive World tested 34 engines from 13 different car manufacturers. This year the focus was how these engines are designed to give higher fuel economy with lower emissions without affecting the performance as a whole.
The engines were judged during driving cycles in Detroit where the judges assessed and assigned score to each engine on the basis of horsepower, torque, refinement, technical relevance and comparative data.
Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter said.
This is not the first time that the Audi engine is ranked with such a high esteem. In fact the Audi engines have been on the "Top 10 Engines" list for the last consecutive six years and 8 times for the last 10 years. Audi is the first car company to sell 100% of its gasoline engines with FSI direct injection technology, starting with model year 2010. The Audi S4 sedan, new for 2010, ushered in a new era of downsizing while enhancing performance and handling over the previous generation 2008 sedan model.
The eligibility criteria for the competition was to be available in a regular-production U.S.-specification model on sale no later than first-quarter 2010, in a vehicle priced no more than $54,000, a price cap indexed to the average cost of a new vehicle.
Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America said:
Supercharged Six Cylinder 3.0 TFSI Engine
Turbocharged Four-Cylinder 2.0 TFSI Engine
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The two Audi FSI engines shortlisted are turbocharged four-cylinder 2.0 TFSI engine with the A4, and supercharged six cylinder 3.0 TFSI engine for the sporty upgrade S4 model.
For the purpose of nomination, six editors of Ward's Automotive World tested 34 engines from 13 different car manufacturers. This year the focus was how these engines are designed to give higher fuel economy with lower emissions without affecting the performance as a whole.
The engines were judged during driving cycles in Detroit where the judges assessed and assigned score to each engine on the basis of horsepower, torque, refinement, technical relevance and comparative data.
Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter said.
“Auto makers are using innovative designs and advanced technology to boost horsepower and torque while downsizing engines and increasing efficiency.”
This is not the first time that the Audi engine is ranked with such a high esteem. In fact the Audi engines have been on the "Top 10 Engines" list for the last consecutive six years and 8 times for the last 10 years. Audi is the first car company to sell 100% of its gasoline engines with FSI direct injection technology, starting with model year 2010. The Audi S4 sedan, new for 2010, ushered in a new era of downsizing while enhancing performance and handling over the previous generation 2008 sedan model.
The eligibility criteria for the competition was to be available in a regular-production U.S.-specification model on sale no later than first-quarter 2010, in a vehicle priced no more than $54,000, a price cap indexed to the average cost of a new vehicle.
Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America said:
“Audi fuel-efficient powertrain technologies excel at delivering exceptional driving performance with reduced environmental impact. The well-rounded approach the brand is undertaking will keep Audi in a leading position for the foreseeable future.”
The best selling, Japanese Toyota hybrid car, known as Toyota Prius has received complaints in their brakes mechanism. Analysts project severe revenue downfall due to it.
The new Toyota's gas-electric hybrid car, which was released and became available for sale in Japan and U.S.A in May 2009 has been a best selling model with 4.5 million vehicles already finding their owners.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received 180 complaints about the brakes of the Prius new model. The fault involves, remaining of the gas pedal in depressed position.
Two crashes have so far been reported due to this fault resulting in injuries.
It's not the first time as Toyota had received 14 complaints well before in July, last year as claimed by the Japan's transport ministry. One of these 14 complaints includes a crash, when a prius at the Japan's intersection crashed into another car. This crash also resulted in some injuries as reported by Masaya Ota, a transport ministry official. He further added:
"The Prius driver in the accident told police that a brake did not work," Ota said. "Other Prius drivers also complained brakes were not so sharp." The complaints in Japan involve the new Prius model, and the vehicles were all made in Japan".
The ministry has already ordered an investigation to be held. Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said the company has received reports about the Prius complaints in transparent none repeat scroll North America and in Japan and was now looking into the matter.
As the wise men said "A mistake is not infertile" the Toyota has been hit by some financial implications because of this fault. It's shares drop by 5.7% to 3400 Yen when the stock holders start dumping their shares after this news however 19000 vehicles which have been already imported from Japan to America are not part of the recall. Any serious issue regarding its current fault can result a downfall of an innovative hybrid, eco-friendly car.
In the last article we talked about Safety Mods. Now it would be appropriate to have a look at some legal issues arising due to car modification. For this purpose I would present an extract from a website which deals with and educates on the legal implications due to car modification. But before that I would like to have some words with you.
