Braking System

We all have fun pushing down on the brake pedal which slows a car to stop. But many are not aware that, how does it happens? Do you know how does your car transmit the force from your leg to the wheels? How does it multiply the power so that it is sufficient to stop something as big as a car? In this section we are aiming to give information about brake system, we would follow the chain of events from the pedal to wheel, and explaining all the parts of brake system. It also contains information on parking brake cable and brake lever.
Brake
Brake Drum
Brake Hose
Brake Pedal
Parking Brake Cable
Parking Brake Lever
Types of Brake System

Brake

Brake is an equipment used in automobiles or machines to slow down a running object by changing the kinetic energy into heat energy. Brake is used to stop an object or equipment that is running.
Brakes generally apply friction to change the kinetic energy into heat energy, however in renewing brake the kinetic energy is changed into useful electrical energy or potential energy which is in type of pressurized air as an alternative to heat energy.
The brakes in automobile stores the heat in the drum brake or disc brake while braking then carry out it to the air regularly. When traveling downward few automobiles use its engine to brake.
When brake is pushed the caliper holding the piston pushes the pad near brake disc to slow down the wheels of automobile. On brake drums it is same as the cylinder pushes the brake shoes to the drum which slows the wheels of the automobile.

Brake Drum

The Brake Drum is very heavy flat-topped cylinder that is usually sandwiched between the wheel rim and the drive wheel. The inside exterior of the drum is acted upon by the friction fabric of the brake shoes. When the brakes are functional, the friction material of the brake shoes is forced into contact with the brake drums to measure the rotation of the wheels. The friction connecting the tires and the road surface then slows the car's speed. Drum brakes are found on the rear wheels of most cars, but they are ever more being phased out in favor of rear disc brakes. Drum brakes were normal equipment on the front wheels of most cars until the early 70's.

Brake Hose

The master cylinder is associated to each wheel by brake lines and hoses. Brake hoses are specially constructed elastic tubes with metal ends for transmitting fluid under extreme pressure. The entire hydraulic system is filled with a particular brake fluid, which is forced through the hoses by the association of the master cylinder's pistons. If they appear cracked or brittle, the hoses must be replaced immediately. Close inspection of the brake hoses is a high-quality way to prevent catastrophe!


Brake Pedal
 

The brake pedal is placed on the left side of the accelerator pedal. Stepping on this pedal begins the process of slowing down or may stopping a vehicle. The pedal is solidly mounted to the firewall, and the works as a force-multiplying lever. If the power assist fails, the pedal's leverage is intended to allow the driver to still generate thousands of pounds of force at each wheel cylinder.

Attached to the piston within the master cylinder via a pushrod, the brake pedal is a majority important item indeed, unless you're a crash dummy! When the brake pedal is pressed, the brake shoes and the friction pads are forced into contact with the brake drums and rotors to measure the rotation of the wheels. The friction between the tires and the road surface then slows the pace of the vehicle. A brake pedal must not sink more than an inch or two, no matter how hard it is pushed with the foot; and the driver should not feel as if he were stepping on a wet sponge: a spongy pedal spells difficulty in the braking system. ANY change in the "feel" of your brake pedal must be a cause for serious concern. With brakes, there is no excuse for the poor maintenance.

Parking Brake Cable

 

The Parking Brake Cable is a brake cable in the parking brake is typically changeable for length which is made of steel. Parking brake cable is connected directly to the brake device on one end and another end is connected to the brake lever of the rear wheels that is activated by the driver. When brake lever is pulled, it transmits the force to the brake system. The force is transmitted by the brake fluid which runs through the cable. In automobiles with rear drum brakes, the parking brake cable regularly activates these drums mechanically with less force than is available through the hydraulic system.
Parking brake cables are available in different sizes like 1/8", 3/16" and also in custom designs. 1/8" brake cable is designed and produced for used in light to medium duty automobiles. These cables are used at 1,200 pounds or less. 3/16" brake cables provide the similar traits as the 1/8" brake cables. This 3/16" brake cable is suggested for higher load up to 3,000 pounds.

