Balance-shafted four-cylinder engines use two shafts turning in opposite directions on either side of the engine's crankshaft. Not essential to an engine's operation, balance shafts are nonetheless becoming increasingly common as a means of engine refinement. The roof support between a car's front door window and rear side window, if there is one.Ī shaft designed so that, as it rotates, it vibrates in a way that reduces or cancels some of the vibration produced by an engine. When used to describe a wing it is the span of the airfoil (the long dimension perpendicular to the airflow) divided by its chord (the dimension parallel to the airflow).Ī form of wheel hop that occurs on cars with live axles, caused by the axle repeatedly rotating slightly with the wheels and then springing back. A lower aspect ratio implies a shorter, wider tire. In tire terminology it applies to the unloaded sidewall height of the tire divided by its overall width. Generally the ratio between two dimensions of an object. The point(s) or region on the line through a corner that touches the corner's inner radius. Similar to anti-dive, this suspension characteristic uses acceleration-induced forces in the rear suspension to reduce squat. An anti-roll bar does not affect suspension stiffness when both wheels are deflected equally in the same direction. Commonly called ABS, such a system can control all four wheels or only two.Ī suspension element (used at the front, the rear, or both ends of a car) that reduces body roll by resisting any unequal vertical motion between the pair of wheels to which it is connected. Air dams can increase the airflow to radiators, reduce aerodynamic drag, and/or reduce lift.Ī tuned-in front suspension characteristic that converts braking-induced forces in the suspension links into a vertical force that tends to lift the body, thereby reducing dive under braking.Ī braking system that senses when any of the wheels have locked up-or are about to-and automatically reduces the braking forces to keep the wheels rolling. Aerodynamic drag is a force usually measured in pounds it increases in proportion to the object's frontal area, its drag coefficient, and the square of its speed.Ī front spoiler mounted beneath the bumper and shaped to reduce the airflow under the car. The actuators position a car's wheels in the best possible manner to deal with road disturbances and handling loads.ĭrag produced by a moving object as it displaces the air in its path. The roof support on either side of a car's windshield.Īn extremely sophisticated, computer-controlled suspension system that uses powered actuators instead of conventional springs and shock absorbers. Hopefully, you will gain enough technical wisdom to astonish the members of your local car club.Ī B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z On the off chance that there might be a term or two you can't define in your sleep, we hereby present the Car and Driver Technical Glossary-and we've included a whole heap of other automotive terms, too. Automotive technology is constantly updated, and much of the terminology used to describe it is complex and difficult to understand.
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