Laws enacted by law enforcing agencies are for the betterment of oneself so you must not take steps to violate these laws as it could prove lethal to you as well as civilian around you in long or short run. Now lets see what legal problems you can get into because of unlawful car modification.
Under traffic laws in most states, drivers may be given a traffic ticket for operating a vehicle that has been modified in violation of laws that regulate vehicle specifications and vehicle equipment. Examples of vehicle modifications that may result in a traffic ticket include:
* Addition of non-standard lighting (neon lights, under-vehicle lights),
* Alteration or removal of air pollution and emissions control device
* Modification of vehicle ground clearance ("lowered" or "raised" vehicles),
* Removal of mufflers and other sound-control devices, and
* Window tinting (especially tinting of windshield or driver/front passenger side windows).
An unlawfully-modified vehicle can receive a traffic ticket for a mechanical violation. In some states, citations for certain unlawful vehicle modifications are considered "fix-it" tickets or "correctable violations." In California, for example, if you are given a "fix-it" ticket by a police officer, "yes" will be checked next to "Correctable Violation", and after the problem is fixed (i.e. you remove illegal under-car lights), you must get the signature of an authorized person (i.e. a local law enforcement officer) on the "Certificate of Correction" portion of the ticket. If you are issued a "fix-it" ticket for an unlawful vehicle modification in your state, read the ticket to determine whether you can mail the proof of correction, rather than taking it to court.
If the court accepts your correction, the case will be dismissed. But, if you fail to fix the problem within a short time after you receive a "fix-it" ticket, you will need to pay the fine for the unlawful vehicle modification, and you may be issued another ticket which will go on your record.
Source : http://public.findlaw.com/traffic-ticket-violation-law/traffic-ticket-a-z/unlawful-modification.html
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Laws enacted by law enforcing agencies are for the betterment of oneself so you must not take steps to violate these laws as it could prove lethal to you as well as civilian around you in long or short run. Now lets see what legal problems you can get into because of unlawful car modification.
Under traffic laws in most states, drivers may be given a traffic ticket for operating a vehicle that has been modified in violation of laws that regulate vehicle specifications and vehicle equipment. Examples of vehicle modifications that may result in a traffic ticket include:
* Addition of non-standard lighting (neon lights, under-vehicle lights),
* Alteration or removal of air pollution and emissions control device
* Modification of vehicle ground clearance ("lowered" or "raised" vehicles),
* Removal of mufflers and other sound-control devices, and
* Window tinting (especially tinting of windshield or driver/front passenger side windows).
An unlawfully-modified vehicle can receive a traffic ticket for a mechanical violation. In some states, citations for certain unlawful vehicle modifications are considered "fix-it" tickets or "correctable violations." In California, for example, if you are given a "fix-it" ticket by a police officer, "yes" will be checked next to "Correctable Violation", and after the problem is fixed (i.e. you remove illegal under-car lights), you must get the signature of an authorized person (i.e. a local law enforcement officer) on the "Certificate of Correction" portion of the ticket. If you are issued a "fix-it" ticket for an unlawful vehicle modification in your state, read the ticket to determine whether you can mail the proof of correction, rather than taking it to court.
If the court accepts your correction, the case will be dismissed. But, if you fail to fix the problem within a short time after you receive a "fix-it" ticket, you will need to pay the fine for the unlawful vehicle modification, and you may be issued another ticket which will go on your record.
Source : http://public.findlaw.com/traffic-ticket-violation-law/traffic-ticket-a-z/unlawful-modification.html
Car modification has been a recreational activity since the day first car was bought and with the passage of time, it has gained so much popularity that it has taken form of a separate industry where the car manufacturers are busy in creating high performance after market car parts. Now car modification is more popular among youth and teenagers. They are busy and regularly come up with new stunning ideas which leave us with our mouth wide open. Due to the over zealous state of mind of the youth and "Living On The Edge" nature of the art of car modification, people often compromise their safety and do not even refrain in challenging the legal authorities and violating and confronting the enacted laws pertaining to car modification.
Modifying cars can sure be regarded as an artistic activity which involves and requires great amount of creativity but putting your lives in danger and acting as a menace on the roads is not wise at all. We would discuss some safety mods and legal issues abiding by which will definitely make you a safe and sound citizen.
