Archive for May, 2010
May 31st, 2010 | 
Author: Body Kits And Other Car Accessories Within A Budget
Whatever be the topic of conversation these days somehow it veers down to talk about slowdown or recession. A majority of persons if not all nevertheless think that it has to be countered and controlled. One has to work harder produce more or to render better service to achieve that. Depending on ones job working hard may require more of traveling or moving around. What is a better way than moving around in the comfort of ones car. So if the slowdown is going to last for a while will the experience you have with your car change? Or maybe you will be able to manage on a smaller budget.
One may move around to fight slowdown but would not escape its impact. People will have to economize without compromising on the quality of output. While buying a car you cannot compromise on its safety aspects and road worthiness. You may however allow some concessions while installing body kits and other accessories. Even then it will have to be ensured that the overall performance of the car does not suffer. It will be short sightedness if the performance is allowed to suffer. Fortunately body kits and accessories are available in such a wide variety that you can choose and economize while keeping their performance within permissible limits. For example materials used in the manufacture of accessories may cost less but still they would be enough strong and durable to suit your purpose. There are materials like fiber glass or ABS plastic which can be used in place of costlier metals while ensuring a reasonable performance.
About the writer: Louie Liu has been in the car aftermarket products industry for 5years. He has specialized in body kits headlights cold air intakes and other aftermarket products. He has deep knowledge of a wide range of products including knowledge of benefits of body kits and other products product options and how to choose a car aftermarket product. You can learn about a wide range of body kits and other car aftermarket products at his site www.ilovebodykits.com.
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Bmws Twin Turbo Leads At The International Engine Of The Year 2007
BMW has obtained another success at the ninth annual International Engine of the Year Awards: its 3liter twin turbo has been crowned as the International Engine of the Year for 2007. The Bavarian automaker and manufacturer of high quality BMW fog light has also won additional International Engine of the Year Awards for its other engines: the 2.5 liter inline six and the 5 liter V10. But among the awards that BMW has received it is the success of the 3liter twin turbo which dominated the Best New Engine of 2007 category that really delighted the automaker. The 3liter twin turbo is presented at the Engine Expo in Stuttgart Germany.
According to BMWs Director of Powertrain Peter Langen This is a tremendous achievement and important recognition of the lengths our engineers have gone to in order to ensure the success of our turbocharged petrol engines. We are proud to once again be honored as the manufacturer of the International Engine of the Year.
The International Engine of the Year Awards was independently judged by 62 motoring journalists from 30 countries. Aside from BMW Volkswagens 1.4 liter turbocharged and supercharged TSI unit also won for the second year in a row in the 1liter to 1.4 liter class together with its larger sibling the 2liter turbo developed by Audi and equipped in the Golf GTi and Audi A3. The 1.4 liter turbocharged and supercharged TSI has also top the 1.8 liter to 2 liter category.
The present worlds largest automaker Toyota has also received an award for its 1.5 liter hybrid that powers the Prius. It was named Best Fuel Economy Engine while its 1liter 3 cylinder equipped on the Aygo and Yaris have received awards in the Sub 1liter category.
Porsche the German sports car maker has finally won an International Engine of the Year Award trophy and its for the 3.6 liter turbo engine found on the 911 turbo which was voted as the best 3liter to 4 liter engine in production at present.
About the writer: Evander Klum is a Business Administration graduate who hails from Alabama. He enjoys extreme sports and he is also a car racing fanatic. At present he works as a marketing manager at an advertising agency in Cleveland.
Bmws Heidfeld Hopes For Another Strong Finish At Indy
In the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal Nick Heidfeld earned the first podium of the season for BMW Sauber when he took the second spot. That also matched his careerbest Formula One finish. Now the German driver hopes for another strong finish at Indy.
“First of all I’m stunned about how quick we were in Canada in race conditions” Heidfeld said. “I think I could have finished second anyway beaten probably one of the McLarens and both of the Ferraris. It is true that the downforce level in Indy is similar to Canada probably a bit more obviously then there are a lot more corners. But Indianapolis is one of the circuits where I’ve always done well. Apart from last year when I was flying a bit! I hope I will have better luck this year.” The German driver is referring to his amazing accident at the start of the 2006 United States Grand Prix when his car went flying through the air. Heidfeld was not injured.
The BMW Sauber is steadily getting closer to the leading McLarenMercedes and Ferrari teams. Asked if he predicts another strong finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Heidfeld said: “I like it when race tracks have a distinctive character and that’s definitely the case with Indianapolis. The Speedway is an icon of American motor racing and the highbanked turn is something special for Formula One although it isn’t exactly challenging for the drivers to drive flat out in a straight line. It’s far more difficult to get the car’s setup just right.
Heidfeld added “My memories of Indy are very varied. In 2001 I managed a sixthplaced finish there with Sauber although I had lost my first second and most crucially seventh gear. That was one of my best races. A less pleasant memory is the accident in 2006. We had done well in qualifying but shortly after the start I was involved in a collision and turned over for the first and hopefully last time in my career.”
“Indianapolis is a special occasion for Formula One. The Speedway is renowned the world over and symbolizes American motor sport like no other race track said Mario Theissen the BMW motorsport director. “For the BMW Group the USA Grand Prix is of key importance insofar as the United States is our biggest market. We sell more cars there than in Germany and also have our biggest production sites outside Germany.
“Another superlative that Indy can claim is in the mechanical loads exerted on the engines. Drivers go flat out for 23 seconds most of it in seventh gear. That takes the units to the limit of their performance. In the past BMW has lost a lot of points in Indianapolis as a result of accidents. From that point of view my hope is above all for a collisionfree weekend” Theissen added. With reliable BMW pressure plate and race parts the team results could still be outstanding.
Willy Rampf the technical director of the team has this to say: “The Indianapolis Speedway is fundamentally different from the circuit at Montreal yet both tracks demand a medium downforce level. In Indy that is the result of a tricky compromise.
Rampf noted If you haven’t got sufficient braking stability and traction in these corners you lose more time than can be gained on the straights. In the infield where you shift down all the way to first you want the maximum possible downforce similar to Monaco or Budapest. These radically different demands made by the oval and the infield section turn setup work at Indy into a fine balancing act.”
About the writer: Anthony Fontanelle is a 35yearold automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.