Cele mai tari download-uri programe design 3d cu care poti realiza diverse imagini tridimensionale. Ai programe de design ce iti ofera unelte si facilitati multiple atat pentru incepatori cat si pentru avansati. Downloadeaza ceea ce doresti si revino cu parerea ta despre program! Cele mai tari download-uri programe design 3d cu care poti realiza diverse imagini tridimensionale. Ai programe de design ce iti ofera unelte si facilitati multiple atat pentru incepatori cat si pentru avansati. Downloadeaza ceea ce doresti si revino cu parerea ta despre program!
From all times car manufacturers are trying to design the cars of the future. If we are talking about cars that stared in movies like Batman, Agent 007 we can see that the companies produced some prototypes that are featured with a special and distinguish design, with powerful motors and a lot of astonishing characteristics.The main question is, in what kind of measures someone can produce a car thought for 2035?
How can they predict what kind of motor will be using, what kinds of features and especially, what will be the top speed of one of this future cars?The Audi manufacturer imagined how can all this will be.Audi made a prototype that is supposed to be used in the future, based on the story of the movie I Robot, a car that can be drove in the year 2035.For the first time, the manufacturer Audi collaborated with the I Robot movie director Alex Proyas on this project. They made a car that contains of course, first of all, the emblem of Audi company, the 4 rings and the traditional design of all Audi cars.The special parts that may be said that comes from the future thinking are the wheels transformed in spheres and the butterfly doors.We may say that the company has not thought yet about what kind of engine the car will use, what kind of speed and other elements of technology, the car is made more for it`s sequential appearance in that movie and not for it`s ability of his technical characteristics. For all that we may agree that the concept of future car remains just an idea, because nobody can actually know what kind of engine can be conceived for all the new fuels that our scientist are now just in the phase of experimenting. From all times car manufacturers are trying to design the cars of the future. If we are talking about cars that stared in movies like Batman, Agent 007 we can see that the companies produced some prototypes that are featured with a special and distinguish design, with powerful motors and a lot of astonishing characteristics.The main question is, in what kind of measures someone can produce a car thought for 2035?
How can they predict what kind of motor will be using, what kinds of features and especially, what will be the top speed of one of this future cars?The Audi manufacturer imagined how can all this will be.Audi made a prototype that is supposed to be used in the future, based on the story of the movie I Robot, a car that can be drove in the year 2035.For the first time, the manufacturer Audi collaborated with the I Robot movie director Alex Proyas on this project. They made a car that contains of course, first of all, the emblem of Audi company, the 4 rings and the traditional design of all Audi cars.The special parts that may be said that comes from the future thinking are the wheels transformed in spheres and the butterfly doors.We may say that the company has not thought yet about what kind of engine the car will use, what kind of speed and other elements of technology, the car is made more for it`s sequential appearance in that movie and not for it`s ability of his technical characteristics. For all that we may agree that the concept of future car remains just an idea, because nobody can actually know what kind of engine can be conceived for all the new fuels that our scientist are now just in the phase of experimenting. Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia is a car made according to the requirements of the long distance rally. The engine Porsche Cayenne Transsyberia has been adopted from the standard street version with almost no modifications. This V8 4.8 liter with direct injection is capable of generating 385 hp (283kW) at 6200 rpm.The management of the valve VarioCam plus assures a stable consumption on the whole speed range.Despite the increase of power toward the previous Cayenne generation, the new V8 4.8 liter engine reduces the combustible consumption with aprox. 15%, giving this model a significant autonomy-obviously a great advantage when it comes to long distance rally.
In fact, the engine is capable to function on the base of a compound between gas and ethanol (in a maximum proportion of 25%). A sporty evacuation system reduced for the minimum weight, gives birth to a powerful and aggressive sound.Like all the other models from Cayenne, Porsche Transsyberia is also equipped with the permanent traction management system 4 x4 of Porsche (PTM). Thin Bull Lambo have announced a lighter version of model Gallardo that is to make its debut at Geneva. Called “Superleggera”, this model is a replica given preventive to those rumours about a possible Ferrari F430 Challenge Stradale.The Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera comes with robotized mechanical e-gear as standard, a sports package including shock absorbers and special suede-covered steering wheel. Available colours: Midas Yellow, Borealis Orange, Telesto Gray and Noctis Black. Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires (standard) on new Scorpius forged rims accentuate the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.Excitement at high level and maximum driving pleasure are provided thanks to 10 additional horsepower and a 154 lbs weight reduction, the new range-leading Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.It needs only 3.8 seconds to go from 0 to 62 mph; 0.2 seconds less than the basic model, and boasting speed and grit under other driving conditions which brings it to first position in its class.The already low weight (when empty) has been decreased by Lamborghini engineers, by another 100 kg.
