The Cars

The following car glossary is very helpful, particularly if you become frustrated or confused by all of the terminology used to describe specific aspects of car maintenance and repair.

The Chassis: The car’s metal frame, which is called a chassis, is what keeps all major components of the vehicle together and in one piece.

The Drivetrain/Powertrain: A drivetrain, otherwise called the powertrain, is what alludes to all of the mechanics that maintain the vehicle’s ability to power up and remain operational. Such as the wheels, transmission, engine etc.

3) The Transmission, these are the gears. Transmission is what gives the car’s engine the ability to run at various speeds. If there was no transmission, you would only have access to one gear.

The Wheelbase: This part of the vehicle is what marks the distance from the rear wheels to the front end ones.

The Engine Litre Size: It is likely that you have heard a car being described as having 1.2 litre capacity. The amount of space that is inside your vehicle’s engine that is allotted to hold a mix of air and fuel is what is measured here for the size of the engine. If there is a greater amount of room on the inside of the engine, it can generate more power.

The Horsepower (HP): This is how the engine’s power is gauged.

7) Torque, this is how much rotational power the engine creates. The more torque a car has the more flexible and powerful it is. It is pretty much talking about the power an engine holds.

The Car Handling: The handling is how the wheels operate, especially when it takes on corners and swerves.

9) 4WD, this means four wheel drive and labels a car that is able to power all four of its wheels with the engine, unlike regular cars that only power two wheels.

* Turbocharger – This part helps your car’s engine to boost its power supply by utilizing exhaust pressure to increase the amount of fuel-air mix that is provided to your car’s engine.

11) CO2 emissions, this refers to how much carbon dioxide a car vents through the exhaust system. People use this number to determine how friendly to the environment a car is, it can also determine how much car tax you have to pay in certain areas.

Start and Stop: These functions power the engine off in stationary mode and restart it once the driver decides to begin moving again; these help to save on gas.

The Hybrid Engine: There are several distinct power sources for a hybrid engine, which generally are comprised of an electric motor that is connected to a petrol engine. This car will use the gas engine at higher speeds, switching to the electric system for around-town driving at lower speeds.

* Metallic Paint – A type of paint that has a “glitter-like” quality that is reflective in light. This is because of metallic particles mixed in with the paint that reflect light.

15) RPM, revs per minute are an indication of how much the engine is struggling in any given gear. The driver can be sure that their engine is working harder when it is at a higher amount of REVs.

* Cruise Control – This automatic setting will control your car’s speed according to your preferences.

* Turbo Direct Injection (TDI) and Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) – These are different types of direct fuel injection systems. TDI refers to diesel engines while FSI refers to petrol.

The Climate Control: This is the term used to describe a vehicle’s air conditioning, ventilation and heating control unit.

19) Sports Suspension, with sports suspension the suspension has been designed to provide better handling.

Daniel Akinson is a former mechanic and self-proclaimed gear-head. To learn more about atv tires and 33 Inch Tires be sure to visit us at MudKingTires.