Parking Brake Lever

The Parking Brake Lever in automobiles is a hand activated system which is also called as hand brake. In cars the parking brake lever is like a handle on the bottom among the driver and front seat passenger. It is less commonly a handle bar placed on the bottom of the dashboard near to the steering wheel or between the driver and car door. Otherwise the lever is on the bottom in the form of pedal in front of the driver which is positioned to the far left separated from the other pedals.
In buses the parking brake lever is outfitted with a hydraulic brake system will have a hand brake lever which is situated on the driver left side near to the floor. It is activated by pushing the lever down with hand to apply the brake, and pulling it upwards to free the brake.
In large vans when the parking brake lever is pulled it will activate a valve that lets air or hydraulic pressure or vacuum into the cylinder which provides power to the brake shoes and makes applying the handbrake easier. In many cases a little lever in the automobile is coupled to a valve which admits air to parking brake cylinders to discharge the parking brake, or discharge the air to apply the brake. In some recent automobiles the valve is activated electrically from a lever in the automobile.

Types of Brake System

Air Brake System
Air Brake System is the brake system used in automobiles such as buses, trailers, trucks, and semi-trailers. George Westinghouse created air brakes for utilizing it in trains for railway service. A secured air brake was patented by him on 5th, March 1872. At first air brake is produced for use on trains and now it is used common in automobiles.

Anti-lock Brake System
An Anti-lock Braking System abbreviated as ABS is a braking system or security system which prevents the wheels on an automobile from locking up while braking. The wheels revolving on the road let the driver to maintain steering control under heavy braking by preventing a skid and allowing the wheel to continue interacting tractively with the road surface as directed by driver steering inputs.

Disc Brake
Disc Brake is a brake device for stopping or slowing the rotation of the automobile wheels. It is also called as Disk brake. This brake has a brake disc which is also called as rotor is made up of cast iron or ceramic compounds like carbon, Kevlar and silica is linked to the wheel and/or the axle.

Drum Brake
Drum Brake is a brake in which the friction is caused by a set of brake pads or brake shoes that push against the inner surface of a rotating drum. The drum is coupled to a rotating wheel. The drum brake was invented by Louis Renault in 1902.

Hydraulic Brake
The Hydraulic Brake system is a braking system which uses brake fluid usually includes ethylene glycol, to transmit pressure from the controlling unit, which is usually near the driver, to the actual brake mechanism, which is near the wheel of the vehicle. 

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Transmission

What is a transmission

The transmission is a device that is connected to the back of the engine. It transmits mechanical power from the engine to the drive wheels. The transmission is used to reduce the revolutions of the crankshaft down to a reasonable value by using interlocking gears to reduce the number of revolutions. By doing so, it makes more effective usage of the engine's torque and helps to keep the engine operating at an appropriate speed. 

Common types of Transmission  

• Manual transmission

• Automatic transmission

• CVT (Continuous variable transmission) 

• Semi automatic transmission

• TipTronic gearbox

• DSG (Direct shift gearbox)       

Manual transmission

Most manual transmissions feature a movable gear selector and clutch. The driver of the vehicle has to manually select and engage the gear ratios. The clutch is a coupling device that is used to separate the engine and transmission. Without it, the engine would stop, causing the vehicle to stop. The clutch allows the engine to continue working when you are waiting at the traffic light. Changing gear without a clutch would be difficult with the crank spinning continuously while the engine is running.

Automatic transmission

                                                                                                                                                                         

An automatic (also called automatic gearbox, or auto transmission) is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. Most automatic transmissions have a defined set of gear ranges, often with a parking pawl feature that locks the output shaft of the transmission.

Similar but larger devices are also used for heavy-duty commercial and industrial vehicle and equipment.Some machines with limited speed ranges or fixed engine speeds, such as some forklifts and lawn mowers, only use a torque converter to provide a variable gearing of the engine to the wheels.

CVT  (Continuously Variable Transmission)

So, you looked at the picture provided and mistook it for the conventional automatic transmission. That had to happen as there is not much of difference between the two. So firstly, let me tell you what is the main difference between a CVT and conventional automatic transmission? The conventional automatic transmission has fixed ratios while the CVT doesn’t. The drive in the CVT goes through two variators and a V shaped steel belt. And the ratios are electronically held according to the throttle position and load on the engine.

Usually in the normal gearbox or any other automatic gear box whenever the car accelerates, it makes noise accordingly. But a CVT equipped car will not make a sudden change in the noise because the CVT holds the engine at the best possible rate for acceleration. But generally CVT’s are not advised for high speed as it will deter its fuel efficiency. Reason being they consume the hydraulic power. Also, the amount of torque is limited. Actually this all is because of the fact that everything is totally dependent on the amount of friction between belt and variators. But on the positive side, CVT’s makes less noise. They are much more compact than the conventional automatic gearshift, hence they take less space. It also improves the ride quality.

