Car Automotive

Posts Tagged ‘Brakes’

Making sure that your sports car is in shape, not all of the time is difficult. All it takes is preventive maintenance to avoid the hassle of taking it to a repair shop when the engine suddenly dies or the lights in the control panel light up.

One of the leading car manufacturers in the world is BMW. To buy a sports car from this company but here are some tips that will help you maintain your sports car…

Before going out for a drive, it is wise to check the brakes, the tires, the oil and the steering system to make sure that everything is normal. If while driving the car, you hear a sound or noise that was not there before, take it to your mechanic or local repair shop to have it checked.

Have the mechanic check all the parts or the of the ignition system, for example: check the spark plugs, as their condition is a very good indicator of how the engine is performing. They should be change very 100,000 miles but there is no harm in checking them every 30,000 miles just to be sure, that everything is all right.

The rotor and distributor cap are made of plastic which deteriorate over time due to wear and tear. To make sure that these are not causing any problems when starting the vehicle has them checked.

The filter acts as a deterrent against rust and other harmful objects that may disrupt the performance of your vehicle. These filters should be check frequently – about every 3,000 miles.

The car’s mileage can be check by calculating the amount of fuel purchased and the miles driven as shown by the odometer before and after fueling. If there is a sudden change in the number of miles per gallon, be concerned and take the car to the repair shop for analysis.

In the event that the car’s sensor lights come on, pull the car over to the side of the road then call for help. There is a possibility that the problem can be remedy there or it may have to tow to a repair shop.

Even if sports cars come with better and smarter engines, the possibility of something going wrong is still there.  By taking every precaution, the driver can get to the place where he wants to go safely.

When viewed in its broadest sense, energy takes many forms, manifests itself in many ways and can be transformed from one form to another in many complex ways. But heat is always there in some way. Let’s take a few examples. The sun, obviously, gives off vast quantities of energy, heat being one of the more obvious ones. On a smaller scale, any fire also gives off heat. The connecting rods, crankshaft and drivetrain of an internal combustion engine convert the chemical energy released in the explosion of gasoline vapors into the kinetic energy of the moving automobile, in the process creating a lot of heat because of the friction created by all those moving parts rubbing against one another. And every time the driver applies the brakes to stop the vehicle, the friction generated between the brake pads and rotors, and between the tires and the road, transforms the kinetic energy of the moving vehicle into heat.

But when you hear the word “heat,” do you think of kinetic energy, friction, internal combustion, fires or the sun? Probably not. The first thought that crosses your mind is the palpable effect of heat on your body when you are in close proximity to a heat source. In other words, the word “heat” makes you think of the physiological sensation of being hot. That’s because we humans are pretty sensitive to heat, or the absence of it.

The anti-lock brake system controls the brakes at each wheel so the wheels will not lock when braking abruptly or when braking on slippery surfaces. The system detects the rotation speed at each wheel and varies the brake fluid pressure to prevent each wheel from locking and sliding. By preventing wheel lockup, the system helps the driver maintain steering control and helps to minimize swerving and spinning on slippery surfaces.

Using the system

Depress the brake pedal and hold it down. It is not necessary to pump the brake pedal.Doing so may result in increased stopping distances.

Normal operation

The anti-lock brake system will not operate at speeds below 3 to 6 MPH (5 to 10 km/h) to completely stop the vehicle. (The speeds will vary according to road conditions.) When the anti-lock system senses that one or more wheels are close to locking up, the actuator(under the hood) rapidly applies and releases hydraulic pressure (like pumping the brakes very quickly). While the actuator is working,you may feel a pulsation in the brake pedal and hear a noise or vibration from the actuator under the hood. This is normal and indicates that the anti-lock system is working properly. However, the pulsation may indicate that road conditions are hazardous and extra care is required while driving.