J.D. Power and Associates Tire Survey
J. D. Power and Associates may be best known for its vehicle initial quality ratings, but this is just one of many research studies it does on the automobile industry. The group just released the results of its tire survey, showing what drivers think about the rubber that comes with the company’s new cars. The [...]
Read More →Airless Tires
A Host of Exciting Advantages Tire technology has not changed all that much in nearly a century. While standard inflatable tires do their jobs well, they have some definite weaknesses. Chief among them is durability. Even the best tires can easily become punctured and render the vehicle unusable until they are repaired or replaced. Particularly [...]
Read More →Chevy Corvette Engine
Not many details have come out for the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette. General Motors’ iconic flagship sports car is slated to be all-new for 2014, with a completely new exterior and interior design. Not only is Chevrolet going all out with redesigning its world-renowned, two-seater sports car on the outside and inside, it also has plans [...]
Read More →2014 Corvette 6.2 liter LT1 Engine
GM’s latest tease leading up to the reveal of the C7 Corvette this January is the release of information on their new Gen 5 motor. Dubbed the “LT1,”it will give even the basic version of these sports cars the power to hang with the current Z06, while also improving fuel economy. “New” LT1? Confusingly, this [...]
Read More →Continuously Variable Transmissions
There is no single car part debated about more than the transmission. While the debate between manual, DSG and automatics rages on, another option, the CVT, has been added to automotive drivetrains. How does it work? Anyone who has ridden a multi-speed bicycle will have an idea about how the CVT functions. Shifting the lowest [...]
Read More →Are Batteries 100% Recyclable?
The increase in automotive battery usage begs the question: What happens to them when they need to be replaced? Unlike other car parts, a battery can be a major environmental hazard, making the prospect of electric and hybrid cars look less green. The reality is that nearly every part of every battery can be reclaimed, [...]
Read More →Goodyear Developing Soybean Tires
Goodyear recently announced that they’re working on a tire that replaces previous versions of the oil used in the tread compound with soybean oil. The switch could cut the company’s petroleum use by seven billion gallons per year. The benefits of a soybean tire don’t end at conservation. Tires made with this new process should [...]
Read More →Body Kits
Why would someone want to add a body kit? Despite popular belief, they probably won’t make a vehicle faster. The testing needed to design a kit that effectively reduces aerodynamic drag requires a lot of time in a wind tunnel, and that costs money. At the low volumes these kits sell at, this is not [...]
Read More →Front Wheel Drive Snow Tires
Since the early 1980s, passenger vehicles have gradually moved to front-wheel drive. With the engine and transmission over the drive wheels, this setup provides more traction and has quickly gained fans in areas with severe winter weather. However, that does not mean that snow tires are not beneficial. No matter where weight or power is [...]
Read More →The Rotary Engine
Mazda made its name with rotary engines, but the automaker recently announced that they would not be build a successor to the RX-8′s Renesis motor. Why won’t there be another engine? Enthusiasts hoped that the company’s SkyActiv technology, centered around lowering vehicle weight, would translate to a rebirth of the RX-7 on the next MX-5 [...]
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