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

Driveshaft
A long metal cylinder located between the transmission and the rear axle, in front-engine rear-wheel drive vehicles. The shaft is connected to the components on each end with a universal joint, which allows for movement up and down without bending the shaft.

Drive Axle
Connects the transaxle to the front wheels on a front-wheel drive vehicle.

Dragster
A straight-line racing car where the engine is half exposed an the rear wheels are larger than the front wheels. Exotic booster fuels are usually added like nitro-gas.

Drafting
A phenomena where two cars running nose to tail together can move faster than an individual vehicle.

Double Wishbone Suspension
A type of independent suspension in which the upper and lower support pieces, or members, look somewhat like a wishbone.

Downforce
The air pressure applied to the surface of a car at high speed, by means of aerodynamic body details, thus improving its traction, as airflow tries to lift the car.

Downpipe
The pipe that joins the entire exhaust system to the exhaust manifold.

Dogleg
Popular name applied to the angle created at the door opening by the wrap-around windshields found on many mid to late '50's models.

Displacement
The volume displaced by an engine's cylinders. Formerly measured in cubic inches, it is now more commonly expressed in liters.

Distributor
Part of the ignition (electrical) system. Delivers electricity from the ignition coil to the distributor cap and the spark plug wires in the correct firing order. (The firing order is that sequence in which each cylinder begins its power stroke.) The spark plugs ignite the fuel and air mixture in each cylinder thousands of times a minute, producing...

Diffuser
A rear outlet for expelling engine noise.

Ding
A small dent or scrape in the body of the vehicle.

Disc Brakes
Shiny metal discs, called brake rotors, are attached to the wheel hub, rotating with the wheel. When the brake pedal is depressed, the brake calipers squeeze the discs to slow the vehicle. See Brake Caliper and Brake Rotor. Diameter given in millimeters.

Differential
A mechanical gearbox or fluid coupling that allows wheels to rotate at different speeds. Usually located on an axle, it allows the outside wheels to turn faster than the inside wheels during cornering. Four-wheel-drive and all-wheel drive vehicles have two differentials, one for the rear axle and one for the front. all-wheel drive vehicles also may...

Diesel
An internal combustion engine in which the air-fuel mixture is ignited by compression in the cylinder rather than by a spark. Diesel engines use diesel fuel rather than gasoline and tend to be more fuel-efficient and require less maintenance than gasoline engines, but it is more complicated to get them to run cleanly. Also used as a slang term: aft...

Decked
the process of removing the body trim or contour lines from the hood or trunk of a car, usually as part of a customized design.

Depreciation
The decrease in a vehicle's market value over time. The amount of yearly depreciation is affected by vehicle condition; resale-marketplace supply and demand; and make and model reputation. Convertibles, high-performance cars, trucks and vans tend to depreciate less than other vehicles.

Dealer Invoice Price
Also called dealer cost. The amount the dealer pays for a car or truck. Deducted from this price may be a dealer incentive, which is a set discount offered for a limited period of time, or a dealer holdback, which is a percentage of the vehicle's wholesale price.

Cylinder Head
At the top of the engine block is the cylinder head which contains intake and exhaust valves. Air and fuel enter the cylinder head through the intake valves and spent leftovers are released after combustion through the exhaust valves

Damper
A device which reduces vibration.

Dashboard
This may refer to the unit found between the front driver and passenger seat that contains the automatic transmission shifter, cupholders and a storage compartment. But it can also refer to the section of the instrument panel that includes the controls for the sound system and climate-control system, particularly if the panel flows down the center ...

Cylinder Block
The main part of the engine to which other parts are attached.

Cruiser skirts
Optional accessory similar in function to fender skirts but are normally longer, fit on the outside of the body of the car, and are most often used in customization work.

Crumple Zone
Portions of a vehicle's structure designed to buckle and fold in an impact, absorbing crash force rather than transmitting it to vehicle occupants.

Cylinder
One of a group of chambers in the engine within which the process of combustion takes place. The most common engine configurations utilize either four (4), six (6) or eight (8) cylinders.

Crash-Test
Crash protection research programs run by government backed authorities. Cars are crashed head-on into a rigid barrier at 35 mph, and instrumented dummies measure crash forces endured by properly restrained occupants. Each tested vehicle is assigned a score indicating the likelihood of moderate, severe or fatal injury.

Cruise Control
A device that, when set by the driver, will hold the car at the chosen speed.

Crankshaft
The main shaft of an engine through which the power produced during combustion is transferred to the transmission (and ultimately the wheels) as torque. Its rotation results from the reciprocating motion of the pistons.

Coupe
Generally, a two-door car with close-coupled passenger compartment.

Coupe de Ville
A coupe with an enclosed, rear passenger section and an open driver's section.

Crankcase
The area inside the engine block where the crankshaft, piston rods and other moving parts operate and receive continuous lubrication.

Continental kit
A spare tyre mounted on the bumper at the rear of the car, usually requiring a bumper extension.

