As we advance through the decades with progression in electronics, science and technology we must not forget the basis of our modern day sources of transportation. I would like to explicate a system in which I am fairly familiar with and have been the highlights of my interests. This is the recent power developments and characteristics of a four-cycle engine. Also known as the Otto cycle engine, the four-stroke engine works of off many mechanical components that simply derive power on the basic mixture of air and fuel. Hence the name “four cycle” such an engine consists of four complete strokes or cycles to consume and make power. With the completion of four cycles, intake, compression, power and exhaust, such a machine can thoroughly and consistently make power.
Today, manufacturers are concerned with meeting emissions standards, which is why many changes have been made to the four-cycle engine. Some changes may consist of variable valve timing (VVT); programmable fuel injection (Pgm-Fi) with electronically controlled fuel mapping, and turbochargers. Those all can increase power output, and some, efficiency.
Many parts and components have taken over such standards and exclusively expresses the advantages, due to more intake and less fuel. One device is called a turbocharger system. Most cars with engines are naturally aspirated, which means the engine sucks air through the intake manifold and completes the intake stroke through means of normal atmospheric pressures. Optimum barometric pressure readings of NA engines are about 1.0. The NA engine is restricted to produce it’s maximum power output due to the loss of volumetric efficiency (air forced into the cylinders with a mixture of gasoline). The ratio of air to fuel is very important in determining horsepower. The turbocharger can do all this and much more. Here is a brief background.
The turbocharger is a device mounted to the intake manifold. It is a circular air pump operated by exhaust gases. It consists of a compressor on the intake side, shaft in the middle and turbine on the exhaust side. It is used to improve engine performance through means of a higher air compression status and the same or less amount of fuel to the cylinders. The turbocharger’s compressor can spin up to 100,000 revolutions per minute. One disadvantage of such a turbo-charged engine application is the stress of mechanical parts due to heat. I may suggest an inter-cooler to provide cooling efficiency of exhaust gases inside the turbocharger. This is mostly important because high temperatures of gases contain less oxygen than normal cool temperatures. Thus, this may result in a loss of performance and throttle acceleration.
The turbocharger can be very useful for dramatic horsepower gains and engine performance, although installing such an application may sacrifice reliability and engine longevity, with the addition of changes in electronics and ECU’s. Many who own import cars are buying such systems because of overall 30-60% horsepower gains.
Another example is the expanded technology of intake and exhaust valves. Valves work off of the rotation of an engine’s camshaft. These newly designed valves actuate by electronics inside of the engine. Variable Valve Timing also known as (VVT) is definitely a huge change in the advancement of gas mileage, efficiency, and power. If a car with VVT has sixteen intake valves, and sixteen exhausts valves, only sixteen of the thirty-two valves work, not thirty-two. Due to the electronic shutdown of the valves, only all thirty- two valves will work at a specified rpm range. Thus, reducing fuel consumption and more air intake, making plenty more lb. of Ft. torque.
I would also like to explain the programmable fuel injection system (Pgm-Fi). Many engines today have been developed with electronic fuel injection. Every engine is either carbuerated, or fed fuel through an injector of each cylinder by electronics. The newly revamped EFI engine is the result of electronic injectors. Controlled electronically, these injectors can account for finer fuel atomization. The finer fuel atomization causes the fuel to be dispersed evenly, and even finer inside the cylinder before the power stroke. This causes less fuel to burn longer, decrease rapid combustion, and the result, more power!
We can conclude that cars today have undergone extensive changes and developments in four-stroke technology. I feel that efficiency of automobiles and power is one in the same. I really like cars with excellent performance and gas mileage. Take for an example Honda’s automobiles. Their cars from the factory can be fast, but most of all, they are very efficient. This is the new age of automobiles. This is only the very basis of engineering excellence, and the ongoing determination to research and develop the world’s most powerful and efficient automobiles.
Visit: Pioneer GM Amps - Pioneer PRS Amps
Cars have always been a natural target for thieves, as they can be smoothly sold at a good price. Today, car thefts are rising at an alarming rate, and it is said that a car is stolen every 20 seconds. In order to curtail the rising trend in car thefts, alarm companies are making highly improved and new alarm systems for cars. They are proving to be very handy and effective and are recommended by most car dealers.
