Racing Car News

Archive for July, 2010

Diesel Performance

Every body know that diesel is cheaper than petrol and it is less polluting but does any one know what is diesel performance is and what it means? It is actually a very simple explanation. It refers to the power and increased performance being delivered by the dieselpowered vehicles of the recent times.

Earlier diesel is being used only for heavyduty purposes but diesel underwent changes as the time changed. Many car makers started making diesel cars giving the buyers the better options. Unlike earlier now the diesel engines are much quieter and fuel efficient. The diesel engines are also used in luxury cars with leather seats great styling and all other great features that you can only imagine. Now days automakers are coming up with different modules to increase the power and performance of the diesel engines. These modules help in adding up the torque and horsepower of the vehicles engine and with these modules one does not have to reprogram the cars computer chip. These modules can be installed easily in areas where there is a gap between the computer and fuel injection. These modules will also help increase the fuel efficiency by 10 percent.

The diesel engines also have a better combustion as they operate with the excess air with low energy as well as the higher compressed ratio. And also as engine grows old the emission out put is more in the petrol engines compared to the diesel ones. Earlier there was a misconception that the direct injection engines were not suitable for the cars as they create noise and vibration. But now with so many models with diesel engines have proved it all wrong I guess.

About the writer:  Buy new cars sell used or preowned cars from Indias First Interactive Car Portal. Click Compare and Choose your car. Get free car price quotes.http://www.carazoo.com

Diesel Or Gas – Loud Smoking Dinosaur Or Fuel Gulping Monster

In this article I’m going to discuss the properties of the diesel and gas engines and compare them to each other. I’m specifically referring to their use in automobiles.

Looking at them from a distance both the gas and the diesel engine work in about the same way. A fuel made from refined crude oil is burned inside a cylinder and the hot expanding gasses forces the piston to move. The movement of the piston is then transferred to the wheels through crankshaft gearbox and transmission.

It’s when we look at the engines a little closer that we start to notice that there are differences. Differences in gas mileage smell vibrations price and expected age to name a few.

Ignition System

The gas engine has an ignition system with high voltages wiring and spark plugs. The diesel does not need this it compresses the fuel/air mixture until it’s so hot it ignites all by itself. In the gas engine it’s the spark plug that ignites the fuelair mixture through a high voltage spark at the right time.

Another thing that separates the diesel from the gas engine is that gas engines adds the fuel vapor to the air in the intake manifold either through a carburetor or through fuel injection nozzles. The air/fuel mixture is then sucked into the cylinder to be burnt the next time the piston strikes.

The diesel on the other hand sucks clean air into the cylinder and then waits for the piston to compress the air as much as it will go. At this time when the air is compressed and hot enough to ignite the fuel diesel is injected directly into the cylinder or a small space connected to the cylinder through high pressure nozzles. The fuel ignites instantly due to the high temperature in the cylinder.

The differences is fuel injection and ignition results in the diesel burning the fuel more efficiently than the gas engine. That’s why a diesel has a better gas mileage than it’s gas powered counterpart.

This is not to say that a diesel is better. It’s different it has drawbacks too. Diesel engines usually is harder to start in cold and freezing weather. If you remember it was compressed hot air that ignited the fuel. When it’s too cold outside the air will never become hot enough to ignite the fuel and the engine won’t run.

Cold Starting a Diesel

To handle this diesels have something called glow plugs for handling cold start situations. Electrical power from the accumulator is used to preheat the glow plugs inside the cylinders before the engine is started. This way the hot glow plugs ignite the fuel when the air is not hot enough to do it. Then when the engine starts it only takes a few seconds for the cylinders to get hot enough to ignite the fuel without help and the glow plugs are not needed again until the next cold start.

This is one of the nuisances of having a diesel in your car. The glowing takes from a couple of second to half a minute and can easily lead to stress when in a hurry. You just have to wait until it’s ready or the car won’t start. On the other hand if the engine is well done the glowing does not take long and you soon get accustomed to it.

Lets for a second look at the practical differences between the diesel and the gas engine. The diesel is large and loud it emits black smoke when accelerating and is generally regarded as bad smelling by those not owning one. It also has a sturdier construction due to the higher pressures it must handle and thus can often go twice as many miles as a gas engine during it’s lifetime. The sturdier construction also makes it more expensive when first bought.

