Car Jargon Everyone Should Know

ABS

An Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is a safety feature that helps you to avoid skidding when braking suddenly. An ABS prevents your wheels from locking, allowing you to maintain control of the car.

Alloy Wheels

A generic term used to describe any non-steel road wheel. The most common alloy wheels are cast aluminum. Technically, an alloy is a mixture of two or more metals. These wheels are known for their light weight and strength.

Chassis

The chassis is the metal frame that holds all the main parts of car together.

Differential

The gear assembly connected to the drive shaft that permits the wheels to turn at different speeds when going around a corner, while transmitting power from the drive shaft to the wheel axles.

Four-Wheel Drive

A four-wheel drive system allows the engine to power all four wheels simultaneously, instead of the standard two wheels.

Hybrid engine

A hybrid engine is typically a combination of a traditional gasoline engine and a zero-emission electric engine. They can be configured to obtain different objectives, such as improved fuel economy, increased power, or additional auxiliary power for electronic devices and power tools.

RPM

RPM stands for Revolutions Per Minute, and is an indicator how hard your engine is working. If your RPM is high, you know your engine is working hard.

Spoiler

An aerodynamic device, normally on the rear of the vehicle, that changes the direction of airflow. A spoiler either reduces drag or creates a downward force on the car. It is called a spoiler because it "spoils" the normal air flow over the car.

Suspension

A car’s suspension is a system of springs and other parts that sits between the wheels and the frame, allowing the wheels to move independently and absorb the shock of any bumps or unevenness in the road.

Torque

In technical terms, torque is defined as a force used to turn or rotate things. In a car, it can define the power of the engine. In other words, it’s the stuff that rockets you away from the stoplight and forces you back into your seat.

Transmission

The transmission in a car is the gearbox and other mechanical parts that drive the wheels and allow the engine to accelerate through a wide range of different speeds.

Tread

Tread refers to the patterns cut into the rubber on your vehicle’s tires. Tread helps provide grip on the road, particularly in wet weather.

Tires 101 - Learning the Tire Categories

Tires are purpose-built. In other words, they are built using the specifications that are best suited to the job that the tire will perform. These specifications determine the materials that the tire is made of as well as the tread patterns and the overall look of the tire. These build specifications can be broken down into the following categories: Touring, Performance, All-Season, Light Truck, and Winter.

Touring

I'm sure you heard the term "touring", but what does that mean? Touring means traveling at highway speeds for prolonged periods. Touring tires are designed to give a quiet, excellent ride with top-notch handling at highway speeds. This type of tire has a non-aggressive tread pattern with straight ribs that allow the channeling of water. Another characteristic of the touring tire is long tread life. Long tread life is certainly a plus but the downside is that the hard compound that makes up this tire tends to freeze in winter, which in turn, sacrifices traction in bad weather.

Performance

This type of tire does a great job at highway speeds. It has an aggressive tread pattern that provides great traction and handling during cornering and aggressive driving. These tires have heavy or large shoulder lugs for cornering traction and a wide smooth face for gripping the road surface. Evacuating water is usually not a strong point of this type of tire. They are made of a softer rubber compound which aids traction but wears out quickly. Performance tires are usually short-lived. Most "Summer" tires fall under this category.

All-Season

This category includes the most versatile tires. All-season tires have a dual purpose. First, the tread patterns squeegee, or remove water from underneath each tread block maximizing rubber-to-road contact. Secondly, the tread patterns allow the "pumping" of water, ice, and snow away from the tire. These tires are also made up of a compound that resists freezing, ensuring better traction during icy conditions. Another great characteristic of the all-season tire is its performance in great weather. They are comparatively quieter than performance tires and their blocky tread pattern allows good traction and handling in the wet and dry.

Light Truck

This type of tire is built for work. They are constructed to work under heavy loads and in rough conditions. The rubber compound is hard, ensuring durability and the steel plies help the tire resist punctures and tears. The tread patterns vary widely and is determined by whether the tire will be used on or off-road. You will find lots of variation for light-truck tires, so thinking through the truck or SUV's mission will go a long way.

Winter

This category of tire is built for inclement and severe weather. Its whole mission in life is to move and break through snow and ice. The rubber compound resists freezing temperatures and remains flexible. The treads open and close as the tire moves down the road creating a "crunching" effect on ice and snow. This "crunching" keeps the treads clean which gets them ready for the next bite, ensuring traction. They are excellent at evacuating water. The sharp edges on the treads break through ice so that the tire can find the road or a surface that provides greater traction. If you experience an abundance of ice, snow, or inclement weather, the winter tire is your best bet.

Here's a quick guide for category characteristics:

• Touring- quiet, good highway performance, long tread life 
• Performance- great handling and grip for aggressive driving in the dry, poor performance in wet and snow, short tread life 
• All-Season- good highway performance, good wet, dry, and snow performance, moderately quiet 
• Light Truck- good for heavier loads, hard compound, aggressive tread pattern, good on and off-road performance 
• Winter- great in ice and snow, resists freezing, best at evacuating ice and snow, great winter traction

Now that you can "speak" tires and know the difference between the types of tires available, you can make an informed purchase, choosing the right tires for your needs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8194151