A-PILLAR
Vehicles have two A-pillars, one on either side of the front windshield. The A-pillar usually supports the roof of a vehicle and is located in front of the driver. On convertible models it also represents the main roll-over protection, and is among the strongest body parts.
ABD (Automatic Braking Differential )
The Automatic Braking Differential (ABD) system was co-developed by Bosch and Porsche in order to counteract unnecessary wheel spin by one of the driving wheels. In essence, ABD is an electronic locking differential that uses the brakes and inputs from the Anti-lock Braking System sensors to simulate "the lock" of one of the wheels in case of hard acceleration or during a high-speed maneuver.On most car models, the ABD does not substitute for a real locking differential, but is a supplementary system which provides better directional stability and more traction on less-than-ideal road surfaces by applying braking power to any slipping wheel during acceleration.
ABS (Antilock Braking System )
Originally developed for aircraft braking systems in the first half of the twentieth century, the Antilock Braking System (ABS) is essentially used to improve stability during braking and in some cases it can even shorten braking distances altogether. Appearing in various mechanical forms before, the first modern electronic four-wheel ABS system was co-developed by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch.In cars without ABS, during hard braking the wheels lock, thus making impossible for the car to be steered and the vehicle most likely skids into the obstacle the driver is trying to avoid. The ABS prevents wheel lock-up during braking maneuvers by using sensors which can determine if any wheel is slowing down more than the others and computer-controlled valves which can limit the pressure delivered to each brake cylinder on demand. The whole system is controlled via a master ECU (Electronic Control Unit).
Since the ABS constantly pumps the brakes during a braking maneuver the driver can concentrate on steering the car while applying constant pressure on the brake pedal, without fear of losing control of the car's direction. Also, while braking on uneven surfaces (left tires on gravel and right ones on tarmac, for example) the ABS can keep the car's stability under control.
ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control )
With the help of a laser or a radar sensor, the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system recognizes preceding vehicles, calculates their speed and keeps the distance required by automatically acting on the brakes and/or engine power.ACC can scan the area in front of the vehicle in order to determine the distance to the vehicle ahead. The information gathered by the sensors and/or radar is used to warn the driver if he/she is tailgating or to maintain an automatic safety distance to the vehicle by cutting engine power or activating brakes if necessary.
Some ACC systems can actually get the vehicle to a complete halt without any driver intervention in case they're detecting an impending impact with the object in front of the car.
ACC (Automatic Climate Control)
The Automatic Climate Control is an air-conditioning unit which can automatically set the temperature desired by the driver without being influenced by the outside temperature or other factors. The most advanced climate control systems nowadays use different sensors and can take into account outside temperature, the sun rays' intensity and even the angle on which they're setting on the car in order to automatically regulate the temperature requested by the driver.AIRBAG
The airbag is also called a "Supplementary Restraint System", and in short it consists of an inflatable bag or envelope which keeps the occupants from hitting any hard parts of the vehicle's interior during a crash. In case of a collision, cars equipped with airbags give a much better chance of survival for its occupants, but ONLY when seat belts are worn - hence the "supplementary" part.The way it works is pretty simple in theory: in case of a sudden deceleration (such as a crash) accelerometers within the car's body trigger the ignition of a gas generator propellant to inflate a nylon fabric bag very rapidly (under 1 tenth of a second). The airbag has small vent holes on its side in order to allow the propellant gas to be slowly expelled from it just as the occupant pushes against the bag.
Most airbag equipped vehicles have several accelerometers and/or gyroscopic sensors to help sense various types of impacts. The different signals from these sensors are fed into a microcomputer which can determine the angle of impact and even the severity of the collision taking place. Depending on the result of these calculations, the airbags ECU will decide if the airbag deployment is necessary or not.
