Common Car Technical Specifications Explained

April 14, 2023 by Zoe Hicks – 10 mins read

BHP, Torque, Cylinder Configuration, Kerb-Weight, Wheelbase, there’s a 90% chance that these frequently used vehicle terminologies sound unfamiliar to you. Even if you belong to the rest of 10%, you won’t be conscious of the implications of these terms.

This is completely normal because these phrases have no significance in your day-to-day life aside from when you are driving. However, research has proven that nearly 71% of vehicle drivers spend between 5-20 hours a week driving. Considering the quantity of weightage driving in your everyday schedule, being aware of these terminologies should certainly be useful. Apart from simply assisting you to select the proper car for your usage, the realistic utility of that info will enhance your skill, instincts, and make you a good driver on the whole. We are going to explain the common technical specifications so that you will be well informed when you receive the technical specifications check report.

Common Technical Specifications Explained

ABS, or Anti-Lock Braking System

An anti-lock braking system, or ABS, is a tool that keeps your wheels from locking when you brake hard. When this device activates, you may additionally experience a vibration in your brake pedal, which is an ordinary occurrence. This security characteristic helps defend you from skidding on the avenue in circumstances that require speedy braking.

EBD, or Electronic Brake Distribution

Electronic brake distribution is a subsystem of a car anti-lock braking system. It must figure out which wheels want breaking power the most. An EBD system monitors information such as traction, motorway conditions, and the vehicle’s weight distribution on the wheels, and makes use of these facts to deliver braking power to the required wheels. You will get all details regarding this in the technical specifications check.

Airbags

Airbags are quick-inflating cushions intended to defend passengers in a collision. Airbags are an essential and well-preferred system in modern vehicles. Technical specifications check helps you to know whether your car has all these options.

Dimensions

Dimensions represent the length, width, and height of the vehicle. In the list of dimensions, you will also be provided with a few more data regarding wheelbase length, trunk, cargo capacity, ground clearance. Dimensions inform you how big or small a car is. In technical specifications check you will come to know all the data regarding it. Length, Width, Height, and kerb weight are dimensional attributes.

Length

This is the simplest car spec term to understand. Almost all of us will be capable of straightaway deciphering that this defines the length of the vehicle from end to end. On the technical specifications check report, it is usually denoted in millimetres. The length of the car mainly influences the straight-line stability. As the size increases the straight-line steadiness of the vehicle goes up, however the cornering agility decreases. Keep in mind, extra size won’t always translate to legroom on the interior. Technical specifications check will let you inform this data.

Width

Similar to the length, the width additionally tells the dimensions of the car measured cross-sectionally. Unlike the length, greater width does translate to greater cabin room and greater cosy seating, mainly for the rear passengers. Apart from that, an increase in the width additionally will increase the straight-line steadiness comparable to the length. More width additionally indicates the greater frontal area which will increase the level of air resistance, therefore, reducing the overall top speed. It is additionally denoted in millimetres and the technical specifications check sheet will generally specify if the mirrors are included in the measurement.

Height

The height of the vehicle is described as the height measured from its lowest point that is the point where the tyres contact the road to the tallest point on the car’s roof. Leaving apart the headroom, the height of the vehicle has a direct impact on the car’s handling. A taller automobile will have a greater centre of gravity, lesser down-force, and will experience extra body roll. Due to this, a taller vehicle will feel very unsettled when pushed through corners. This is why all sports activities automobiles have low-slung physiques built-in which make them very agile through turns.

Kerb Weight

Kerb weight is a very easy but regularly very perplexing term on the automobile technical specifications check sheet. If you note any technical specification check sheet or brochure for any car, you will find the weight is in no way stated standalone, it is both in kerb weight or gross weight. Kerb weight is described as the weight of the automobile without any passengers and luggage. It is counted with all the components in the vehicle with the nominal levels of different fluids and fuels.

Drivetrain

Drivetrain connects your transmission or gearbox to the drive axles. There are three fundamental sorts of drivetrains, each has its advantages. A front-wheel drivetrain delivers power to the front wheels. Think of it as your automobile being pulled forward. Rear-wheel drive sends energy to the rear wheels. This system pushes your vehicle forward. All-wheel-drive systems deliver strength to each set of wheels.

Engine

The engine is the heart of a car, generating power to drive it forward. When you purchase a vehicle, you will see 4 kinds of engines: gasoline, diesel, electric, and hybrid, which make use of an aggregate of gas and electric powered strength. Within the hybrid world, many subtypes use one-of-a-kind gasoline-electric systems. These are the sorts of fuel or power the engine makes use of to create the power that drives your vehicle. Check the engine specification through a technical specifications check.

Engine Displacement

The engine displacement is the measurement of the volume of the engine’s cylinders. It’s measured in cubic centimetres and litres. You will be familiar with the term cubic centimetres, or cc that is used most frequently with bike engines and litres with vehicle engines. These units can be used interchangeably, however, cubic centimetres are extra precise.

A 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine has 1.3 litres of volume in its 4 cylinders. Engine displacement is a vital factor in how a good amount of horsepower and torque an engine can create.

Horsepower

Horsepower is a measurement of a car’s engine’s energy output. In other words, one horsepower has the power of one thoroughbred horse. More scientifically, one horsepower is a dimension of the energy required to elevate 550 pounds one foot in one second. Horsepower is now not a stand-alone number that informs you to understand how capable or strong an automobile is. Many different elements come into a role when measuring a vehicle’s authentic overall performance level and strength, like torque, aerodynamics, gearing, engine displacement, and more. Be aware of the BHP when you read the technical specifications check report.

