Automobile 101
This document is courtesy of Last Indian. It has been transposed from Word to HTML for better visibility on devices without Word so please bear with any oddities due to that.
It is said that the automobile is the second largest investment we make in our lives. For the largest majority this is false. It is the largest investment we make. On average we will spend half again what we pay for a house. Yet we again for the largest part give them less care & less maintenance then our homes, but demand more from them. I hope this presentation will help give a better perspective from a safety standpoint, as auto maintenance safety is as important as home safety.
PROPER TIRE CARE STARTS WITH...YOU
Getting the most out of your tires includes the proper care and maintenance that you can do along with the tire-related services. Learn what you can do to get better mileage, performance & safety from your tires. In the US, 10,000 injuries & more than 500 deaths occur every year from under inflated tires alone. In 2010 Congress passed a law requiring manufactures to install low pressure warning in all vehicles. More than 30% drive with underinflated tire. More than 17% drive on at least one tire with improper tread.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TIRES
There is valuable information about your tires printed right on the sidewall!
SIMPLE STEPS TO BETTER TIRE CARE
Did you know tires can lose 1 psi of air pressure (pounds per square inch) per month under normal conditions? That's why checking your tires on a regular basis is one of the easiest things you can do to maintain your investment & safety. Optimal cold temp for checking PSI is 70⁰F. A rule of thumb for tire pressure is 1 PSI per 10⁰F of increase or decrease.
2.
4-TIRE ROTATION
Did you know that front tires wear out almost twice as fast as rear tires on a front-wheel drive vehicle & vice versa for rear wheel drive? Also keep in mind that uneven tire wear may be due to mechanical problems like a misaligned suspension. On average, tires should be rotated every 5,000 miles and more frequently for high performance tires.
WHEEL BALANCING - Do you feel steering wheel vibration between 50 and 70 miles per hour? Out of balance wheels can create poor handling and a significant reduction in fuel mileage. It’s recommend that wheels be balanced with every tire rotation. (This situation wears away at tires as well as suspension components).
VALVE STEM REPLACEMENT
Loss of air pressure is the number one factor in reduced tire life. When tire valves begin to weather and crack, and/or when valve caps are missing, air seepage is likely to occur (valve caps that use O-ring seals are the best type). Tire valves should be replaced whenever you purchase new tubeless tires. (There have recently been issues with valve stems manufactured in China; these stems, if they fail can cause immediate deflation of the tire).
3.
TIRE INSTALLATION
The variety of tire sizes, designs and specialty wheel applications is growing. That makes it necessary to have qualified tire professionals do the work. Be sure that your technician is trained in proper installation techniques and uses state-of-the-art mounting equipment.
According to the tire experts at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., taking proper care of your tires can prolong tread life by as much as 50 percent at virtually no extra cost!
The selection of the proper tires for your specific needs & or vehicle can be daunting as the variables are endless. A safe bet is to use manufactures’ exact replacements; they’ve done the work for you.
Same tires, different compounds (Goodyear Eagle RS-A)
|
Tire |
||||||||||||
|
225/60R16 |
1609 lbs. |
44 psi |
12/32" |
29 lbs. |
6-8" |
6.5" |
9" |
7.2" |
26.6" |
785 |
Highest coefficient value-shorter wear
|
Tire |
||||||||||||
|
225/60R16 |
1609 lbs. |
44 psi |
11/32" |
28 lbs. |
6-9" |
6.5" |
8.9" |
7.2" |
26.6" |
785 |
Highest coefficient value- longer wear
|
Tire |
||||||||||||
|
245/40R18 |
1433 lbs. |
51 psi |
10/32" |
24 lbs. |
8-9.5" |
8.5" |
9.8" |
92" |
25.7" |
813 |
Much larger width tire, hard compound, same adhesion, 18 VS 16, but smaller diameter.
Underinflated tires run hotter than properly inflated ones, developing excessive heat that leads to tire failure. An underinflated tire also wears abnormally, with the tread on the outside edges of the tire wearing faster than the tread in the center of the tire. Driving on underinflated tires can cost you up to a mile a gallon in fuel economy because it takes more fuel to overcome the rolling resistance of a partially inflated tire. It is also dangerous. Driving on underinflated tires adversely affects handling and the tire can overheat and blowout.