Semi automatic transmission

A semi-automatic transmission (also known as automated transmission, self-changing transmission, clutchless manual transmission, automated manual transmission, flappy-paddle gearbox, or paddle-shift gearbox) is an automobile transmission that does not change gears automatically, but rather facilitates manual gear changes by dispensing with the need to press a clutch pedal at the same time as changing gears. It uses electronic sensors, pneumatics, processors and actuators to execute gear shifts on the command of the driver or by a computer. This removes the need for a clutch pedal which the driver otherwise needs to depress before making a gear change, since the clutch itself is actuated by electronic equipment which can synchronise the timing and torque required to make quick, smooth gear shifts. The system was designed by automobile manufacturers to provide a better driving experience through lightning fast overtaking maneuvers on highways.

Tiptronic

These are one of the most underdog types of transmissions. Why so? Because, these types of transmissions are amongst the costliest transmissions and hence, rare because of the same reason (cost).  Usually, in order to change the gear, what does a driver do? First he gets hold of the clutch and then pulls the gear shift to the next level, right? But when we talk about the Tiptronic gear shift, one doesn’t have to do all that. The clutch in the car fitted with a Tiptronic gear shift is automatic. So, one has to only use throttle in order to increase the speed. But what the driver has to do actually? All a driver has to do in order to change the gear in such type of transmission is push the gear selector forward for up-shift and downward for downshift. Now the advantage of a Tiptronic gear shift over the other automatic gear shifts is that, it tends to give more power in the hands of the driver. This more power is a result of the result of more control. Just imagine, ended are those fuzzy days when you had to struggle with the transmission option available in your normal car as now the Tiptronic gear shift is here. Now lets come back to reality and face the heat that this type of transmissions are way above costlier than the any other automatic transmission (at least the cars with Tiptronic gear shifts are). If you really want to know how this gear shift looks like then I’m afraid you have to be satisfied with the picture illustration we have provided until and unless your dad is a millionaire. Anyways, this type of gear shift could be found inside Volvo S80. To add to the “aww”, this gear shift also has a feature wherein, just by shifting maps in the control unit, the gear shift will automatically shift according to the style of driving.

DSG (Direct shift gearbox) 

A direct-shift gearbox (German: Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe), commonly abbreviated to DSG, is an electronically controlled dual-clutch multiple-shaft manual gearbox, in a transaxle design – without a conventional clutch pedal, and with full automatic, or semi-manual control. The first actual dual-clutch transmissions derived from Porsche in-house development for 962 racing cars in the 1980s.

In simple terms, a DSG is two separate manual gearboxes (and clutches), contained within one housing, and working as one unit. It was designed by BorgWarner,  and was initially licensed to the Volkswagen Group, with support by IAV GmbH. By using two independent clutches, a DSG can achieve faster shift times, and eliminates the torque converter of a conventional epicyclic automatic transmission.

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How a Car Clutch Works

For most who have driven for a few years, you know that there are options to how you are able to control your vehicle.  In most cars, this is the difference between driving a manual or automatic car.  With manual transmission, you can expect to also have to use a car clutch in order to catch your speed and to go to the next gear, while automatic options will take care of the switch in gears for you.  If you are interested in getting a car with a clutch, knowing how it works first will allow you to gain full speed towards driving the way you want to.

The first gear you want to get into when driving a clutch is to understand exactly how it works.  A clutch is in both automatic and manual cars; however, you are in control of when it turns when it is in a manual car.   When you step on the clutch to shift gears, you are actually changing the level of functioning between the engine and the tires.  When the engine starts spinning, it is connected to the wheels in order for both to turn.

 When you gain speed, so does the engine and so do the tires.  If you stay in the same gear, it causes more tension and friction and will kill the tire.  When you push down on the clutch, it releases the tension and changes into a higher gear, which allows the engine and tire to spin together in conjunction with each other.  At some of the higher gears, this is not only causing them to spin together, with a different type of tension, but also releases the spinning from the transmission so that you can move faster without the extra tension. 

With the way that the clutch spins in between the engine, transmission and tires is also the need to watch exactly how it is working.  This is because the clutch works by creating a friction between these three areas.  As it moves, there is a wearing down of the clutch.  This especially happens if the car engine has to work harder or if the gear isn't changed at the same time.  Because of this, you will want to watch the clutch disc that causes the friction.  Without this, the clutch can start to slip and will make it so that you can't switch gears and will cause the engine to die. 

