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Expertasig - Car glossary Category: Travel and Transportation > Cars Date & country: 24/11/2013, RO Words: 401

MacPherson Strut
A MacPherson strut is a unit that includes a damper or shock absorber cartridge inside a large, long metal spring. MacPherson struts are used over the front wheels of most front-drive cars. Replacement of MacPherson strut cartridges requires a spring compressor.

Lock-to-lock
The amount of turns the steering wheel must rotated for the wheels to be turned from rightmost to leftmost. Eg - for the Mini Cooper its 2.5.

Limited-Slip Differential
A device that helps prevent the drive wheels from skidding or losing traction by diverting power from the slipping wheel to the opposite wheel on the same axle.

Litre
Engine-displacement measurement, as in a 2.0-litre engine. The metric equivalent to the imperial measuring standard, which is largely favoured by American car makers. A Gallon is this other liquid volume standard, an contains 3.78541 litres.

Live Axle
A solid axle allowing movement of the wheel on one end to affect the opposite wheel. Found on older rear-drive cars and tucks. Also called a rigid axle.

Leg Room
With the front seat adjusted all the way back, the distance from the accelerator pedal's heel point to the back of the front seat cushion.

Lien
A legally documented claim against a vehicle by another party to which the vehicle has been offered as security for repayment of a loan or other debt. A lien against the title may make it impossible to sell the vehicle and transfer the title until the lien is cleared.

Lift Gate
The rear opening on a hatchback. Called a tailgate in Europe, or hatch door.

Liftover
The distance a person must lift an object off the ground to put it in a trunk, boot, or cargo bay.

Lean or Rich Fuel Mixture
The fuel mixture is lean when it has too much air, and rich when it has too much fuel. These terms can also be used to refer to adjustments the electronic control module makes to the fuel mixture in response to various driving conditions, particularly on engines with variable-valve technology.

Leased car agreement
A contract between leasor and lessee for a specified time period and at a specified payment. The title to the car remains in the name of the leasor as owner of the asset.

Leaf Spring
Suspension spring made up of several thin, curved, hardened-steel or composite-material plates attached at the ends to the vehicle underbody. The curved shape of the plates allows them to flex and absorb bumps.

Kit Car
A vehicle that is designed for assembly by the private hobbyist.

Land yacht
A large luxury car, especially the huge, chrome laden, finned monsters of the late '50's.

Landau top
A roof style characterized by a (usually small) rear section being covered by vinyl fabric or otherwise set apart.

Lap-and-Shoulder Belt
A safety belt that secures the driver and/or passenger in the seat with a continuous web of material which fits across the lap and crosses the upper body. It keeps the occupant from jerking forward in the event of a crash. Also called three-way belt, three-point belt, or three-point safety harness.

Journal
The surface of a bearing against which a moving shaft turns.

Jump start
To transfer electrical power from one car battery to another to enable the cars ignition system to startup, using jump leads.

Keyless Entry
A system for locking and unlocking doors of a vehicle with a central locking system without using the key. Usually, the user controls the locks by pressing a button on a remote key-fob transmitter. Some vehicles have electronic combination locks on the doors near the handle.

Intake Valves
Devices that open passageways for fuel vapor to enter the cylinders but which also close them to maintain cylinder pressure during compression and combustion.

Intercooler
Device that cools air as it leaves a turbocharger or supercharger before the air is blown into the engine air intake. Cooling makes the air denser and richer in oxygen, which lets the engine produce more power.

Interior Payload
The amount of space or material that can be carried inside the vehicle.

Jackknife
The point at which the cab of an articulated lorry is overtaken by the trailer its pulling while still attached.

Installation
the engine location maybe front, rear, or mid. If its mid or further back the car is rear-wheel drive. Its orientation maybe traverse or longitudinal.

Intake Manifold
A cast set of pipes or passages through which fuel or air is directed into the cylinders.

Injectors
Devices which receive fuel at low pressure and shoot it into the engine cylinders at predetermined intervals under higher pressure.

In-Line Engine
Cylinders are arranged side by side in a row and in a single bank. Most four-cylinder and some six-cylinder engines are in-line engines. In V-6, V-8 or V-12 engines, the cylinders are divided into two banks, each of which is angled away from the other in a 'V' pattern.

Indy 500
The big race held in Indianapolis every year on Memorial Day weekend.

Inflatable Tubular Restraint
This tube of woven material is stiffer and stays inflated longer than a traditional airbag cushion. The tube protects the occupant's head and torso in a side impact, in part by keeping them away from the point of intrusion. The uninflated tube is tucked into the edge of the roof headliner. The tube is attached at the base of the A-pillar in front o...

Independent Suspension
A suspension design that lets each wheel move up and down independently of the others. A vehicle can have two-wheel or four-wheel independent suspension; sportier models have four-wheel independent suspension. See also Multi-Link Suspension, Live Axle.