Car Safety Mods
When you modify and try to pimp your ride, many of them are performed to enhance the appearance and make it more presentable. But many car enthusiasts perform it to enhance the performance and efficiency of their cars. Obviously, enhancement of car's performance means more speed and definitely more risks attached to it. By applying the following safeguards, the performance enhancements is sure going to be safe.
Car Seat Belts:
Car seat belts are for you safety so when you modify the interior of the car its possible that you amend some of the settings which can possibly affect the performance of the seat belts. Make sure that seat belts are more efficient and the locking mechanisms are working properly. Make sure that whenever you wear the belt, the tension in it is intact or seat belts are of no use.
Installing Roll Cage:
Installing roll cage kits is sure a wise move especially when you are looking for some drags and drifts and street racing. Installing roll cage kits will ensure to a great extent in case of any misfortune occurs. You install these roll cage kits for better structural rigidity which acts as a supporting beam and are very protective in case of a crash. So ensure that the supplier of the roll cage kits are dependable and trusted.
Unexpected Fire Cases:
Unexpected fire cases often occur during high street end racing. When you are spending thousands on car modification we would advise you to at least have a hand held fire extinguisher at your disposal for your safety so fire suspension much easier.
Improve Car Braking:
In case when the tires, wheel rims and car body kit is modified, it sure leaves an impact on the car braking as the weight of the car is altered eventually. Make sure that your car braking mechanism is safe, sound, efficient and spot on as ever. Aligning the your car brakes to the safety rules is not an expensive job. Just make sure you have a good lock at your car brakes cooling mechanism and confirm that the brake pads cool quickly. Furthermore, just have a good look at brake shoes (pads), brake fluids, drilled disks e.t.c.
Implications Of Tire Change:
Tire change improves your car handling and ground clearance but in some cases they work otherwise. So ensure that you pay some considerations towards this aspect and replace your tires with the compatible ones which enhances the road grip and are also effective on wet tracks. Using tires specific for racing purposes and also keep an eye on the optimum pressure of your tires to ensure better road grip, traction and ultimately, safety.
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Modifying cars can sure be regarded as an artistic activity which involves and requires great amount of creativity but putting your lives in danger and acting as a menace on the roads is not wise at all. We would discuss some safety mods and legal issues abiding by which will definitely make you a safe and sound citizen.
Car Safety Mods
When you modify and try to pimp your ride, many of them are performed to enhance the appearance and make it more presentable. But many car enthusiasts perform it to enhance the performance and efficiency of their cars. Obviously, enhancement of car's performance means more speed and definitely more risks attached to it. By applying the following safeguards, the performance enhancements is sure going to be safe.
Car Seat Belts:
Car seat belts are for you safety so when you modify the interior of the car its possible that you amend some of the settings which can possibly affect the performance of the seat belts. Make sure that seat belts are more efficient and the locking mechanisms are working properly. Make sure that whenever you wear the belt, the tension in it is intact or seat belts are of no use.
Installing Roll Cage:
Installing roll cage kits is sure a wise move especially when you are looking for some drags and drifts and street racing. Installing roll cage kits will ensure to a great extent in case of any misfortune occurs. You install these roll cage kits for better structural rigidity which acts as a supporting beam and are very protective in case of a crash. So ensure that the supplier of the roll cage kits are dependable and trusted.
Unexpected Fire Cases:
Unexpected fire cases often occur during high street end racing. When you are spending thousands on car modification we would advise you to at least have a hand held fire extinguisher at your disposal for your safety so fire suspension much easier.
Improve Car Braking:
In case when the tires, wheel rims and car body kit is modified, it sure leaves an impact on the car braking as the weight of the car is altered eventually. Make sure that your car braking mechanism is safe, sound, efficient and spot on as ever. Aligning the your car brakes to the safety rules is not an expensive job. Just make sure you have a good lock at your car brakes cooling mechanism and confirm that the brake pads cool quickly. Furthermore, just have a good look at brake shoes (pads), brake fluids, drilled disks e.t.c.
Implications Of Tire Change:
Tire change improves your car handling and ground clearance but in some cases they work otherwise. So ensure that you pay some considerations towards this aspect and replace your tires with the compatible ones which enhances the road grip and are also effective on wet tracks. Using tires specific for racing purposes and also keep an eye on the optimum pressure of your tires to ensure better road grip, traction and ultimately, safety.