If you want to make sure that your clutch stays in the right gear, you can check to see if the pedal to the clutch is hard to push in or slips down too easily.  This will let you know that the friction on the disc is not working correctly or that it may have slipped.  Getting this fixed as soon as it starts to happen will allow your car to continue to function between and will allow you to stay in the right gear. 

If you are the type that likes to control the speed of the engine and likes to manually switch gears, getting a car that has a clutch is the best option for driving.  Knowing exactly what happens when you switch gears so that you can continue to make a smooth transition will allow you to continue driving up to speed while staying in gear.

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Two Stroke Engine

A two-stroke engine is an internal combustion engine that completes the process cycle in one revolution of the crankshaft (an up stroke and a down stroke of the piston, compared to twice that number for a four-stroke engine). This is accomplished by using the end of the combustion stroke and the beginning of the compression stroke to perform simultaneously the intake and exhaust (or scavenging) functions. In this way, two-stroke engines often provide high specific power, at least in a narrow range of rotational speeds. The functions of some or all of the valves required by a four-stroke engine are usually served in a two-stroke engine by ports that are opened and closed by the motion of the piston(s), greatly reducing the number of moving parts. Gasoline (spark ignition) versions are particularly useful in lightweight (portable) applications, such as chainsaws, and the concept is also used in diesel compression ignition engines in large and weight insensitive applications, such as ships and locomotives.

                                                                Working

Intake

The fuel/air mixture is first drawn into the crankcase by the vacuum that is created during the upward stroke of the piston. The illustrated engine features a poppet intake valve; however, many engines use a rotary value incorporated into the crankshaft.

Crankcase compression

During the downward stroke, the poppet valve is forced closed by the increased crankcase pressure. The fuel mixture is then compressed in the crankcase during the remainder of the stroke.

Transfer/Exhaust

Toward the end of the stroke, the piston exposes the intake port, allowing the compressed fuel/air mixture in the crankcase to escape around the piston into the main cylinder. This expels the exhaust gasses out the exhaust port, usually located on the opposite side of the cylinder. Unfortunately, some of the fresh fuel mixture is usually expelled as well.

Compression

The piston then rises, driven by flywheel momentum, and compresses the fuel mixture. (At the same time, another intake stroke is happening beneath the piston).

Power

At the top of the stroke, the spark plug ignites the fuel mixture. The burning fuel expands, driving the piston downward, to complete the cycle. (At the same time, another crankcase compression stroke is happening beneath the piston.)

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Four Stroke Engine

A four-stroke engine, also known as four-cycle, is an internal combustion engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes—intake, compression, power, and exhaust—during two separate revolutions of the engine's crankshaft, and one single thermodynamic cycle.

                                                                                        Working 

Intake

During the intake stroke, the piston moves downward, drawing a fresh charge of vaporized fuel/air mixture. The illustrated engine features a poppet intake valve which is drawn open by the vacuum produced by the intake stroke. Some early engines worked this way; however, most modern engines incorporate an extra cam/lifter arrangement as seen on the exhaust valve. The exhaust valve is held shut by a spring (not illustrated here).

Compression

As the piston rises, the poppet valve is forced shut by the increased cylinder pressure. Flywheel momentum drives the piston upward, compressing the fuel/air mixture.

Power

At the top of the compression stroke, the spark plug fires, igniting the compressed fuel. As the fuel burns it expands, driving the piston downward.

Exhaust

At the bottom of the power stroke, the exhaust valve is opened by the cam/lifter mechanism. The upward stroke of the piston drives the exhausted fuel out of the cylinder.

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CRDI - Common Rail Direct Injection

CRDI is an intelligent way of controlling a diesel engine with use of modern computer systems. CRDI helps to improve the power, performance and reduce harmful emissions from a diesel engine. Conventional Diesel Engines (non-CRDI engines) are sluggish, noisy and  poor in performance compared to a CRDI engine.
CRDI or common rail direct injection system is also sometimes referred to by many similar or different names. Some brands use name CRDe / DICOR / Turbojet / DDIS / TDI etc. All these systems work on same principles with slight variations and enhancements here and there.
CRDI system uses common rail which is like one single rail or fuel channel which contains diesel compresses at high pressure. This is a called a common rail because there is one single pump which compresses the diesel and one single rail which contains that compressed fuel. In conventional diesel engines, there will be as many pumps and fuel rails as there are cylinders.

