Sunday 27 January 2013

Steering, it has types you know!

I am talking about various types of Steer-Defects we have when it comes to cars! Over-Steer, Under-Steer and Torque-Steer. The following post is to discuss the three, so you can know everything about them.

Over-Steer

Green line is the Expected path, Red line is the path due to Over-Steer


When you turn the steering wheel, you know the path that the Car should follow, because that is why you turned the wheel. But sometimes, the car steers more than the expected turn. This condition is called Over-Steer, or in terms we know it better, Corner-Drifting. If you have seen Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift, this  is the main reason for those cool Skids performed. Now this condition is usually found in Rear-Wheel Drive cars, but Front-Wheel Drive cars are not unaware of this. If you think your car cant Over-Steer, spend about 40000-50000 on your car to get Lower Ride Height, Lower Profile Tires, some spoiler on the rear (Particular for Rear-Wheel Drive cars, to grip the Rear wheels more) and a Roll-Cage, if you will, for Safety.


Now as cool as it may look, but Over-Steer is not legal, and very Dangerous if performed on a car which is not modified properly or not capable of performing it, which is the case of Cars with greater heights, and tires with good amount of grip.


Front-Wheel Drive cars, which are very common in India, can also perform Over-Steer, but that is very difficult. The easiest way is by getting to a good speed, turning the steering wheel slightly, and then pushing the Handbrake with its release button pressed. The Handbrake should be released after about 2-3 seconds, or the car may flip.


Under-Steer


Green line is the Expected path, Red line is the path due to Under-Steer

When the expected turning path is more than the path we actually achieve, then the car is said to Under-Steer. This is very common in Front-Wheel Drive cars because the front wheels have the work of driving the car as well as steering it. This is also common during a rainy day, as the car cannot grip well on the wet surface. This is very dangerous, and is the major contributing factor in majority of accidents where the car is speeding and is about to turn.


Under-Steer is considered a very bad thing in a car, because its very dangerous, and a lot of power of the car is wasted during this event.


Torque-Steer



*the above video demonstrates Torque-Steer in a MazdaSpeed3

This is a phenomenon seen in a variety of cars in India. This is the event of pulling of the car to one side during acceleration of the car. This effect can be very easily spotted. All you have to do is take your car on a straight road, leave the steering wheel and accelerate from Zero. You will notice the car tends to go to one direction, and not in the straight path. This is also spotted if you suddenly accelerate a car which is already in motion. This is very common in Front-Wheel Drive cars. Another reason for your car going into one particular direction could be because the alignment of the car is not correct, which can be easily undone by a local mechanic.


Main bad-effects of Torque-Steer is that one wheel in the front wears out quickly. This can be avoided by rotating the wheels at every 5000 Kms.


One major cause of Torque-Steer is unequal lengths of the Front Axels. This means that the Power which is delivered to either wheel is unequal, but by a very small amount. Use of Limited-Slip Differential is the solution to this, or the use of an intermediate shaft to make the lengths equal (A technique employed in almost all modern cars)


I hope this post helped increase your knowledge. 

thanks to wikipedia for the pics, and youtube for the video!

Friday 25 January 2013

Think before you go with the crowd!

There are two cars in question here, a choice which isn't very difficult for people when they go and buy a car in this segment. The segment is the Premium Hatchbacks, and the cars in question, Hyundai i20 and the Maruti Suzuki Swift. I am going to make a simple comparison, and it will be so simple that anyone who has an IQ, and i mean any IQ, will be able to understand!


THE DIESELS!

I am not selecting the top-end model of the i20 for this simple comparison, because it will not be just either ways. The variants in question, Swift ZDi and i20 Sportz CRDi.


The Maruti Suzuki Swift ZDi

First we take a look at the Swift. With a ex-showroom Delhi price of 687768.12, it is supposed to be a good Value For Money, or VFM. What you get for this money is decent. A Music System with Aux and USB connectivity, and its controls on the Steering. ABS, EBD, Airbags for Driver as well as Passenger, Automatic Climate Control, Electric ORVM's, Tilt Steering, Alloy Wheels and an engine which gives you 74 BHP @ 4000 rpm and 190 Nm of torque @2000 rpm. Sounds decent, but enter the competitor, and now you will see how much more you will get, for not that very much!