This task was accomplished by using advanced materials and technologies. The engine hood is made of visible carbon fibre and transparent polycarbonate, a type of material that guarantees lightness and also shows off the magnificent V10. The rear diffuser and underbody covering, the rear-view mirrors, door panels and the central tunnel’s covering are also made of carbon fibre. Further reductions in weight were achieved by replacing certain glass surfaces with transparent polycarbonate.
For the interior, monocoque carbon fibre sports seats covered in Alcantara® were chosen to ensure restraint of the driver and passenger during the intense lateral accelerations that the Gallardo Superleggera is capable of achieving around curves.Those with a “fat” bank account will be able to order the new Gallardo starting with March 2007, but the production volume will be smaller than the standard Gallardo model. BMW M has revealed the first details of the new generation M3 at the Auto Salon from Geneva, with a special concept car.
BMW M3 Coupe Concept features a new V8 engine and is scheduled for series production. BMW M3 Coupe concept offers the first information about the production version of the new generation E92 M3 Coupe. The new BMW M3 Concept is based onthe most recently launched BMW Series 3 Coupe (a very appreciated model all over the world, especially version Twin Turbo 335i). For the M3 concept, the body has been redrawn in order to offer the dynamic look that is so appreciated by the enthusiast drivers for over 20 years. The secret of Model M3 is the combination between the day by day car with the power of the engine.The traditional concept paint finish, “Chrome Shadow” has been used on this long awaited Geneva Show car.
The M3 Concept car body has kept without any modifications only the doors boot lid and head and tail lamps. Other than that, the overall silhouette of the 3 Series Coupe has been kept. All the other components have been especially made for the BMW M3 Concept Car. The Z9 Gran Turismo concept car has been revealed in 1999, at the Frankfurt Auto Show. BMW is signalling that soon, the fight of the giants from the premium category will be much tuffer also in the Gran Turismo sport segment.
The new Chevy Corvette coupe and convertible will get a little bit closer to its extremely fast Z06 brother performances. In 2007, the LS2 6.0 liter V8 has been removed from the fibre glass engine compartment and replaced with a brand new, with enhanced structure, all aluminum 6.2 unit.The new engine LS3 has SAE certification and its technical specifications are 430 hp and 424 lb-ft of torque with the standard exhaust system, or 436 hp and 428 lb-ft with an optional dual-mode exhaust. This engine is, at 6200, only400 rpm far away from Z06 (7000-rpm maximum speed).The LS3 has borrowed some of the technology from the Z06’s LS7 7.0-liter (like the cylinder head design and the fuel injectors) and it has the same stork as the previous 6.0 liter. New York International Auto Show hosts the unveiling of the new Subaru Impreza, which will be out on the market starting from this summer.Comfort is the perfect word to describe the brand new Subaru concept, along with utility and safety (offered by Subaru Symmetrical AWD -All-Wheel drive with the Horizontally Opposed engine) and completed by very sophisticated interior and exterior design lines.The Chassis is completely redesigned along with the bodyconstruction and drivertrain.
All performances are improved which gives the driver the pleasure of a very nice ride with pretty easy, agile handling and advanced safety and environmental friendly conditions. Stability has been improved by mounting the engine a little bit lower in the chassis.Modifications have been made to the 2.5 litre SHOC normally aspirated engine which make improved low-end torque and fuel efficiency possible. The output characteristics of the 2.5 Boxer engine comes with a very practical range of driving speeds. The car comes also with enhanced emissions achieved by using a new catalyst system.The exterior styling shines through very good body proportions and quality details which transmits both the sense of speed and individuality. RUF has announced the release of the brand new CTR3 during the grand opening of a new RUF facility in Bahrain. Twenty years ago the first CTR called the Yellow bird entered the market, followed by the second one ten years later.
Both generations had the engines in the rear which makes the difference between them and the new RIF CTR3 which brings the mid engine design, but all three of them keep the feel of a pure driving machine.The new super car’ s development brings great driving stability, very good balance and agile handling through the mid engine design. The aerodynamic body-great for high speed is made of steel combined with aluminium and kevlar-carbon.Safety is very important for supercars and the new CTR 3 makes no exception from the rule and uses the latest version of the RUF Integrated Roll Cage, which protects the passenger compartment. Also, front hood and doors are made of aluminium and they have integrated side impact protection beams.With a very long experience in turbo charged boxer engines, RUF has chosen as propeller for the new supercar the 3.8 litter flat six cylinder engine which has an output of 700 bhp at 7,000 rpm and torque is 657 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm. To everybody’s surprise, the newest Lamborghini comes from Argentina. ALAR is the name and it has as base the old version of Diablo V12. The official distributor of the Lamborghini brand in Argentina could create his own line of models, using the Italian brand. Apparently an Argentinean by the name of Joan Ferci has somehow acquired exclusive rights to build custom Lamborghinis that retain the Italian marque’s historic name and feature an official badge of the raging bull on the front end.He’s created a pair of models in the past called the Coatl and the Eros GT-1, both based off of the Diablo.
