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Select a letter above
A
A-Pillar
The forward most roof support in a passenger car, which also serves as the side support for the windshield.
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Accelerator Pedal
A foot-operated device which allows the driver to vary the degree of opening of the induction system throttle(s).
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Accumulator
A pressurized free-piston device, in which the compression of a fixed volume of air by the piston, upon the application of a force caused by fluid under pressure, provides a pressurized reservoir of the fluid.
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Adjustable Timing Gear
A camshaft drive gear or sprocket which permits a range of angular adjustment of the outer portion relative to the attachment point of the driven camshaft.
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Advance Curve
The degrees of distributor advance from the static setting as a function of rotational speed, usually achieved by a system of rotating weights, springs, and limit stops within the distributor body.
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Advance Plate
The plate inside a distributor on which the ignition points are mounted, which is free to rotate over a prescribed angle in response to the actions of the advance mechanism(s), thus altering the phase relationship of the points and distributor cam.
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Advance Springs
Springs which provide the restoring force against the actions of the advance mechanism(s) in a distributor.
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Aerodynamic Device
An attachment to, or an integral part of, a car intended to E generate atmospheric downforce by the action of air flowing through or around the attachment.
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Aerodynamic Skins
Body panels, movable or fixed, at the bottom of the sides of a car's body, which aid in the creation of "ground effects" downforce by ensuring that little air passing under the car can escape at the sides.
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Air Cleaner
An induction system component intended to filter particulate matter from the incoming air.
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Air Dam
An air control device at the lower front of a car, intended to divert some of the air which would normally pass under the car when the car is in motion.
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Air Pump
An engine-driven pump intended to provide a supply of air (without fuel) to the engine to assist in the reduction of pollution components.
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Air Throttle
The valve which allows the driver to modulate the volume of air passing into a fuel injection induction system.
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Airfoil
An aerodynamic device or part of a car which the flow of air over its surface will generate a vertical force by creating a pressure differential between top and bottom surfaces.
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Alternator
A component intended to generate current with which to maintain a proper level of charge in the on-board storage battery.
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AN Coupler
A threaded high pressure hydraulic coupling of the type normally used with metal braided hose.
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Annular Discharge
A carburetor type in which the fuel is introduced into the flowing air from an annulus on the periphery of the main duct.
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Anti-Roll Bar (Sway bar)
A torsion control device connected to a car's structure, and to moving portions of the suspension, which is intended to control body roll. (Some types of ARB may also serve as a suspension component.)
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Anti-Submarine Strap
A safety strap intended to provide additional support against motions of the driver's lower torso in the forward direction.
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Aspect Ratio
The ratio of tire section height to section width, expressed as a percentage.
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Attachment Paints (Suspension)
The locations at which the fixed and moving ends of a shock absorber are mounted and/or the location of the S suspension component on the frame or structure of a car.
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Axle Housing
The housing which contains axle shafts and may provide support for wheel hubs.
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B
Backing Plate
A braking component used in drum type brake systems, generally to support the brake shoes and wheel cylinder(s) at a wheel.
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Baffle
A plate or panel in a fluid container, which is designed to inhibit the rapid transfer of the fluid within the container when it is subject to changing dynamic forces.
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Balance Pipe
A tubular induction system component which connects two (2) or more independent branches of the system.
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Ball Joint
A bearing coupling, generally in suspension or steering systems, consisting of two (2) mating surfaces, one (I) convex and one (1) concave, which permits a range of angular displacements of the two (2) attached shafts over a prescribed range.
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Base Circle
The constant radius portion of a camshaft lobe which is closest to the centerline of the camshaft.
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Battery (Storage)
An on-board electrical storage component which may be used to activate electrical devices or systems, such as starter, ignition, etc.
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Battery Box
A covered container for an on-board storage battery.
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Bearing
A mechanical component provided to allow connected parts to move with respect to one another in a manner consistent with durability and minimal friction.
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Bearing Carrier
A housing in which the bearings carrying a shaft are mounted.
