Vehicle Terms

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If the vehicle terms used by the car geeks seem to puzzle u, buddy put your worries to rest and go through our vehicle terms. We promise that next time u will have more vehicle vocabulary than your car geek pal.

A-post or A-pillar:
the forward or windshield pillars on a car that support the windshield and the front portion of the roof.

Alternator:
Device designed to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Antifreeze:
any of several substances(commonly liquids and typically ethylene glycol) mixed with water and added to a car's cooling system to prevent freezing of the coolant in winter and inhibit formation of rust and other deposits that would tend to clog the radiator and coolant passages and reduce cooling efficiency.

Armature:
a wire-wrapped iron or steel core forming a movable coil within the starting motor. When it revolves in the magnetic field between the poles, an electric current is induced.

Axle:
a shaft on which a wheel revolves or which revolves with a wheel. Also, a solid beam that connects the two wheels at one end of the car. In the latter sense an axle is called "live" if it transmits power as in a front-engine rear-drive car. It's called a "beam" or "dead" axle if the axle does nothing but support the wheels as at the rear of a front-wheel-drive car.

B-post or B-pillar:
the side or door posts that connect the sills and the roof and provide roof support on a car. On a true "hardtop" design ( a term derived from "hardtop convertible") these pillars are missing, leaving uninterrupted glass area along the sides of the car.

Backbone frame:
a frame, having the cross-section of a rectangular box, that runs along the center of the car and occupies the space between the seats. This box generally divides at the front, running along each side of the gearbox and engine up to a crossmember to which the front suspension pieces are attached. At the rear a similar triangular frame encloses the final-drive housing and provides attaching points for the rear suspension.

Bead:
at the band of each sidewall nearest the rim, that element which makes contact and seals a tubeless tire with the wheel rim.

Bell housing:
the covering (named for its shape) that surrounds the flywheel and clutch of a manual-gearbox car or the flywheel and torque converter with automatic transmission.

Bench seat:
a seat running the width of the car.

Bhp:
brake horse power

Brake:
A device for slowing or stopping motion, as of a vehicle, especially by contact friction.
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Btu (British thermal unit):
the amount of heat that must be added to one pound of water to raise its temperature one Fahrenheit degree.

Bucket seat:
an individual seat (usually found in pairs at the front of the car) so named because the curvature of the backrest and cushion resembles a cut-out bucket.

C-post or C-pillar:
the rear or back-window pillars that support the rear window and rear portion of a car's roof.

Catalytic Convertor :
Device installed in the exhaust system, like a silencer that converts harmful by-products of combustion into carbon dioxide and water vapour by means of a heat-producing chemical reaction (catalyst).

Clutch:
The clutch is an essential part of manual transmission systems. The hidden parts include a clutch plate, typically of 8" to 10" diameter, with friction material on both faces and splined to the gearbox input shaft.A clutch disengagement mechanism can release the diaphragm and allow the clutch plate and the engine to rotate independently for the purpose of changing gear.

Coil:
(ignition) Transformer in the ignition circuit which steps up the voltage provided to the spark plugs.

Condenser:
Electrical device which acts to store an electrical charge thus preventing voltage surge.

Dash or dashboard:
a panel just below the windshield and stretching across the front of the car, containing gauges, switches, and instruments for car operation.

Deceleration:
negative acceleration; the rate of change in velocity as a car slows down during braking.

DIN:
stand for Deutsche Industrie Normen or German industrial standards. DIN horsepower, a German rating similar to SAE net horsepower is the output of a fully equipped engine fitted with all the normal accessories.

Distributor:
Mechanically driven device on an engine which is responsible for electrically firing the spark plug at a pre-determined point of the piston stroke.

Displacement:
the volume vacated by the piston of an engine as it moves downward in its cylinder.

Emergency brake:
a braking system, independent of the main hydraulic system, that can be used to slow or stop the car if the primary brakes fail, or to hold the car stationary though the brake pedal is not depressed.

Engine speed:
the revolutions per minute (rpm) at which the engine crankshaft turns.

Final drive ratio:
the ratio between the driveshaft or transmission output shaft rpm and the drive-wheel axle shaft rpm. For example, if the the ratio is 4.00:1 the driveshaft rotates four times for each rotation of the rear axle differential gear, the axle shafts and the wheels.

Firewall:
the partition between the engine compartment and the passenger compartment.

Flathead:
an engine with all the valves located within the block on one side of the cylinder so that the head itself is flat.

Floorboard:
the car floor under the instrument panel.

Fuel economy:
the number of miles driven divided by the gallons of fuel consumed.

Gear:
A toothed machine part, such as a wheel or cylinder, that meshes with another toothed part to transmit motion or to change speed or direction.

Head restraint:
an extension of the seatback, either permanently affixed or adjustable for height, to reduce whiplash injuries in front or rear collisions by cushioning or limited the rearward movement of the head and neck.

High beam:
the secondary filament in a two-headlight system or the inboard headlight working in conjunction with the secondary filament of the outboard headlight in a four-light system.

High gear:
top gear or the cruising gear on any transmission. For example, fourth gear in a four-speed manual.

Hood:
the lift-up part of the car body covering the engine; normally a term used only in reference to front-engine cars. In mid-engine designs, this panel is usually called an engine cover or an access panel and in rear-engine cars a deck lid.

Horsepower:
a measure of the rate at which work is done.

Injection Pump:
Mechanical or electrical device which meters and delivers fuel under pressure to the fuel injectors.

Jack:
A usually portable device for raising vehicles by means of force applied with a lever, screw, or hydraulic press .

Kilometer:
A measure of length, being a thousand meters. It is equal to 3,280.8 feet, or 62137 of a mile.

Mph:
miles per hour.

M. P. F. I. System
M.P.F.I. means Multi Point Fuel Injection system. In this system each cylinder has no injector to supply/spray fuel in the cylinders as compared to one injector located centrally to supply/spray fuel in case of single .

Opposite lock:
turning the wheels opposite to the direction the car is heading.

Octane number:
a number that indicates the anti-knock quality of automotive gasolines.

Odometer:
an instrument, usually located in the same housing as the speedometer, for measuring and registering the miles and tenths of miles driven.

PUC:
Pollution Under Control as per the statutory requirements for the given region/province/country etc.

Regulator:
Device which maintains the amperage and/or voltage levels of a circuit at pre-determined values.

Rollbar:
a hoop of tubular steel installed behind the driver and extending above his head and across the car. The rollbar helps protect the driver from injury if the car rolls over.

Roll cage:
a tubular steel structure incorporating a rollbar plus additional bars along the doors, windshield header, roof rails, etc., built into some racing cars to help protect the driver if the car rolls over, is impacted by another car or crashes.

Tachometer:
Device used to measure the rotary speed of an engine, shaft, gear, etc. in rotations (revolutions) per minute.

Tonneau cover:
a cover of leather or other soft pliable material used for protecting the interior of a convertible when the soft top is down.

Turbocharger:
An exhaust driven pump which compreses intake air and forces it into the combustion chambers at higher than atmospheric pressures. The increased air pressure allows more fuel to be burned and results in increased horsepower being produced.

Turning circle or turning radius:
diameter of a circle within which a car can be turned around.

Two plus two or 2+2:
bodystyle incorporating two front seats plus two very small seats at the rear for children, small pets or extra luggage.

Windshield:
the piece of glass through which the driver views the road ahead of the car.

Wiper:
A device designed for wiping, as on an automobile windshield.

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