The Alar 777 will be the third model produced off of the Diablo platform and debut on March 30th in Buenos Aires. The car will produce over 700 horsepower from the Diablo’s V12 motor and reached a claimed top speed of 223 mph.Lamborghini Alar 777 does not seem to be among the favorites of the specialists with too much posing and too extreme, it represents the old Lamborghini style, the old school, by all means.Indeed, the car seems to looks like something we would get from Too Fast Too Furious or perhaps Need For Speed Underground, which may seem to the Loyal Lamborghini fans a little less appealing. But thinking at the fact that we are talking about the Diablo V12 motor, we can still state that this is still a pretty cool car after all. A new version of Golf GTI was released,it was a surprise because is not an usual Golf Gti.The car is powered by a W12 engine making 650 horsepower,right now the supercar is just a concept,but in the future.
New features? Check these out: a W12 Cylinders Engine, 477 kW at 6000 rmp and a magnificent design.
What can you ask for more? With so much power this GTI forwards in the top of the greatest cars. With the 6.0 liter bi-turbo engine the driver can reach beyond the 300 km/h barrier. More exactly the maximum speed of the Golf GTI W12 – 650 PS is 325 km/h. As for the body design, the engineers wanted to make it look like a race car. The Golf is equipped with 19-inch format tires, in the front with 235 model, while in the back it has 295 model.
It is 1.88 meters width and 1.42 meters height. The designers said that they want to make it look a little with a coupe so they changed the body kit. Now, Golf 650 PS has the chassis with 80 mm wider in both sides, and the tires are moved with 80 mm to the exterior. This is another feature that makes the 650 PS a sport car.
The roof of this car is built from a carbon-fiber material, looking very good and helps achieving more road grip, as the race cars. In the rear you can notice the two tailpipes, made out of chrome. The interior is again, race car style. The seats are covered in leather, the interior is equipped with a fire extinguisher and the driver panel includes the “flip-up switch covers”, as in a race car. The door trims were modified for weight reasons. The car still has many GTI characters and really looks like a GTI, only “upgraded”.
They thought about every detail when designed this car. Yet again the BMW group amazes us with a new superb model, only now, in partnership with AC Schnitzer. The new AC Schnitzer S3 Cabrio, an “upgrade” to BMW 3 Series Cabrio is a 5 stars Convertible. The new bodykit was realized by the AC Schnitzer designers.
They said that the design should have a more natural form. And if we take a look at the AC Schnitzer S3 Cabrio, we can say that their mission succeeded. The rear view of the Convertible is the classic 3-Series, but the side and the front skirts reflect the special AC Schnitzer design. The bodykit creates an aerodynamic car illusion and enhances the sporting design. The interior of the car is equipped with many high quality accessories. Some of these accessories that deserves to be mentioned are the AC Schnitzer Speedometer, where the maximum value that is shown is 300 km/h, the carbon steering wheel trim in silver Exclusive and the aluminum pedals. All these combined create an exquisite athmosphere.
The car is equipped with AC Schnitzer racing rims. The rear rims are 10″ and the front ones are 9″, the suspension system is based also on racing technology, therefore almost transforming this model into a racing car.
AC Schnitzer S3 Cabrio has a diesel engine that provides 265 HP. Originally it was a standard 231 HP diesel engine, but AC Schnitzer developed a power pack so now the engine provides 265 HP.
Another engine for this Cabrio is in developing, that will provide 306 HP. For that one we will have to wait, won’t we?
A new super car is born.The Lightning GT,developed by Lightning Car Company, is a 100% electric car. The engine is electric, of course, and generates 700 BHP. The top speed for this super car is more than 200 kmh. For an electric engine this car is very powerfull. The battery system, designed by NanoSafe, is the heart of the power. It’s new, it’s great, and it’s spelled “POWER”. The battery recharges very fast, for at least 250 miles only 10 minutes of recharging would be needed.
The Lightning GT has another cool feature. Every time the car brakes or slows down, the kinetic energy is transformed into heat and forwarded to the battery as electricity. It self regenerates. For the bodywork, the UK designers used Carbon fibre,aluminium and Kevlar technology.The interior is a luxury one.
It has incorporated Satellite navigation, an Ipod interface and a virtual engine sound. Of course, it has only two seats, so it’s tagged as a sport car.
I don’t know the bodykit is simillar somehow with the Dodge Viper. Especially the front of the car. Anyway, it’s truly a super car. And this time it’s not made by the germans.
The british company “wins terrain” in the super car battlefield.Though the engine is powerfull, a small glitch is this: it accelerates rather slow. From 0 to 60 kmh in almost 4 seconds. But we can overpass that. The other features of the engine saves it’s reputation: total weather proofing,several levels of redundancy and a total energy transfer. These make it a super engine. The price for this super car is not yet set, because the Lightning GT will be launched on the market just before the end of 2008. Until then, let’s hope the UK will bring on the market a few more sport cars.
