9 Jargons You Should Know While Buying a New Car
Often used, but a lot of times under understood. Know what these words really refer to, and help yourself make better informed decisions.
1. ABS
Anti-Lock Brake System prevents complete wheel lock up when braking, thus averting uncontrolled vehicle skid, and maintaining steering control. It uses speed sensors fitted on the wheels to determine the state of the wheels. When it detects the locking up of any of the wheels, it releases the locking pressure for a moment and provides the optimum brake pressure to the wheels. This process ensures proper traction force on the road surface, t decreasing the braking distance on both dry and slippery road surfaces, ensures greater vehicle control and braking performance.
2. 2WD / 4WD / AWD
Two-Wheel Drive (2WD) is a setup which enables power transmission from the engine to only two wheels (either front or rear wheels) of the vehicle, whereas in Four-Wheel drive (4WD), or All-Wheel Drive (AWD), power is transmitted to all four wheels of the vehicle. Under the All-Wheel Drive (AWD) set-up, a vehicle moves on 4WD made on low speeds, and automatically changes to 2WD mode after a certain speed. But in the (4WD mode, the driver has manually activate the 4WD as per his/her requirement.
3. Air bag
Air bags are safety device, which inflate rapidly during an accident to avoid any injuries to vehicle occupants. Its main objective is to cushion sensitive parts of human body during a major collision or impact. It automatically activates when your vehicle senses signals from crash sensors that are based on wheel deceleration speed, seat belt, brake pressure, occupant’s seat condition, etc. In modern cars, air bags are differentiated based on their locations, such as: driver’s air bag; passenger air bag; curtain air bag; seat air bag; and knee air bag. Power
Power is the rate at which work is done. In general term, it is the rate at which energy is produced in the engine while doing the work. It is generally expressed in terms of brake horse power (BHP) or Pferdestärke (PS) or Kilo Watt (KW).
4. Immobilizer
Immobilizer is an electronic security device, which prevents the running of an engine without factory provided chip embedded key. It is an anti-theft system. When you insert your vehicle key in your ignition switch, the coil reads the key ID, verifies it and only then lets you start the vehicle. It helps in preventing vehicle theft through hot wiring.
5. Power
Power is the rate at which work is done. In general term, it is the rate at which energy is produced in the engine while doing the work. It is generally expressed in terms of brake horse power (BHP) or Pferdestärke (PS) or Kilo Watt (KW).
7. Displacement
Displacement is the volume of air to fuel mixture swept by all pistons in a single movement from the top end to the bottom end inside the respective cylinders of an engine. It is measured in terms of cubic centimeter, commonly known as c.c. For larger capacity engines, it is also specified in terms of liter (i.e. 1000c.c. = 1.0 Liter).
8. Turning circle
Turning circle is the size (diameter) of the smallest circular turn a vehicle is capable of making without reversing. Its measurement is based on the circular path made by the car outside tires while making a full u-turn. It is used to gauge the car’s maneuverability.
9. Torque
Torque is a twisting force that causes an object to rotate about its axis. It can also be referred as the pulling force generated by an engine. Torque helps the vehicle to move quickly from a stop, or pull it up in steep roads.
