Home Auto Repair

Doing auto repairs at home is one of the best ways to keep a car in tiptop shape. Home auto repair is cost-efficient, too, because you can save on professional fees. All it takes to fix your car is a substantial amount of know-how plus a collection of quality tools.

For most people, doing things themselves has its own rewards. The most obvious benefit is that they get to save their hard-earned dollars. When it comes to auto repair, the same mindset applies. It is not surprising why there are many people who still prefer to fix their car in the comfort of their own homes instead of bringing their vehicle in for commercial auto repairs.

Home auto repairs allow car owners the chance to work closely with their own vehicles. They get to tinker around with their cars to identify if it needs tuning up or if a certain part needs replacing. Home auto repairs leave the responsibility in the hands of the car owner. Owners would not have to worry about mechanics mishandling their vehicles or charging them huge fees for simple auto repairs.

If you are planning on repairing your vehicle in the comfort of your own home, do thorough research first. The World Wide Web holds a lot of information regarding auto repair as well as do-it-yourself vehicle maintenance. You will also find a lot of car tips and trivia online.

It would also be wise to amass a collection of commonly used car tools and equipment. Wrenches, screws, jacks and bolts are among the tools you need to get together. You can buy ready car tool kits on the Internet. Do some comparison shopping. Look around for the best deals. Once you have narrowed down your choices to the tools that provide you with the most value for your money, it is easy to have them delivered right to your doorstep.

Auto Repair provides detailed information on Auto Repair, Auto Glass Repair, Online Auto Repair, Auto Body Repair and more. Auto Repair is affiliated with Discount Auto Parts.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Marlborough

Tags:auto repair

Nitro Engines For Beginners

Nitro engines are usually the best pick for interested hobbyists but the problem and the real dilemma is always faced by the beginners. Sure, there are loads of benefits a nitro engine offers but maintaining it has to be a regular chore. Also, there’s absolutely no doubt that in order to keep up with proper tuning and extra care for its engine to last longer, it will have to take more than your precious time and attention – your budget has to keep up too.

Before you ever try to go for a nitro engine for your RC car, you have to consider immensely how experienced and knowledgeable you really are with both its regular and monetary needs. This isn’t a way of discouraging you from getting a nitro engine for your car though; just a simple word of advice.

Nitro engines can be bought already assembled without anything else you need to do except for testing it on the road. This is an absolute must-have for beginners who literally are in doubt in building a nitro engine from assembled parts since you will have to forgo the trouble of choosing the separate parts for your engine alone.

Of course, the big and obvious disadvantage here is that already made nitro engines could cost a lot compared to the ones you could possibly assemble. But on the brighter side of things, ready to run kits doesn’t deprive you of adding, maintaining and even repairing it yourself if it happens to require any of the action words mentioned. All three are possible; you just have to follow the instructions which come with the box.

But then again, if you’re a newbie with regards to the entire RC cars shindig, it isn’t the choice recommended for you…still, RC cars run by nitro engines are the most popular among RC car racers and if you want to feel the thrill as if you have a real nitro-powered car, this is the closes to having one.

http://racing-radio-controlled-cars.com has other free information regarding nitro engines and RC cars.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shareen_Aguilar

Tags:engine nitro,nitro,car nitro

Connect with Your Muse

Lately I've been discussing how to thrive as a creative artist by connecting with different things. I thought it might be helpful to begin this article with some distinctions.

Inner Artist - A Part of Ourselves

As I've discussed before, the Inner Artist is that part of ourselves that has been untouched by our experiences, trials, tribulations or creative roadblocks. It is infinitely creative and joyful in everything that it does.

Spirit - All Around Us, All of Us, Every One of Us

ANY time we connect, we're also connected with Spirit. And I use the word Spirit to also refer to God, the Universe, Higher Power, something that connects us all, no matter how unique we are. While our personal definition of Spirit is unique, when we connect with that Spirit it immediately connects us with something outside of ourselves.

Muse - Outside of Ourselves

And that brings us to today's topic: the Muse, and how to connect with yours.

The word muse stems from the 9 muses of Greek mythology, who were responsible for inspiring creative artists and helping them remember their works (since in those days they didn't write them down). The Greek muses were also responsible for protecting history by singing about the great heroes and events of the day.

The muse is something that's outside of yourself, which provides inspiration and helps you get your creative work done.

I like that definition – because with that definition I get to be a muse! And I certainly am honored when I get to fulfill that role for my clients.

To have a connection with your muse you need to be tuned in to your inner voices. This is because a muse (even in the form of a coach) will not dictate, "Draw it this way", "Use this word", or "Here's the winning chord progression".

So, connecting to your muse is really a three-fold process.

1. Finding a muse (or muses – many artists have several sources of inspiration)

Your muse is unique to you, and so are the ways you can best tune in to it. You might be able to name your muse(s) immediately, or you might need to explore a bit. You might:

Look through finished (or started) pieces and think back on what sparked them into being. That might be a source you can return to
Ask other artists about their sources of inspiration
Sit in stillness for a few moments and reflect on what is inspiring to you
Experiment with other forms of art, nature walks, meditation, cooking and people who glow
2. Spending time in the presence of that muse

This could be a person you can spend time with, a place you can visit or look at photos of, an activity you can do more of or a personal environment you can create in your creative workspace. If your muse is someone you don't know personally, like another artist you admire, this could be spending time in the presence of their work.

3. Spending time in creative contemplation and expression

Allow whatever the muse has evoked to be expressed through your creative medium(s). Here's where tuning back in to your inner voice comes in. Whatever you've taken in from your external source of inspiration still needs to be filtered through your unique lens of skills, experiences, opinions, ideas and sensations. Otherwise you'd simply be reproducing exactly what you've seen or heard.

PUT IT INTO PLAY

It's time to make another date with your Inner Artist – only this time you're in search of your muse. Block off some time for simply noticing what inspires you – if you can't help but rush home and write, draw, build, photograph, compose or otherwise create something, well, call it a happy bonus of this exercise.

MUSE MINDING FOR THE BUSY CREATIVE ARTIST

What if you don't have time to go traipsing all over the city to the spots where you find inspiration? What if your creativity has a deadline? What if you have a busy life that involves other people's schedules?

Here are two possible solutions:

Make sure that your creative workspace evokes your muse. Find objects, words and/or photos that capture the essence of your muse and place them prominently in your creative workspace. Move them around every month or so, so you don't stop noticing them.

Be open to spontaneous sightings. When you're rushing around from place to place, worrying about what you did yesterday or dreading what you need to do tomorrow, there's not much time or space for the muse to get your attention. Experiment with slowing down occasionally and checking in – my muse has been talking to me a lot in the car (as long as I leave the radio off!), and also really likes to chat with me when I'm in the shower (no kidding – and I've heard that water evokes inspiration for others – how about you?).

So, what is it about water?

Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong. - Lao-Tzu (600 B.C.)

My muse whispers to me through water, if I yield to it and bend my resistance.

