Archive for the ‘Car Reviews’ Category

Electric Cars 2011

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

Best Electric Cars 2011

If you are a keen follower of the automobile market, you must have seen that there’s an increase in the demand of diesel, hybrid and electric cars. The new batch of electric cars 2011 have really got their design and machinery worked up. People used to shy away from buying electric cars because of a poor initial impression, and they were also not great to run. But not anymore, witness one of the most beautiful automobiles of the world.

Chevrolet Volt
The great General Motors wants to be the main leader in the electric car segment with the Volt. A great plug-in hybrid with 40 miles of battery power and 500 miles of gas. GM has got over 10,000 Volt orders for 2011. Next in line is a plug-in crossover SUV which is bound to give all the other SUV’s a tough competition on the road. The Volt is definitely one of the best hybrid cars for 2011 and is priced at $40,000.

Nissan Leaf
Nissan will be the first automaker to put over 10,000 pure battery electric cars on the road. A true technological invention, the Leaf is a 100% electric car with no gasoline. It can seat up to 5 passengers and gives you a mileage of 100 miles on a single charge. This is going to be the best cars for suburban people for their daily commuting. The Leaf will cost around $28,000. For more information visit your nearest Nissan Dealer.

Coda
Another good electric car for 2011, the Coda can seat up to 4 passengers and is powered by a lithium-iron phosphate battery. With a single charge this car can run up to 90 miles with a top speed of 80 mph. The car comes with a 3 year warranty/36,000 miles and the battery has a guarantee of over 8 years/100,000 miles.

Fisker Karma
If you believe in arriving in class, then the Fisker Karma is surely the best way to go about it. It’s one of the best luxury sports plug in hybrid sedans. The car features 20kWh of lithium batteries and you can travel up to 50 miles before making turning on to the gas engine. The car will also offer solar panels which will charge the Karma without any electric supply. Karma is all about luxury, style, class and passion and the base model of this car is priced at $95,000.

Ford
Ford will be bringing out at least two electric cars in the last quarter of 2011. I have high hopes for the Ford Focus Electric, which is expected to give tough competition to the Leaf. There are also rumors that Ford will start taking orders from 2012 for a hybrid crossover SUV but the company is keeping mum about this. Ford is making sure that it becomes the leader in the electric car segment after the launch of its new electric cars.

Wheego Life
The Wheego is an exciting new hatchback from China. It’s an American car but its sourced in China. The company’s main objective is to make sure that Life captures the heart and mind of the American customer. It has a 30Kw battery pack which is connected to a 60 horsepower electric motor. The car runs about 100 miles on a single charge, the top speed is about 60 mph on the highway. The company plans to sell this cute electric car for $33,000.

 

Electric Car Kit

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Electric Vehicle Transformation Packages: A summary

A transformation package will essentially transform your regular vehicle which is powered by fuel in to a good electric car. A good electric car basically works on electric engine and a control that powers the motor. The package usually is made up of components such as a Electricity electric engine, electric control, base coupler, the throttle container and an adapter dish. While most of the electric kits are known to fit a variety of automobiles, some are made to easily fit in particular automobiles only. As the dimensions of each vehicle design differs, the same package cannot easily fit in all automobiles. Aside from this particular, the adapter plate that’s the joining area between vehicle tranny and electric engine is a vital element of the kit that might unfit just about all vehicles. So aside from the dimensions, adapter plate may be a problem. Make sure that the dish is reduce based on the car transmission dimensions.

Electric vehicle kits ensure a much inexpensive ride than what your gasoline driven vehicle provided initially. While purchasing a new electric vehicle is peaceful costly deal, these types of kits are a good choice for all those looking out to change on to an electric vehicle. With these packages, you don’t need to invest in an entirely new electric vehicle. The packages can be found at affordable prices and are easily available on the web. You can go for the best kits available in the marketplace that are suitable for your car.