Over inflation, or putting too much air in the tire, is another common mistake. Putting too much air in a tire is almost as bad as not enough, resulting in premature tread wear in the center of the tire and increased operating temperatures that can, again, lead to a blowout. Also, don't make the mistake of thinking that if an underinflated tire costs you in fuel economy, an overinflated one will help your gas mileage. While it is true that an overinflated tire rolls more easily and can improve fuel economy a little, the costs of excessive tread wear and danger of blowout more than offset the small increase in fuel economy.
The Tire Industry Safety Council says that the only way to guarantee proper inflation is to check the tire placard located on the driver's doorpost, the fuel filler door, or inside the glove box and note the correct tire pressure for your vehicle. Then use an accurate tire pressure gauge to check the air pressure.
Don't rely on the air pump at the local quick-fill gas station. These convenient machines are infamous for being grossly inaccurate. A quality tire gauge can be purchased at any tire dealer or auto parts store for under $10. Keep it in the glove box and make it a ritual to check your tires once a week.
Whether you check the tires or have them checked; be sure to do the job when the tire is cold -- in the morning before you've driven the car more than a mile or so. Drive more than this and you'll need to wait an hour or so to let the rubber cool off. The reason for this is that the air in the tire expands as it heats up, increasing pressure and giving you an inaccurate reading. If you must drive more than a mile to get air, check the pressure of each tire and record the amounts. Upon arriving at the air pump, check the pressure again and inflate the warm tire to a level that is equal to this warm pressure, plus the cold pressure reading you took earlier. Sound complicated? It isn't really. Let's assume that the correct inflation for your car's tires is 35 pounds per square inch (psi) and that the cold pressure reading was 29 psi on one tire. At the filling station, the warm pressure reading on that same tire might be 32 psi, but it is now 38 psi on the other tires. You need to add 6 psi to the low tire to bring it up to spec.
Another thing to remember is that the correct tire pressure for a given tire is determined by the tire type (all-season, high-performance) and by the vehicle's size and weight. That is why your neighbor's car can have the same size tires as your vehicle but the tire pressure ratings for the two vehicles may be different.
Other conditions that affect tire pressure are driving conditions and load. If you are doing a lot of high speed driving or carrying a lot of extra weight in the car, increase tire pressure by about 4 pounds to compensate. Under no circumstances, however, should you ever exceed the maximum inflation limit imprinted on the tire sidewall. If you aren't sure what the proper pressure is for the conditions and load you operate under, consult the tire information sticker on the doorpost, fuel filler door, or glove box, look in your owner's manual or call the local tire dealer.
Suspension & alignment problems can be indicated by uneven tire wear such as cupping and feathering. Out-of-balance tires, as well as bad shock absorbers or struts will show signs on tires as well. Correcting these problems will smooth out your ride, make your car safer and help extend tire life.
WHAT'S INSIDE YOUR TIRE?
Some basic construction features of a common radial tire:
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Letter Rating |
Speed Rating |
|||
|
Q |
99 mph |
|||
|
R |
106 mph |
|||
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S |
112 mph |
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T |
118 mph |
|||
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U |
124 mph |
|||
|
H |
130 mph |
|||
|
V |
149 mph |
|||
|
W |
168* mph |
|||
|
Y |
186* mph |
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Brakes, The dostops & don’tstops
Traffic stops abruptly in front of you, you didn’t leave enough space in front of you or something runs out in front of you! It is terrifying to think you’re not going to stop in time! Your hearts in your throat!
Equally as important as drivetrain power is the braking system! Carroll Shelby in 1963 proved this in his ongoing battle with Enzo Ferrari. He took the AC Cobra from zero to 100 and back to zero in just 11 seconds. He could stop nearly as fast as he could accelerate. The average car today accelerates from 0-60 between 4 & 9 seconds & most stop substantially better than 20 years ago. Yet every deficiency in the braking system can reduce that number by a factor of 2 or more and our reaction time is part of that system. So do everything you can to reduce your reaction time! Learn! (Left footed braking for automatics?)(Toe heel for sticks?)(Transmission in neutral?)
7.