BEIJING- The Chinese government called allegations that its military hacked the Pentagon's computer network over the summer 'groundless', the state-run Xinhua news agency reported late Tuesday.The Chinese government has always opposed any Internet-wrecking crime, including hacking, and cracked down on it according to the law,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.' Officially, the United States has not accused Beijing of cracking into the military e-mail system that serves Defense Secretary Robert Gates and hundreds of other department employees.But, behind the scenes, a senior Bush administration official told CNN that China is the No. 1 suspect in the June hacking incident. On Monday, the Financial Times of London also reported that Washington believed China was responsible.'
Some people are making wild accusations against China and wantonly saying the Chinese military attacked the Pentagon's computer network,' Jiang said. 'These are totally groundless and also reflect a Cold War mentality.' She called hacking an international problem and said that China has also been attacked.'
China would like to work with other countries to take measures to crack down on Web crime,' according to Jiang.In Australia ahead of the APEC summit, reporters asked President Bush on Wednesday if he would bring up the issue of hackers with Chinese President Hu Jintao when the two leaders meet Thursday.' I'm very aware that a lot of our systems are vulnerable to cyber attack from a variety of places,' Bush said at a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.' In terms of whether or not I'll bring this up to countries that we suspect may - from which there may have been an attack, I may.' The cyber attack led the Pentagon to shut down its unclassified e-mail for nearly three weeks. Government sources said the unclassified e-mail system is not connected to other e-mail networks that contain sensitive military secrets.Pentagon officials said none of their operations were disrupted.At the time of the attack, Gates never mentioned China.' The reality is that the Defense Department is constantly under attack,' he said.
The MANLEY ENHANCED PULTEC EQP-1A is our own interpretation of the historic Pultec Equalizer as originally produced by Pulse Techniques, Inc. We have been building these Manley Pultec EQs since 1990 after we bothered to hunt down Eugene Shenk in New Jersey to ask for his permission and blessings to produce our own version of his classic piece. The Original schematics: Schematic for an Pultec PEQ1A type EQ This is a piece of reverse-engeineering I did because at the time nobody seemed to have access to the schematics. Note that the transformer data are guesswork and dc-resistances. Recent correction includes potentiometer values. This is about as close as you can get to a real vintage Pultec EQP-1a. Built from the original Pulse Techniques Pultec schematic with the layout designed around modern replacement parts (filter caps and trannys); and utilizing best practices regarding lead dress and component placement. Parts cost is around $1265 USD. The Pultec Passive EQ Plug-In Collection for UAD-2 and Apollo hardware includes the ultimate plug-in emulations of Pulse Techniques’ original passive EQs. With painstakingly modeled amplifier sections now onboard, the Pultec EQ Collection 'breathes' like the original hardware. Pultec equalizer schematic. Pultec EQP-1A program EQ There is a slight mystery surrounding the legendary Pultecs, specifically about their frequency response curves and the interesting interactions between them. I'm well aware that graphs and theory can seem intimidating at times, but to get the most out of 'that Pultec sound', we have to know what happens and why when we adjust their gains and frequencies.
'Elements of the OSD Office of the Secretary of Defense unclassified e-mail system were taken off-line. Due to a detected penetration.'
The Pentagon does suspect the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) of operating secret cells of computer hackers, although not officially pointing a finger at Beijing in this instance.In its annual report on the Chinese military earlier this year, the Defense Department confirmed the likely existence of such units: 'The PLA has established information warfare units to develop viruses to attack enemy computer systems and networks.' On Wednesday, The Guardian newspaper in London reported that Chinese hackers launched online assaults against the network at Britain's Parliament and the Foreign Office, according to the Associated Press.AP further reports that on the eve of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Beijing last week, the weekly Der Spiegel said computers at the Chancellery and three ministries had been infected with so-called Trojans, or spy programs.
A tuned BMW E36 Drift Car by JOZ Garage
Car tuning is the modification of a car to optimise it for a different set of performance requirements from those it was originally designed to meet. Most commonly this is higher engine performance and dynamic handling characteristics but cars may also be altered to provide better fuel economy, or smoother response. Often, tuning is done at the expense of emissions performance, component reliability and occupant comfort.
As a culture has grown around modified cars the term tuning has grown to encompass the cosmetic and stylistic changes owners make to personalize their vehicles. These changes are sometimes made so extreme they are actually of detriment to the more traditional aspects of tuning. An example is the recent trend for extremely low cars with exaggerated wheel camber which combine to give low traction and poor handling dynamics.
Car tuning is related to auto racing, although many tuned cars do not compete in any form of sanctioned racing.
Origin[edit]
Since their invention, cars have always been subject to aftermarket modification. Both moderate and radical modification have been commemorated in the popular songs Hot Rod Race and Hot Rod Lincoln. The names of Abarth and Cooper appear on models styled after the cars they modified. With support from Ford, renowned engine manufacturer Cosworth went from modifying EnglishFlathead engines for Lotus Sevens to dominating Formula One racing.