Remote start car alarms (remote car starters) are the latest improvement and have amazing high tech features. These systems are outfitted with the latest technology of antiscan and antigrab. The multiple programmable features of the remote start car alarms, makes them very practical for car users. These alarms are also operational in cold weather. The exclusively designed remote is set with a LCD display that provides the user with a car/alarm status.
The remote start works in all automatic, manual and diesel cars. The anti-carjacking feature makes this alarm system highly reliable. These alarms provide maximum security to a car because of the built in vibrating sensors that are fitted in the door, boot, and bonnet. They also have a silent arm, disarm and alert feature. They provide, additional optional features like total closure and remote boot release, and come with smart LED indicators, backlights and automatically activated interior lighting. The remotes are very user friendly, as they have an inbuilt query function, real-time clock and an alarm clock.
Remote start car alarms are often expensive, but if a person owns an expensive car, then a remote car alarm is a sensible investment. Keyless Car Starters
Remote start car alarms (remote car starters) are the latest improvement and have amazing high tech features. These systems are outfitted with the latest technology of antiscan and antigrab. The multiple programmable features of the remote start car alarms, makes them very practical for car users. These alarms are also operational in cold weather. The exclusively designed remote is set with a LCD display that provides the user with a car/alarm status.
The remote start works in all automatic, manual and diesel cars. The anti-carjacking feature makes this alarm system highly reliable. These alarms provide maximum security to a car because of the built in vibrating sensors that are fitted in the door, boot, and bonnet. They also have a silent arm, disarm and alert feature. They provide, additional optional features like total closure and remote boot release, and come with smart LED indicators, backlights and automatically activated interior lighting. The remotes are very user friendly, as they have an inbuilt query function, real-time clock and an alarm clock.
Remote start car alarms are often expensive, but if a person owns an expensive car, then a remote car alarm is a sensible investment. Keyless Car Starters
Clear sound is considered to be one of the most important elements of a great home theater experience. Quality sound really brings film to life and that fact spurs many home theater aficionados to select their home speakers and sound equipment with great care.
Too often, though, the speakers that sounded great in the listening room don’t pack the same punch when installed at home. The issue is usually related to speaker positioning.
There are a few factors anyone should consider when installing home speakers. One should be aware of proper distancing, height and angling (also referred to as toe-in). Sometimes the perfect set-up is outlined in the owner’s manuals and documentation that come with the speakers. In other cases, it’s necessary to evaluate proper positioning with a “trial and error” technique.
If your speakers aren’t bringing the movies to life for your home theater system, don’t give up and go purchase a new sound system until you first double-check the positioning of your speakers. Even small adjustments can have a huge impact.
By finding the optimal positioning for your speakers, you can breathe new life in what you may have believed to be an inferior speaker. You can also begin to enjoy the movies the way you had hoped to when you first decided to invest in a home theater system.
See also: Outdoor Speakers
Too often, though, the speakers that sounded great in the listening room don’t pack the same punch when installed at home. The issue is usually related to speaker positioning.
There are a few factors anyone should consider when installing home speakers. One should be aware of proper distancing, height and angling (also referred to as toe-in). Sometimes the perfect set-up is outlined in the owner’s manuals and documentation that come with the speakers. In other cases, it’s necessary to evaluate proper positioning with a “trial and error” technique.
If your speakers aren’t bringing the movies to life for your home theater system, don’t give up and go purchase a new sound system until you first double-check the positioning of your speakers. Even small adjustments can have a huge impact.
By finding the optimal positioning for your speakers, you can breathe new life in what you may have believed to be an inferior speaker. You can also begin to enjoy the movies the way you had hoped to when you first decided to invest in a home theater system.
See also: Outdoor Speakers
Subwoofers have been used widely in cars to enhance the sound quality and make the driving experience more enjoyable. There are 4 main sizes of car subwoofers:
8 inch subwoofers: They are considered to be the smallest subwoofers for pumping out bass without sacrificing trunk space.
10 inch subwoofers: They are commonly used subwoofers for installations where space is at a premium.
12 inch Subwoofers: They are the most common subwoofer size; 12" subs provide good response at low frequencies.