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Bell Housing
A nominally bell-shaped extension or attachment to the engine or transmission which serves as a coupler between these assemblies, and usually encloses the clutch/flywheel assembly.
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Belt Drive (Car)
A drive system in which the engine power is coupled to the driven wheels through a flexible belt and pulleys.
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Bias Ply Construction
A tire construction in which the structural plies of the W main carcass form an angle considerably greater than zero relative to a cross section of the tire.
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Blanking Sleeve
A replacement for a thermostat designed to divert the flow of cooling water away from the cooling system bypass circuit.
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Block
The elemental component of a reciprocating engine which contains at least the cylinder location(s) and the crankshaft mounting points.
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Blueprinting
The practice of engine improvement achieved by the use of selected standard pads and/or by optimizing the factory machined surfaces of stock engine components to achieve the most advantageous specifications within the normal range as defined by the manufacturer for that engine.
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Body
All parts of the car licked by the airstream and situated above the belly-pan/floor with exception of the roll bar or cage. For Formula and Sports Racing cars, further exceptions are those units definitely associated with the function of the engine or transmission.
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Bolt Pattern
The arrangement of bolts or other fasteners used to join two (2) components.
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Boot Cover
A cover for the area behind the driver/passenger seating area in an open car.
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Boss
A protrusion from a casting or forging which provides the surface(s) and/or structure necessary to accomplish particular function of the component.
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Brake Light
A signaling light mounted on the rear of the car, which may be actuated only by driver braking actions.
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Brake Lining/Pad
Replaceable friction material which accomplishes braking action by making rubbing contact with the brake drum or rotor
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Brake Rotor
The disc component of a braking system, which isattached to a wheel hub and provides a friction surface for braking actions.
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Braking System
A system, including hydraulic and mechanical components, which allows the driver to reduce the velocity of a car.
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Breather Vent
An aperture which allows the flow of air into or out of an enclosure.
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Bump Steer
The change in toe-in or toe-out which results from changes in suspension geometry as the wheel(s) rises or fails from its neutral position.
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Bump Stop
A cushioning pad which acts as the limit to suspension travel in one vertical direction.
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Bumper
A semi-rigid attachment to the structure of a car at the front or rear, which is intended to absorb a portion of low speed front or rear collision forces.
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Bushing/Bush
A sleeve or tubular insert, whose purpose is to reduce t h e dimension(s) of an existing hole.
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C
Calliper
A braking system component which is the disc brake equivalent of a wheel cylinder, and converts hydraulic pressure into mechanical braking force at a wheel.
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Cam Carrier
That portion of a reciprocating engine that contains the supporting bearings for an overhead camshaft.
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Camber
The angle of a wheel relative to true vertical. Negative camber implies that the top of the wheel is closer than the bottom to the car's centerline.
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Camber Compensator
A wheel location device designed to control the wheel camber under varying conditions of bump/rebound.
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Camshaft
An engine component, driven by the crankshaft, whose function is to actuate the valves, and often, to drive other engine components.
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Camshaft Timing
The phase relationship of the camshaft to the crankshaft, which determines when in the crankshaft cycle the valves will open.
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Canard
A near-horizontal aerodynamic device normally mounted at the extreme front of a (race) car.
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Carburetor
The component of a non-fuel injection induction system which achieves the mixing of fuel and air to create a combustible mixture.
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Caster
The angle which the swivel axis of a steered wheel makes with t h e vertical in the fore/aft direction.
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Catalytic Converter
An emissions control device in the exhaust system which reduces emissions by catalysis.
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Catch Tank
A container with the purpose of collecting liquid, generally lubricant, vented from an engine, transmission, transaxle, or differential and~ preventing the loss, from the car, of the liquid.
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Center-Lock
A type of road wheel/hub which is retained by a single central fastener
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Centerline
A line coincident with the axis of rotational symmetry of a component.
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Centrifugal Clutch
A clutch which automatically engages in response to an increase from low engine speed, and disengages upon return to low speed operation.
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Chain Drive
A drive system in which the engine power is transmitted through a chain and sprockets.
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Chapman Strut
An adaptation of the McPherson strut for a rear suspension (without steering swivel).