Braking/Stopping Distances
|
MPH |
Ft./Sec. |
Braking |
Perception |
Total |
|
10 |
14.7 |
5 |
22 |
27 |
|
15 |
22 |
11 |
33 |
44 |
|
20 |
29.3 |
19 |
44 |
63 |
|
25 |
36 |
30 |
55 |
85 |
|
30 |
44 |
43 |
66 |
109 |
|
35 |
51.3 |
59 |
77 |
136 |
|
40 |
58.7 |
76 |
88 |
164 |
|
45 |
66 |
97 |
99 |
196 |
|
50 |
73.3 |
119 |
110 |
229 |
|
55 |
80.7 |
144 |
121 |
265 |
|
60 |
88 |
172 |
132 |
304 |
|
65 |
95.3 |
202 |
143 |
345 |
|
70 |
102.7 |
234 |
154 |
388 |
|
75 |
110 |
268 |
165 |
433 |
|
80 |
117.3 |
305 |
176 |
481 |
|
85 |
124.7 |
345 |
187 |
532 |
|
90 |
132 |
386 |
198 |
584 |
Brakes require more than periodic maintenance, they require our human sensory attention. If something seems wrong, feels wrong or sounds wrong have it check out as soon as possible.
8.
Brakes should perform the same @ 50,000 miles as they did @ 50 miles and you should be aware of how they performed in the beginning so you can recall that @ 50,000. So give yourself a gage point in the beginning to physically reference later. The end of your street, a stop light, a turn, all of these combined will help recognize a change in the system.
When brakes pulsate, grind, squeal or have a lower than normal pedal they need immediate attention. If you have a car with anti-lock brakes you’re not any safer than any other car. Anti-locks simply overcome the fact that most people panic in an emergency and slam on the brakes without ever releasing the pedal. A bad braking system with anti-lock brakes is still a bad braking system.
If you’re doing a complete brake job consider replacing the entire brake fluid in the system. If you do use a top quality DOT 4 fluid.
Suspensions – Lurches & Tilts & Bumps Oh My!
Suspensions play a pivotal role in connecting all the dots. They affect and are affected by the previous two components. A well-tuned suspension will allow a braking system to work to its optimum. Likewise it will give the best chance for the best safety & performance of the tires. It will also allow the tires to give the best ride.
These three systems can either work in concert, producing an optimum performance. Or they will fight each other causing aggravation and expense and possibly and accident.
Suspensions on a whole are the most abused systems of an auto, but the least cared for, understood or viewed from a safety perspective. When should you change your struts or shocks? What are the differences? Likewise springs, tie rods, A-arms, spindles, knuckles, lateral bars, sway bars and the list goes on. All of these performing properly will make your vehicle safer! Learn what is safe & what’s not!
Fuel Pumps (in tank) Preventative Maintenance
In tank fuel pumps need to use the fuel in the tank as a coolant, to release the heat from the energy of operation. As a result if you tend to run your fuel constantly on the low side the pump & fuel tend to heat up quicker resulting in higher operating temps for the pump which tends to shorten the life of these pumps. Anything less than a ¼ tank for an extended period of time may be considered detrimental to the pump. If this is your practice consider filling your tank one time and then keep putting in a small amount of fuel as you were doing at ¼ tank. If your fuel pump fails in the wrong situation your safety may be at risk, learn how to tell if it’s on the edge of failure! (PSI readings is one way)
9.
Fluids & Filters – Myths & Mayhem
We’ve all heard oil is an engines life blood, so we change it on some preordained logic, mileage, dash sensor, something. For the most part that will work fairly well, but what about the other 5 to 6 fluids in the car? Do they need changed; are there filters, what are the safety implications?
Engine coolant, Anti-freeze – Burns - ecology & poison – Yes, once a year would be normal, but once every 2 years with an additive top off is acceptable. Longer than that can cause big trouble down the road. The main culprit no anti-rust/corrosion protection, plus microbes wreak havoc with the water content and start to grow things that rob the metal surfaces of their heat exchange properties. No filter. (Consider using distilled water in this system.)