In the 1970s and 1980s, many Japanese performance cars were never exported outside the Japanese domestic market. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, grey import vehicles of Japanese performance cars, such as the Nissan Skyline,[1][1][2][3] began to be privately imported into Western Europe and North America. In the United States, this was in direct contrast to domestic car production around the same time, where there was a very small performance aftermarket for domestic compact and economy cars; the focus was instead on sports cars or muscle cars such as the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette.
Because of their light weight and the increasing availability of inexpensive tuning equipment, tuned economy and compact cars exhibit high performance at a low cost in comparison to dedicated sports cars. As professional sporting and racing with such vehicles increased, so did recreational use of these vehicles. Drivers with little or no automotive, mechanical, or racing experience would modify their vehicles to emulate the more impressive versions of racing vehicles, with mixed results.
Areas of modification[edit]
The essence of modification of a tuner car is an attempt at a significant performance increase—or the appearance of high performance—from a stock motor vehicle through the addition, alteration or outright replacement of parts. Although this largely involves modifying the engine and management systems of the vehicle to increase power output, additional changes are often required to allow the vehicle to handle such power, including stiffened suspension, widened tires, better brakes, and improved steering and transmission modifications (such as the installation of a short shifter). Although largely insignificant in terms of appearance, certain modifications such as low-profile tires, altered suspension, and the addition of spoilers can change the overall appearance of the car, as well as adding downforce to increase traction.
Audio[edit]
A stock audio system is one specified by the manufacturer when the vehicle was built in the factory. A custom audio installation can involve anything from the upgrade of the radio to a full customization based around specific audio equipment. Events are held where entrants compete for the loudest, highest-quality audio reception or most innovative sound systems. Some common modifications include higher quality speakers and subwoofers, amplifiers, and better wiring.
Interior[edit]
Race cars competing in various classes must adhere to a strict set of regulations. As in some well-known racing events, like NASCAR and NHRA, sanctioned events often require a minimum vehicle weight. In such cases, the interior is stripped, and the required weight is achieved by adding ballast, allowing precise control over weight distribution. Along with weight requirements, safety requirements are present. Requirements differ for different classes. Roll cages, fire extinguishers, reinforced bucket seats, seat harnesses, and the like are some of the required safety modifications. Roll cages may be difficult to install when the stock interior is present.
Some tuners will have 'gutted' interiors, or omit features that many ordinary drivers would find desirable or necessary, such as audio systems, air conditioning and soundproofing, in order to reduce vehicle weight.
Engine tuning[edit]
Engine tuning is the process of modifying the operating characteristics of an engine. In a typical engine set-up, there are various mechanical and electronic elements such as the intake manifold, spark plugs, and mass air flow. Modern engines employ the use of an engine control unit to provide the best balance between performance and emissions. Via the OBD communications protocol, electronically controlled aspects of the engine can be modified in a process known as mapping. Mapping can either be performed by changing the software within the ECU (chip tuning via firmware modification), or by providing false data via plug-in hardware. Other standalone engine management systems are available; these systems replace the factory computer with one that is user-programmable.
Mechanical components of the engine can also be added or replaced, such as forced induction systems like turbochargers or superchargers.
Improper, incorrect and poorly executed engine modifications can have a detrimental effect on performance and reliability. Mechanical and electrical components can suffer or simply fail as a result. An example would be the use of an air compressor such as a turbocharger to increase the volume of air used in the power stroke of the Otto cycle. In a typical chemical reaction, the air–fuel ratio must be a minimum of 14:1. If higher ratios are used, higher pressures and temperatures are observed in the cylinders, which can quickly push an engine beyond its intended design limits.
Neglecting such operating parameters can lead to premature failures, such as warped cylinder heads and walls, disintegrated piston rings, cracked or bent connecting rods and crankshafts, total cooling system failure, engine fire, engine detonation, engine seizing, and even blowouts. This can all lead to very expensive repairs, as well as being very dangerous.
Suspension tuning[edit]
Suspension tuning involves modifying the springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bars, and other related components. Shorter springs offer greater stiffness and a lower center of gravity at the possible cost of unwanted changes of suspension geometry. Stiffer shock absorbers improve dynamic weight shifting during cornering and normally have shorter internals to stop them from bottoming out when shorter springs are used. Stiffer sway bars reduce body roll during cornering, thus improving the grip that the tires have on the surface by reducing suspension geometry changes caused by roll; this also improves handling response due to faster weight shifting—similar to stiffer springs.
The danger with overly stiff anti-roll bars is the lifting of the inner wheel, causing a loss of traction. By increasing the roll resistance of one end of the car, weight transfer is concentrated at that end, causing it to slip more than the other. This effect is used to control the over/understeer characteristic as well as to reduce roll. Other components that are sometimes added are strut bars, which improve body stiffness and help better maintain proper suspension geometry during cornering. On some cars, certain braces or anti-roll bars can be retrofitted to base model cars from sports models.