(c) Copyright 2005, Linda Dessau.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. Feel like your creativity is blocked? Sign-up for your complimentary copy of the popular e-course, "Roadblocks to Creativity" by visiting http://www.genuinecoaching.com

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Dessau

A Few Words On Turbocharging

Well, I'm no expert on turbocharging, but in November 1998 I did purchase my own Sunny turbo engine and boy did I learn a lot. I have read a good bit on the topic in both on the net and in the popular import car publications. I have a reasonable knowledge of the theories and the equipment involved in turbocharging a small 4 cylinder engine.

I would like to say first and foremost, turbocharging a naturally aspirated vehicle is not as simple as buying a kit or engine and bolting it up and driving. There is a lot more involved in this if you plan on having dependible transportation that will last longer than a few weeks.

Bolt on Mods:

First, the engine you want to turbocharge cannot have a high compression ratio. The traditional compression ratio for a four cylinder engine is 8.5 to 1. You can go a little higher with multi-point injection. Most non-turbo cars have 9 to 1 or higher compression ratios. You can get away with about 9 to 1 turboed but beyond that, and the boost you add with the turbocharger will cause pre-detonation and blow your engine. Also, the higher the compression ratio, the less boost you can pump into the engine.

So you'll be rebuilding the engine with custom low compression pistons to lower the compression ratio, and at the same time, you'll be strengthining the block to take the additional stress of the turbocharger.

Obviously the entire computer system in you car has to be changed over to the the system for the used engine. You will need to get the the ECU, the engine wiring harness, all of the engine sensors, all of the solenoids and actuators and additional electronics which control the turbo system. So ensure that a trained mechanic is with you when making the purchase.

Next up , the fuel system delivery will have to be upgraded. You'll need higher flow rate injectors, a higher pressure fuel pump and sub-pump, and a rising rate fuel pressure regulator. Without the additional fuel, the engine will run too lean under the boost of the turbo, and will detonate, and blow.

You have to convert the entire induction system, which includes intake manifold, exhaust manifold, air plenum, waste gate, intake piping, and intercooler.

Now we're done with the engine up grade or replacement, it's time to look at all of the other changes you have to make.

The clutch is the most obvious, the turbo needs a stronger clutch. You'll burn your stock one out in no time with the extra power . If it's a transmission, the stock tranny is not like the heavy duty tranny used on turbo models. You may be replacing cluster gears on an annual basis if you don't upgrade or change yours for a turbo model tranny.

The crown wheel and pinion gears and differential in your stock application are most likely not as durable as those in the turbo models. You'll pop a few diffs until you upgrade to the turbo parts.

The heat form the turbo can affect the engine's cooling, thus requiring you to upgrade radiator or fans. Also affected by the heat is the paint on you bonnet, please insulate the engine room.

Do not forget the cash outlay for gauges, turbo timer, etc.

So it becomes quite obvious that it is no small task to put a turbo onto a non-turbo car. I cannot imagine that installing the turbo and accompanying parts your car would cost less than $2000. Even though if you shop around in the scrap yards you could manage to get the parts to get you going for around $1500 including installation.

There is another option though. There are several US companies who make custom turbocharging kits that work on non-turbo import cars even those whose compression ratio is a little too high for the stock system changeover. This will involve lots of custom piping and some electronics that will be piggybacked onto your ECU and sensors to trick the computer into thinking that your car is operating within normal parameters. This still doesn't solve the drive train durability issues, but the end product will likely out perform the stock turbo counterpart and additional tuning for more power will be easier, because you are starting out with more flexible equipment which won't need to be upgraded from OEM to work with.

Duane Boodasingh http://www.trinituner.com

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duane_Boodasingh

Automotive Machine Shop Services

Automotive machine shop services use heavy fabrication machinery, which includes machines for lathe work, grinding, turning, polishing and welding, cutting, laser job work, and also precision machining. The services include providing repair work for defective parts and also supplying new parts if the old and existing parts are not repairable. If the new parts, available in their stocks, do not fit properly, they may have to redesign and refabricate them. This may, at times, prove to be a complicated job. The redesigning and fabrication of complicated parts like crank-shafts, connecting rods, pistons, and cam shafts requires great expertise. Usually, the need to fabricate new parts arises in the case of older or vintage vehicles, whose production may have been stopped with the introduction of new models.

The engineers and mechanics at these machine shops are experts in all types of repair work, starting from simple tuning to advance troubleshooting techniques. They are expected to thoroughly understand the process of functioning and fabrication of all the parts of the engine--pistons, pins, rings, rods, freeze plug set, gaskets, timing set, oil pump, precision ground cranks, transmissions, electrical systems, and computerized engine controls.

These shops not only stock spare parts and accessories for the older types of vehicles, but they also cater to the needs of current models. Also, they are usually larger than the single-brand vehicle machine shops, as they repair all types of automotives.

These shops undertake repair services for cars, which involve the cleaning of air filters, oil filters and tanks, and washing off the dust or other accretions on the engines and the body of the vehicles. These activities release lots of grease and oily materials, which are hazardous to the environment, and so they have to be properly disposed of. The owners should not throw away the cleaning agents like methylene chloride, or the spent oils and lubricants, or drain them down the sewers, septic systems, or storm drains. They are likely to be given stringent penalties if they are caught doing so.

Machine Shops provides detailed information on Machine Shops, Automotive Machine Shop Repairs, Automotive Machine Shop Services, Automotive Machine Shops and more. Machine Shops is affiliated with Casting Molding Machining

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Stith


Tags:Automotive Machine

Podcasting vs Radio

Is the podcasting vs. radio' showdown finally about to take center stage?

It looks like podcasting and other alternative sources of entertainment have finally caused traditional corporate radio to react.

In November of 2004, Bridge Ratings & Research released a report that indicated that the terrestrial radio audience was slowly slipping away.

During the last few months of 2005, the reports show that for the most part, that ‘slippage’ has either stopped or slowed down.

The youngest group – 12 – 24 years of age – showed the most interest in alternative media and the least interest in traditional radio.

The older groups showed slight increases in their use of radio, even though many are still spending a lot of time with what’s considered alternative media: TV, Internet, Recorded Music, Books and Magazines.

The report doesn’t break out the impact of podcasting, but it does mention iPods and MP3 listening as having an effect, especially on the younger demographics.

To me this makes sense. Younger audiences are more drawn to new technologies. They’ll glom on to MP3 players and podcasts and reject a lot of the tradition time-wasters of their parents like books and TV, in favor of downloading songs online, browsing the internet and sticking those earbuds into their head and tuning out any local radio station.

Coming from two-plus decades in radio, I know how hard it is to get and maintain an audience when you DON’T have all of the competition of 2006. In 1976, you might have had a local paper and a few TV channels and a handful of local competing radio stations.

So a radio programmer today now has to compete with 500 channels of cable TV, satellite radio, podcasting, not to mention the other traditional media sources, such as local and national newspapers and magazines, etc.

Where does that leave radio and podcasting?

From a personal standpoint, I don’t have much interest in local radio. Sure it comes up on occasion in my car, but only because I’ve gone through all my CDs and would rather have a local station fill in the space instead of silence.

As I go to sleep, I have my clock radio playing a local classic rock station. Unfortunately, the station is owned by a big media corporation that owns hundreds, if not thousands of radio stations across America. So their announcers are directed to not say a whole lot and as a result are allowed to have very little personality. And ‘after hours’ – when there is no live person behind the microphone – we get automation, which means no live person, no voice tracking (which would at least sound sort of like a live person); just song – song – song – commercial – station promo liner – song – song, etc…

Bo-ring.