As an example, for a conventional 4 cylinder diesel engine there will be 4 fuel-pumps, 4 fuel rails each feeding to one cylinder. In CRDI, there will be one fuel rail for all 4 cylinders so that the fuel for all the cylinders is pressurized at same pressure.
The fuel is injected into each engine cylinder at a particular time interval based on the position of moving piston inside the cylinder. In a conventional non-CRDI system, this interval and the fuel quantity  was determined by mechanical components, but in a CRDI system this time interval and timing etc are all controlled by a central computer or microprocessor based control system.

To run a CRDI system, the microprocessor works with input from multiple sensors. Based on the input from these sensors, the microprocessor can calculate the precise amount of the diesel and the timing when the diesel should be injected inside the cylinder. Using these calculations, the CRDI control system delivers the right amount of diesel at the right time to allow best possible output with least emissions and least possible  wastage of fuel.
The input sensors include Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) sensor, crank position sensor, pressure sensor, lambda sensor etc. The use of sensors and microprocessor to control the engine makes most efficient use of the fuel and also improved the power, fuel-economy and performance of the engine by managing it in a much better way.
One more major difference between a CRDI and conventional diesel engine is the way the fuel Injectors are controlled. In case of a conventional Engine, the fuel injectors are controlled by mechanical components to operate the fuel injectors. Use of these mechanical components adds additional noise as there are many moving components in the injector mechanism of a conventional diesel engine. In case of a CRDI engine, the fuel injectors are operated using solenoid valves which operate on electric current and do not require complex and noisy mechanical arrangement to operate the fuel Injection into the cylinder. The solenoid valves are operated by the central microprocessor of the CRDI control system based on the inputs from the sensors used in the system.
So if I summarize it, CRDI works on intelligently controlling the Diesel Engine by using sensors and microprocessors. It replaces some of the mechanical components with intelligent electrical and electronic systems which improves the power, response, efficiency and performance. It also reduces the noise, emissions and vibration levels to a considerable extent.

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MPFI – Multi-point Fuel Injection

The term MPFI is used to specify a technology used in Gasoline/petrol Engines. For Diesel Engines, there is a similar technology called CRDI. We will discuss CRDI in a separate article to avoid confusion.
MPFI System is a system which uses a small computer (yes, a small computer without keyboard or mouse, its more like a microchip) to control the Car’s Engine. A Petrol car’s engine usually has three or more cylinders or fuel burning zones. So in case of an MPFI engine, there is one fuel –injector installed near each cylinder, that is why they call it Multi-point (more than one points) Fuel Injection.

In plain words, to burn petrol in an Engine to produce power, Petrol has to be mixed with some air, ignited in a cylinder (also called combustion chamber), which produces energy and runs the engine. I will not talk of further internal details because it will make this article for Engineers and not common people.
Before MPFI system was discovered, there was a technology called “Carburetor”. Carburetor was one chamber where petrol and air was mixed in a fixed ratio and then sent to cylinders to burn it to produce power. This system is purely a mechanical machine with little or no intelligence. It was not very efficient in burning petrol, it will burn more petrol than needed at times and will produce more pollution. But with the advancement of technology this was about to change.

MPFI emerged an Intelligent way to do what the Carburetor does. In MPFI system, each cylinder has one injector (which makes it multi-point). Each of these Injectors are controlled by one central car computer. This computer is a small micro-processor, which keeps telling each Injector about how much petrol and at what time it needs to inject near the cylinder so that only the required amount of petrol goes into the cylinder at the right moment.
So the working of MPFI is similar to Carburetor, but in an improved way, because now each cylinder is treated independently unlike Carburetor. But one major Key difference is that MPFI is an intelligent system and Carburetor is not. MPFI systems are controlled by a computer which does lots of calculations before deciding what amount of petrol will go into what cylinder at a particular point in time. It makes that decision based on the inputs it reads.
For the Inputs, the microprocessor (or car’s computer) reads a number of sensors. Through these sensors, the microprocessor knows the temperature of the Engine, the Speed of the Engine, it knows the load on the Engine, it knows how hard you have pressed the accelerator, it knows whether the Engine is idling at a traffic signal or it is actually running the car, it knows the air-pressure near the cylinders, it knows the amount of oxygen coming out of the exhaust pipe.
Based on all these inputs from the sensors, the computer in the MPFI system decides what amount of fuel to inject. Thus it makes it fuel efficient as it knows what amount of petrol should go in. To make things more interesting, the system also learns from the drivers driving habits. Modern car’s computers have memory, which will remember your driving style and will behave in a way so that you get the desired power output from engine based on your driving style. For example, if you have a habit of speedy pick-up, car’s computer will remember that and will give you more power at low engine speeds by putting extra petrol, so that you get a good pick-up. It will typically judge this by the amount of pressure you put on accelerator.
So the cars of today are really intelligent, well not as intelligent as drivers but fairly intelligent to keep pollution under control and saving the fuel.