For offroad vehicles, the emphasis is on lengthening the suspension travel and installing larger tires. Larger tires—with or without larger wheels—increase ground clearance, travel over rough terrain more smoothly, provide additional cushioning, and decrease ground pressure (which is important on soft surfaces).
These suspension modifications are in contrast to lowriders, which use hydraulic or pneumatic suspensions. Lowriders use another type of suspension tuning in which the height of each individual wheel can be rapidly adjusted by a system of rams which, in some cases, makes it possible to 'bounce' the wheels completely off of the ground.
Body tuning[edit]
Body tuning involves making modifications to the body of the car in order to alter the aesthetics of the car, improve performance, or both. Body tuning can also involve changing or replacing parts for better aerodynamic performance. Through downforce, cornering speeds and tire adhesion can be improved, often at the expense of increased drag. To lighten the vehicle, bodywork components such as hoods and rearview mirrors may be replaced with lighter-weight components.
A Lamborghini Aventador equipped with a Liberty Walk widebody kit and aftermarket wheels.
Often, body modifications are done mainly to improve a vehicle's appearance, as in the case of non-functioning scoops, wide arches or other aesthetic modification. Aftermarket spoilers or body kits rarely improve a car's performance. The majority, in fact, add weight and increase the drag coefficient of the vehicle, thus reducing its overall performance.
Dating back to the 1940s, chopping and channeling was a popular method of modifying a car's aerodynamics.
Increasing the wheel track width through spacers and wide body kits, or lowering the center of gravity via suspension modifications, can enhance the car's cornering ability. Often, suspension tuners unfamiliar with spring dynamics will cut stock springs, producing a harder, bouncy ride. It is also common to stance a car, lowering it beyond its optimal ride height purely for appearance.
Competition cars may have lightweight windows, or the windows may be completely removed, as auto glass adds significant weight and detrimentally alters weight distribution. Plastic windows are much more vulnerable to scratches, which reduce service life.
Tires[edit]
Tires have large effects on a car's behavior and are replaced periodically; therefore, tire selection is a very cost-effective way to personalize an automobile. Choices include tires for various weather and road conditions, different sizes and various compromises between cost, grip, service life, rolling resistance, handling and ride comfort. Drivers also sometimes personalize tires for aesthetic reasons, for example, by adding tire lettering.
Detuning[edit]
Detuning is the process returning a modified car to its original factory status, or reducing its performance in a particular area of tuning. For example, a car may be 'detuned' to allow increased traction when the track grip is not sufficient to handle the increased power of the tuned engine.
Styles of modification[edit]
Modified cars can be significantly different from their stock counterparts. A common factor among owners/modifiers is to emulate the visual and/or performance characteristics of established styles and design principles. These similarities may be unintentional. Some of the many different styles and visual influences to car modification are:
An example of a Rat rod style car
- Rat rod: Style of hot rod and custom cars, imitating the 'unfinished' appearance of some hot rods in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. 'Rat style' also defines a car that is kept on the road despite visible heavy wear.
- Euro style: Stanced with one-off paint and small wheels, with shaved features to define car body lines.
- Lowrider: Hydraulic or airbag suspension setups, custom paint, pinstriping, custom interior, and, typically, small diameter wire wheels. Others may look like straight restorations, aside from a low stance.
- Import or JDM: Japanese-style vehicles, aftermarket parts and race details.
- Dub or donk: Characterized by extremely large, ostentatious wheels with low-profile tires, loud speaker setups, and abnormally high ride height.
- Slab: Originated in the Houston area since the mid-1980s—usually, a full-size American luxury car is fitted with custom 'elbows', a type of extended wire wheels which protrude out from the fenders, loud speaker setups, and neon signage inside the trunk panel. Other 'slab' modifications include hydraulic-actuated trunk panels (a 'pop trunk'), candy paint, vertical stainless steel trim on the trunk panel (known as 'belt buckles'), aftermarket grille, and the use of a Cadillac front-end sheet metal conversion. The interiors of slabs are usually clad in beige or tan (in what is called a 'peanut butter interior'). Usually associated with Houston hip hop music.
- Bōsōzoku: This Japanese motorbike style features additional fairings and exaggerated exhausts.
- VIP style: A Japanese style of customizing luxury cars that evolved from Bōsōzoku.A stanced MK3 Volkswagen Polo with aftermarket air suspension, light blue paint and BBS RM wheels with negative camber.
- Stanced: This style is mostly associated with sports and passenger cars with lowered suspension setups. Custom wheels with low-profile tires play a large role in this style and often feature aggressive sizes, offsets, and camber.
- Cal look: A modified classic Volkswagen intended to evoke California through the use of bright colours, trim, and accessories.
- Military/service style: Cars designed to look like certain service vehicles.
- Hot rod: Style largely consisting of period-specific vehicles, components, and finishes to reproduce characteristics of early drag cars from the 1930s and 1940s.
