There is so much more about cars, trucks, and SUVs that we just can’t cover in a few blog posts. And, there are a few items we haven’t covered that are just a little too important to leave out. Just consider it our miscellaneous list.
These are items that we haven’t covered because of information overload in other articles, or because they just don’t really fit in any other category. Most likely, you will have heard mention of all these things, but maybe haven’t ever learned what they really are.
Without further ado, here are some of the more important miscellaneous tidbits of information you should probably know:
OEM:
Inevitably, your car will need something replaced within the span of its lifetime. It will more than likely need multiple replacement parts. Even if you don’t need parts, you can buy extra parts tune your vehicle or just add some options you think would be beneficial.
OEM stands for “Original Equipment Manufacturer,” and they are the parts offered by the manufacturer of your specific vehicle. Aftermarket parts are the parts that other companies make for various vehicles.
A good example of an OEM part would be a replacement exhaust system. If you find that your exhaust has a leak or the muffler has a hole, you might consider an OEM exhaust system. It’s simply a replacement of your old system sold by your vehicle’s manufacturer.
If you wanted to replace your exhaust system to make your vehicle louder, you would most likely get an aftermarket exhaust system. Most aftermarket parts are available to tune or customize a vehicle.
The benefit of buying OEM parts for a car is that they will fit better, and most won’t void the vehicle’s warranty. Aftermarket parts, depending on what they are, can offer performance gains or cosmetic enhancements, but they may not always fit as well as OEM parts and may void your vehicle’s warranty.
Wheelbase:
Wheelbase is simply the measurement from the front to the rear axle of a vehicle. Usually, the larger the car or truck, the longer the wheelbase.
Vehicles with a longer wheelbase generally have a more comfortable and stable ride. Vehicles with a shorter wheelbase don’t offer as much space, but are more maneuverable. They can be a little jerkier when driven at high speeds as well.
Chassis:
Photo: Courtesy of The Auto Channel
The chassis of a vehicle is, in short, its frame. Sometimes the chassis of a vehicle includes wheels and tires, but it is that which the entire car is built around. Just like a house, a vehicle has to have something on which to mount its other parts.
The chassis would be like the foundation of a house. Most cars today have utilized a unibody design, which essentially makes the body and frame a singular unit. This adds rigidity to the vehicle, making its entire foundation stronger.
Older vehicles and some modern vehicles like pickup trucks have a separate frame and body. These are easier to fix should they have to be, and any kind of extreme movement would be less harmful to the vehicle’s body as a whole. If the frame is separate from the body, it can take the stress that a unibody vehicle would have to absorb as a whole unit. This could potentially prevent serious damage.
Torque Steer:
For most people torque steer isn’t something that you would notice. Torque steer occurs in front-wheel drive vehicles. Under moderate to hard acceleration, torque steer causes the vehicle to have a tendency to pull itself to one side or another.
Because the engine of a front-engined car is usually mounted transversely, the transmission is slightly offset to one side. With the transmission offset, it also means that the driveshafts may not line up centrally. This offset position causes unequal torque distribution from the engine and causes the car to pull to one side or the other.
Front wheel drive vehicles’ tires have the unique problem of steering a vehicle and making it move at the same time. Usually occurring more predominantly in higher-powered vehicles, engineers have attempted to use various methods to engineer torque steer out of their vehicles.
DRL:
Moving on to something a little less technical, DRL stands for “Daytime Running Lights.” DRL come standard on most new cars today, and they automatically turn on when you release your vehicle’s parking brake.
Not all work this way, but most do. They aren’t as bright as regular headlights and don’t suffice for having the headlights on in states that require them to be on through work zones. Though they do provide better visibility than if they weren’t there, they still don’t provide the safety of normal headlights.
Cylinder Deactivation:
With the need for more efficient engines comes some pretty innovative solutions. Cylinder deactivations is when the ECU shuts down one or more of the engine’s cylinders when they aren’t needed. Less gas is used to power fewer cylinders.
When you need the extra power or change your driving modes, the cylinders come back to life and the full power of the engine is restored. Most cylinder deactivation technology is used in larger engines like the mighty V8. Honda, Dodge, and General Motors have used or still use cylinder deactivation technology to achieve better fuel efficiency in their larger engines.
Variable Valve Timing:
While we’re on the subject of cylinder deactivation, a logical next step would be to talk about VTEC. If you’ve never heard of VTEC, you either really hate cars or you’ve been living under a rock for years. It’s Honda’s legendary variable valve timing system.
What many Honda fans forget is that variable valve timing is actually a pretty common technology today. Every manufacturer has their own system, and Honda wasn’t even the first to come up with such a system. Nonetheless, VTEC has become the posterchild for this technology.
If you’ve forgotten the role of the camshaft and valves in the engine of a vehicle, just click here to go back and read about it. Variable valve timing involves a camshaft event that activates at a certain RPM to allow a longer or larger valve opening. This allows more air to be fed to the cylinders of an engine.
Of course, more air means more power.
There are also several ways in which valves are affected by the camshaft to make the technology work.
Some manufacturers use camshaft lobes which vary in size and shape to allow a valve to stay open longer when activated.
Honda’s VTEC system actually uses two separate camshaft lobes. One is used under normal driving conditions, the other is only activated through the use of a locking pin over a certain RPM. The pin locks a second camshaft lobe that’s larger than the first, which affects the duration of the valve opening and produces more power.
At any rate, there are multiple ways to increase how long a valve opens to allow air into the engine. Most aren’t too complicated when you see how they work, but every manufacturer’s preferred method is different.
Carbon Fiber:
Picture: Courtesy of Anderson Composites
Carbon Fiber is a high-strength, low-weight material used in the automotive industry for various parts of a vehicle. Hoods, spoilers, and even vehicle frames are being made from carbon fiber. Though carbon fiber isn’t limited to use in the automotive industry, it’s becoming more common due to its weight-saving properties.
Not only is it light, it also looks good. It is used for cosmetic as well as functional purposes in vehicles, but it’s also quite expensive. It also can’t be repaired if it gets dented or damaged.
The most important use of carbon fiber in the auto industry is in the chassis. Manufacturers such as McLaren, Porsche, and Ferrari have used a carbon fiber chassis in various models, mostly in their performance vehicles.
The new Ford GT uses a carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Even BMW has used a carbon fiber chassis in some of their hybrid vehicles like the i3 and i8.
So why does carbon fiber matter to you?
It’s true that right now, most carbon fiber chassis use is limited to high-performance supercars that are unattainable to the normal person. The use of carbon fiber in BMW’s hybrid vehicles suggests that there could be more widespread use in future hybrid and electric vehicles.
Most of these miscellaneous terms and technologies probably go unnoticed to the average person. It doesn’t dismiss them from the conversation, though. Knowing more about the vehicle you drive everyday could help you more than you think down the road.
You will never end up being a mechanic because you’ve read any of this, but it could be easier for you to diagnose a potential issue or even educate somebody else on their vehicle should the opportunity arise.
Let us know in the comment section what we missed!