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Check Valve
A valve designed to prevent the flow of a fluid in one direction, while allowing relatively unimpeded flow in the opposite direction.
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Choke
A carbureted induction system mechanism which, when actuated, causes an enrichment of the fuel/air mixture to assist cold starting.
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Clinch Nut
A threaded female fastener which has been distorted on one end to supply a gripping force when assembled to a stud or bolt thread.
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Clutch
A device whose function is to permit the driver to engage/disengage a power coupling between the engine and the transmission or transaxle.
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Cockpit
The driver/passenger volume within a car in which driver control devices, gauges, and seating are provided.
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Coil
The transformer component of an ignition system which converts each low voltage pulse into a pulse of sufficiently high voltage to bridge the gap in a spark plug and initiate combustion in the engine.
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Coil-Over Shock
A tubular shock absorber which contains top and bottom mounting locations for a coaxial coil spring, and is used with such a spring supporting the weight of the car.
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Cold Air Box
An engine carburetor attachment of unspecified size and composition, whose purpose is to provide a source of ambient air alternate to that existing in the engine compartment.
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Common Rail Diesel
In recent years, more and more drivers have been drawn to diesel-powered vehicles. Bosch has played a major role in this European diesel boom. The modern high-pressure injection systems VP44 distributor-pump, Unit Injector and Common Rail have transformed the ponderous, smoke-belching slowcoaches of...
Compression Ratio
Reciprocating engines: the ratio of the sum of swept plus unswept volumes to the unswept volume. Rotary engines: the ratio of the largest to the smallest volume of the working chamber.
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Compression Ring
A reciprocating engine component which is intended to seal the gap between the piston and cylinder wall against the pressure differential arising from compression, induction or combustion.
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Compressor (AC)
The engine-driven pressurizing pump in an automotive air conditioning system.
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Concentric
Two components or objects are concentric if they share a common centerline.
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Condenser (AC)
The portion of an automotive air conditioning system in which the refrigerant in vapor phase is converted to liquid phase.
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Connecting Rod
A component physically connecting a piston to a crankshaft in such a way as to convert the rotary motion of the crankshaft to a reciprocating motion of the piston.
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Constant-Velocity Joint
A type of universal joint in which the angular velocities of input and output shafts are held approximately equal.
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Cowl Induction
An arrangement in which the incoming air for an induction system is ducted from the cowl area below the windshield.
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Crank-Triggered Ignition
An ignition system in which the triggering pulses are obtained from a pickup and wheel connected directly to the crankshaft, or to an intermediate pulley.
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Crankshaft
The rotating external coupling which is driven by pistons and connecting rod assemblies. It transmits the torque/power resulting from the combustion process.
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Crosaflow Head
A cylinder head in which the intake and exhaust ports for each cylinder are on opposite sides of the head.
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Curvature
The dimension defined by the maximum distance between a curving surface and the straight line between its ends.
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Cylinder Head
In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders and consists of a platform containing part of the combustion chamber and the location of the valves and spark plugs. In a flathead engine, the mechanical parts of the valve train are all contained within the block, and the ...
Cylinder Liner (Sleeve)
An insert in an engine block which defines the path followed by a piston in its reciprocating motion.
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D
Differential
A gear assembly, physically separate from the transmission, whose purpose is to reduce the rotational velocity transmitted from the engine/ gearbox, while providing a division of driving force to two (2) wheels.
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Differential Housing
The housing in which the differential (final drive) gears are mounted.
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Disc Brake
A braking system which relies on the friction between a suitable material in the form of a "pad' and a rotating disc to supply the braking force at a wheel.
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Discriminator Valve
A check valve designed to install on the vent line of a fuel cell, allowing vapors to vent while retaining liquid.
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Displacement (Engine)
Reciprocating engine: the swept volume of one (1) cylinder times the number of cylinders. Rotary engine: the difference between the largest and smallest volumes of the working chamber, times the number of lobes, times the number of rotors.
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Distributor Cap
An ignition system distributor component which contains the high voltage distribution contacts and means for securing the high voltage wires.