Convertible
A medium-large sized car seating upto 5 people an having possibly 4 doors. Largely occurring in America, as with a top that can be either lowered or removed. Originally, many popular American cars were of this design, but soon the protection of the closed in sedan gained dominance. Convertibles have always had a niche except for a brief period in t...

Comprehensive Coverage
Optional insurance that pays for damage to your car caused by things other than collision. For example, if your car is stolen or vandalized.

Compression
The stage prior to combustion during which the piston in a cylinder pushes down on the fuel vapor within to pressurize it.

Compression Ratio
The ratio of the volume within an engine cylinder when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke, compared to the volume in the cylinder when the piston is at the top of its stroke. The higher the ratio, the more compression during combustion and the more powerful the engine. Eg- 8:3:1

Collision Coverage
Optional insurance that pays for damage to your car caused by collision with another car or object.

Combustion Chamber
Top section of the engine cylinder, where the air-fuel mixture is ignited by a spark plug. The explosion of the combustion pushes the piston down into the cylinder, producing the force that the transmission delivers to the drive wheels.

Clutch Disk
Presses against the transmission flywheel to transfer power from the engine to the transmission.

CO2 emissions
Carbon dioxide pollution expelled from the exhaust pipe, that since the 1990's must be at low enough levels to make the car meet world toxicity regulations. Figure given in grams per kilometer.

Coil Spring
A heavy-duty, spiraled metal component of the suspension system which forms a dynamic connection between the body of an automobile and its chassis.

Clearcoat
The transparent top coat of paint on many newer vehicles; designed to create a long-lasting, lustrous appearance.

Climate-Control System
The non-technical term for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system (HVAC). Most current vehicles have all three - heating, defrost, and AC.

Club seat
The rear seat in a coupe.

Clutch
This drivetrain component is found between the engine and the transmission. It acts as a coupling device which is used to engage and disengage the transmission from the engine when shifting gears. It is necessary to do this joining and detaching because the engine is turning at a relatively high rate (thousands of revolutions per minute), and attem...

Christmas Tree
The pole of lights that starts a drag race, named for its red and green lights. Most drag races use the pro or heads up start which has three lights in between the first (red) and last (green) stage.

Chicane
A sequence of tight corners. Often inserted on straights to slow cars into the following corner. A number of race tracks have been modified to reduce speeds.

CHMSL
Center High-Mounted Stop Light - required brake light mounted higher than the taillights, at the top center or bottom center of the rear windshield, as for racing purposes by regulation.

Choptop
The result of the process of lowering the top of a car, usually as part of a customized design.

Check valve
A safety valve which allows fuel, air or a vacuum to flow in only one direction.

CdA
Aerodynamic efficiency (Cd) multiplied by frontal area (A). This will tell you how much effort is required to push the car through the air at a given speed.

Central Locking System
On a vehicle with power door locks, the system locks or unlocks all doors at one time.

Chassis
This is the part of the car in which the driver sits and to which the engine and suspension are attached. In modern Formula 1 cars the chassis is a monocoque design manufactured from carbon fibre.

CD changer
a jukebox style enclosure containing 5 to 50 audio CDs, each being accessible via a built-in CD player, all remotely controlled from the car-hi-fi panel on the dashboard.

CATS
Computer Aided Traction System, in which a machine automatically adjusts the road holding ability of a car while it covers slippery or uneven ground. A standard high-tech add-on for expensive sports-cars an luxury saloons, introduced in the 1990's.

Carburetor
Device that mixes air with fuel, delivering the mixture into the engine's combustion chambers. Only found on older vehicles. By the mid-1980s, new emissions standards led to the use of fuel-injection systems, which do not require frequent adjustment.

Catalytic Converter
A component of the exhaust system that creates a heat- producing chemical reaction to convert potentially harmful combustion byproducts into carbon dioxide and water.

Carbon Fibre
This is an ultra-light, but extremely strong material that has been used to manufacturer vehicle parts for road an racing cars. It was introduced to the World of Formula 1 racing in the 1970's in the form of large but light wings. McLaren were the first team to use it to produce the whole monocoque of a Formula 1 car in 1981.

Captive Finance Company
A car insurance institution owned by a car manufacturer. Examples include Chrysler Credit, Ford Motor Credit and General-Motors-AutoCredit.

Carbon Brakes
Introduced by the Brabham Team in 1978, these offer improved performance and superior durability to the steel brakes they superceded. Carbon disc brakes operate at their best when heated to extremely high temperatures, up to 1000� centigrade. Therefore, they are not suitable for road going cars as there performance when cold is very poor.

Cam
An irregularly shaped disc or projection whose rotation creates a rocking motion in an adjacent part.

Camber
Inward or outward tilt of the wheels tyres. This adjustment affects how the vehicle holds the road and handles cornering.

