Modern Car Construction Materials

Once upon a time, cars and trucks were made of heavy steel. That changed decades ago, leading to the use of aluminum and lighter metal alloys. Other materials that have been used are fiberglass and even plastic (ala Saturn and even some Hondas). However, carbon fiber is rapidly becoming the material of choice for both automakers and tuners alike. Will we see cars with carbon fiber body panels rolling off the assembly line? While that is not likely (the costs would be somewhat prohibitive), it has not stopped automakers from using the material in other places.

While most tuners focus on replacing their OEM hoods and trunk lids with carbon fiber accessories, OEMs have focused on trim and accessory parts, (you can find a carbon fiber hood or trunk lid for your ride at AndysAutoSport.com). OEMs cite the increased cost that would be associated with manufacturing body panels from carbon fiber, as well as the need to pass those costs along to the customer. In their view, it would reduce owner loyalty, simply due to price.

So, that leaves the trim and accessories. You’ll find many new vehicles rolling up to the dealership with carbon fiber shifter panels, door trim and even side-view mirror housings. Some automakers have used the material for door handle trim on the exterior, or for trim around the stereo and navigation system. However, the true benefit of this material will not be realized until automakers begin using it on a wider scale.

The aftermarket has already discovered the incredible strength and versatility of carbon fiber. Hoods of carbon fiber weigh substantially less than metal or fiberglass hoods, yet provide better strength and durability than their more traditional cousins. Carbon fiber trunk lids also offer strength and durability. Perhaps the single best aspect of the material is the fact that it is extremely lightweight. This allows vehicles to shed unnecessary pounds with ease. The less weight the engine must pull, the more available power that engine has for acceleration.

Shedding excess weight also helps improve fuel economy in any vehicle. Under normal driving conditions, a lighter car can go farther than a heavier car on the same amount of fuel. Of course, that’s basic physics, but it is a vital application in today’s world of skyrocketing gas prices. While adding carbon fiber accessories may not save you tons of cash immediately, the costs can be offset by savings over time.

Suspension Modifications and Your Ride

Tuning you car for performance includes numerous different options. Body kits, cold air intakes, turbo chargers and super chargers, performance ignition systems and many other options provide benefits. However, tuning your suspension is just as important as adding horsepower under the hood. In fact, if you do not tune your suspension as well as your engine, you can actually decrease the performance capabilities of your car. How do you tune your suspension? Below, you’ll find a quick outline of what you’ll need to do (A visit to AndysAutoSport.com will give you options from body kits to coilovers and more).

The place most people start tuning their suspension is by lowering their vehicle. There are two ways in which this can be accomplished: lowering springs and coilovers. Here’s what each offers:

• Lowering Springs – Lowering springs do exactly what it sounds like they do. These replace your OEM springs (on your struts/shocks), lowering your ride height. While these are the most affordable option, they only provide a single height setting for your ride.
• Coilovers – If you’re going to lower your car or truck, coilovers are the only way to go. These usually come as a complete set (coilover sleeve, strut, spring and camber kit). In addition, they provide you with the means to adjust your ride height to an almost infinite number of settings.

Once you’ve decided to lower your ride, you’ll need a few other items. First up, add a set of strut tower bars. These span the distance between your strut towers, both under the hood and in the rear. Their function is to tie the towers together, eliminating sway and providing better handling, but they also look great.

The next addition will be custom sway bars. Most vehicles have OEM sway bars underneath, but they are usually thin and lacking in performance. Aftermarket sway bars are available in a number of thicknesses. Like strut tower bars, sway bars tie your suspension together, reducing the amount of flex and sway in the system; however, these are installed under your ride, rather than on top. In addition, you’ll find some vehicles only have a single sway bar in the front, while others have one in the front and rear.

The purpose of tuning your suspension is to provide better handling. A properly tuned suspension can allow you to accelerate through a turn, rather than slowing down. This is handy for racing, of course, but enhanced suspension can also provide benefits for a daily driver.

The Not-So-Slow Death of the SUV

Not too long ago, the vehicle of choice for many Americans was the SUV. However, soaring gas prices have resulted in a tremendous shift in consumer purchasing. The SUV is no longer the king of America’s roads. Families, couples and even single people are now opting for smaller, lighter vehicles that don’t guzzle gas.

Have high gas prices sounded the death knell for the SUV? Take a look at the average car dealership today. While you will still find SUVs for sale, chances are they are outnumbered by crossover vehicles, slimmer sedans, sport coupes and, of course, hybrid vehicles. Even hybrid SUVs haven’t been able to make a dent in the new pattern of consumer spending.

So, the American auto market has changed. Has the global economy undergone a similar dramatic shift? Since the rest of the world does not drive SUVs, as a rule, the spending patterns of global citizens remain largely unchanged. Small cars, motorcycles and mopeds still rule the streets of London and Paris, Milan and Rome.

However, in America, the change has been drastic and left the Big 3 scrambling to find products on which the public is willing to spend money. While GM’s much-hyped line of hybrid SUVs is a fine introduction, it does not seem enough to turn the troubled automaker’s fortunes around. Instead, consumer focus seems to be on the Volt, coming out in 2011. The Volt will be a new breed of car, at least for Americans. Technically a hybrid, it does not use an internal combustion engine to propel the vehicle. Rather, it uses it to charge the battery packs that power the electric motor.

With consumer interest geared towards vehicles that run on alternative fuels, use cutting edge technology to reduce emissions and save big dollars at the pump, it is very possible that the SUV’s days are numbered. A quick glance at your local Auto Trader magazine will show you the truth.

While small compact cars like the Civic and the Cobalt seem to be retaining their value, you can get an SUV in excellent shape for fire sale prices. This is the best indicator that the SUV will soon go the way of the dodo. Unless the Big 3 are able to step up to the plate with innovative new technologies that offer more than the 20% fuel savings touted by today’s hybrid SUVs, the breeds time may have just run out.