APS (Acoustic Parking System)
The Acoustic Parking System (APS) uses ultrasonic sensors installed at the rear as well as at the front of a vehicle to make parking easier. Using information from the sensors, a microprocessor calculates how far is the car from an obstacle. An intermittent warning tone or lights on a display are usually used to give the driver warning of an impending impact with any object caught by the ultrasonic sensors' sight.AWD (All wheel Drive)
Sending power to every one of the vehicle's wheels all the time, or only when needed, through active or non-active differentials or a transfer case.BHP (Brake Horsepower)
Brake Horsepower is the imperial (or British) measure of an engine’s horsepower, and it is about 0.98 out of a metric horsepower.C-PILLAR
The pillar situated between the rear side windows and the rear window, that supports the roof. It's the last roof supportive pillar on normal four door sedans.CRDI
CRDI (Common rail Diesel Injection) is the marketing name given by Mercedes to their modern diesel engines, which are using common rail injection technology. In essence, common rail is a development of the direct injection system. Conventional direct injection diesel engines must build up fuel pressure for each cylinder injection, whereas in CRDI (and other common rail systems) the pressure is generated independently of the injection sequence and remains constantly available in the fuel line (on a common rail).Acting as an accumulator or a separate reservoir, the common rail is usually situated above the cylinders and is distributing the fuel to the injectors and a high and constant pressure. Regulated by the engine ECU, special solenoid valves control the amount of fuel being injected in each cylinder. The biggest advantage of this system is the power and fuel economy induced by the efficiency of common rail over conventional injection systems.
CRDi is the marketing name given by Hyundai-Kia to all of the common rail diesel engines powering their vehicles.
CHASSIS
The term "chassis" usually describes a vehicle's structural frame, on which the actual body sits, but this is only true on "body on frame" vehicles. In vehicles with unitized or "unibody" construction, the chassis comprises everything but the doors, hoods, engine and suspension elements.CROSSOVER
A crossover is a type of automobile which blends the main characteristics of at least two car segments. Most crossover cars nowadays bring together the versatility of a family car with that of an SUV.CURB WEIGHT
Curb weight is the weight of an empty vehicle, without cargo and driver and passengers, but including maximum amounts of fuel, oil, coolant and standard equipment, including the spare tire and tools. In the EU legislation, curb weight means the cars has to be weighed with the reservoir filled at 90%, a 68 kg driver, 7 Kg of luggage and all the other fill ups made.DISC BRAKES
Disc brakes are the most common and also most effective means of stopping a vehicle. This type of braking system usually consists of a disc that rotates at the same speed as the wheel to which it is attached, straddled by a brake caliper. The caliper contains brake pads which are operated by one or more small pistons that squeeze against the surface of the disc to slow it down or even stop it. Compared to the drum version, disc brakes operate much more efficiently at high temperatures and wet conditions, basically by having a more complete design.DRL (Daytime Running Lights)
Daytime Running Lights (DRL) are a new feature incorporated on some of the modern cars in order to insure better visibility for other drivers, which in turn would help prevent more crashes. They are usually comprised of normal high-beam headlamps with reduced intensity or low-beam headlamps and are deactivated the moment "normal" headlamps are turned on.DRUM BRAKES
A drum brake is made of a drum-shaped housing (which is usually out of cast iron) that is attached to the wheel. Inside the drum there are usually two brake shoes curved around the interior that are forced into contact with the inner drum. The contact of the pads with the inner section of the drum housing provides braking. Drum brakes are very simple and generally very effective, except under heavy or hard use and under wet conditions, which is why they are less and less common on modern cars.EBD
Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD). It actually senses the weight in the rear of the car (trunk, rear seat, or even how much fuel is in the tank) and sends more force to the rear brakes accordingly. So you experience more effective, better balanced braking.ENGINE BRAKING
Engine braking is a technique of slowing down a vehicle without the help of brakes but by using the engine's own power. It is best done with a manual transmission, although automatics can also be up to the task, especially modern ones.FWD
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a term use to describe a vehicle layout in which only the front wheels are powered.GROUND CLEARANCE