MPG, or Miles per Gallon

A vehicle’s miles-per-gallon always measures how many miles a car can move on one gallon of fuel. This is a famous aspect in influencing people’s choices on purchasing cars. When you see phrases such as ‘up to 30 MPG,’ the automobile may additionally acquire 30 miles per gallon in the best conditions. When you do technical specifications check this info is important.

Torque

Torque is the pressure used to rotate the body to which it is applied. In vehicles, torque is a measure of a vehicle’s low-end power, or its capability to force the wheels of your car to rotate. Torque is measured in Newton-metres, or N m, however, frequently it is expressed as pounds-per-feet. Generally, diesel engines will have greater torque output than their gasoline-powered counterparts. You will come to know about torque from the technical specifications check for a vehicle.

Max Power

Power is the sister feature of torque that comes under engine technologies in the technical specifications check. Power and torque are the two predominant parameters measuring engine overall performance on the car technical specifications check sheet. Technically speaking, power and torque are each derived from an identical process. Power is equal to (Torque*RPM)/5252. Max power is once more the maximum quantity of power that the engine can produce at a particular RPM. Strength means performance. Engines designed to put out high levels of power are the ones that have higher top speed, acceleration, and provide that gut-wrenching feel of adrenaline. They would possibly no longer be very suitable with the pulling potential and ought to very nicely battle with a lot of bags or many occupants. But in ordinary conditions, a car with extra power will usually run faster. Such motors will make you feel at home in the top end of the RPM range and now not so much in the lower end. Power is measured in BHP or Brake Horse.

Transmission Speeds

Car transmission gears are comparable to bicycle gears in that everyone is intended for a particular speed and workload. If you are riding slowly or driving to a steep hill, you may want a lower gear. Higher gears are for greater speeds. When you see that an automobile is geared up with an eight-speed transmission, it indicates it has eight of these gears. CVTs, or continuously variable transmissions, are becoming more famous each year. These are automated transmissions that do not have gears. It is like having one gear that can adjust itself to deal with all speeds. Get to know about the transmissions via a technical specifications check.

Transmission Types

In addition to speeds, you may additionally pick out between manual and automatic transmissions. Manual transmissions require you to operate the gears by hand through the shifter and clutch the pedal whilst you brake and accelerate. These are more traditional systems that provide an extra hands-on driving experience. Automatic transmissions operate that job for you, leaving you with the accountability of the accelerator and brake pedals. Automatic transmissions are designed for relief by making driving with comfort and less difficulty providing a smoother shifting experience.

Wheelbase

The wheelbase can be explained as the distance between the front axle and the rear axles of a vehicle. Axles are the rods that join the centre of the wheels and flip them. Usually, a longer wheelbase indicates a longer vehicle cabin, which indicates extra interior room for passengers and cargo.

Zero-to-Sixty

A vehicle’s zero-to-sixty time, most frequently represented as 0-60, is the time in which it takes an automobile to speed up from a stand-still to 60 miles per hour. European automobiles would possibly use a 0-100 km-per-hour measurement, translating to sixty-two miles per hour. Once you have an idea about these terms, you will be in a position to inform the distinction between a good car and a bad car. Being capable of understanding a car’s specs from technical specifications check or a web page earlier than you begin buying a new car or a used car will make you well informed about your car and you can take a proper decision.

Turning Radius

The Turning radius of a vehicle is a measure of its nimbleness and flick-ability. It is described as the smallest diameter semicircle that is required to be made by using the automobile to make a whole U-Turn. The turning radius is in particular influenced by the car’s wheelbase. The turning radius is used to decide the manoeuvrability capacity of the vehicle. Cars with a smaller turning radius will continually be less complicated to navigate in tight traffic. Cars with a better turning radius, in other words, will experience extra cumbersome in rush and traffic as they will require more space to complete any manoeuvre.

Front Suspension

The technical specifications check sheet phrases about the chassis technology section. The front suspension denotes the kind of spring and manages arm arrangement on the front wheels of the car. The most frequently used front suspension arrangement is the MacPherson Strut.

Rear Suspension

The rear suspension denotes the kind of spring and manages arrangements existing on the rear wheels of the car. The most famous configuration right here is the Torsion Beam type.

Tyre Size

The Tyre measurement certainly denotes the dimensions of the tyre. However, grasping the dimension capacity is something that now not a lot of people understand. Usually, the measurement is denoted in this format, “Tyre Width in mm/Aspect Ratio-Rim Diameter in inches”. So if the dimension is 245/55-R15, this capability the tyre has a width of 245 mm. The ratio of 55% means that 55% of the width is used up as the sidewall. R-15 indicates the steel/alloy rim has a diameter of 15 inches.

Brakes

We are going to explain the closing attribute on our listing of technical specifications check sheet. The brakes area denotes the kind and measurement of the brakes used in the car. Brake types are divided into two vast categories, drum, and disc. Drum brakes are the fundamental sorts that are solely observed on the lower variants of C-segment and below automobiles only. Over the previous 8-10 years, the extra technologically superior disc brakes have increasingly taken over their primitive counterparts and have to replace them all together soon. The dimension of the brake is measured through its diameter. The larger the diameter, the more stopping power you have.

We have explained the common technical specifications, their functions, and their impact. Do visit our page for more car-related information and checks.

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