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What Is CBU And CKD Cars and Bikes ? CBU Vs CKD

Most of the automobile publications use the words like CBU and CKD which may sound quite confusing to many. These terms are more commonly used in terms of the Imported automobile cars and bikes. In this post I will share the meaning of these terms CBU and CKD under as some of the auto basic terms in simple language.

                                                        CBU – Completely Built Unit

Completely built unit is the terminology when a car/bike/automobile is imported/exported to/from some other country as a complete car fully assembled. These automobiles do not require an assembly before they can be sold out to the buyers in the target country’s markets. Most of the imported cars and bikes in India come as a CBU.

 

                                                    CKD – Completely Knocked Down

Completely knocked down car / bike /automobile is one which is imported or exported in parts and not as one assembled unit. Such units are first sent to an assembly plant in the target country where all these parts are assembled and one complete car / bike / vehicle is made using the imported components. These kinds of units generate employment in the target country as more machinery and manpower investment is needed to assemble the components to make the vehicle.

 

  
                                                                                  CBU Vs CKD

CBU and CKD do not differ much in terms of technological sense except for the fact that CBU cars / bikes / vehicles are assembled in the same country where they originate and then exported to the target country. CKD cars / bikes / vehicles are assembled in the target country where all the parts of the vehicles are assembled and then sold to the end customers.
When talking from Indian perspective, CBU and CKD have a sharp difference in the import duties. At present, the import duties on a CBU vehicle coming to India from abroad is liable for an import duty of nearly 110% while the CKD attracts 60% duty. This sharp difference is strategically kept like this because CBU does not create as much of revenues and employment for the target country (India in this case). A CKD when assembled in the target country requires technology, infrastructure and manpower investment which generates business and employment opportunities in the target country, which is why it is motivated.

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Smart and Innovative Car Technologies

                                                                                              Go......
With the rising concern about energy crisis, a car that runs on alternative energy sources (electricity, hydrogen, compressed air, and liquid nitrogen) is always welcome. This will not only reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, but it will minimize air pollution too. Experiments are ongoing on the same and some electric cars are already on the road. Likewise, there are proposals for replacing steel in cars with stronger and lighter materials, like fiberglass, carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, and duralumin. The following are some of the new technologies in  

                                           Navigation System

Cars with navigation system are becoming quite common in the United States. This advanced car technology guides the driver with audible and visual directions. The driver has to enter the destination, may be restaurants or a specific street, and the system guides accordingly. With this, you can roam the city without knowing the actual route which you will be driving.

                                                                     Economy Mode

All car owners are very conscious about issues like conserving fuel as far as possible. Let's take the example of using an air conditioner (AC). Many of us are in the habit of switching it off, when it is not required. In recent times, the automobile manufacturers are making cars with the 'economy mode' feature, which aims at switching off the non-essential systems of the car automatically.

                                                                         Curtain Airbags

Car airbags placed on the dashboard and steering wheel have been in use since the last few decades. In some of the latest car models, curtain airbags are placed in the headliner area, just above the windows as a car safety feature. This ensures minimum head injury to both, the person sitting in the front seat and the back seat during a car accident.

                                           Black Box Technology

Black box technology, also known as event data recorders (like the flight recorders used in airplanes), are used for recording the details of the car at a certain time. In North America, this feature is installed in majority of the cars with airbags. With this, the car owner can show proof of the driving speed, the location, and other details. This advanced technology is very useful in terms of legal issues and car insurance claims, for example, in case of car accidents.

                                                                         Run-Flat Tires

Run-flat tires is a feature in some latest hybrid cars, in which the tires do not change their shape, even without air pressure in them. In case of an emergency, the car with these tires can be driven for about 50 miles or so. Thus, with run-flat tires, the convenience and security levels of the car are increased.

                                                                 Car That Parks by Itself

Imagine a car that parks by itself! Yes, I am not kidding, cars with such a system will come in the market soon. With such an advanced technology, the driver only needs to put his foot on the brake and automatically, the car will parallel-park by itself. Well! Doesn't this sound very interesting? It will be useful, while managing the car in tight parking areas and garages.

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