Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Ways to Improve Engine Performance

Engine is the heart of any automotive. Whether it is a passenger car, a two-wheeler, or a commercial vehicle, all automotives need engines to run. It’s the engine that generates power and transforms the fuel energy to kinetic energy of the wheels. Therefore, it is very important to monitor and maintain the performance levels of the engine.

Here are best ways to improve engine performance:

Engine Displacement

Engine displacement is defined as the total volume of air and fuel mixture that the car engine draws during one complete cycle moved by the piston from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. Dead center is the position of the piston when it is farthest or nearest to the crankshaft.

To improve engine performance, it is very important to increase engine displacement. This is because if the engine draws higher volume of air and fuel mixture, it will definitely generate more power. This can simply be done by increasing the size of the cylinder or by adding more number of cylinders to the engine. These cylinders play a significant role in the car engine as both compression and combustion takes place in these cylinders. Therefore, if the size is more, more mixture can be fused it, which in turn will generate higher power output. This improves engine efficiency.

Engine Compression Ratio

Compression ratio is the degree to which air and fuel mixture in the internal combustion engine is compressed before ignition. Increasing this ratio is one of the best ways to increase power and torque, thereby improving engine performance.

Higher compression ratio enables the car engine to extract more energy from the given volume of air and fuel mixture. It also causes better mixing of the power. This in turn, produces enhanced power during ignition and extracts more useful energy from the withdrawn power.

Intercoolers

An intercooler is a device used in car engine to cool the air between successive heating stages. Air outside is comparatively hot and therefore it is very important to cool the air before fueling it into the engine. Later compressed air raises the temperature due to high pressure generated by the movement of the piston in the engine.

Hot air expands less during combustion and reduces the amount of energy generated. The air should always be cool before it enters the engine cylinder and that’s why intercoolers are usually placed in the most of the turbocharged and supercharged cars.

by : carazoo.com


Top 10 Tips to Improve Driver's Visibility

Driver's visibility plays an essential role to ensure safe driving. The best way to do so is to keep the car's windshield and other car windows gleaming. There are numerous ways to improve driver's visibility and enable car drivers to have better concentration on roads.

Here are top 10 tips to improve driver's visibility:



  1. First it is essential to clean the windscreen from outside. That plays a key role in improving driver's visibility while driving. You can use a mixture of citric acid and water or alcohol and water to clean the windscreen.



  2. Dip a simple cotton rag in the mixture and rub off dirt and grease from the car's windscreen. Then use a newspaper or another clean cloth to wipe off the excess of mixture on the screen and give a polished look to the glass.



  3. Inside of the windscreen is more susceptible to catch vapours because of the plastic components in the car. Therefore, it is very important to clean the interior glass with a alcoholic or citric solution to have a better vision.

  4. Inspect the condition of the windshield wipers. If there is dirt on the blades, wipe it off using a cotton rag. If the rubber in the blades are impaired, replace them or else they may impair driver's vision while driving.


  5. Avoid cleaning the glass windows and the windscreen while driving. There are many drivers who try to do multitasking which causes distraction and may lead to an accident.




  6. Check the functioning of the car air-conditioner. If the compressor of the air conditioner is not working properly it may affect the cooling or heating of the car cabin. This in turn may cause formation of vapours on the interior of the windscreen, eventually hampering visibility.



  7. Sometimes a home-made cleaning solution also works effectively to clean the windscreen. The best home solution to clean windscreen is a mixture of water, vinegar, dish cleaner, and dash of lemon juice.



  8. Remove all the stickers on the car windows and windscreen. These stickers actually reduce the visibility of a car driver and may cause a fatal accident. Peel of the sticker and then rub the remaining paper bits of the sticker using a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water.



  9. Its also important to clean the haze on the car's headlights. If the headlights look foggy then wash them with soap and water and allow it to dry. If you find a crack on headlight then get it replaced immediately because water may get stored in it and cause condensation.



  10. With all the safety precautions and clean windscreen, you can now enjoy a hassle-free and safe drive.
by : carzoo.com

Boost Controllers-increase the Boost Pressure

How much do you care for you car? The looks and classy design of the car are not enough to tell who you are and what you drive; the power and performance of the car is also important! Boost control is an important aspect of your car maintenance and tuning. There are boost controllers to control the boost level produced in the intake manifold of a supercharged or turbocharged engine. There are manual as well as electrical boost controllers for engine management. For consistent boost level without any obstacle electronic boosts are preferred to manual boost controllers.

The greddy boost controller is basically used to maximize the smooth power delivery of your engine. The electronic brain of the car maintains in a better and quicker way the boost pressure. The exhaust gases in the engine are taken out quickly to allow fresh air into it for better performance of combustion. In quest to maintain this air pressure of giving out and taking in, sometimes car owners do it manually through kits available. It is advised that you don’t perform that task because too much of air in the engine could mean intermittent loss of power to appear which would subsequently drive your car unstable and you won’t like it driving.

Therefore the electronic brain is added to the valve to control the flow of exhaust and fresh air through turbo. This electronic control provides a better boost at the wide open throttle for a quicker response to every change that occurs in the throttle conditions. Eventually the performance of your car improves and you have a smooth drive filled with performance. Choose the right brand of electronic boost controllers for your car and have a high ride on the highway to check the performance of you car.

Manual or mechanical boost controllers are not adjustable to that perfect level. It requires high expertise and skill to do that. If you wish to add manual controller, take your car to a professional car care taker or repair shop recommended by the brand of your car to get it fitted. Otherwise the mapped electronic boost controller would be a good choice for you.


by : Anirban Bhattacharya


Hks Air Filter - Improving Air Quality Inside Automobiles

The power of automobile engine largely depends upon the rate of incoming and outgoing flow of air. However, every intake system has its own restriction and limits the horsepower of engine and torque. What can be done to improve the engine performance of your automobile?



Air filters are inexpensive options that can enhance potential of your automobiles so that they can deliver the desired performance. Replacing a high capacity air filter can only cleans the stocked cleaner air inside the engine but also improves the overall capacity of your automobile as well.



The unique and high-performance HKS air filter helps in maintaining the right balance of air filtration and increased airflow for enjoying better performance.



Why HKS air filters?



HKS air filter is an effective device that removes contaminants such as dust, pollen, mold and bacteria from air. They are among most sought-after automobile components that people use worldwide to improve the performance of their automobiles. To get the best results, you should replace you air filter after every 50,000 kms. If you are thinking that one air filter can serve you long then you are wrong. You need to get it replaced after every six months to enjoy quality performance.


by : Anirban Bhattacharya