15 Subwoofers: They are larger car subwoofers that hit harder and even deeper than 12 inch subwoofers.
Before you buy your next subwoofer, it’s really important to check out which subwoofers fits your needs the most. This way, you will eliminate any future problems when it comes to installing you sub.
8 inch subwoofers: They are considered to be the smallest subwoofers for pumping out bass without sacrificing trunk space.
10 inch subwoofers: They are commonly used subwoofers for installations where space is at a premium.
12 inch Subwoofers: They are the most common subwoofer size; 12" subs provide good response at low frequencies.
15 Subwoofers: They are larger car subwoofers that hit harder and even deeper than 12 inch subwoofers.
Before you buy your next subwoofer, it’s really important to check out which subwoofers fits your needs the most. This way, you will eliminate any future problems when it comes to installing you sub.
Be sure to select the wiring kit that's appropriate for your amplifier. Kits come in a variety of sizes: 10-gauge, 8-gauge, 4-gauge:
- 2 Gauge amp wiring kits: Mainly used for high powered systems and you need to buy a capacitor as well.
- 4 Gauge amp wiring kits: Generally for systems 400 to 1000 watts.
- 8 Gauge amp wiring kits: Is used for systems 100-200 watts.
- 2 Gauge amp wiring kits: Mainly used for high powered systems and you need to buy a capacitor as well.
- 4 Gauge amp wiring kits: Generally for systems 400 to 1000 watts.
- 8 Gauge amp wiring kits: Is used for systems 100-200 watts.
The most common and familiar piece of Car audio equipment is the radio/tape player/CD player/DVD Player which is generically called as a Head unit, which also can be called a head deck, after older tape decks. It is also the most likely component to be upgraded with an aftermarket item. A recent development in head unit technology has been the addition of CD players with MP3, Ogg, WMA, AAC, and USB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support. Even with the rampant ubiquity of solid state MP3 players, car audio systems with line-in jacks and other standards are only in their infancy, and that since tape adaptors are often used with tape players, people are now viewing car radios with built-in CD players as "misfeatures" of the audio system since people now often "rip" their CDs onto their computers.Most modern cars include at least a CD player/ CD recorder, and some have the option for a CD changer, which holds multiple disks either in the head unit itself or in a separate unit usually located in a trunk or console.More recent is the addition of DVD players and LCD screens. Depending on the head unit, the LCD screen is either integrated such that it slides out and folds up, or integrated into the instrument console. Otherwise, the DVD head unit feeds video output into separately mounted displays, either folding down from the roof, or mounted into the headrest for viewing by rear seat passengers.
Advances in electronics allowed additions to the basic radio and Motorola offered 45 rpm disc players fitted to some Chryslers from as early as 1956. Tape players using reel to reel equipment followed but their bulk ensured popularity was limited but this changed in 1964 when Philips launched the Compact Cassette. Other early manufacturers and car enthusiasts started building extra car audio amplifiers to run on 12 volts (the standard voltage in automotive electrical systems). Jim Fosgate, later to become the founder of Rockford Fosgate subwoofers, was one such pioneer. The company a/d/s also brought an amplifier to market in 1978.At first, speakers from the home audio and professional markets were simply installed into vehicles. However, they were not well suited to the extremes of temperature and vibration which are a normal part of the environment of an automobile. Modified drivers were developed to cope with these factors.Today, advances in acoustic technology mean that even two 10-inch car speakers in a well-designed efficient enclosure can produce more than 100 decibels SPL (sound pressure level) within the cabin.
Car Audio Blog
The video screen may also show video output of an integrated component such as a navigation system 3G cell phone or parking cameras that could be automatically activated when the car is put into reverse.
Advances in electronics allowed additions to the basic radio and Motorola offered 45 rpm disc players fitted to some Chryslers from as early as 1956. Tape players using reel to reel equipment followed but their bulk ensured popularity was limited but this changed in 1964 when Philips launched the Compact Cassette. Other early manufacturers and car enthusiasts started building extra car audio amplifiers to run on 12 volts (the standard voltage in automotive electrical systems). Jim Fosgate, later to become the founder of Rockford Fosgate subwoofers, was one such pioneer. The company a/d/s also brought an amplifier to market in 1978.At first, speakers from the home audio and professional markets were simply installed into vehicles. However, they were not well suited to the extremes of temperature and vibration which are a normal part of the environment of an automobile. Modified drivers were developed to cope with these factors.Today, advances in acoustic technology mean that even two 10-inch car speakers in a well-designed efficient enclosure can produce more than 100 decibels SPL (sound pressure level) within the cabin.