IHRA
International Hot Rod Association

Imobiliser
An electronic safety feature that prevents a car from being illegally driven away.

IMSA
International Motor Sports Association, founded by John Bishop in 1969. Sanctions, organizes, markets and officiates professional auto racing events.

Inboard Air Jack
A device added to some racing cars which raises their chassis after making a pitstop, so quicker action can be taken on their maintenance. It is powered by a compressed air canister.

Ignition System
The system responsible for generating and distributing the electrical spark needed to ignite fuel in the cylinders and for altering the frequency (timing) of that spark in relation to changes in engine speed.

Hood ornament
A chromeplated metal figurine that sits atop the radiator or at the middle-front of the bonnet.

Hot Rod
A normal vehicle that has been altered to improve speed and overall appearance or look. When racing acts as a variation of a dragster by hiding the usual front engine chassis under a lightweight body that looks like a street car.

Hydraulic
An integral car component operated by means of liquid under pressure, as used in the braking system. Word derived from Grecian origin.

Idle Speed
The speed of the engine at minimum throttle and the engine in neutral.

Hip Room
The allotted room between a passenger's hips and any other part of the vehicle.

Holdback
Manufacturer refund to a dealer after a vehicle is sold. Usually a percentage of the recommended retail price.

Hatchback
A passenger car with a full-height rear door that includes a rear window. Usually has a rear folding seat. Called a 'Compact' by leasing companies in USA.

Head Room
The distance from the top of an occupant's head to the headliner.

Headliner
The interior covering of the roof. Headliners often contain consoles with slots for garage-door openers and other devices, as well as dome lights and wiring for electrical and electronic components attached to the headliner. The covering usually includes a sound-absorbing material.

Hardtop
A car designed to resemble a convertible in looks and feel but without a removable top. Hardtops do not have the fixed post between the side windows.

Handling
The ease of vehicle steering and maneuverability around turns, up hills, etc.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
The kerb weight of the vehicle plus the maximum load it is designed to carry.

Ground Clearance
The distance between the ground and the lowest point of the vehicle chassis (usually the axle). A vehicle can drive over any object shorter than its minimum ground clearance.

Hairpin
A tight looping curve on a race track.

Halogen bulb
A special headlight form whose brightness power is greater than standard bulbs, though they cost more an last shorter.

Gray Market Vehicle
Any car that is imported, but not through authorized retailers. May have insufficient emissions standards.

Gridlock
A traffic situation where most vehicles cannot move in any direction.

Grille
An opening in the front of the vehicle that allows air to reach the radiator.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
The actual weight of the vehicle plus the maximum load it is designed to carry.

Grand Prix
A type of car race popular in Europe. Also, a French term meaning great prize.

Gasket
A thin, expanding material used to seal the gaps and imperfections between hard, adjoining surfaces.

Gear Ratio
The ratio of teeth counts between meshing gears.

Gearbox
A metallic enclosure containing several cogs, each one affecting the effort in which the car moves. Each cog/gear has a different mph ratio per 1000rpm. Overall control maybe manual via the gear stick, automatic, or semi via a hand paddle.

Go-Cart
A small lightly powered single seat sporting car, driven by juveniles for leisure, or more seriously as a precursor to professional sport driving, as like F1 champion Ayrton Senna did while training before turning Pro.

Gas-Charged Shocks
Also called gas-filled shocks. They are shock absorbers filled with a low-pressure gas to smooth the vehicle's ride during up-and-down movement.

GAP Insurance
Stands for Guaranteed Auto Protection insurance. Extra insurance for lease customers to cover the difference in the actual value of the vehicle and whatever is owed on the lease. Important if the car is stolen or totaled early in the lease term. It also covers the difference in value between what may be paid by an insurance carrier and what is stil...

Fuel System
These systems are vast and countless, but today's basic systems divide into two fundamental groups: carburetor systems and fuel Injection systems. Carburetor systems work by allowing the vacuum created by the engine in the intake stroke to pull fuel and air into the engine. Fuel Injection systems are more common these days. Sensors and computer con...

Fuel Injection System
Injects fuel into the engine's cylinders with electronic control to time and meter the fuel flow.

Fuel Injector
Taking the place of carburetors in the 1980s, the fuel injector is an electrically controlled valve that delivers a precise amount of pressurized fuel into each combustion chamber.

Front Wheel Drive
The front wheels are the ones that are being powered by the engine/transmission, and the rear wheels just follow along. Generally speaking, these cars are more fuel-efficient than their rear-wheel drive counterparts, and they operate more easily in snow, but they are more expensive to build and maintain.

Fuel Cell
The name for a volumous fuel tank used in formula racing cars, that sits behind the driver an is reinforced with Kevlar.

Frame-off restoration
A restoration method in which the car is completely disassembled with all parts cleaned or replaced as necessary, including the engine and all other mechanical components) so the restored car meets the exact factory specifications of the time as closely as possible.