I discussed in my last post about the implications because of installing an aftermarket sports exhaust system which are obviously great for your car. The performance of the exhaust system is mainly dependent upon its bent of tubing so first I will discuss what types of tubing you may find in the market. There are two types of bents. Crush Bent and Mandrel Bent. The later is much appreciated by the car enthusiasts however the crush bent is generally found in factory fitted exhaust systems of the cars. Making the story short, coming quickly to the merits and demerits of mandrel bent exhaust tubing.
Advantages:
As I said mandrel bent exhaust tubing is much appreciated by those who love to drag their cars beyond its limits. The reason is fair enough. Exhaust tubing with mandrel bent have an even diameter through out their piping system and due to this evenness, the gases produced in the engine bay easily pass through the system and outside the car without the restrictions as they have to face in crush bent exhaust tubing where the diameter of the inside becomes smaller and uneven as it is caused to "crinkle" by pressure bent.
Mandrel bent are similar to crush bend to the extent that they are also pressurized but an additional die is added which prevents the tubing to crinkle and hence the surface remains even. As a result, a constant circle allows a smooth flow of gases and better power and efficiency of the car. The mandrel bent are also adored because they also create the famous growling sound of the car which reflects the power of its engine.
Disadvantages:
The demerits of such type of exhaust tubing would definitely be the cost factor. Generally these type of sports exhaust system are more expensive than normal, factory fitted, stock exhaust system. Similarly an advantage of it can also be regarded as a disadvantage. i.e. the sound it produces. This sound can be disturbing for many "peace lovers" and can deem it as a mere "sound pollution". In the end, its not necessary that every car will compliment the mandrel bent exhaust tubing (system). Some power loss has been observed in the cars and apparently the exhaust system did not work as it was suppose to. So car keeping in mind the engine's specifications are necessary otherwise all your hard work and wealth will go in vain.
Installing an aftermarket, high performance sports exhaust system are a great way of enhancing the performance of your car. Besides that can also be used for cosmetic purpose as well as to produce a beloved roaring and growling car sound which makes your car prominent and more prone of being noted by your friends.
First of all I want to tell what an "aftermarket" means for car parts and accessories. Aftermarket part means that the part has not been and factory fitted or it has been release after the release of the car's model. It may also mean that the certain part has been manufactured by any other manufacturer.
The exhaust system acts just like a respiratory system of a man where the different gases produced by the working of the engine are provided a passage way or exit route through the exhaust tubing. When a man works out, the lungs helps in expelling out the carbon dioxide from the body and provides a departure platform. If the gas does not exit from the body we will suffocate and you know better what happens next.
So in order for an engine to work more efficiently, the best thing would be that exhaust piping are of larger diameter so gases exit more rapidly and there is less restriction for the gases to pass out. This benefit is what we gain when we replace a factory fitted stock exhaust system with an aftermarket sports exhaust system. Since they provide relatively a larger diameter piping, there is a less pressure of exhaust fumes which results in higher horse power but on the other hand a larger bore size of the pipe slows down the movement of the gases. So performance gain does not lies with fitting the biggest possible bore size pipe as it may result in the loss of low end torque, but an optimum size is suggested which definitely varies with the type of engine according to the RPM produced. When a standard exhaust system is replaced with a new high performance sports exhaust system, generally 10-15% increase in horse power has been observed.
Another problem with the normal exhaust system is that they manufacture a crush bent exhaust tubing which means that there are spiral rings around the exhaust piping due to which the diameter remains uneven and restrictions for gases to pass through. On the other hand high performance exhaust system generally provide mandrel bent exhaust tubing where the diameter remains same all over the system.
So making the debate short, while replacing your standard one with a high performance sports cat back exhaust system, you should be considering the size of bore of exhaust tubing related to your engine specifications. Similarly one general tip of making the gases to exit with a greater velocity is that the the big pipes are connected with small pipes along the entire exhaust manifold are connected in a cone shape. This of course has some demerits too. Similarly if your exhaust system creates an unwanted sound, you can use aftermarket mufflers to kill it.
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First of all I want to tell what an "aftermarket" means for car parts and accessories. Aftermarket part means that the part has not been and factory fitted or it has been release after the release of the car's model. It may also mean that the certain part has been manufactured by any other manufacturer.