- Custom car: Cars built primarily to show off.
- Sleeper: Stock-looking cars with performance upgrades.A Nissan 350Z modified for drifting.
- Rally car: Cars built to compete in rallies.
- Drift car: Cars engineered for drifting.
- Drag car: Cars modified for straight-line speed and acceleration.
- South London look: Subtly modified 50's-70's British Fords that are lowered, with pastel paint and 13 inch Lotus Cortina steel wheels or RS, Minilite, or Revolution mag wheels. These cars often use a tuned Ford Kent or Pinto engine.
- German look: A Volkswagen Type 1, Type 3, or Karmann Ghia lowered and fitted with late model Porsche mag wheels and touring car-influenced styling. Heavily modified suspension and drivetrain with emphasis on handling and cornering.
Glossary[edit]
- 30 roll
- A two-car straight-line race, often between tuned cars, starting from a steady 30 mph speed where the two drivers stand side-by-side, before one of them signals the rolling start by honking 3 times. The acceleration test ends at a pre-defined speed, e.g. 60 mph or 80 mph.
- Backfire
- Combustion of fuel in the intake or exhaust system instead of the combustion chamber, resulting in a distinctive popping sound and occasional flames. For clarity, the term 'afterfire' is sometimes used to refer to ignition within the exhaust, with 'backfire' referring to intake fuel ignition.
- BOV (blow-off valve)
- A valve that releases pressure in turbocharged engines when the throttle is closed, to avoid damage to the intake system and improve reliability. A BOV can vent either to the intake system prior to the turbocharger (this type of BOV is essentially silent and known as 'recirculating'). Other BOVs vent to the atmosphere, resulting in an easily identifiable hissing sound upon release of the throttle.
- CAI (cold air intake)
- A modified replacement intake system, often bypassing the stock airbox, meant to supply the engine with cold air from outside of the car (as opposed to hot air from under the bonnet). On most modern cars, the stock inlet ducts have been developed for peak performance and efficiency using advanced flow simulations, making aftermarket intake performance gain negligible. CAIs are instead mostly associated with their increased induction noise; coupled with an atmosphere-venting BOV on turbocharged cars and a non-resonated and sometimes 'decat' exhaust, such a setup is preferred by owners interested primarily in increasing the noise level of their cars, resulting in modifications with little to no performance benefit.
- Catback
- The portion of the exhaust system downstream from the catalytic converter.
- Custom tune
- A tune that has been customized for a particular car, often modified in specific ways that require adjustments to the stock calibration.
- Decat
- A straight exhaust pipe without a catalytic converter. On some vehicles, decat pipes allow flames to be visible at the exhaust tips upon throttle closure.
- Dig
- A race beginning from a standing start, e.g. from a traffic light.
- Dyno
- Slang for dynamometer.
- E-tuner
- A tuner working remotely to provide custom tunes over the internet, usually after the customer sends data logs of performance tests in the form of pulls (see below).
- FENG (fake engine noise generator)
- Often called a 'syntonizer', a system, either acoustic or electronic, that diffuses engine noise into the cockpit to enhance the driving experience. On some cars, like the 2015-18 Ford Focus RS, the noise is synthesized by a computer and bears no real relation to the noise generated by the engine. On other cars, the noise is conveyed by an acoustic pipe from the engine bay to the cockpit.
- FMIC (front-mounted intercooler)
- The term comes from the Subaru Impreza, which has its intercooler mounted in an unusual location just behind its engine. Beyond a certain threshold of power-increasing modifications, the small and ill-placed intercooler becomes ineffective, and a popular modification to overcome this limitation is to install an aftermarket intercooler in the conventional position behind the front bumper, giving rise to the term FMIC.
- Forging
- Replacing some of the engine's bottom-end internal elements with forged ones. The most common forged parts include connecting rods and pistons. Stage 3 cars can sometimes include a forged crankshaft. Forged parts are usually lighter and stronger than stock cast parts.
- Fully bolted
- Used to describe a car which has the maximum range of bolted-on engine upgrades without extensive modifications. These include aftermarket intakes, intercoolers, exhaust pipes, and mufflers.
- Hub dyno
- A chassis dynamometer with brakes that are connected directly to the driven wheel hubs after the wheels have been removed. They are more accurate than rolling road dynos, as they eliminate one significant source of slippage—the tires. Hub dynos are also more compact, the hub brakes being the size of small washing machines.
- Log
- A recording of the car or engine operating parameters (e.g. RPM, boost pressure, various temperatures) made when the car is being driven.
- Map
- A calibration for the engine management system, an electronic system known interchangeably as PCM (Powertrain Control System) or ECU (Engine Control Unit). A map is essentially a data file that gives the PCM the elements it needs to operate the engine according to the standards set by the manufacturer. The data is mostly organized in lookup tables known as 'maps', and the set of tables and other parameters is referred to as a 'map' or 'calibration'.
