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.
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If you are already a Porsche buff I don’t have to tell you how popular the Porsche 944 was and still remains today. If you are knew to Porsche’s your about to meet with some fascinating reading. So what was the 944 all about?
Porsche has been building great cars for years but in 1982 it came up with what was going to be a real winner. This was the year the first Porsche 944 hit the market. It was originally introduced as a replacement for the Porsche 924.
This eventually did occur but for a few years both cars were actually on the market side by side. From the get go the 944 was immediately a very popular car available as either a 2 door coupe or a 2 door convertible.
So what was it that made the 944 such a hit? Well there were a few things but mostly it was the high performance and look of this sports car. It was a success right from the beginning but over the years several models become available including the 944S, 944S2, and the 944 Turbo.
When first produced it had only the 2.5 liter engine but over time there were options which also included a 2.7 liter and 3.0 liter engine. Both the 94 inch wheelbase and the 2932 curb weight also made this car very appealing to the sports car enthusiast.
When the 944 first hit the streets it had a straight 4 cyclinder 2.5 liter engine an it had Mitsubishi’s patented balance shaft technology. And of course it had the look of a sports car too.
It wasn’t until 1985 that it had any major changes done to it. Those changes included some ergonomic changes to the interior, the movement of the antenna, and some improvements to the air conditioning. Optional heated seat were also added, as were powered seats, a larger fuel tank, and some technology to reduce noise.
They also introduced the Turbo model in 1985. Within the Porsche Corporation it was referred to as the 951 but the world knew it simply as the 944 Turbo. It had the same basic engine but it was the intercooled version and of course it was turbo charged so you got a whopping 220 BHP at 6000 RPM.
1987 saw the introduction of the 944S - S standing for Super. This model had dual air bags and anti lock brakes as standard equipment. It also had the first 16 valve engine with 250 BHP.
1989 The S was no more to be with the equipment from the S model becoming standard on the 944 model. The engine was replaced to a 4 cylinder 2.7 liter engine.
In 1990 Porsche released the 944 Series 2 known as the S2. It was a revision of the 944S which had the aerodynamics of the 951. It was also the year the 16 valve 3.0 liter engine was introduced becoming the most popular engine ever in the 944. This 16 valve engine
From 1982 to 1989 113,070 were produced and 25,107 Turbo engines were produced. The 944S saw a total of 12,936 cars produced and the 944S2 had only 6,439 produced. In the big picture that’s not a lot of cars which is probably one of the reasons demand remains strong.
Late in 1991 the 944 Series 3 was released but the model number was changed to the 968. It was originally called the 944 S3 but then marketing opted for a name change in the hope of increasing sales. Technically the 968 was the refined version of the 944 offering the best of the best. It also offered a new nose and rear end as well as circular headlamps. The 3 liter engine had a horsepower increase of 240 HP and performance was optimized using the Variocam. The 968 was built up until 1995.
Even though the 944 designation was retired in 1991it didn’t mean this was a car of the past and it certainly didn’t result in the sales dwindling. Instead it remains more popular than ever. In fact today it remains a “must have” car in the Porsche world.
Wayne has been owned and ridden Porsches for 15 years. Visit his Porsche site at http://www.porschesworld.com to learn more about Porsche 944.
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Parts of a car’s braking system are designed to wear down and as this happens, they will lose their effectiveness. How often should a car’s braking system be inspected? It is recommended that you have the major components of the brake system be inspected once a year or about every 10,000 miles. How often you have the brake system inspected depends on things such as how you drive (how you stop in particular), the age of your car, the type of braking system, whether you live on hilly versus flat lands, highway versus city driving, and the type of braking system that you have. Inspecting under the hood Check the level of brake fluid in the master brake cylinder reservoir. Top it off if neccessary. Be sure not to let any kind of dust or dirt enter the reservoir. If you need to add more than 2oz of brake fluid frequently, there may be a leak somewhere in the brake system. The brake fluid should be clear, not dark in any way. If it is, it may be time to have it replaced. Inspecting the Brake System while driving If the brake pedal goes almost to the floor or looses its firmness, there may be a leak somewhere in the braking system or the brake fluid level in the master brake cylinder reservoir has gotten low. A vibrating of pulsating feeling in the brake pedal and/or the steering wheel may be a sign that the brake pads and rotors or brake shoes and drums need to be resurfaced or replaced. A light squealing sound is normal, especially when the car is cold. If you hear a metal to metal sound, have your brakes inspected immediately. Underneath the Car Inspect the metal brake lines that run the length of the car and also the rubber hoses that deliver the brake fluid to the brake calipers and make sure that the lines and hoses are not damaged in any way and also that they are free of any moving or heat producing parts. Inspecting Disc Brakes On disc brake systems, the parts that are designed to wear down are:
brake pads
rotors, also called discs
calipers, in particular the piston or pistons inside of them
Inspect the condition of the brake pads and rotors and also check to make sure that the piston inside of the caliper is working properly. Inspect the overall thickness of the brake pads and rotors. Brake pads that show excessesive wear should be replaced. Rotors that have slight wear should be resurfaced or replaced and rotors that show excessesive wear should be replaced. Brake pads and rotors with light scratches can mean that there is a contaminent such as dirt lodged between them. At the very least clean them or have them cleaned with a brake cleaner. Rotors with deep scratches should be replaced with new ones or resurfaced. Inspection of Drum Brakes On drum brake systems, the parts that are designed to wear down are:
brake shoes
drums
wheel cylinders
Remove the drum so that the inside can be inspected. Inspect the inside of the drum for any damage that is done to it. Any brake dust buildup should be removed with a brake cleaner. If there are heavy scratches to the inside of the drum, replace both drums. A wheel cylinder that is defective will leak brake fluid from its sides (where the metal meets the rubber part). warning: when working on the car’s braking system, do not inhale any brake dust. It is recommended that you wear a face mask when working on the brakes themselves.
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