The exhaust system acts just like a respiratory system of a man where the different gases produced by the working of the engine are provided a passage way or exit route through the exhaust tubing. When a man works out, the lungs helps in expelling out the carbon dioxide from the body and provides a departure platform. If the gas does not exit from the body we will suffocate and you know better what happens next.
So in order for an engine to work more efficiently, the best thing would be that exhaust piping are of larger diameter so gases exit more rapidly and there is less restriction for the gases to pass out. This benefit is what we gain when we replace a factory fitted stock exhaust system with an aftermarket sports exhaust system. Since they provide relatively a larger diameter piping, there is a less pressure of exhaust fumes which results in higher horse power but on the other hand a larger bore size of the pipe slows down the movement of the gases. So performance gain does not lies with fitting the biggest possible bore size pipe as it may result in the loss of low end torque, but an optimum size is suggested which definitely varies with the type of engine according to the RPM produced. When a standard exhaust system is replaced with a new high performance sports exhaust system, generally 10-15% increase in horse power has been observed.
Another problem with the normal exhaust system is that they manufacture a crush bent exhaust tubing which means that there are spiral rings around the exhaust piping due to which the diameter remains uneven and restrictions for gases to pass through. On the other hand high performance exhaust system generally provide mandrel bent exhaust tubing where the diameter remains same all over the system.
So making the debate short, while replacing your standard one with a high performance sports cat back exhaust system, you should be considering the size of bore of exhaust tubing related to your engine specifications. Similarly one general tip of making the gases to exit with a greater velocity is that the the big pipes are connected with small pipes along the entire exhaust manifold are connected in a cone shape. This of course has some demerits too. Similarly if your exhaust system creates an unwanted sound, you can use aftermarket mufflers to kill it.
I've been posting few posts about car dent repair and trying to convince that car dent removal is not an expensive job and can even be performed by some household items. Regarding this I've come up with another way of removing car dents, and it can be done with the help of a hair dryer and CO2. So all you need is a hair dryer and a liquid CO2. Even a spray can can of carbon dioxide can be used. I will tell you how to make the spray can emit CO2 in liquid form. So when you are ready with these two items just follow these steps and witness that fixing car dents is too easy and cheap. Note that the experience of many people has revealed that the diameter of the dent should be at least 3 inches in order for this method to be effective. Now coming to the method.
P.S Many people have said that using even a boiling water instead of CO2 even does the trick. I cannot say anything because I haven't tried it yet. If any one has done it then you are welcome to share your experience. Anyway watch the video of the above procedure.
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- Heat the dent with the hair dryer for approximately 30 secs to 1 minute. Make sure that the panel is hot enough when you are done.
- After heating it spray CO2 on the region. Make sure that you hold the spray can upside down while you spray it. The reason for this is that CO2 comes out in a liquid form when you spray it upside down.
- The panel will be covered by a foam of ice. You just wait and listen until you hear a popping sound which tells you that the metal has retained its original shape.
- When the white foam disappears, clean the area with a piece of cloth.
- The dent is no more there.
P.S Many people have said that using even a boiling water instead of CO2 even does the trick. I cannot say anything because I haven't tried it yet. If any one has done it then you are welcome to share your experience. Anyway watch the video of the above procedure.
Car performance body kits are now a days being manufactured by different materials. All have some advantages and disadvantages and selecting a body kit of a particular material depends totally on the price, conditions, usage and other various factors. The different materials could be polyurethane, fiber glass, carbon fiber, ABS plastic e.t.c.
In this post I intend to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of car body kits made up of polyurethane. I hope this will make your mind even more clear and lead you to a better decision making when selecting the performance body kit for your next exterior car modification.
Advantages:
The biggest advantage of attempting your car body kit modification and then replacing it with polyurethane is its durability. These are more long lasting than the famous fiber glass body kits as the material is more flexible. This flexibility makes it to get mount on your car very easily. So if you are reluctant in changing your car's body kit and consider installing a new one very tough job then polyurethane body kits will change your opinion once and for all. This attribute makes a car modification quite simple and pretty much a DIY job hence saving time and money.
Since polyurethane is a hard and flexible substance, it does not damage easily as compared to its other competitors. So you need to bang real hard your car in order to place an impact on the kit. But wait. Did I say "Bang Real Hard!!!" you definitely would not love to strike your car anywhere no matter what material your car body is and this feeling become even more extreme when the material is polyurethane. Because the moment your car strikes and an impact is laid on the kit, there's a great disadvantage waiting for you which I will discuss in the disadvantages section.