On the other hand, when I fire up a podcast, I am suddenly invited into the world of an actual person – someone who talks, eats, breathes and is passionate about their subject, whether its folk music, cult movies, hardcore alternative rock or wine-making.

Podcasting is REAL. It may not hold the production value of a professional radio station, but really, who the heck cares? You don’t listen to podcasting to get the highest quality. You listen to a podcast to get a real person.

And that’s what will continue to draw more and more people to podcasts, whether listening or getting in front of the microphone and creating their own podcast.

I believe as humans we need the personal interaction, and if it means listening to a guy sit in front of a campfire, playing his ukulele and whispering about the stars above, then a lot of us are in; we’re there!

Radio is not going away. The smart programmers are going to let their air staff become more real, especially when they see the inroads that podcasting will continue to make into their audience. Oddly enough, local radio stations have an advantage. In the city I live, there are a couple of local stations. One plays a lot of syndicated programming and very little local programming. They survive because they offer a good lineup of national talk programming.

The other station is completely local: everything you hear is done from their studio, from playing the weird mix of songs which make you want to laugh, cry, shout, cringe and turn the damn thing off – all within a 30 minutes span – to the local announcers who are at various stages talented, untalented, polished, raw, goofy, tender, idiotic, passionate and uncaring.

Above all, they’re REAL. And that's the ultimate attraction - and repellent.

It’s like the locally owned radio stations are already doing what podcasters are doing – being human.

It’s just that podcasters still have extreme latitude, and the local radio folks must stay within certain boundaries.

So if it’s the limitless boundaries you’re looking for in your world, find a podcast that speaks to you, listen to them support them, and let them know you’re out there!

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon shows you how to create professional, high-quality audio on your home computer. With 25+ years of radio production, writing and voice talent, Tim can show you how to set up a small pro studio and create audio for fun and profit. Subscribe to his free newsletter Digital Audio Bits at Digital Audio World.Learn how to podcast with Podcasting Adventures Online.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Gordon






Tags:radio,Podcasting

Auto Trends

Fads come and go, sometimes on a whim, other times because of outside forces. Here at the halfway point of the new millennium’s first decade, car culture has sure taken some interesting turns.

Those of you who innocently took a test drive of a plain-Jane Nissan Altima when it was new in 2002, floored it, and nearly sprained your necks upon discovery of 240 horsepower, may have suspected that the standards of speed had risen a tad since the 90s. Turns out that was only the beginning. Nowadays, the Volkswagen Passat raised that same family car bar to an excessive 280 horsepower. We have little $30,000 Mitsubishis that can leave Camaros for dead. The 500-horsepower Dodge Viper suddenly seems ordinary, and the once-acclaimed Acura NSX is a joke. Whether or not you’re a speed freak, there are two trickle-down benefits: the minimum standard of horsepower has risen from 55 (Geo Metro) to 103, and very few cars in any segment are truly underpowered anymore. Not a bad development.

Cars just won’t stop growing. Every redesign has to be bigger than the last one; the new Toyota RAV4 is 14 inches longer than the last, and current Civics now dwarf Accords of years past. It’s an inevitable force of marketing; no one wants to pay the same money for less car, right? Bigger also means heavier; our cars pack more pounds than ever.

And there’s no rule that contradictory trends can’t coexist. Apparently Americans expect their cars to compete with the speed of sound while also using less gas than their walking shoes. The Toyota Prius hybrid heads into its third year with unsatisfied demand, a long line, and a price premium. All this despite an ample supply of the perfectly serviceable Corolla at the same dealers. No automaker wants to be caught with their pants down, and all are rushing to market with a hybrid, even if it means using systems developed by competitors (Nissan’s Altima will use Toyota hardware).

We seem to want our cars with more stuff and more personality. The 90s banality in our styling is gone, even on the most banal cars like the Accord and Camry. And notice how almost every car has power windows and locks standard, and how even the Kia Rio comes with six airbags and a powerful stereo. Is it any wonder that the average car now costs $28,000?

Speaking of "cars", we may be moving toward the day when that word will again apply as a general term. SUVs are suddenly for the foolish. They always have been, but now everyone seems to know it, too. Ford’s Explorer and Expedition are going down the drain, and the Excursion has already expired. The bigger the SUV, the bigger the sales drop. Little cars are selling better than ever, even old-timers like the Sentra and Neon.

Lastly, we’re going foreign, and fast. The Big Three’s market share was 60% at the early part of this decade; that will stand at or below 50% by the end of it. This is hardly a new trend, but its recent acceleration is alarming. One thing for sure is that in terms of the players, the market has matured. Only two major automakers set up American bases in the 90s (Kia and Daewoo), and the 2000s have brought none.

Cars can’t get bigger or faster forever, yet no one can stand still. Hybrids are hot, but the long-term experiences remain to be seen. What will become of all this automotive craziness? Check back in ten years.

Joe Whyte publishes ImportTuner.com’s Import Cars articles. His expertise in Import Tuning is evident is all his articles. Newly publishing Ezine’s online to illustrate and educate auto consumers.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Whyte


Tags:import car,import car part,import car show

2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer SS Plus the Chevrolet Performance

As the first truck developed by GM’s Performance Division, Trailblazer SS’ has a towing capacity up to 6,700 pounds with the two-wheel drive model and up to 6,500 pounds with the available all-wheel drive model. Cargo volume is 41 cubic feet (1161 liters) behind the rear seat and 80 cubic feet (2265 liters) with the rear seat folded.

GM's High Performance Vehicle Operations tuned the suspension and upgraded the brakes of the SS. It features stiffer springs, an inch lower ride height, and thicker anti-roll bars, as well as standard StabiliTrak stability control. Larger, 12.8-inch diameter front brake discs are fitted, allied to new iron twin-piston calipers, while the monster twenty-inch aluminum wheels have 255/50 V-rated tires.

The TrailBlazer SS has unique exterior styling and specific interior appointments, including prominent 20-inch flangeless wheels. Power is delivered by the Corvette-derived LS2 6.0L V-8, enabling a 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds. A performance suspension with lowered ride height also is part of the package and was tuned by GM’s Performance Division at several racetracks, including Germany’s legendary Nurburgring – a challenging road course that features more than 12.5 miles of turns and drastic elevation changes. The TrailBlazer SS is available in two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations.

The four-wheel disc braking system of the TrailBlazer SS is enhanced with larger, 12.8-inch front disc brake rotors and new, iron twin-piston calipers. The heavy-duty iron calipers are stiff and retain their shape under high pressure/high heat braking conditions, providing a linear feel and reduced pedal travel in high-energy stops. The brake pads use the same high-performance linings as the Corvette for strong fade resistance. ABS is standard. There also is an accessory front brake-cooling package available for optimized track performance.

Chevrolet's engineers did extensive chassis tuning to the Trailblazer SS where they lowered the suspension 1-inch and add 25% stiffer springs. The ride height has been lowered about an inch using 25 percent stiffer for a firmer ride and reducing body roll, and to give the TrailBlazer SS a lower, more aggressive demeanor.