Nicely, if you’re asking yourself that the whole conversion and establishing this package can cost you a great deal, then you’re wrong. The kits are not much high tech. If you are a actual ‘do-it-yourself’ fanatic then you can merely grab the installation guide and get arranged to convert your vehicle in to an electric automobile. The step by step set up manual is sure to assist you to perform the set up. There are many assets available online on building a good electric car and vehicle transformation kits that will help you match the kit appropriately. Well, if you are not really confident enough to complete the job you can take professional help for the same. These kits set you back around USD $15,000 which is much lower than a brand new electric vehicle.

You may also think about converting your own fuel driven vehicle in to an crossbreed car. This particular transformation reduces the energy expenses apart from decreasing the air pollution. These kits certainly enhance the performance of your vehicle. But this conversion of a car in to crossbreed vehicle is little bit expensive. It offers fitted of numerous additional components apart from the electric vehicle kit. Together with the gasoline motor another, electric motor needs to be installed.

 

Best Electric Cars

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

List of Best Electric Car

Chevrolet Volt
Manufactured by General Motors, the Volt has a very impressive electric ‘engine’ of 111 kW. It can travel up to a 25 to 50 miles using a 16 kW·h. After the lithium-ion battery is drained to 35% of the full charge capacity, the 4 cylinder engine kicks in and a 55 kW generator starts filling up the batteries. This increases the total range of the Volt to 379 miles. The Chevrolet Volt is classified to be a compact car with a front wheel engine and four wheel drive. It is a highly fuel efficient car even by the standards of United States Environment Protection Agency, with a rating of 93 MPGe for only electric mode and once the combustion engine kicks in the efficiency comes down to 37 MPG. The car has very graceful look and good interior. Thus you end up not just saving the environment and at the same time you also tend to save a ton of cash.

Nissan Leaf
LEAF stands for Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car. Nissan Leaf is also one of the most highly regarded electric cars by the EPA. This car is completely run by an electric battery. As per the EPA, the range for this car is depicted to be 117 kilometers (about 72 miles) and energy consumption rate of 34 kWh per 100 miles. The EPA rates amount to 99 MPG. The best thing about the Nissan Leaf is that it is a mid-sized an all electric car which does not emit any of emissions. This car is an ideal deal for people living in cities, especially where there is over crowding of cars.

Toyota RAV4 EV
Another all electric version. This car is the all electric twin of the RAV4 SUV by Toyota. The second generation of this model will be produced by Toyota in collaboration with Tesla Motors. This electric SUV has a range of 100 to 120 miles with a 27 kWh propulsion. The remaining features of this car are exactly similar to the internal combustion engine SUV. Toyota is planning a better mass production and by 2012, this car would be underway for the second generation. One of the best aspects of this car is the battery life with some models running about 150,000 miles without a battery change. It is highly durable, economical and comfortable to use.

Fisker Karma
Sports car enthusiasts like myself are eagerly waiting to buy this plug in hybrid car. This car has a 50 mile range for sole battery operation and will attain a range of 300 miles when combined with the normal hybrid combustion engine. The top speed of the Karma is about 125 mph it can race from 0-60 mph in a fraction of 5.8 seconds. Reportedly the Karma has a torque which is better than that of Bugatti Vernon. The big problem is that the initial cost of this car is enormous, though the latter operations cost is relatively less.

BMW Mini E
This all electric car is being used in Los Angeles, New Jersey and New York with quite a success. The best feature of this car is that it can be availed through the ‘Project I’ by BMW. The Mini E has attained a huge recorded range of 147.3 miles.

Tesla Roadster
The Tesla Roadster is yet another similar battery driven sports car. Its lithium-ion battery cells provide a mammoth range of 300 miles in one charge. The car has an average speed of 25 mph, and it can go from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The Roadster has a 120 MPG Gasoline equivalent efficiency.

The following are some other electric cars that are all set to enter the electric car market in the new decade following 2011, with several of them being mass produced 2011 electric car models.