Disadvantages:
Since it is a high quality material so generally the polyurethane body kits are more costly than other materials so you really need to have tight pockets if you are going for it. This is a great drawback as it goes out of reach for many car enthusiasts and they cannot afford it at all. Secondly, painting over polyurethane is not a convenient job at all at paint requires more adhesion and also sags more quickly over time when exposed to sun or heat.
Furthermore, these are more heavy than fiber glass, so when you mount them over your car keep your mind well prepared for more fuel consumption as more power is going to be required by your car to drag it. Now coming to the disadvantage because of which you would not love to hit your car and cause an impression on it. Polyurethane body kits are not easily repairable or in some cases, it is impossible do retain the original shape of it and you will only have to replace it with new one as the car dents are not going to be removed. So you have to be even more careful on the road.
Bringing my discussion to an end, polyurethane sure is an expensive material to afford but think of it from the positive angle. The less the people will have them, the more your car is going to be unique. The decision is sure in your hands.
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In this post I intend to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of car body kits made up of polyurethane. I hope this will make your mind even more clear and lead you to a better decision making when selecting the performance body kit for your next exterior car modification.
Advantages:
The biggest advantage of attempting your car body kit modification and then replacing it with polyurethane is its durability. These are more long lasting than the famous fiber glass body kits as the material is more flexible. This flexibility makes it to get mount on your car very easily. So if you are reluctant in changing your car's body kit and consider installing a new one very tough job then polyurethane body kits will change your opinion once and for all. This attribute makes a car modification quite simple and pretty much a DIY job hence saving time and money.
Since polyurethane is a hard and flexible substance, it does not damage easily as compared to its other competitors. So you need to bang real hard your car in order to place an impact on the kit. But wait. Did I say "Bang Real Hard!!!" you definitely would not love to strike your car anywhere no matter what material your car body is and this feeling become even more extreme when the material is polyurethane. Because the moment your car strikes and an impact is laid on the kit, there's a great disadvantage waiting for you which I will discuss in the disadvantages section.
Disadvantages:
Since it is a high quality material so generally the polyurethane body kits are more costly than other materials so you really need to have tight pockets if you are going for it. This is a great drawback as it goes out of reach for many car enthusiasts and they cannot afford it at all. Secondly, painting over polyurethane is not a convenient job at all at paint requires more adhesion and also sags more quickly over time when exposed to sun or heat.
Furthermore, these are more heavy than fiber glass, so when you mount them over your car keep your mind well prepared for more fuel consumption as more power is going to be required by your car to drag it. Now coming to the disadvantage because of which you would not love to hit your car and cause an impression on it. Polyurethane body kits are not easily repairable or in some cases, it is impossible do retain the original shape of it and you will only have to replace it with new one as the car dents are not going to be removed. So you have to be even more careful on the road.
Bringing my discussion to an end, polyurethane sure is an expensive material to afford but think of it from the positive angle. The less the people will have them, the more your car is going to be unique. The decision is sure in your hands.
With the advent of modern technology, even the cars have been made smart and their performance tuning has been made even simpler. Now a days engine tuning can be performed via computers. Car engines can be made more efficient, producing more torque and power and become economical as well as far as fuel consumption is concerned. This all results can be achieved by remapping your car's ECU settings.
Now a question arise what actually is ECU remapping?
Before telling you about it lets talk about some fundamentals. Different car's performance parameters are now judged by sensors embedded at various places in the car. These parameters may include ignition timing, fuel consumption, air flow, throttle position, crank position e.t.c. All these are closely monitored via sensors and their performance reports are send to car's engine management system or electronic control unit (ECU). So ECU basically is a software program which process the signals send by the sensors and helps in better performance of the car in any given condition.
Having said that, the question is automatically replied that why you should have your ECU remapped. Of course for better engine performance. The car manufacturers do not always tailor make their ECU settings at sports performance level. It may sound weird for all car enthusiasts but its a fact. The logic behind it is that why would a granny still able to drive or a mother who drives along with her kids, would require a high performance engine. So they address the concerns of all the end users and make sure that their product is well enough for almost every conditions.
