Technology

The fuel used in a modern car, whether petrol, diesel or even LPG ( Liquid Petroleum Gas ), has to meet high standards of purity if the car's engine is to run smoothly. Read more

As the cost of petrol rises, car manufacturers are taking more and more care in designing their cars to be fuel efficient. Read more

When a car manufacturer decides to produce a new model, the styling, or design, of the new car is one of a number of factors that need to be decided. Read more

Almost all car engines work on the four-stroke cycle , so called because it takes four strokes of the piston induction , compression , ignition and exhaust - to produce one firing of the fuel /air mixture. This means that the crankshaft rotates twice to complete each cycle. Read more

One of the problems with conventional car engine designs is that the pistons move in a straight line up and down in their cylinders , to produce what is known as reciprocating motion . Read more

In an ideal, 100 per cent efficient internal combustion engine , the fuel would burn to give just carbon dioxide and water vapour. In practice, of course, engines are far from efficient and the combustion process. also produces carbon monoxide , oxides of nitrogen and unburnt hydrocarbons , as well as carbon dioxide and water vapour. Read more

One of the most unnerving things that can happen in motoring is that you brake and one or more of the wheels locks up. This has two possible effects. It can make the car slew to one side or, if the car happens to skid in a straight line, the steering becomes useless and you lose all directional control. Read more

This article is from the mid-1980s. It is out-of-date but still interesting. Read more

Mention plastic cars, and most people think of the leaky, creaky and crazed bodywork so common on glass fibre cars of the 1960s. Read more

You do not always need to replace a component that is worn, damaged or broken. There is an increasingly wide range of sealants and adhesives in car accessory shops that allow you to make satisfactory repairs, thus saving the cost of buying a new component. Read more

Most people have some idea of what an engine 's power is, but are hazy about exactly what the torque figure represents. In fact, many cars that feel powerful are showing the effects of strong torque rather than high power output. Read more