The SS model remains distinct with black-diamond grille, decklid spoiler, and generally looking more like the NASCAR cars Gordon campaigns. It has 20-inch polished aluminum wheels and four-wheel disks (12.8-inch rotors at the front). StabiliTrak and a rear air-leveling suspension are also standard for the SS.

The TrailBlazer SS’s engine has a composite intake manifold used in other mid-size trucks and was adapted to the LS2 to help produce balanced torque and horsepower within packaging parameters. The engine also has the Trailblazer's trademark pass-through oil pan. The pan’s cast-in passage allows the front differential’s half-shaft to run through the pan instead of under it. This helps keep the engine mounted lower in the chassis for better balance and a lower center of gravity. There also is a stylish SS-specific engine cover, radiator support cover and coordinated air induction box.

Backing the 6.0L V-8 is a new Hydra-Matic 4L70-E electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission. It debuts in the TrailBlazer SS and was developed to handle the high horsepower and high torque loads of performance-oriented light-duty vehicles. Special high-strength and heat-treated materials are used throughout the 4L70-E to ensure it delivers smooth, dependable shifting.

Partstrain manufactures and sells aftermarket performance products and accessories for GM vehicles. Partstrain strives to be the ultimate source for performance products and accessories for most GM vehicles.

Parts train's product line-up for the Chevrolet Trailblazer SS includes Engine system, Electrical system, Header, Exhaust, Hoods, Hubcaps, multiple Body Kit designs, Suspension, Condensers, Bumpers, Radiator Support, Spoiler, Catalytic Converter, and a variety of additional upgrades that compliment the car.

Its extensive array of maximum quality GMC Replacement Parts and great wholesale deals await you at http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/GMC . A wide variety of maximum quality Chevrolet Replacement Parts, Aftermarket Parts, Performance Parts and great wholesale deals await you in our online store. In case you have any difficulties in choosing Chevrolet Parts, its friendly customer service representatives are ready to serve you.

Jenny McLane is a 36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today.

http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/GMC

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenny_McLane



Tags:Chevrolet,Trailblazer,chevy Trailblazer,Chevrolet Trailblazer

The New 2006 Honda Civic

The new, redesigned and reengineered 8th generation Honda Civic was finally revealed to the public of Trinidad & Tobago. We at trinituner.com feel this his fully loaded sedan will set a new benchmark in quality and performance for our market.

We test drove the 2006 Civic and can definitely report that the build quality both interior and exterior is exceptional. There are details on the interior that prove that Honda has 'upped the ante' with regards to ammenities, esthetics and features that are not usually expected in a small sedan. We will refer to it as 'upscale ambience' as it really impressed us. The forward thinking two-tiered instrument cluster is a real eye catcher with its "indiglo" blue ambient light.

The handling was commendable and especially soft. The 1.8 iVTEC engine with CVT pulled relatively strong through the powerband, though the CVT never let us feel any gear ratio changes. We were not able to test drive a unit with manual transmission but we are sure that it would carry the rewarding feel of previous Honda gearboxes when mated to this 1800cc engine. We assume the suspension will be stiffer on the new Si Coupe model which should arrive in a few months with an estimated price of TT$250K.

From a tuning perspective (considering the Civic is the most tuned and modified automobile in the world) the 2006 Civic has some issues that had us thinking: The catalytic converter is directly on the exhaust manifold along with the O2 sensor. In fact it would seem there isnt much of an exhaust manifold at all! This should make setting up for AFR tuning simpler and we should see some interesting header designs in the future.

Also the engine bay is very short and so the front shock mounts are under the windshield but still accessible through removable plastic panels finishing the cowl. We wondered what interesting strut tower braces and pillow ball strut mounts the aftermarket industry would have to devise to facilitate this radical cab forward design.

Four wheel disc brakes is standard on all models and much to the delight of many tuners the wheels are also 5 hole from the factory. The trunk is huge and the sound system is good with options for MP3 and steering wheel controls. Seems like someone at Honda has been listening to its customers.

We can deifinitely see the new 2006 Civic will take the industry by storm and will have everyone from salesperson to casual driver to track-day tuner thinking outside of the proverbial box.

We definitely liked what we saw!

More Honda Technical Articles

Read More at:http://forums.trinituner.com/forums/archive/

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duane_Boodasingh



Tags:honda,honda civic

Do You Really Need GPS?

Throughout all time the big question has been and still is: Where in the heck am I?

Adam said, “Where are you going, Eve?”

Eve shook her blond hair and said, “Darned if I know, Adam. I’m just bored with this place.”

“Well, stay here then if you don’t know where you are going. You might get lost.”

Adam set on a rock and waited for her answer.

Eve said, “I won’t get lost, Adam. Besides, I’m not a man. If I do get lost, I’ll ask for directions.”

Adam said, “You must have some idea where you want to go, Eve. You can’t just go wondering off into the dark and dreary world.

She looked at Adam with her pale blue eyes and said, “I was thinking more of Paris than the dark and dreary world.

Back in those days folks tried to keep track of where they were by looking at the stars. The great explorer, Phendom, used the stars to navigate. In 45678 b.c. on his first trip to Greenland his chief navigator, Sogbottom, said, “I think we had better head back north, Phendom. I think that is the Southern Cross.”

I found only one reference to Phendom on Google.com. That is how unknown he is. The reference was cached, but the ever-loving Google.com said I could read the text if I liked. I decided to do that until one of those little boxes popped up and told me I would have to install the Korean Language module to read it.

That is how I learned that Phendom, who was probably the first Sea Explorer, was Korean.

I still remember three words in Korean from my Korean War days. I can say, “How are you? (awnyahasiminiga)” I can say, “Come here,” to a man (erioseeo). And I can call a dog (ereereereere, etc.). It’s best in Korea not to get the last two mixed up. Koreans like to throw rocks.

Back to the stars: If you measure the angle from the horizon to Polaris, you will know your latitude. Polaris is the “Pole Star.” You may know it as the “North Star.” To find Polaris, look for the big dipper. If you can’t find the Big Dipper, it is opposite the “W” which is also known as Cassiopeia. To see how this is all done go to: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_kids/AskKids/northstar.shtml

You can see why I just love Google.com. “I love those goo goo googlely eyes!” You might try: http://pub2.bravenet.com/forum/167551711/show/337617 for more on Barney Google with the goo goo googlely eyes!”

Don't forget to drop in to see Barney Google himnself at: http://www.toonopedia.com/google.htm. You will be glad you did.

At this point it would be proper to discuss how the early mariners determined longitude. Darned if I know how they did it. I do know that Captain James 1768-1780 A.D. was the first to use a chronometer to determine longitude. It says so at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_exploration.

The chronometer will just get us into a flimditty just as the sextant would. Let’s move on.

(I made up the word flimditty because it is just what we needed in that last sentence, right? You won’t find it in your dictionary or at Google.com. You must be thrilled to be reading the writings of a modern creative literary genious.)

There is no reason to get into a fitznizzle over longitude and the chronometer.

Skipping history, modern day navigators have a number of ways to find their way home. Some years back a friend of mine told me that he had bought a fishing boat at a sheriff’s sale for $800.00. He was very excited about that boat and so was I. He put a new V-8 engine in the boat and off we went fishing on Delaware Bay, God’s great gift to ardent fishermen.