So ECU remapping can be done by just over writing the existing software program of your car and replacing it with a more tuned software, best fitting your conditions. The remapping, until recently was done by removing the existing chip containing the software. It has been made easy after the advent of serial port remapping, and now ECU remapping can be performed by just plugging and overwriting engine map by a better sports performance version in to the serial port.
Tuning ECU is a simple performance upgrading but it may become complicated if you are not aware of your car's specification and would end up in creating a mess if you do not pay consideration to the conditions, the car will have to endure. If you are a newbie and want to perform a rather non professional remapping, I would advise you a simple tool best fit for this purpose. It is known as "Galletto" and use to read your car's ECU tuning file. It's available at more or less $100 from the internet. You need to connect this tool with the obd socket and can be used to diagnose any fault in the car. When the information in the ECU tuning file is retrieved you need to edit and amend it according to your desire using a better tuned software program. But be careful here as the information would be in the form of binary numbers. The software programs which are used to edit these information can be either "race 2000" and "winol". Don't forget to put back tuning file back in to the ECU after you are done.
ECU remapping do have some fuel implications if you are looking for an increase in engines power and torque. However an car can be tuned to an optimum level to save fuel and raise the power and torque as well. The results of the ECU tuning vary according to the engines on which you performed the remapping.
For a turbo charged petrol engine, you can achieve an increase of 20-30% in power and 20-40% in torque. The increase is about 10-15% in power and 15-20% in torque when there is a normally aspirated, non turbo petrol engine. Similarly turbo charged diesel engine ECU tuning may yield a result of 25-50% and 50-75% rise in power and torque respectively. With all these engine upgrading, high power, more torque and better fuel efficiency, why would you not go for DIY ECU remapping?
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Now a question arise what actually is ECU remapping?
Before telling you about it lets talk about some fundamentals. Different car's performance parameters are now judged by sensors embedded at various places in the car. These parameters may include ignition timing, fuel consumption, air flow, throttle position, crank position e.t.c. All these are closely monitored via sensors and their performance reports are send to car's engine management system or electronic control unit (ECU). So ECU basically is a software program which process the signals send by the sensors and helps in better performance of the car in any given condition.
Having said that, the question is automatically replied that why you should have your ECU remapped. Of course for better engine performance. The car manufacturers do not always tailor make their ECU settings at sports performance level. It may sound weird for all car enthusiasts but its a fact. The logic behind it is that why would a granny still able to drive or a mother who drives along with her kids, would require a high performance engine. So they address the concerns of all the end users and make sure that their product is well enough for almost every conditions.
So ECU remapping can be done by just over writing the existing software program of your car and replacing it with a more tuned software, best fitting your conditions. The remapping, until recently was done by removing the existing chip containing the software. It has been made easy after the advent of serial port remapping, and now ECU remapping can be performed by just plugging and overwriting engine map by a better sports performance version in to the serial port.
Tuning ECU is a simple performance upgrading but it may become complicated if you are not aware of your car's specification and would end up in creating a mess if you do not pay consideration to the conditions, the car will have to endure. If you are a newbie and want to perform a rather non professional remapping, I would advise you a simple tool best fit for this purpose. It is known as "Galletto" and use to read your car's ECU tuning file. It's available at more or less $100 from the internet. You need to connect this tool with the obd socket and can be used to diagnose any fault in the car. When the information in the ECU tuning file is retrieved you need to edit and amend it according to your desire using a better tuned software program. But be careful here as the information would be in the form of binary numbers. The software programs which are used to edit these information can be either "race 2000" and "winol". Don't forget to put back tuning file back in to the ECU after you are done.
ECU remapping do have some fuel implications if you are looking for an increase in engines power and torque. However an car can be tuned to an optimum level to save fuel and raise the power and torque as well. The results of the ECU tuning vary according to the engines on which you performed the remapping.
For a turbo charged petrol engine, you can achieve an increase of 20-30% in power and 20-40% in torque. The increase is about 10-15% in power and 15-20% in torque when there is a normally aspirated, non turbo petrol engine. Similarly turbo charged diesel engine ECU tuning may yield a result of 25-50% and 50-75% rise in power and torque respectively. With all these engine upgrading, high power, more torque and better fuel efficiency, why would you not go for DIY ECU remapping?