Features of The Gas Engine

* More quiet that the diesel
* Better acceleration and higher top speed
* Uses an Ignition System with Spark Plugs to Light The Fuel
* Adds fuel to the air before letting it into the cylinder
* Not as sturdy as a diesel. Lower price but breaks down faster
* Gas readily available everywhere

Features of The Diesel Engine

* Loud noise sounds like a truck or agricultural machine
* Slow acceleration get one with turbo charger that helps
* Lower top speeds but can easily reach the legal speed limit in most places
* Uses glow plugs to help the fuel ignite when the engine is cold
* Lets clean air into the cylinder and injects the fuel later
* Engine is simple and robust. Higher price but runs many miles
* Emits black smoke when loading it like a quick acceleration
* Easy to convert to using Eco fuel oils

If I where to give you advice on selecting either a gas or a diesel powered car I would probably tell you this: Get a diesel if you drive long trips and can live with the small nuisances of more noise and poor acceleration get a gas powered car if you drive less than average or if you just want the comfort at any price.

About the writer:  Simon Byholm runs the free Mileage Calculator at http://www.milesgallon.com where you can calculate your true gas mileage and get tips and tricks on how to improve the mpg of your car. He is also a software engineer with a B.Sc degree in electrical engineering and a proud owner of a diesel powered car.

Choose Your Colour

Every individual will have different moods everyday but one thing that remains constant is their persona. It is the same with the colour choice that is preferences may differ but every person will a have their favorite colour. The favorite colour of an individual also reflects the characteristics and nature of an individual and I feel selecting a colour for your car also depends upon the kind of person the owner is!

The Indian auto market offers various colors to its vehicles but the top five colours or shades customers prefer are among the bestselling car models. To start with is the colour:

Silver shines

In Indian tradition the gold is given the preference but in terms of cars; the silver outshines the yellow metal. The colour silver on a car is the best seller among all the car models and most of the customers prefer the colour first. It is the silver days for Indians

Silver colour indicates the elegance clubbed with simplicity. It projects out a clear evidence is the spark that one can notice in the onlookers’ eyes. Hyundai and Maruti buyers mostly prefer bright silver and silky silver colour where as for the Honda and Toyota it is the new warm silver and silver metallic that sells the most. Looking into the Toyota figure we noticed that each dealer sells almost 600 silver cars a month.

Beige
It is the color signifying simplicity. A classic and soothing colour that is best suited for the country like India. Its softness and class makes it the No. 2 choice of Indian car buyers. The colour is referred to as Real Earth or Grace Beige and most of the car that carry this colours are Santro Xing and Getz from Hyundai. Some of the models like Mahindra and Mahindra’s Scorpio diamond white Ford Fiesta platinum Honda CRV opal beige metallic Toyota Corolla Camry and Innova beige mica metallic Maruti Alto Zen and Wagon R pearl silver are combined with the shades of beige clubbed with the other similar shades are selling like hot cakes.

Black
The colour of power comes third in the rank. Though black is associated with sadness in India and also picks up heat scratches faster but still is a colour party goer. It stays ahead of the colour white which is again one of the hot selling colours. Black is the colour of youngsters and it is favored colour across small to large cars segment.

Almost all the car brands offer this colour. Some of the cars that have different name for the colour for black are Maruti Alto and Wagon R midnight black Swift metallic midnight black Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. In the new Honda City ZX the colour is popularly known as Night hawk and Night hawk black pearl in the bestselling SUV of Honda CRV.

White

the universal colour the colour of peace and calmness. This evergreen colour always remains in fashion our kings of yesteryears Ambassador was always in this royal colour.
Sold the maximum and visible on the roads in cars like Wagon R superior white Toyota Corolla pearl white Toyota Camry super white and Honda City tafeta white.

Red
Tagged as the colour of love is definitely is a bold for certain cars. Some of the cars that look hot in red are Accents Swifts and Lancers in bright red. Some of the car in small segment like Altos moving around in wine red or bright red is seen too. Paprika red is the colour of Ford Fiesta fans and dark red mica metallic goes for MUV Innova from Toyota.

Honda city looks classy in its royal ruby red. Though a very sensational colour but may not be the most suited for the hot Indian conditions.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Buy new cars sell used or preowned cars from Indias First Interactive Car Portal. Click Compare and Choose your car. Get free car price quotes.
carazoo.com