My son and son-in-law tagged along and we cought a boodle of fish. Toward evening, I put my hand up to measure the altitude of the sun and I said, “In 40 minutes it will be dark. We’d better head in.”

Well, nobody wanted to quit fishing and my friend assured me that we would be able to get in by looking for the navigation light at the mouth of the Maurice River. We would follow the light and slip up the river to the dock.

Finally as the sun dropped into the abyse of spacetime my friend decided it was time to leave. He cranked up the engine but the boat didn’t move. Poking our heads to see what was below deck we found water. The boat had such a tonage of water that it would not move.

My friend had installed a pump so he flipped it on. That didn’t help, so we started bailing out the water. Eventually, we got the boat moving.

I suggested that we put on the lifejackets. The Delaware is full of ugly tankers and cargo ships and such. I could see us in the water screaming at the top of our lungs, HELP!

We headed east but we could not see the blasted navigational light. We moved south and finally we could see it. We motored up the river at a slow pace because the docks on the river had signs that said: NO WAKE!

We moved slower and slower as we took on more water. The musquitos got thicker and thicker. We thought we were with Bogey on the African Queen.

Finally, we arrived at the dock. That’s where we learned that we could not move to the dock because the boat would not steer properly. Then by luck on the 70th try, we pulled up to the dock.

I grabbed two five gallon cans of fish and ran for my Volkswagen bus, ten zillion mosquitoes helping me along.

The next morning, my friend went down to the dock to check on his bargain boat.

He couldn’t see it at first.

Then he found that it was only a few feet away.

Unfortunately, the direction was down!

Glub, glub!

Sorry for that major diversion from our very serious discussion on navigation and all.

Sometime after the compus was discovered, man discovered radio navigation. Transmitters along the cost sent out a characteristic bleep that boats could triangulate on or dead recon on to find their way home. We learn the following at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_navigation

“The first system of radio navigation was the radio direction finder, or RDF. By tuning in a radio station and then using a directional antenna to find the direction to the broadcasting antenna, radio sources replaced the stars and planets of celestial navigation with a system that could be used in all weather and times of day. Taking two such measurements and plotting the directions on a map will result in an intersection, your current location. Commercial AM radio stations can be used for this task due to their long range and high power, but strings of low-power radio beacons were also set up specifically for this task. Early systems used a loop antenna that was rotated by hand to find the angle to the signal, while modern systems use a much more directional solenoid that is rotated rapidly by a motor, with electronics calculating the angle.”

Placing transmitters on Global Positioning Satellites solved all of our navigational problems except during heavy sunspot activity or overlyactive solarwinds.

The End

copyright©John T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com)is a retired R&D engineer and VP of a Fortune 500 company. He is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering), poetry, etc. Former editor of international trade magazine. More info: http://www.tjbooks.com.Business web site:http://www.bookfindhelp.com (wealth-success books / flagpoles)

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_T_Jones,_Ph.D.

Tags:GPS,550 gps navigation system wgpx whistler,garmin gps,magellan gps,gps system

Tuning World Bodensee

This is an article presenting the German show named Tuning World Bodensee that it is much appreciated about American people. The show has an annual frequency and it was visited by West Coast Customs team, too.

Tuning World Bodensee is a German Tuning Show, this year was the 4th edition and it was much appreciated and deserves all the credits. The Americans know what a good show means when they see one, so they are starting to love it! I must tell you that on this show were even the West Coast Customs team! What can you say about that?

Last year the organizers of Tuning World Bodensee were excited because they were having over 93,000 visitors and that means a raise with 55 % from 2004. Many visitors, don’t you think?

This success can be explained by the fact that the West Coast Customs were there for the first time to this show and they were very appealed to give autographs. West Coast Customs example was taken in consideration by any other American tuning companies who understood that in Germany is “cash flow”. This is one of the motivations because of this tuning show, presented near Constance Lake, and was recording a record with its participation.

Totally there were almost 111,000 visitors between 28 April and 1 May. Almost 90 % of the visitors asked, they answered that the show was “very good” or “good” and they told that they will come next year, too.

Very important is that more than half of the interviewed have a “modified” car and the boring results shows that the “tuning phenomenon” is now even in girls mind and soul. It seems that girls are no longer pleased only with a ride as a passenger of a tuned car. So, 25 % of this year visitors were girls. As a mater of fact, even the winner of “Miss Tuning” contest from this show has a personalized Opel Corsa. This beautiful girl surpassed 239 other girls that were hoping to be Miss Tuning and to become famous for 412 journalists, 14 countries and 10 TV’s that were presenting materials about this “horse power” show.

This year, Tuning World Bodensee was showing that nostalgia for the 80’s and will be followed by the energy of 90’s. After the well known Best of Ibiza party was organized a Retro Dance night where were Snap, Technotronic and Dr. Alban songs. What a night!

This year composition was signed by Vinylshakerz project team, 2 DJs that are much appreciated and make the crowd go loud! The song is great ant stays in your mind, with few rows, but relevant. The language is exactly what the crowd is waiting and uses words like: “angel eyes”, "pimp my ride" (we all know very well what it is about), http://www.carsandtuning.org tuned cars and many other.

Click here for more Tuned Cars and Car Pictures.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Mathew




Tags:tuning,modified car,horse power,pimp my ride,car picture

How Dynamometers Work

Dynamometers or dyno systems seem complicated but once you understand the basics it all becomes clear! A dynamometer is basically just a measuring tool, in the same way as voltmeters, scales or speedometers are.

Among force-measuring devices, dynamometers are a flexible metallic ring that bends when a force is applied in such a manner as to tend to collapse it (the amount of bending being a measure of the applied force) and a hydraulic “load cell” that measures compressive loads in terms of fluid pressure.

Once you have built your new motor, or fitted any tuning parts, it is very important to visit a good automotive Dynamometer or rolling road. If you don't, then you will never be able to properly set up your engine.

A good dynamometer allows you to use a gas analyzer while under load so you can see the real air fuel mixture at all RPM's while driving.

Power-measuring dynamometers may be either transmission dynamometers or absorption dynamometers. The former utilize devices that measure torque, in terms of the elastic twist of the shaft or of a special torquemeter inserted between some sections of the shaft. The torque is produced by the useful load that the prime mover, motor, or machine is carrying.

Unlike transmission dynos, absorption dynamometers produce the torque that they measure by creating a constant restraint to the turning of a shaft, by applying mechanical friction, fluid friction, or electromagnetic induction.

A Prony brake develops mechanical friction on the edges of a rotating pulley by the means of a few brake blocks that are squeezed against the wheel by tightening the bolts until the friction torque FR balances the torque WL.

A water brake creates a resistance by circulating the water flow between a rotating impeller and a stationary shell, while an electric dynamometer generates and absorbs direct-current electricity or eddy currents. In each case, the element that exerts the restraining influence is freely cradled so that its tendency to rotate with the rotating body can be restricted and the restricted force is measured at a known distance from the axis of rotation.

Torque is the product of the spring load or weight and the distance from the axis of rotation. Dynamometers also measure the torque produced by an engine in order to reveal important information about its performance.

A diagnose is then presented in performance graphs, which can be easily printed and interpreted.