  • Mitsubishi i MiEV
  • Renault Fluence Z.E.
  • Th!nk City
  • Smart electric drive
  • Toyota iQ
  • Ford C-Max
  • Tesla Model S

 

Car Exhaust System

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Car Exhaust Systems Explained

The main components of an exhaust system are:

  • Exhaust Valve: This actually may not be considered as a part of the exhaust, but the process of releasing the spent gases starts form this valve which yields the way for the exhaust.
  • Exhaust Manifold: The exhaust manifold connects the exhaust valve in the cylinder head and combines the exhaust from each cylinder into one common pipe. The manifold is generally made of some alloy of steel, aluminum and stainless steel, or these days from cast iron.
  • Oxygen Sensor: This is a content sensor fitted in almost all modern car exhaust systems to measure how much oxygen is present in the exhausted gases being released. This sensor aids the fuel injection system to optimize the fuel inflow to obtain minimum oxygen proportion in the next round of exhausts. Read more on oxygen sensors.
  • Catalytic Converter: This is a chemical component of the exhaust which catalyzes a reaction between harmful carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons to give carbon dioxide and water vapor. Some modern catalytic converters also act on harmful nitrogen oxides to minimize its percentage. It is mounted between the manifold and muffler.
  • Muffler: This is the most vital part of the car sound exhaust system. The job of the muffler is to tone down the noise levels of the exhaust system. The combustion process is nothing but a series of explosions of gas being ignited under very high pressure. This process generates tremendous amount of noise which needs to be suppressed. Mufflers have energy obstructing baffles to bounce off the sound energy thereby quietening the noise. Fiberglass packing may also be used to absorb the sound.
  • Exhaust Pipe: This is the final part of a exhaust system. This part carries the spent gas to the outer environment. It is usually made up of steel or stainless steel. These days aluminized steel tubing is also used in making of exhaust pipes.

 

Sunroof Repair

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Tools Required

  • Hammer
  • Screwdrivers
  • Hand gloves
  • Wrench
  • Sunroof installation kit
  • Utility Knife
  • Cordless frill machine

Broken Sunroof Repair Instructions

Step 1
There are a variety of sunroof models available in the market. You need to pick the one which is suitable for your car. Once you purchase the sunroof of your choice, check whether all parts in the sunroof repair kit are provided by the manufacturer or not.

Step 2
Keep the template you have received in the repair kit on the outside of your car roof. It should exactly match with the hole on the sunroof already present. This will help you get a rough picture for your work. Remove the sunroof panel from your car. Examine each part and see whether it is in working condition or not. Look through the roof cautiously to find any faulty part which may require repair or replacement.

Step 3
Crank the roof open using a 4mm hex socket, to properly inspect the fault in your broken sunroof. As it is not possible to open the sunroof completely after pushing the headliner behind, decide in advance if it is necessary or not.

Step 4
Take out the broken sunroof after you have found the parts which require replacement. Fix all broken parts without any restrictions. To reinstall the repaired sunroof, you may need to make slight alterations so that it fits well. Check the seal for any leakage. Read more on sunroof installation.

If you are facing a problem of water leakage from the sunroof, follow instructions given below on repairing a leaky sunroof.

Tools Required

  • Thin wire cable
  • Cleaner
  • Piece of wet cloth
  • Coat hanger
  • Thin tube
  • Water

Leaky Sunroof Repair Instructions

Step 1
Clean the glass panel on the outside of the car using a non-abrasive cleaner and a piece of cloth. Now, open the ventilation shade first and then open the sunroof. If you notice any dirt which does not allow the sunroof to close tightly at the seal, clean the area with a wet cloth.

Step 2
Examine the seal properly and see if you are able to spot any cracks on it. You will have to replace the seal if there are cracks, as it is the cause of leakage. Also, inspect drainage tubes. Check for clogging or stagnant water in there. In case you notice water clogging in these tubes, clear it using either a coat hanger or a thin wire cable.

Step 3
To ascertain the fact that there is no more clogging in the drainage tubes, try inserting a wire in and then pulling it out after a few seconds. You can also pour a little bit of water in these tubes to confirm it has been unclogged.

 

Hazard Lights

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Though most people use hazard lights for mundane and unimportant things like speaking on the cell-phone while in traffic (which is illegal, mind you), or lighting a cigarette or adjusting the music system, the actual purpose behind the installation of these lights is to communicate a possible danger to the oncoming or passing traffic. Given below are some of the occasions when you can and should use hazard lights.