Hyundai i20 Sportz CRDi

The i20 Sportz comes at the ex-showroom Delhi price of 711319. Now that is about 24000 more than the Swift. Bad thing? Well apart from the already existing features of the Swift, you get Bluetooth controls with controls on the steering, Reverse Parking Camera with Sensors, Daytime Running LED's, Electric Folding ORVM's, Telescopic and Tilt Steering, Automatic Wipers and a Cooled Glove-box. A necessary Safety feature of Rear Disc Brakes is also part of the car. Apart from these features, you get a bigger car in terms of Length and Width, which means more space for the passengers and a bigger boot. The power output, well, 90 BHP @ 4000 rpm and 220 Nm of torque @ 1500-2750 rpm. Not to mention an extra 6th gear for a pleasurable drive when on Highways!


No change from the previous car, except for the Blue lights
The Interiors are better than the predecessor.

To my eye, the i20 looks way better than the Swift both on the Interior as well as the Exterior. Even the build quality and Plastics in the i20 are better!


Many people say that the drive of the i20 is not sporty at all. Well compared to the Swift, it is a bit less sporty, but it just takes some time to get used to. The turbo-lag issue is also very much on the minds of the people, but for that, you simply need to drive the car to know for yourself. According to me, and i have driven both the cars, there isnt any turbo-lag in either cars.


Boring to look at, but the one on the right is a beast!

The Sales and Services of both the cars are good, and the Spare part costs is somewhat the same. The clutch, Headlamps and Suspension cost of the i20 are more than the Swift, but Swift has a more expensive Diesel Filter and Axles, which are the regular wear-and-tear parts.


So really, the choice is yours. With all that extra stuff for only 24000, the true VFM is the i20. Next time someone tries to favor the Swift as a better VFM, you can make an informed Argument with facts, and Win it!



*thanks for the pics downloaded from Zigwheels and carblogindia, autounleashed and motorbeam!

What a way to spend crores!

Automobili Lamborghini India today launched its very own Bull in this even more Sexy Topless Avatar, Aventador Roadster! 


Lambo people, the ultimate teasers!


Now when you look at the Aventador, and then set your eyes on the way Lambo people have covered it, maybe that dormant side of you wants to jump on the stage and rip off those covers to reveal the Sexy beast inside. Well according to reports, no such event was reported at the Mumbai Showroom of Automobili Lamborghini. When the covers were removed, the "car" was revealed, being as awesome as it can be!


Now this beauty comes at a price, and for that you must have either a very wealthy dad, or else for sure you must be over 40 just to afford this. Its a Whopping 4.77 crores, which doesn't include the ridiculous taxes we have to pay to the good-for-nothing government. You can pay more, if you spec it in your own special way!



The car carries the same doors we find on the hard-top

The car is exactly the same as the hard-top, except for the fact that you the ability to drive this car topless, a deed you have to do yourself, that is, take the 6-kg Carbon-fiber roof away and toss it into the boot, which in at the front. Now if you think the car is lighter than the hard-top, you are wrong. It weighs 50-kg more. Andrea Baldi, Head of Operations, South East Asia and Pacific emphasized that the car will hit 100 kmph in 3 seconds and go on to 350 kmph, with the roof up or down. Cool, we just hope the old people can hang on to that, or those born with a silver platter find the balls and a road in India that can achieve that!

The interiors are also the same, and that Start Button, wooo!



Looking forward to catch a glimpse of the car on-road, and the pics of the same will be uploaded as soon as i can spot one (not that by any chance i will miss it) and will be able to stop oogling them!


*thanks to rushlane.com for the pics!

Thursday 24 January 2013

A new start, A new Concept!

In the past I have written many blogs, had my website called TechnoRamp, which gave me a huge exposure and brief popularity among people from many countries. All these projects came up, then died after a brief run. But this time I have decided to not only continue this blog for a long time, and also bring in this new concept, called a VLOG. This will consist of-
  • Car reviews
  • Various news
  • An overlook of cars, explaining the features listed in the Brochure
  • Maybe something funny which might have occurred
The BLOG part will consist of various other things like-
  • My take on cars
  • Some of the stupid myths people have in India related to cars
  • Which is the new car which you may or may not spot on the road soon
  • Technical stuff like Over-steer, Torque-steer, hybrid tech!
  • My take on various rules and regulations brought up in India
So I hope you all will have Fun reading this Blog, watching the Vlog so that the knowledge can be shared with you all! Do comment freely, as any positive or negative feedback will always help me make this Blog and the Vlog better! Kepp Driving, and Be Safe!