Car audio competitions started in the early 1980s in a quest to find the loudest and/or most outrageous installations. For example, in 1985, Wayne Harris famously modified a 1960 Cadillac Hearse to feature three 24-inch subwoofers as well as eight 12 inch car subwoofers. Little consideration was given to sound quality early on, but in the early 1990s, several organizations, including IASCA, began car audio competitions focusing on sound quality. The two styles -- SPL vs. sound quality -- have become almost mutually exclusive. The loudness competitions have become known as dB drag racing.
Below are important car audio companies:
Car Audio Blog
Pioneer Car Audio
Kicker Car Audio
JVC Car Audio
Kenwood Car Audio
Alpine Car Audio
What is at the heart of cool cars everywhere? Is it the speed they can travel at? Is it the thought of the wind brushing your hair? If it's the latter, then you have a soft top (convertible), or someone's pinched your roof!
Details or Sample:
What is at the heart of cool cars everywhere? Is it the speed they can travel at? Is it the thought of the wind brushing your hair? If it's the latter, then you have a soft top (convertible), or someone's pinched your roof!
Well, it could be either of these things. Or perhaps cool cars mean something else to you entirely. But to me, it is the shape of the car. Not so much cool cars but cool curves ... Sexist? Perhaps, but true none the less. I think I classic car is defined by it's architecture.
Look at any sports models over the years. What has defined them, made them stand out? Ok, the price is one thing, but take a step back and really think about what makes a hot car so cool?
There is something else that makes a car cool, at least as far as I am concerned. And that is the interior. Or to be more precise, what the interior is made of. My first car lives in my memory to this day, and surely that is the mark of a cool car. I can remember the smell of the leather seats and look of the wooden dash surround. Plastic just doesn't cut it, especially not in more mass produced models.
And it had curves!
So what else puts the cool into a car for you?
For me personally, low is cool. The closer I am to the ground, the better I feel. Some people like to have a high vantage point, and perhaps that is cool to them. It certainly helps to have a better view of the road from a practical point of view.
For many, the colour of a car defines its 'cool'. Red is often the colour to fuel associated with the hottest cars around (not surprisingly really). But what about black? There is something mystical about jet black automobiles, don't you think? To some, an unusual colour is the height of chic as far as a car is concerned. You might not like bright yellow or lime green, but your will always notice them, won't you. And to some folk, that is all that is required from a cool car.
Details or Sample:
What is at the heart of cool cars everywhere? Is it the speed they can travel at? Is it the thought of the wind brushing your hair? If it's the latter, then you have a soft top (convertible), or someone's pinched your roof!
Well, it could be either of these things. Or perhaps cool cars mean something else to you entirely. But to me, it is the shape of the car. Not so much cool cars but cool curves ... Sexist? Perhaps, but true none the less. I think I classic car is defined by it's architecture.
Look at any sports models over the years. What has defined them, made them stand out? Ok, the price is one thing, but take a step back and really think about what makes a hot car so cool?
There is something else that makes a car cool, at least as far as I am concerned. And that is the interior. Or to be more precise, what the interior is made of. My first car lives in my memory to this day, and surely that is the mark of a cool car. I can remember the smell of the leather seats and look of the wooden dash surround. Plastic just doesn't cut it, especially not in more mass produced models.
And it had curves!
So what else puts the cool into a car for you?
For me personally, low is cool. The closer I am to the ground, the better I feel. Some people like to have a high vantage point, and perhaps that is cool to them. It certainly helps to have a better view of the road from a practical point of view.
For many, the colour of a car defines its 'cool'. Red is often the colour to fuel associated with the hottest cars around (not surprisingly really). But what about black? There is something mystical about jet black automobiles, don't you think? To some, an unusual colour is the height of chic as far as a car is concerned. You might not like bright yellow or lime green, but your will always notice them, won't you. And to some folk, that is all that is required from a cool car.
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