This fine article is one of Groshan Fabiola's newest works. Also if you would like to find out full dynamometers details please enter this web site.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Groshan_Fabiola

Tags:dynamometers,speedometers,volt meter

In-car Entertainment -- What You Need And What You Don't

Car audio and incar entertainment is getting hotter and hotter by the day. So, folks, do you need all that's advertised? Do you need all you can afford? I'll take you through questions that will help you determine what you need and what you don't...

How much modification are you willing to make in your car? There are car entertainment setups that will require a radical modification of your car interior. Some will require a mild modification, while others will require no modification.

So how much modification do you want? If you want the most elaborate setups then you'll require the most dramatic modifications.

What do you, or would you, use this car for most? Furthermore, how long would/do you spend in this car daily or weekly?

This should be a heavy factor in deciding what you setup as incar entertainment. If this is a vehicle you use for family trips, then you certainly know that you'll need stuff for the kids, too (if you have them).

Compare this with what you'd need if compared to a car you drive daily and spend a total of, say, 3 hours per day in. You'll certainly not require DVD movies (since you'll be driving) but you will certainly be justified if you spent something handsome in making this setup as good as it can be. You're spending a good portion of your life here. So, it's perfectly in order to make it the best you can.

How long do you plan to use this car?

Do you intend to sell off this car in the next 6 months or the next 6 years. Spending a fortune on in-car entertainment for a car you'll soon sell doesn't look smart to me. You can hardly ever recoup half your investment. After all, anyone who is that much deep in car entertainment will certainly have his/her preferences.

What music genre(s) do you listen to predominantly?

Do you play jazz or hip hop? You certainly won't need earth-shattering sub-bass if you're a jazz lover. We know jazz should be listened to while hip hop should getting us thumping

What's your social standing? Who are you?

It will be unsightly for a school teacher or banker to drive to work in one of "them" radically modified cars. A few folks may be forced to withdraw their kids or funds.

But what if you're a show biz guy or gal? Got the picture?

How much do you have?

This one always finds its way in every matter. and you know, it often determines what you ultimately can or can't.

Now that you've made up your mind,here's a good shop for your car audio stuff.

If it does not service your area, check here (I am the webmaster of this car audio site).I'll give you recommendations and more information that will help you have the best audio experience possible.

Chimezirim Odimba writes for CarAudioPlus.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chimezirim_Chinecherem_Odimba

Tags:car audio,car modification

Lotus Domino Implementation and Tuning - Mobile Solutions

Today, the usage of such technologies as e-mailing, WAP, GPRS, calendar, etc. via mobile devices (telephones, PDA) is common. Moreover, the sphere of these technologies extends from using on “entertainment” level to the business level.

IBM proposes the line of solutions based on Lotus/Domino for mobile users and wireless devices, from PIM (Personal Information Management) and emailing till PDA online-client working with Domino data. The product line develops swiftly with changing of product names and trade marks. These days there are the following directions of mentioned technologies:

• Synchronization of PIM and e-mail between PDA and Domino;

• Access to Domino data via PDA;

• PDA online-client for Domino data;

• SMS and SameTime support for wireless devices.

Now to solve the first direction of tasks IBM actively promotes IBM WebSphere Everyplace Access product. In this article we’ll concentrate on Red Book (sg246676.pdf) documentation.

WebSphere Everyplace Access can be used to synchronize PIM and e-mail with PDA and Domino. The product includes Everyplace Synchronization Server (ESS), which provide the synchronization. ESS represents a special adapter, working under WebSphere Portal Server, allowing secure connection with Domino server from 5.0.12 till 6.5.1. versions. AS a mobile client for ESS can be used IBM Everyplace client and native SyncML clients. For example, on PocketPC it is possible working with e-mail and PIM Domino, as via inbuilt browser as specially installed Everyplace Client. Everyplace Client has version as for PocketPC as for Palm OS.

IBM WebSphere Everyplace Access can be used not only for PDA and Domino conenction, it may as well synchronize:

• PIM and e-mail between PDA and MS Exchange Server (verions 5.5, 2000 and 2003);

• DB2 and PDA. In this case two components are used: DB2 Everyplace Synchronization Server and DB2 Everyplace database, which working on PDA; • Oracle and PDA.

From the previous versions of IBM products practically used by the author, may be mentioned the followings:

• EasySync Pro and IBM Mobile Connect, assigned to synchronize PIM and e-mail between PDA and Domino. IBM Mobile Connect works on the server side, and EasySync Pro on client side;

• Domino Everyplace Access and Domino Everyplace Enterprise. The first allows accessing to specially designed Domino-applications via WAP. The second exepting the server part offers PDA-client, which has analogous functions without using WAP-browser;

• Sametime Everyplace and Domino Everyplace SMS. The first allows having access to Sametime functionality via WAP-browser. The second represents a sluice for bidirectional transformation between SMS and Domino email.

It should be mentioned here that in Domino Designer version 6 exists special “hide” option for mobile devices. This solution allows not transferring on mobile device side some volumetrical design elements (for ex. inbuilt views, sections, etc).

As a resume –IBM focusing attention on mobile devices and sees a serious potential market segment connected with this direction.

Good luck in your system setting up and contact us for any help in USA: 1-866-528-0577, Germany: (0177) 8349 806! help@albaspectrum.com

Polina Gottmann is a technical writer in Ronix Systems (http://www.ronix-systems.com) the European branch of Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com),IBM and Microsoft Business Solutions Partner, serving clients in Chicago, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, Germany, UK, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Moscow.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Polina_Gottmann


Tags:lotus domino
lotus
lotus note
elise lotus

Cylinder Deactivation: A Good Thing?

Cruising down the highway your car is traveling at a set speed not needing the full use of all of its engine power, but eating up precious fuel nevertheless. That V6 or V8 under the hood could be much more efficient if it employed one important piece of modern day technology: cylinder deactivation. Does your vehicle have this feature? If so, exactly what does it do and is it a good thing? Read on to learn what some automakers are doing to conserve fuel without making significant changes to your vehicle.

Elevated fuel prices have consumers scrambling for answers. Some are switching to hybrids, others to diesel, while still others are choosing smaller and lighter vehicles all in a bid to save on fuel. While no one quite knows what the long term fuel prices will be, automotive manufacturers are able to squeeze out better fuel mileage through a rather simple technological change: cylinder deactivation. Cylinder deactivation works this way: let’s say you are cruising down the interstate at a set speed of about 65 miles per hour. The road surface is flat therefore there isn’t a whole lot of demand on your engine. Instead of running all six or eight cylinders, why not run your engine on three or four?

Back during the early 1980s, GM unsuccessfully tried this with Cadillac by offering what they called 8-6-4 displacement. Unfortunately, the technology wasn’t as refined as it is today and the experiment failed miserably. Today, however, thanks to central processing unit chips, displacement on demand is a viable alternative. When driving at cruise, sensors tell the engine to shut down half of its cylinders thereby reducing gas consumption. Although typical gains range in the neighborhood of just 5-7%, an across the board introduction of this technology could reduce our dependency on foreign oil and lift corporate fuel economy across the board.