Hybrid Technology vs. Full Electric Cars

The looming energy crisis is not far off, adding impetus to the search for viable alternative fuels and transportation methods. Both hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles have been around for some years now. GM introduced full electric vehicles quite some time ago and hybrids have been introduced by every automaker from Honda to Ford. However, the technologies used in these two applications are widely different. Which one will stand the test of time? Which technology will rise to save the daily driver from fuel prices that seem set to put consumers on the track for bankruptcy?

Full electric vehicles are the dream of many automakers. Rather, electric vehicles with unlimited range are the dream of automakers. Today’s electric cars are sadly lacking when it comes to range of driving. For instance, they are fine for puttering around town for a few minutes each day, but don’t try taking a longer trip in one. The charge time for the batteries is usually overnight, meaning that if you become stranded, you’re stuck that way. This is the major contributing factor (other than sheer cost) to the unpopularity of fully electric vehicles.

Hybrids, on the other hand, combine electric technology with an internal combustion engine, giving them the range that their fully electric cousins lack. However, these vehicles are only capable of saving around 20% on your average fuel bill. In addition, they still produce emissions, though they are less than an equivalently sized vehicle without hybrid technology. In a hybrid, an electric motor and an internal combustion engine work in tandem. The electric motor powers the vehicle at low speeds, while the ICE takes over at higher speeds, such as highway driving.

In addition, the ICE shuts off when the vehicle comes to a stop. When it is time to continue moving, the electric motor starts the engine back up, and off you go. Of course, this is not without a noticeable performance difference, but dedicated hybrid owners swear they don’t mind. The electric motor is powered by batteries, but the car does not have to be plugged in overnight. The batteries are recharged through regenerative braking and the use of a generator, powered by the internal combustion engine.

As of today, the hybrid reigns supreme over the electric car. Will it stay that way? The new line of advanced hybrids coming out in the near future is closer to full electrics, so the hybrid’s days may be numbered.

Car customization is an enormous industry. The “tuner” world began long ago, during Prohibition and has only accelerated in the years since. However, a debate rages about the viability of customizing your ride and attaining the optimum fuel economy. The debate is particularly pertinent in today’s world of soaring gas prices, alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles. What customizations help your fuel economy? Which customizations can hurt your fuel mileage? Here are a few tips.

Surprisingly, many customizations actually increase your fuel economy, during normal driving. For instance, a custom air filter, or even a full cold air intake system, can increase your available horsepower, but also your fuel economy. A cold air intake supplies cooler, denser air to your combustion chambers. This results in a longer burn from each injection of fuel. While that does give your car more “get up and go,” it also provides better economy if you’re not a lead foot driver (to see cold air intake system for your ride, visit AndysAutoSport.com).

Another popular customization is adding an aftermarket spoiler to your car. While many tuners opt for huge wing spoilers, these are by no means the only option available. There are more subtle spoilers that provide the same benefits as larger ones. A spoiler works by providing improved down force on the rear of the vehicle, as well as by diffusing air as it flows over the vehicle. This helps your car move through the air more efficiently. While you will not see an incredible increase in fuel economy from adding a spoiler, it should be a part of any comprehensive customization job.

Your exhaust is another area in which you can attain both better performance and greater fuel economy. Most stock exhaust systems are very restrictive, smothering your engine with backpressure. This means that your engine has to work harder to move the exhaust down the pipes, through the catalytic converter and out the muffler. An aftermarket exhaust system uses larger pipes, a high-flow catalytic converter and a larger muffler (as well as headers in some cases) to reduce the amount of backpressure your engine must suffer.
Lower backpressure results in slightly less torque, but greater top speed for your ride. If you are driving normally, you’ll find better performance and better fuel economy as your engine spins more easily. These are just a few of the ways in which car customization can also help you attain better fuel economy. Just remember, drive normally, rather than as if you are at the track.

I found a video demonstration of BMW’s newest iDrive aka ConnectedDrive system which incorporates the internet with the accessed interface. Very neat but still looks a bit cumbersome. Still to this day, I don’t know anyone who can just jump into a fully loaded BMW with iDrive, or let alone the ConnectedDrive system, and just take off driving while having the ability to fully utilize 50% of the features on the car. Just give me a German engineered BMW drivetrain, three pedals, steering wheel, and shifter and I am fine.

Who will be the first one to get into an accident while searching Google for the nearest Startbucks?

What do you think about this “ConnectedDrive”???

Official BMW Connected Drive Videos:

A self demonstration of BMW’s ConnectedDrive done by “unknown”:

Enjoy! – MotorWeek’s Hybrid Round Up:

A few weeks ago we saw the Dynolicious iPhone App available for purchase via iTunes App store and I wondered what all the hype was about. So we read up on it and come to find out it is an App that measures the performance of your vehicle, accurately. Yes, this tool utilizes the iPhone accelerometer to measure your vehicles lateral G’s, ¼ mile time, 0-60mph time and more. Remember the old days of the older G-Tech tool? Yea, this is basically the same thing only for your iPhone.

There is another iPhone App for your car, g-tac, that claims to do the same thing for a lesser price than of the Dynolicious iPhone app. For only $4.99 you can measure some of the same effects as the Dynolicious app. Although the Dynolicious app costs a bit more, $12.99, it is the higher rated application vs. the g-tac app.

So if you have an iPhone with version 2.0 firmware, including the new iPhone 3G, find yourself an open back road and let it rip. Of course we don’t recommend you doing this on public roads and we are not responsible for you doing this. But you know what we mean.

Download links via iTunes here:

Download the g-tac iPhone App here.

Download the Dynolicious iPhone App here.