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Dump Valve
Dump valves are fitted to the engines of turbo charged cars and sit between the turbo outlet and the throttle body. When transitioning from a boosted state to a closed throttle state (as in between shifts), due to inertia, the turbo continues to pressurize air, but the closed throttle prevents the c...
F
Factory or Standard Equipment
When reading the specifications prior to purchasing a new car, there will be a list of standard equipment such as a CD/radio system; 16 inch 5 spoke alloys. For more money, however, there will another list of factory installed ‘superior’ extras such an integrated satellite navigation/ hi fi syst...
Fail-safe Cooling System
A fail-safe cooling system is a relatively state of the art piece of auto engineering that facilitates a vehicle to be driven under reduced power in the event that engine coolant is lost. For example, in case of a ruptured hose, the engine operates in an emergency mode with limited power for driving...
Fifth Wheel/Towing plate
The ‘fifth wheel’ or towing plate is a load supporting plate mounted to the sub-frame of a vehicle. Pivot mounted, it contains provision for accepting and holding the kingpin of a trailer, providing a flexible connection between the tractor and the trailer. The centre of the fifth wheel should a...
Final Drive Ratio
A fluid coupling consists of two fan-like impellers in a sealed, oil-filled housing. The input "fan" churns the oil, and the churning oil, in turn, twirls the output "fan." Such a coupling allows some speed difference between its input and output shafts. The automatic transmission's torque converter...
Four Wheel Drive (4WD)
In a Four Wheel Drive system, a secondary transmission assembly, called a transfer case, is driven from the main transmission. The transfer case distributes power to both axles to drive all four wheels. It is the heart of the Four-Wheel Drive system. Four-Wheel Drive can be full-time, in which power...
Four Wheel Independent Suspension
A type of suspension in which all wheels are mounted to separate suspension members with no rigid axle connecting them. Therefore a disturbance affecting one wheel has no effect on the opposite wheel. Four wheel independent suspension reduces the un-sprung weight, improves ride and handling over rou...
Front Wheel Drive
A drive system where the engine and transaxle components apply the driving force to the front wheels rather than the rear wheels. Benefits of Front-Wheel drive include: Maximized passenger space. Enhanced cargo area. Excellent drive traction; particularly on wet or slippery surfaces, since the drive...
Fuel Cell
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that converts chemical energy from hydrogen (or some other fuel) and an oxidant into electricity. Their construction consists of a fuel supply (typically hydrogen), an oxidant (typically oxygen from air), plus two porous electrodes (anode and cathode) with an ...
Fuel Injection
An engineering innovation for delivering exact quantities of fuel under pressure into an engine's combustion chamber. Fuel injection systems can be single-point, multi-point, etc and replace the carburettors found in earlier engine designs. ...
Fuel Injection, Electronic
A computer-controlled method of delivering fuel under pressure. The computer monitors signals from coolant temperatures, manifold vacuum, exhaust oxygen sensor, and engine cranking sensor. It "tells" the injectors to release and adjust the fuel to yield an air/fuel mixture assuring engine operation ...
G
Gasket
A gasket is a mechanical seal that fills the space between two objects, generally to prevent leakage between the two objects while under compression. Gaskets save money by allowing "less-than-perfect" mating surfaces on machine parts which can use a gasket to fill irregularities. Gaskets are commo...
Gear Box
Early transmissions included the right-angle drives and other gearing in windmills, horse-powered devices, and steam engines, in support of pumping, milling, and hoisting.
Most modern gearboxes are used to increase torque whilst reducing the speed of a prime mover output shaft (e.g. a motor drive...
Gear Stick
A gear stick (also gearstick, gear lever, selection lever, shift stick and gear shifter) is the lever used to change gear in a vehicle, such as an automobile, with manual transmission or several common forms of automatic transmission.
Example shift pattern
5 speed gear stick of a manual transmissi...
Gerotor
A gerotor is a positive displacement pumping unit. The name gerotor is derived from "Generated Rotor". A gerotor unit consists of an inner and outer rotor. The inner rotor has N teeth, and the outer rotor has N+1 teeth. The inner rotor is located off-center and both rotors rotate. During part of t...