  • When you are experiencing a sudden car problem in the middle of traffic, switch on the lights and slowly pull over. Keep the lights flashing till the problem is solved.
  • In case of dense fog, you can switch on the hazard lights to warn traffic on both the sides of the road.
  • When traffic in a usually fast moving road is slow or stalled for some reason, you can turn on the hazard lights to indicate to the traffic behind you that traffic ahead of you is stalled.
  • Another situation in which you can turn on hazard lights is when you are moving up a steep slope, which has caused your vehicle to slow down considerably. The blinkers will tell the vehicles behind you to proceed with caution.

Precautions to be Taken

  • Prepare a vehicle safety checklist and make sure that you keep track of the things enlisted in it.
  • If you find your hazard lights not working, take your car to a trusted mechanic and get them fixed at once.
  • Sometimes, you may experience the opposite, that is, the hazard lights wont turn off. This is a fairly common car problem, which can be undone with a simple look at the wiring harness. You might need a replacement of only the switch if you’re lucky. Otherwise, you’ll have to replace the wiring harness.
  • Use hazard lights only in genuinely hazardous situations.
  • When you turn on the lights, and your problem has been solved, DO NOT FORGET to SWITCH OFF the lights. Keeping them on, may act as a distraction to other drivers and can also confuse them. This can be dangerous to all the people traveling on the road.v

 

Decorative Car Floor Mats

Monday, March 15th, 2010

 

If you wish to make your vehicle look various and distinctive, changing the inside is very important. Decorative car floor pads are utilized for this particular objective. They generally are not meant for all climates and seasons, they’re period specific. Decorative car ground pads are made from numerous supplies. But leather and diploma tend to be thoroughly utilized because they appear rich and appealing.

Decorative car floor mats are available in an assortment of colours, designs and patterns. Which range from pet images, blossoms to subjective designs, photos, etc. You could have any kind of design on your car pads. You can even possess daring or stylish auto pads. Certain businesses supply customized car mats. You may be creative and possess a distinct auto pad for your car. You can even possess your name, monograms or perhaps a special message engraved on the auto pads. Also, they are obtainable in colours which complement the vehicle inside.

Vehicle Carpets and rugs

Vehicle carpets and rugs are utilized for the exact same purpose as the car ground pads. They help keep your car clean as well as comfortable. Custom car carpets and rugs can also be found. Whilst they are available in the myriad of colors, it is recommended to make use of vehicle carpets and rugs in the color much like the vehicles inside. Vehicle carpets are created of nylon material, berber, and so on.

Car Addresses

An automobile certainly requires a include, whether it is left indoors or outdoors. Examine for manufacturers that provide customized car covers. You can provide choice for your materials and color of option. Covers can also be found for seats and wind protects. You will find different types of covers available for all sorts of vehicle and vehicle, and actually open-topped jeeps. The material used ought to be waterproof and can even be storm-resistant.

Automotive floor pads are available from $15 to as much as you are prepared to invest. Vehicle mats and addresses must perfectly fit to prevent any grime getting into the vehicle. Hence, it is not better to buy vehicle mats and covers, from the shop. Even though ornamental vehicle floor pads are costly as compared to the ordinary types, they function the exact same objective and tend to be long lasting.

Personalized or even customized car mats can be perfect presents for a person who is definitely an ardent vehicle enthusiast. You are able to monogrammed this and colorize it for you according to the kind of the vehicle and its inside. Vehicle floor pads help to make car cleaning super easy. You may make a little investment within purchasing decorative and customized car pads to give which special look to your vehicle!

 

Car Interior Design

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Seats and Seat Addresses
The type of child car seats figure out the level of comfort experienced while driving. While soft, flabby chairs certainly seem nice to sit down on, they are able to become extremely uncomfortable in lengthy trip. This type of chairs are known to hand back problems to the occupants. Hence, the seats ought to be with enough contentration to give required amount of support in order to the back. Purchasing seat covers can also be important as they are mainly responsible for the look of the inside. Seat covers are available in myriad supplies such as leather, vinyl or even cloth. Leather and vinyl appear elegant and are easier to thoroughly clean. Nevertheless, they can be a problem in hot and humid weather because they could cause sweating. Also, they can’t endure severe hot and chilly temps. Leather seat addresses are also susceptible to mildew, mold within wet period, if good care isn’t taken. On the contrary, cloth or even fabric chair addresses offer maximum comfort and can endure all sorts of climate. Their own just issue is that they are a bit difficult to thoroughly clean.