Dents on a car are hated all around the world by the car owners as they seem to sabotage the whole look of your shiny, pimped out, modified car. Many car lovers, rush to their their nearest car body repair shop to fix a car dent as soon as they get one and empty their pockets by paying heavy bills of these body repair shops. Not all the car enthusiasts know that they can easily remove car dents simply by using common house hold dent pulling tools as well as some specialized tools and the cost of removing them is pretty nominal as compared to those heavy bills of body repair shops. In this post I will discuss some easy "how to remove dents" techniques which can be performed via the help of some specialized or common tools which are available every where at economical price. Its so easy to remove car dents that after reading this post you will say for yourself that "car dent fix" is definitely a DIY job.
I will discuss a some general steps of removing car dents. But first just a quick peek of some tools that are considered effective as auto dent puller.
Dent Pulling Tools:
Now there are different dent pullers or dent removers which are used to remove dents from the car. Some of these are specialized for this purpose while some of them are common house hold tools which cab also be used for this purpose. These tools or materials can be:
How To Remove Minor Dents On A Car:
Note that these steps are recommended only for minor dents on a car.
Remove Car Dents By Suction Cup Dent Puller:
Most non violent way of popping out minor car dents is using a dent puller which when combines with air compressor attempts to pull it by creating a suction. Therefore I would call it as a suction dent puller. Following are the steps to use this tool effectively.
How To Remove Relatively Larger Dent From A Car:
If the dent is relatively larger to pull it from a dent puller you can use a small sledge hammer and a small 2"x 4" wooden block. Follow these steps.
How to Fix a Dent on a Car -- powered by eHow.com
Useful Links:
Remove Dents Using Dry Ice
Remove Car Dents With Hair Dryer And Liquid Carbon Dioxide CO2
READ MORE
I will discuss a some general steps of removing car dents. But first just a quick peek of some tools that are considered effective as auto dent puller.
Dent Pulling Tools:
Now there are different dent pullers or dent removers which are used to remove dents from the car. Some of these are specialized for this purpose while some of them are common house hold tools which cab also be used for this purpose. These tools or materials can be:
- Wooden block and a hammer.
- Suction cup dent puller integrated with air compressor.
- Dry Ice.
- Plunger
How To Remove Minor Dents On A Car:
Note that these steps are recommended only for minor dents on a car.
- First clean the area with water and a piece of cloth so you are in a clear contact with the surface area and the dented region can be easily seen.
- Drill a hole right at the center of the dent.
- Insert the dent pulling tool inside the hole.
- Try to pull the dent puller towards you until it pops out.
- Once the dent pops out, remove the dent puller.
- If the dent has been removed, fill the hole with the body filler and cover the area with touch up paint.
Remove Car Dents By Suction Cup Dent Puller:
Most non violent way of popping out minor car dents is using a dent puller which when combines with air compressor attempts to pull it by creating a suction. Therefore I would call it as a suction dent puller. Following are the steps to use this tool effectively.
- Clean the area with water and a piece of cloth.
- Combine the dent puller ( suction dent puller) with an air compressor and activate it.
- keep the dent puller on the area of the dent.
- Make sure that there is no gap or space left open between the dent puller and the dent area of the car. As any space left opened will make it impossible for creating a vacuum and no suction would be created.
- Once the dent puller is nicely placed it will attach to the car's metal where it has been placed. This will testify that the tool is working effectively.
- Pull the tool towards yourself. Since there's a vacuum between the car body and the dent puller so the car dent will also tend to pop out with the dent puller.
- That's it. You are done. De-activate the air compressor, remove the dent puller and ta-daa!!! The minor dent on your car is a history.
How To Remove Relatively Larger Dent From A Car:
If the dent is relatively larger to pull it from a dent puller you can use a small sledge hammer and a small 2"x 4" wooden block. Follow these steps.
- Remove the upper layer of the dented area from inside the car. For instance if you want to remove dent of a car door. Reach inside your car and remove the clothing or leather layer from inside your car so that you reach the effected region from inside.
- The area must be popping out from the interior side as it must be appearing as popped in from outside.
- Take a wooden block and keep it on the surface area of the dent area.
- Now take a hammer and hit the block with the hammer. Make sure that you hit the block gently or you will cause a permanent damage to the car body.
- Your job is done once the dents pops out from exterior and the body returns to it original position.
How to Fix a Dent on a Car -- powered by eHow.com
Useful Links:
Remove Dents Using Dry Ice
Remove Car Dents With Hair Dryer And Liquid Carbon Dioxide CO2