Ground clearance is the measurement from the lowest-hanging point under a vehicle (usually a differential, part of the suspension or the exhaust system) towards the ground. A high ground clearance allows a vehicle to drive more easily off-road or through heavy snow without damaging the underbody.HATCHBACK
A hatchback is a type of automobile layout, consisting of a passenger cabin which includes an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind by a hatch or a flip-up window - which is usually counted as a 3rd or 5th door. Hatchbacks are also often called three-doors (two entry doors and the hatch) or five-doors (four entry doors and the hatch) cars.HID
High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps use the light of a plasma discharge arc to generate light. Each lamp contains a HID light source, electronic ballast, an optical reflector and lens, which can give the headlamps low or high beams by changing.INTERCOOLER
The intercooler is a device used to cool the air coming into the combustion chamber on turbocharged and/or supercharged engines. This is done because cooler air produces more power, and charged engines tend to heat the intake air while it's being compressed, thus decreasing its burn and combustion chamber fill-up efficiency. Most intercoolers have an air-to-air system, air-to-liquid system, or sometimes combination of both.LUV (Luxury Utility Vehicle)
While not having an official definition, LUV (Luxury Utility Vehicle) is said to be the acronym for a pickup truck or SUV with a high specification body and interior, while downsizing their primary purpose (hauling or off-roading).MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle)
The MPV (an acronym for Multi Purpose Vehicle) is a multi-passenger vehicle based on a car platform with maximized interior space. They are usually used by families and range in size from compact cars to almost van-like dimensionsSUV
The Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) is a type of passenger vehicle which combines the carrying capacity of a station wagon or minivan with features like an increased ground clearance and all-wheel drive. At first they were derived from truck platforms but most of them are now using unibody construction for a lighter weight and better fuel economy.POWER STEERING
Power steering was developed in order to reduce the effort needed to steer the vehicle. In other words, the driver can change the vehicle's direction with the help of an external power source that can assist this operation.Most power steering systems employ hydraulic pressure and are operated using power from the engine, but in recent years, electro-hydraulic and even 100% electric systems have been introduced.
Some modern steering systems can provide a variable amount of assist, depending on the speeds at which the vehicle is moving, while others are even using the "drive-by-wire" technology, with no direct linkage between the steering wheel and the the wheels.
RACK-AND-PINION STEERING
Delivering a more precise feel than recirculating ball systems, rack-and-pinion steering is a common type of steering mechanism on modern automobiles. In simple terms, it consists of two gears that convert rotational movement into a linear one.One of the gears meshes with a rack (a toothed metal bar), which in turn is directly linked to the wheels via tire rods. By rotating the gear with the steering shaft, the circular motion converts into a linear one and moving the rack from side to side, therefore turning the wheels into the desired direction.
SEDAN
The sedan is the most common configuration of a modern automobile. Sedans usually have four doors, although the term can be used to describe a two-door body also. Most of them have a three-box configuration, but two-box bodies are also common, mostly in Europe.TACHOMETER
The tachometer is essentially a gauge that can display an engine's revolutions per minute (rpm or revs).TORQUE
Torque (also called couple) is a vector that measures the amount of rotational effort exerted at the crankshaft by an engine. The unit of measure is a pound-foot in the US and UK (and other Imperial system using countries), and Newton meter by metric system standards (specifically Europe).TRANSMISSION (gearbox)
The transmission (also called gearbox) is a gear-changing assembly which consists of a number of gears and other associated parts and it is used to transfer the power from a vehicle's engine to one or more driving axles.VALVES
A valve is a device that regulates the flow of gases in and out of the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. Intake valves allow the air and fuel to enter the combustion chamber, while exhaust valves allow the burned gases to exit after combustion.WHEELBASE
Wheelbase is the distance between the front axle and the rear axle of a vehicle. Cars with a longer wheelbase are more stable at high speeds and provide better interior room, while cars with a shorter wheelbase have better city handling and are generally shorter.
Source:www.autoevolution.com