Power steering fluid – Handling/driving safety – change @ around 50,000 it a good idea to flush it with new fluid. No filter, but has a magnet for ferrous metals. (Some of these systems are going to electric motors or servo motors)
Automatic Transmission – Overall no real safety issue – Change@ between 10,000 & 20,000 miles no more than 25,000. Irrelevant of what is prescribed, all transmissions are machined devises, and thus they are subject to all kinds of contaminants that may or may not be completely flushed out before assembly. Likewise by their very nature they make debris & oxidize the fluid. Like the break-in of an engine there are more contaminants than usual in the beginning and more of the additive package is diminished through this period as well. Its cheap insurance whether the vehicle is under warranty or not. Yes, but the newest type presents other issues for fluid change, as they have no drain pan.
Differentials & manual gear boxes – Driving/handling safety – Change @ 50,000 (wear debris) No filter, but magnet for ferrous metals
Brake fluid – Driving/stopping safety – Change @ the first full brake job, brake fluid is the most over looked fluid in the car, including by the manufacturer. Brake fluid is basically an Ester hydraulic fluid; these fluids are hydrophilic, which means they like water. Car braking systems generate lots of heat in lots of different weather conditions, and these systems have to breathe to atmosphere to operate. This means they absorb water. Many times the failure of a brake system is due to internal corrosion caused by this water. No filter.
Grease joints – Driving/handling safety – Twice a year minimum. While these are less prevalent today if you have them, grease them. For those who are unaware of the purpose of greasing a fitting, it’s not to replace the lubricant! The purpose of greasing is to flush out the contaminate particles so they don’t grind away at the contact surfaces.
10.
Driving – Rear Wheel verses Front Wheel (what you may not know)
These two drivetrains are different in many more ways than just which end is powering the wheels. Not knowing the difference may put you in jeopardy!
Most people are familiar with what to do in a rear wheel drive car when things go south in a corner, whether they’re successful is another issue, but the first thing you were taught is steer into the skid and decelerate and or apply the brakes. If you do this in a FWD it is 100% sure you won’t be successful.
Let’s explain it like this! If you stand on the ball of your right foot and pogo walk with the left you go in a circle. If you are running and grab a vertical pole with one arm you’ll spin around it.
This is not the physics of a rear wheel drive vehicle. As you enter a corner to fast for the conditions you lose adhesion between the tires and pavement. Take your foot off the gas and you immediately change the direction of the frontend of the car because the front is being pushed.
As a result of taking power off the rear wheels you regain some adhesion, you’ve stop pushing and with some directional steering you may bring it under control. Depending on how fast and how much adhesion is lost will determine whether you need to steer into the skid, apply the brakes or use other evasive actions, but the first action is always take your foot off the gas.
If you do this in a FWD at the wrong time under the right conditions the opposite will happen. Think of towing a trailer, frontwards, then backwards! Or pushing a wheel barrel versus pulling it!
In front wheel drive, the frontend becomes your arm catching the pole and you can’t steer the back! The back is being pulled and when you take your foot of the gas the back does not slow down equally, it keeps pushing. So this effect is the ball of your foot with the other turning you in a circle. Front wheel drives require a two footed approach, one on the gas and one on the brake. In this manner you can actually modulate both speed and braking and actually control the vehicle more effectively then you could ever control a rear wheel drive. This is why all the great modern day Rally cars are front wheel drive; you can actually drive them into a corner harder under power than any rear wheel ever could. What can you do?
The second FWD Difference – (torque steer)
While there is a torque steer phenomena in rear wheel drive it’s not on the steering suspension and thusly requires a substantial amount of horsepower and tire hookup with the pavement to truly affect handling.
This is the single most dangerous flaw in FWD vehicles. While this is rarely if ever an issue under normal use, when it does occur steering becomes useless. A large number of vehicles built since 2010 have now addressed these phenomena, but not all & there are a large number of used cars that still exist with the problem.
11.
The issue revolves around unequal length drive axles that have no support for the longer axle and a poorly designed front suspension. These two mechanisms combine under high torque and with at least some moderate speed to create an in situ condition of a changing front geometry for the front wheels alignment. Under this condition the steering doesn’t move as it did previously and the situation happens in a matter of seconds allowing no time for any countermeasures. This situation usually results in trying to turn, but going straight instead. Some of you may have experienced a different form of this in deep snow when you’ve tried to turn and couldn’t. What can you do?