Ground Mats
This really is another important element of car interior design. Have a trip for simple rubber pads or even extremely expensive decorative carpets and rugs. However, one must place the safety of the occupants before anything. The pads shouldn’t be therefore thick that the gas and brake pedals get stuck in it. This can lead to extreme soreness to the car owner and mishaps within even worse case. Another thing that needs to be taken into consideration is that floor pads often appeal to a great deal of grime, hence, the material of the ground mats ought to be such that it can be effortlessly washed. Easy rubber pads are not only easy to thoroughly clean, but they are also very easy to set up. More on cleaning vehicle carpet.

Amusement
Aside from the CD/DVD participant, you may also install TV displays inside your car for extra amusement. TV display could be installed anywhere depending upon the choice of the occupants. It can be set up on the headrest of the front seats for the passengers in the back chair in order to watch or even it can also be set up in the roof as drop down screens. By doing this, all the occupants in the vehicle will be able to watch it.

Dashboard Design
If you are able to decide the positioning of regulates on the dash panel, then you can design the design as per your decision. Again, safety factors are of utmost significance in this case. Whilst decorating the dashboard, make sure that your decoration does not impede the driver’s ability to run the regulates. Putting beanie infants or bobble mind dolls can help you decorate your own dashboard without occupying an excessive amount of of room.

Steering Wheel
Controls can be covered within chic leather include, gentle material as well as affordable rubber one. Treatment ought to be used which the material of the controls allows an effective grip. Material steering wheel addresses are available in an array of colours, designs and patterns. Leather addresses could be matched with the color of the seat addresses while rubberized addresses provide an excellent hold.

 

Car Soundproofing

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Pads are mostly utilized for the purpose of soundproofing within cars and trucks. They’re made utilizing possibly Styrene-Butadiene or even asphaltic sheets. Soundproofing pads are installed in cars for reducing oscillations, resulting in reduced or absolutely no noise through parts. They are primarily utilized over sections, and take in vibrations, after which the vibrations are turned into heat. Some of the best mats available in car and truck accessories shops tend to be Dynamat and Road Destroy.

These days, soundproofing oral sprays are also being regarded as for reducing the quantity of seem in cars. Generally, to use these oral sprays, you’d need a fresh paint weapon too. They’re dispersed on areas where mats cannot be installed. Doorway sections tend to be the most common places exactly where these types of oral sprays are utilized.

Froth sheets are also good choices within vehicle soundproofing items. These types of sheets are utilized much the same way because pads. Nevertheless, they’re place on panels for the objective of decreasing and absorbing vibrations, instead of turning oscillations into heat like pads perform. These types of froth sheets absorb oscillations and distribute the stress throughout.

You can even find foam sprays available at vehicle parts stores. These types of at most effective within decreasing seems originating from oscillations of sections. The soundproofing froth spray is actually sprayed in between two panels, after which it gets dry, creating a foam which fills in the panel crevices. One of the the majority of popular soundproofing froth sprays is Foam. Observe that the gases being released from Styrofoam spray are believed to be harmful to an individual’s health.

Another vehicle soundproofing method is micro jute, which is a thin linen of fiber that takes up seem. However, numerous car owners think that this is not much effective than other methods mentioned above. The best thing about micro jute linens is they add bring about the luxuriance of vehicle interior. These types of linens are often offered at any carpeting provide stores.

These are the best vehicle soundproofing products that you can purchase, for disposing of outdoors seem. It is a good idea to use two or more of these methods in order to have an appropriate quantity of soundproofing in the car. You can even purchase car soundproofing packages including mats designed for the objective. I really hope the above information continues to be useful in knowing regarding vehicle soundproofing and its methods. Now you can proceed and get a vehicle carried out.