Camshaft
A metal shaft supporting the cams that cause the open/close operation of the intake and exhaust valves. The camshaft turns at 1/2 the speed of the crankshaft and is connected to it either via gears, a timing chain or a timing belt.

Capitalized Cost
In a lease transaction, the price at which a financial institution buys a vehicle from a dealer. Equivalent to the cash purchase price if the consumer were buying the vehicle outright, it includes taxes and any other additional charges. Also called Capital Cost.

Cabriolet
A two-door small open car with a hand- retractable roof, being either a rag (cloth) top or hard top. Seating 4 usually, it appeared first in the 1920's but faded-out a decade later, an returning to fashion by the 1960's.

Cabin
The interior people-space within a car. For a truck its called a Cab. The 'Greenhouse' is a term used in automotive circles to describe all of the windows enclosing the passenger compartment.

Brake Rotor
Shiny metal disk that brake pads squeeze to stop the vehicle; hence the name disc brakes.

Brake Shoe
A curved, replaceable piece of friction material used on drum brakes. The wheel cylinder pushes the brake shoes against the brake drum.

Bucket Seats
Individual driver or passenger seats, that enclose a person by means of depth curvature an side lips. Usually found in customised an sporting cars.

Bumper
a length of metal with spring or rubber backing that sits rear-most on a car, and fronts the radiator.

Brake Booster
Device or system that helps reduce the force the driver must exert against the brake pedal. May be hydraulic or electric.

Brake Caliper
A hydraulic (liquid-pressured) piston assembly that holds disc-brake pads.

Brake Pad
Used in a disc system, it is a replaceable piece of backing plate and additional friction lining. The Disc, a thick, round metal plate located behind each wheel, against which a set of brake pads are applied by a caliper during braking.

Brake Pull
Occurs when the vehicle pulls suddenly to the left or right as the brake pedal is depressed. It indicates the brakes may be out of adjustment.

Boxer Engine
The cylinders are opposite (180 degrees apart) from each other. Also called flat engines, these are relatively flat compared to In-line or V engines.

Bore
Diameter of an individual engine cylinder. Relates to that of the piston stoke length, both being given in millimeters, eg- 77.0/85.5mm

Box car
a small car made from light wood an metal, with no mechanical content other than a steering mechanism plus 2 axels.

Blowby
Gases created during combustion that leak past the piston rings and are removed from the crankcase via the PCV system.

Body Style
The type of exterior shell or shape to a vehicle (sedan, coupe, hatchback, etc.).

Booster Seat
This child-safety seat is designed for children who are too large for a baby seat, but not big enough to sit safely in the vehicle's seats.

Ball Joint
A dynamic joint of ball-and-socket configuration used in the steering and suspension systems.

Base-Coat
A coat of paint acting as the base for other layers to be applied.

Beltline
A horizontal line, usually imaginary but sometimes indicated by a feature in the body design, just below the window openings on a car or truck body.

Bench Seats
Full-length seat that runs along the rear width of the car cabin so that more than two passengers can sit there.

Benzene
An air pollutant produced via the combustion engine an the fossil fuels it burns.

Back Pressure
The pressure produced by restrictions in an exhaust system. Back pressure affects the rate at which exhaust gases are extracted from the cylinders.

Automatic Locking Retractor
Standard on 1995 and later models, this device is built into the shoulder belt retractor and keeps the belt cinched tightly, which is essential for properly securing a child-safety seat.

Automatic Transmission
A system that varies the power and torque to a drivetrain without the use of a foot-operated clutch.

Auto Mall
Several Dealership operations located on one site.

ATC
Automatically controls a vehicle's heating and cooling systems, maintaining a temperature preset by the occupant.

ATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid. A liquid used within an automatic transmission to transfer the movement of the torque converter to the driveshaft.

Alternative Fuels
May be alcohol-based, such as ethanol or methanol; compressed natural gas; or combinations of gasoline and alcohol.

Alternator
A device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy for the purpose of charging the car battery.

Anti-Roll Bar
A suspension component. A steel rod or tube that connects the left and right suspension members to resist roll or swaying of the vehicle. Improves handling.

Aspect Ratio
The ratio between the width and sidewall (or height) of the tyre. Tyres with lower aspect ratios, usually found on sports models, provide superior handling but a harsher ride.

Air-conditioning/AC
Introduced during the 1970's in USA, as standard on many cars since 1990, globally. Causes quick cooling of cabin by way of chilled air flow.

Alloy Wheels
Any non-steel road wheel. Mostly aluminum, but technically a mixture of two or more metals.

All-Season Tyres
Tyres designed to provide good traction in winter snow and slush without wearing too quickly on dry roads.

Air Injection
A method for reducing exhaust emissions. The injection of fresh air into the engine exhaust ports, combined with the high heat present in the exhaust manifold, causes the burning up of leftover fuel vapors.

Aerodynamic
The wind resistance of a vehicle's design elements. Aerodynamic vehicles claim to offer increased performance and reduced wind noise while moving. See Coefficient of Drag.