- Methanol injection
- A water injection system where a mixture of deionized water and a certain proportion of methanol is injected in the intake air stream as an anti-knock, usually using a dedicated pump and reservoir, and where the unmetered injection is triggered by a pressure switch activated once a certain boost level is reached on forced-induction engines. In some cases, the windscreen washer fluid reservoir is used as a tank for the water injection system (and still functions as usual). Water injection is believed to have appeared shortly before WWII on aero engines; notably, the Rolls-Royce Merlin and the Junkers Jumo 210 engines following the pre-WWII work of Sir Harry Ricardo. The methanol in the mixture injected in aero engines was present strictly as an anti-freeze, as it reduces the effectiveness of water as an anti-knock adjuvant.
- OTS (off-the-shelf) map
- A readily available tune sold with the accessory used to flash tunes to a car's engine control unit. OTS maps typically offer modest performance improvements and are often used as bases for further modifications.
- Pull
- A full-throttle RPM sweep in a straight line on a level road or a rolling road dynamometer, usually in 3rd or 4th gear and from low RPMs all the way to the engine rev limiter. Pulls are made to record logs or to measure engine output on a chassis dynamometer.
- Resonator
- A noise-reduction device that the exhaust pipe usually runs straight through, which dampens sound waves by the means of sound absorption material placed around a perforated tube section. Exhaust systems equipped with resonators are said to be 'resonated', as opposed to 'non-resonated' for those without such devices.
- Rolling road
- A chassis dynamometer which includes a metered brake that allows torque measurements, as well as speed measurements, which measure the torque and power produced at the wheels. Together with the inferred transmission ratio and a number of corrections related to atmospheric conditions and friction and losses, the software associated with the dyno can produce estimates of the flywheel power and torque figures.
- Stage 0
- The state of a car with no performance modifications.
- Stage 1
- The state of a car after simple modification, which can be just a tune, or a tune with simple supporting modifications such as an aftermarket air filter or intake. Stage 1 implies a modest power/torque increase over stock.
- Stage 2
- The state of a car after another round of modifications. Typically, stage 2 cars are fully bolted with a tune targeting higher torque and power, plus optional forging.
- Stage 3
- The state of a car with extensive mechanical modifications made to the powertrain, including (but not limited to) a bigger forced induction system, forged internals, retooling of cylinder heads, and fuel system modifications. Sometimes an aftermarket or motorsport ECU calibrated specifically for the car in question will be fitted. The power and torque outputs at this stage are significantly higher than stock, often prompting supporting modifications to the transmission and drivetrain.
- Stock map
- The OEM engine map.
- TMIC (top-mounted intercooler)
- An intercooler located above or just behind the engine, which benefits from a slight decrease in turbo lag but suffers from a maximum power threshold.
- Tune
- A modified map, most often aimed at increasing the engine torque and power output. A tune is 'flashed' to the PCM or ECU either by the tune vendor or the end-user itself, often using a stand-alone accessory connected to the car's OBDII connector or through a portable computer. A tune typically voids the powertrain warranty unless sanctioned by the car manufacturer (which is a rare occurrence). Typical changes include ignition timing, fuel flow, wastegate control for turbo engines, and modified limits such as those for RPM and boost.
- Tuner
- An individual or company creating tunes, usually for profit, and often selling supporting elements such as intakes and exhausts.
- Turboback
- The entire exhaust system downstream from the turbocharger turbine, composed of the downpipe (including the catalytic converter) and the catback portion.
- Turbo lag
- The delay between the initial throttle opening and the moment the turbocharger has spooled up sufficiently to deliver significant boost pressure and the associated torque and power increase. On stock modern turbos, lag is usually below one second, while some large aftermarket turbos exhibit lags of two seconds or more.
Legal requirements[edit]
Many countries or municipalities have legal requirements which govern vehicle modifications. For example, all vehicles in Victoria, Australia, must conform to construction standards to ensure vehicle safety.[4] There are also restrictions for P Plate drivers which can prevent young drivers from driving modified vehicles.[5]
Many developed countries have smog regulations, which generally forbid any modifications to engines or related components unless the modifications themselves are certified, like production car models. Such modifications, even if they do not actually result in increased emissions, prevent legal use on public roads.[6]
Sanctioning organizations[edit]
Many organizations involved in competitive motorsports establish safety guidelines that far exceed legal requirements placed on street-legal vehicles. The NHRA, IHRA and SOLO all require that vehicles pass inspection to ensure that all regulations are being complied with.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Customized vehicles. |
- ^ abChang, Richard (Summer 2008), 'Access Denied', 0-60 Magazine
- ^LeftlaneNews R32, R34 Nissan Skyline imports halted
- ^LASD Inmate Information Center - Booking DetailsArchived December 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^Vehicle Standards Information BulletinsArchived September 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^High Powered Vehicle RestrictionsArchived September 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^an old issue of Hotrod Magazine
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