For three years now GM has offered active fuel management [or AFM] with several V8 engines and the technology will soon find its way on V6 engines for the Chevy Uplander and Impala. Honda has its own variable cylinder management [or VCM] for select V6 powered Odysseys, Accords, and Pilots. Other automakers are studying the cylinder deactivation with more manufacturers expected to jump in.

Unlike previous attempts at engine deactivation, the latest attempt at shutting down unneeded cylinders appears to be a success. Thanks to refinement of the hydraulic valve lifters and improvements in engine and exhaust tuning, engines featuring cylinder deactivation technology are able to transition quickly and quietly from a fuel efficient mode to one requiring full power. Thus, consumers get the best of both worlds: power and maximum fuel efficiency.

You can help your car run with power and authority by installing parts that truly enhance your vehicle’s performance. Consider installing an MSD ignition box, a Bosch fuel injector, or Nology hot wires to give your engine the boost that it deserves.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Keegan

Tags:cylinder head
cylinder hydraulic
technology

BMW Parts and Accessories

In this article I will tell you about different parts and accessories used in cars and more particularly I will focus your attention on BMW.

Let us begin now with the fuel injectors. They are in fact linked to the electronic controls and these controls together with a good clean fuel are the two important things you need to look for when pursuing a good and precise work of your fuel injectors.

Fuel injectors are made for both – to make horsepower and to keep the emissions low. In order for this to work a good rapid burn of the fuel is required. That’s why BMW are so successful here. They made a small needle-like valve that forcefully under big pressure injects the fuel into the intake port. The fuel is atomized and like this together with the oxygen in the air it burns instantly and this gives the needed power for your BMW car.

The clean fuel is very important because it will give a longer life for your BMW car and that’s why you need to take really good care of your oil filters. There are usually two types of oil filters - cartridge and spin-on. Sometimes a magnetic system is applied to the filter in order for the ferromagnetic parts to be captured.

Another very important part of your BMW car is the thermostat. This device is capable of both - measuring and regulating the temperature in the car. If it fails your engine may damage because it will most likely overheat. In order to control the temperature the thermostat will constantly measure it and then it will cool down the system or heat it up by switching and controlling the flow of the heat energy.

Now let’s discuss the BMW oxygen sensor. This is a system with a measuring device putted in the exhaust. It is important to know how well the fuel has burned in the engine and this measuring device will provide you with that data. This data will be then examined by the fuel injection computer and it will make the necessary adjustments in order for the better burn of the fuel. These adjustments are all about the way in which the fuel combines with the air and more precisely – the oxygen in that air. This is very important because the better the fuel burns the higher is the performance of your BMW car.

The BMW ignition coil is another amazing thing – it will not fail for very long time and now let’s see why it is so important. In order for your BMW car to start operating it needs a provider of a little spark which will ignite the combined with oxygen fuel. This spark in your BMW car is provided by the spark plugs but they need a high-voltage electrical charge and this will be provided to them by the ignition coil.

The ignition coil is based on induction. It will take power from the accumulator which is 12 volts and then it will transform it to thousands of volts because in order for the spark to be created this high voltage is an indispensability.

The BMW power steering pump on the other hand is the device which will transform the power from the engine into hydraulic pressure. This hydraulic pressure will enable you to easily turn the wheel in the desired direction. Basically the system is driven by the engine which will generate pressure in a rotary-vane pump and the faster your vehicle is going the more pressure is generated. Of course there is also a valve which will relief the system if the pressure goes too high. This valve prevents from damages and also it controls the pressure to be in the necessary values that are still big enough for the system to work properly.

We were talking about some high voltage and now let us discuss for a moment how this high voltage is distributed to for example – your ignition system. If your BMW car is old enough you will see that it uses a BMW distributor cap. This cap is usually plastic and it is used to wire up devices and insure a way for the high voltage to safely pass through. Of course there are many problems that can surely damage your BMW car and for example the first major problem is the water. As you may know the water conducts electricity well enough especially when the voltage of that electricity is high enough. This in our case is really bad because you have to be very careful not to allow any water to go even near the distributor cap.

You will see that with time some cracks begin to occur on every plastic material especially if the temperature of it is changing. If you see cracks on your distributor cap you will need to change it. This is easy and you can do it yourself. However because of these problems with the cap you may want to get a BMW car with DIS or distributorless ignition systems. The only problem there will be that they are a bit more complicated and you will most likely be unable to change it yourself if you are not an expert.

Now let’s dive in some mechanics. Vibrations when big enough can cause some problems with your BMW car and will surely make you feel not at ease. To prevent this your BMW car is equipped with coil springs which in fact are known to be the reason for the good suspension of the BMW cars but in fact it is not the only reason. The coil springs are controlled by the BMW shocks and the precise tuning of these shocks is the very thing that will provide the best suspension. This is why the tuning for every particular vehicle is a must and BMW defiantly knows that and perhaps this is why they are known well for their good suspension. In order to understand why suspension is so important just imagine how much time will be needed for your BMW car to settle down after you hit a bump and even without taking in account the damages that may happen you will defiantly won’t feel good if these high vibrations occurs constantly.

Tags:bmw
bmw los angeles
car accessory
auto part

Sketching a Car Without Getting a Headache

Yes many of us have made attempts on sketching that dream car of ours, and more often than not it has made us frustrated that it looks not even close to what we had in our mind. I finally learned to get the right proportions and make the sketches not look like it was a pile of garbage and instead make them look like a Cadillac, Shelby, Corvette, Ferrari or whatever I try to sketch.

What you need to do is to look at the outward lines of the car, try to get a shape by simply trying to sketch a few lines. Then compare that to your reference car and simply fine tune the lines little by little without erasing the old lines.

My best advise is to leave the wheels while you are sketching the lines of the cars. Why you may ask, well simply because the wheels are usually the hardest part of car sketches. Then when you are starting to get satisfied with the general shape of the car-sketch, try adding the wheels. But don’t be surprised if getting the wheels correct takes longer time than the the whole car!

How long does it take to do a good car sketch then? Well it is very different, depending on how the perspective of the car is. Usually getting the right proportions should take between 1-3hours. Then fine tuning it is what take lot of time, I can spend easily 10 hours on a car sketch before starting to shade it! So it all depends on how much patience and time you want to spend on this sketch of you dreamcar!

The kind of pencils I use is different, but try some and you will probably find the one you feels most comfortable with and then go with that. And remember to not be afraid of using the eraser!

Lukas Niklasson is the associated editor to the website http://www.autodrawings.net.It is a website that focus on car drawings of all sorts. It get updated regurarly with new drawings and interesting information regarding car artwork.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lukas_Niklasson

Tags:Cadillac
Shelby
Corvette
Ferrari
wheels

Alfa Romeo Tuning - The Ultimate Options and Results

Alfa Romeo is, most definitely a brand that represents a wide range of different car models with the same stylish personality and a great deal of potential. We might say about these cars that they are pretty close to perfection and, in some cases, the tuning and optimizing procedures can help them actually become the perfect, dream cars.