Four-Wheel Steering
Vehicle on which all four wheels turn when the driver turns the steering wheel. The rear wheels turn at a smaller angle than the front wheels. This system appeared on a few sports models in the 1980s but was never very popular in North America.

Formula Racing
The most popular, sophisticated, and expensive of all the forms of auto racing is Formula 1 [F1]. It tends to be dominated by European drivers, who race through non-ovular circuits around the globe. The parallels to Indy Car racing have lead to the defections of drivers like Nigel Mansell, who sought the greater spoils of victory in the US, even th...

Flywheel
A large disc bolted to the rear end of the crankshaft. The flywheel is encircled by a ring gear whose teeth are designed to mesh with the pinion gear in the starter during the process of starting the engine.

Fog lights
Two special headlights designed for cutting through foggy conditions along the road ahead.

Forced Induction
When a gas is blown into the engine to increase speed, by a turbo or supercharger.

Final Drive Ratio
The reduction ratio of the transmission gear set furthest from the engine. In other words, the ratio of the number of rotations of the drive shaft for one rotation of a wheel. In general, a low final drive ratio results in better fuel efficiency, and higher final drive ratio results in better performance.

Firewall
The metal panel that separates the engine compartment from the passenger compartment. It also often includes sound and heat insulation.

Firing Order
The sequence in which spark plugs fire and combustion takes place in the engine cylinders.

Fifth Wheel
Provides a flexible connection between car an that which it tows, like a caravan.

Fan Belt
Transmits power from a crankshaft-driven pulley to an engine fan and other accessories.

Feed-through
The accepted an safest method by which a driver turns a steering wheel.

Fender
A body panel that lies below either side of the bonet, between the front bumper and front-most door edge, encompassing the wheel space in-between, [2 off].

FIA
Federation Internationale De L'Automobile

Exhaust Manifold
A cast set of pipes or passages through which exhaust gases exit the engine cylinders on their way into the exhaust system.

Exhaust Valves
Devices that open passageways from the cylinders for exhaust gases to exit but which also close them during compression and combustion to maintain cylinder pressure.

Extra urban
A government fuel consumption rating in mpg for when driving along motorways.

Factory standard
The basic design and options that make up the packaging of an entry-level vehicle.

Evaporator Core
Part of the climate-control system that contains a liquid refrigerant which turns to gas to absorb heat from the air.

Excess Mileage
Any mileage over the amount agreed upon within a car hire lease contract. Generally incurs a per-mileage charge at the end of the lease. Experts recommend a yearly mileage limit, or Mileage Cap, that exceeds normal driving needs.

Equity
The value left in a used vehicle after subtracting the outstanding loan balance from its market value. For example, if

Escrow
A process in which a neutral third party takes care of the transfer of ownership of the vehicle.

Evaporative Emissions
Evaporated fuel from the carburetor or fuel system which mixes with the surrounding outside air.

Engine noise pollution
An environmental concern measured in SPL decibels, at various speeds, an when the engine is idling. Leaded emissions relate to 'toxic pollution'.

Engine management system
Computerized control of the ignition an fuel systems, making driving more economical, quieter, and power-effective. It can be made by the company using it, or be bought from another car manufacturer, or from a specialist electronics maker.

Engine layout
The position it sits within the chassis, the cylinder amount, their arrangement, the CC total, plus any extra add-ons.

Engine Displacement
The total of the volume used for combustion inside the cylinders of an engine. Measured in liters on newer models, or in cubic inches on older models.

Engine cooler
An air intake with behind it a large inducting fan, drawing air through a water cooled piping arrangement, thus preventing engine overheating, where the event is highly expected.

Electronic Mufflers
In an electronic muffler system, sensors and microphones in the exhaust system sense the pattern of exhaust pressure waves. This information is sent to an on-board computer that controls loudspeakers in the muffler. The computer operates the loudspeakers to generate sound waves that oppose and cancel the original exhaust sound waves produced by the...

Engine
The basic job of an engine is to take fuel and convert its energy to some usable mechanical form (burn gasoline to spin a shaft and, ultimately, the wheels). Usually made from alloy & block. Its Cubic Capacity number [cc] represents the interior fuel space within it. The higher cc# the greater power it generates. Most vehicles today are fitted ...

Electronic Ignition
A system which uses an electronic unit as opposed to an older mechanical style distributor with points (contacts) to control the timing and firing of spark plugs.

EBD
Electronic Brake Distribution is a component used with ABS an usually a brake assist mechanism, for small powerful cars, like the new Mini of 1998.

Drum Brakes
A braking system that uses a metal drum. Brake shoes press against the drum to slow or stop the car.

Drivetrain
Vehicle components which act together to move the vehicle forward or backward. On a rear-drive vehicle, it is the combination of the engine, transmission, differential and drive shaft. On a front-drive vehicle, it consists of the engine, transaxle and drive axles.