CAR TERMINOLOGY AND CAR TYPES
Car Terminology
What Does Engine Litre Size Mean?
You may have seen a car advertised or referred to as say a 1.2 litre. What this means is the engine size, or more accurately, the space that is available inside the engine's cylinders for the fuel-air mix. The greater the space the greater the amounts of fuel-air mix which ultimately means more power. One cylinder may have a space of 0.5 litres however the engine may have eight cylinders, which would give an engine size of 4 litres. This measurement is also known as engine displacement.
What is Horsepower?
Complicated this one but basically an inventor called James Watt calculated that one horse could do 30,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute. He applied this measurement to steam engines and the measurement has been use to quantify the power of engines every since. So horsepower is the measure of an engines power.
What is Brake Horsepower (BHP)?
This is the measurement of a car's horsepower when it comes straight out of the crankshaft. Horsepower is often lost as it is transmitted from the crankshaft and through the gears. So the horsepower that is delivered to the wheels is usually less than what is produced by the engine.
What is Torque?
Torque is a measurement used to quantify the force of the rotational force produced by the engine. It is another way to measure the power of a car and is calculated in foot- pounds (ft-lbs).
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
This is a system fitted to most modern cars that prevents the wheels from locking when braking in an emergency.
Gearbox
The transmission will automatically select gears as the driver accelerates and decelerates.
Carburettor
A carburetto is a component that mixes the fuel and the air.
Car Handling
How responsive and accurate is the steering. If you were driving through a bend and you needed to make constant alterations to the steering wheel then you could say the car had bad handling. If the car went exactly where you steered it, even at high speeds, then the car would be considered to have good handling
Chassis
The structure that acts as a mounting to the major car parts i.e. suspension system, frame, wheels and body.
Clutch
The clutch enables the engine to be disconnected from the transmission in order to engage or disengage the gears.
Fuel-Injection System
A computerized system that mixes the fuel and air before it passes into the engine for combustion. Such a system is more efficient than a standard carburettor.
Four Wheel Drive
The engine is capable of sending power to all four wheels.
Front Wheel and Rear Wheel Drive
Most cars have front wheel drive. This is where the power is sent to the front wheels and these in turn drive the car. Rear wheel drive cars are usually much better handling but also tend to be the more expensive cars to buy.
Manual Gearbox
The driver physically selects the gears themselves.
Over Steer
If when driving through a bend and the rear wheels fail to follow the front wheels and instead veer towards the outside of the turn, you are experiencing over steer.
Power Steering
Makes turning the wheels a lot easier. Means the car has a separate power source that helps turn the wheels.
Turbocharger
These help an engine produce more power. A turbocharger uses the pressure from the exhaust to create more pressure in the cylinders, which enables them to receive more fuel-air mix.
Valves
Each cylinder has valves; ones that allow the fuel-air mix in (intake valves) and ones that allow the exhaust fumes out (exhaust valves). Every cylinder needs at least one intake and one exhaust valve. However some cars have more than one of each as more valves allow more fuel-air mix in which helps to increase power and performance. A 16-valve engine is likely to have four valves on each of its four cylinders.
Under Steer
If when driving through a bend the steering wheel doesn't turn the wheels as much as you want then the car has under steer.
Different Types of Car
Saloon Car
A car with 2 front seats, at least 2 rear seats, four doors and a separate boot.
Coupe Car
A car that is often the sports version of a saloon car. Typically they have 2 doors and are less spacious in the rear.
Estate Car
Has an extended rear cargo section and the full height of the car extends to the boot, which gives a much larger storage space.
Hatchback
Are often like estate cars but have a much smaller boot, which can always be accessed, from the rear seats.
Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)
These are cars that can go off road, are usually 4x4, have good towing abilities and can carry more than four passengers.
Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
A people carrier. Van like but designed for personal use. They carry more people than a standard car.
Convertible
A car with a foldable or retractable roof. Also known as a cabriolet