Besides the great selection of companies that are specialized in tuning procedures in general that would be delighted to transform a capable, powerful Alfa Romeo car into an even more powerful one, there are numerous companies that are strictly specialized in Alfa Romeo tuning and the results can be quite surprising. But tuning does not need to be so spectacular and expensive. Alfa parts and accessories can be found, transformed and changed quite easily. Most car owners that are in search of new ways of improving their car are mainly focused on getting extra power. What can be done in the case of Alfa Romeo? For instance, the first step when wanting to boost the power is to add to the Alfa Romeo car an air filter and a sports exhaust, together with a fuel pressure boost valve - and these solutions are quite affordable, too.

Optimized Examples of Alfa Romeo Tuning

One of the best and most impressive Alfa Romeo tuning examples is represented by the optimized version of the elegant Alfa Romeo Brera, a car named Autodelta Brera J5 3,2 C - the name Autodelta stands for the British tuning company that managed to do such a great job and, furthermore, the J letter symbolizes its exclusive feature and hand-made, customized features. But don't think that this was an easy job - after all, transforming the classier standard Alfa Brera into this dream car for speed lovers took more than one year. But what is so spectacular about this car? First of all, the engine is brand new and it is at high standards: Arese V6, which has a power of 400 CP, with JTS technology. Moreover, this optimized car can achieve the 100km/hour target in 5,3 seconds and can go up to 270 km/hour. As for the tires, these are Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, with 19 inch rims.

The Alfa brand made quite a spectacular comeback since 2001, when the Alfa 147 was released on the market. Specialists claimed that this particular car has a strong personality, a very aesthetic body and a silent, yet powerful engine. Since then, more and more customers and car lovers admire the elegance, but also the force and power of these cars. And now, with the wide range of Alfa tuning possibilities, these cars can be optimized and personalized as the owner desires.

Learn more about all VW models and get cool Volkswagen Polo GTI photos,2007 Volkswagen Golf wallpapers and more information on the 2007 Volkswagen Jetta.

Car Tuning

Car tuning can be done as a hobby or it could be your job to modify people’s cars. A car is modified when the owner would like the handling and performance improved and modified in other ways so that it fits the personal style of the driver. When cars are just made, they are just average cars and are not specially designed to suit a particular person, tuning a car is now a way in which to personalize your car to your own preference.

There are many ways in which your car can be tuned to suit your needs, it can be sprayed to the color of your choice, unnecessary parts that look good, such as spoilers, double exhausts, side skirts, bumpers, air vents, sprayed stencil symbols and designs and many other things. Engine tuning is also very popular, you can also tune your engine and adjust things like your RPM, fuel economy and other things that are engine related. Many people will think that this is all done just to make the car look good but other than that it sometimes also improves the handling and comfort of the car. Carstyling will also fall under this category, as styling cars has much to do with car tuning.

If you think your car has what it takes, you could even enter tuning events. This is where a bunch of tuned and modifies cars come together and compare specifications. After all the cars have showed off what they have, the judges will pick the best one and they will receive a prize.

Some countries even have certain requirements that have to be met when it comes to the modification of a car and exceeding that limit will be illegal and the driver will face certain consequences. Most of these rules are to ensure the safety of the driver and passengers.

Written by David Smithston. Find the latest modified cars event pictures as well as modified cars event pictures

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Smithston

Performance Car Tuning

Performance tuning is the tuning of an engine to increase the power output, torque, and responsiveness of the engine as well as the reliability and economy. To performance tune the engine, it must be strong enough to endure the extra power, sometimes far stronger than the standard engine. Also when Performance Tuning the car you must take into account the transmission, suspension and the brakes to make sure that these match the power output and torque of the engine as this will affect the overall performance of the car and make it more reliable and competitive. Most people want to increase the power output of an engine. The main way that is used to do this is to increase the rate and efficiency of combustion in an engine. This is achieved by putting more fuel/air mixture into the engine, using a fuel with higher energy content, burning it more rapidly, and getting rid of the waste products more rapidly - this increases volumetric efficiency. The specific ways this is done include:

• Increasing the engine displacement. This can be done by "boring" - increasing the diameter of the cylinders and pistons, or by "stroking" - using a crankshaft with a longer stroke (in combination with pistons of shorter compression height, to maintain the original compression ratio), or both.

• Using larger or multiple carburetors, to create more fuel/air mixture to burn, and to get it into the engine more quickly. In modern engines, fuel injection is more often used, and may be modified in a similar manner.

• Increasing the size of the valves in the engine, thus decreasing the restriction in the path of the fuel/air mixture entering, and the exhaust gases leaving the cylinder. Using multiple valves per cylinder results in the same thing - it is often more practical to have several small valves than have larger single valves.

• Using larger bored, smoother, less contorted intake and exhaust manifolds. This helps maintain the velocity of gases. Similarly, the ports in the cylinder can be enlarged and smoothed to match. This is termed "Cylinder head porting", usually with the aid of an air flow bench for testing and verifying the efficiency of the modifications.

• The larger bore may extend right through the complete exhaust system, using larger diameter piping and low back pressure mufflers, and through the intake system, with larger diameter air boxes and high-flow, high-efficiency air filters. Muffler modifications will change the sound of the car's engine, usually making it louder; for some tuners this is in itself a desirable property.

• Increasing the valve opening height (lift), by changing the profiles of the camshaft or the lift (lever), ratio of the valve rockers (OHV engines), or cam followers (OHC engines).

• Optimizing the valve timing to improve burning efficiency - usually this increases power at one range of operating RPM at the expense of reducing it at others. For many applications this compromise is acceptable. Again this is usually achieved by a differently profiled camshaft. See also Four-stroke cycle Valve Timing, variable valve timing.

• Raising the compression ratio, which makes more efficient use of the cylinder pressure developed and leading to more rapid burning of fuel, by using larger compression height pistons or thinner head gasket, or by milling "shaving" the cylinder head.

• Forced Induction; adding a turbocharger or supercharger. The fuel/air mass entering the cylinders is increased by compressing the air first, usually mechanically.

• Using a fuel with higher energy content or by adding an oxidizer such as nitrous oxide.

• Changing the tuning characteristics electronically, by changing the firmware of the engine management system (EMS). This chip tuning often works because modern engines are designed to give a great deal of raw power, which is then reduced by the engine management system to make the engine operate smoothly over a wider RPM range, with low emissions. By analogy with an operational amplifier, the EMS acts as a feedback loop around an engine with a great deal of open loop gain. Many modern engines are now of this type and amenable to this form of tuning. Naturally many other design parameters are sacrificed in the pursuit of power. The choice of modification depends greatly on the degree of performance enhancement desired, budget, and the characteristics of the engine to be modified. Intake, exhaust, and chip upgrades are usually amongst the first modifications made as they are the cheapest, make reasonably general improvements (whereas a different camshaft, for instance, requires trading off performance at low engine speeds for improvements at high engine speeds), can often improve fuel economy, generally don't affect engine reliability much (because no moving parts are modified), and are in any case essential to take full advantage of any further upgrades.

• Manufacturer Detuned Engines - Changing the tuning characteristics electronically, by changing the firmware of the engine management system (EMS). This chip tuning also works because many manufacturers produce one engine which is used in a range of models and the power and torque characteristics are determined solely by the engine management system software. This allows the manufacturers to sell cars in various markets with different tax and emissions regulations without the huge development cost of designing different engines. Cross platform engine sharing also allows for a single engine to be used by different brands, tuned to suit their particular market.