Glow Plug
A glowplug (alternately spelled as glow plug or glow-plug) is a heating device used to aid starting diesel engines.
Purpose
Diesel engines, unlike petrol engines, do not use spark plugs to induce combustion. Instead, they rely solely on compression. The piston rises, compressing the air in the...
H
Halogen Lamp
A halogen lamp is an incandescent lamp in which a tungsten filament is sealed into a compact transparent envelope filled with an inert gas, plus a small amount of halogen such as iodine or bromine. The halogen cycle increases the lifetime of the bulb and prevents its darkening by redepositing tungst...
Handbrake
In cars, the hand brake (also known as the emergency brake, e-brake, park brake, slide stick or parking brake) is a latching brake usually used to keep the car stationary. Automobile e-brakes usually consist of a cable (usually adjustable for length) directly connected to the brake mechanism on one ...
Handbrake Turn
The handbrake turn is a driving technique used to deliberately slide a car sideways, either for the purpose of negotiating a very tight bend quickly, or for turning around well within the vehicle\'s own turning circle.
The driver starts by using steering input to transfer weight to the outside ...
Handling
Car handling and vehicle handling is a description of the way wheeled vehicles perform transverse to their direction of motion, particularly during cornering and swerving. It also includes their stability when moving in a straight line. Handling and braking are the major components of a vehicle's ...
Hard Shoulder
A hard shoulder, or simply shoulder, is a reserved area by the verge of a road or motorway. Generally it is kept clear of all traffic. In the event of an emergency or breakdown, a motorist can pull into the hard shoulder to get out of the flow of traffic and obtain an element of safety. A hard shoul...
Hard Top
A hardtop is a term for a rigid, rather than canvas, automobile roof. It has been used in several contexts: detachable hardtops, retractable hardtop roofs, and the so-called pillarless hardtop body style.
Detachable hardtops
Before the mid-1920s 90% of automobiles had open tops, with rudimenta...
Hatchback
Hatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window. The vehicle commonly has two rows of seats, with the rear seat able to fold down to increase c...
Headlight
A headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as darkness or precipitation. Headlamp performance has steadily improved throughout the automobile age, spurred by the great disparit...
Heads Up Display
A head-up display, or HUD, is any transparent display that presents data without requiring the user to look away from his or her usual viewpoint. The origin of the name stems from the user being able to view information with their head "up" and looking forward, instead of angled down looking at lo...
Hemi engine
A Hemi engine (from hemisphere) is an internal-combustion engine in which the combustion chambers are of hemispherical form.
Hemispherical combustion chambers, which had been used for centuries in mortars and cannon, were introduced on some of the earliest automotive engines, shortly after provin...
Horsepower
Horsepower (hp or HP) is the name of several non-SI units of power. It was originally defined to allow the output of steam engines to be measured and compared with the power output of draft horses. The horsepower was widely adopted to measure the output of piston engines, turbines, electric motors a...
Hybrid Electric Vehicle
A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a hybrid vehicle which combines a conventional propulsion system with a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) to achieve better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle. It includes a propulsion system additional to the electric motors, to be not hampered by ra...
I
Ignition
Turning on the car ignition is the first thing you do after putting on your seat belt. Once the engine is fired up and idling, it is vitally important that the ignition system on your car works in perfect harmony with the rest of the engine. ¬That harmony is achieved when the ignition system create...
Independent Suspension
Independent suspension is a wide ranging expression for any car/automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically up or down in response to a pot-hole or bump in the road independently of each other.
This contrasts with other systems such as live axle, beam...
J
J-turn
A J-Turn is a driving maneuver used to reverse a backwards-traveling vehicle so as to continue driving in the same direction, but with the vehicle pointed forward. The J-Turn is also called "moonshiner's turn", based on the elusive driving tactics used by bootleggers. A J-turn differs from a boot...
Jump Start
A jump start or boost is a term for a method of starting an automobile or other internal combustion engine-powered vehicle which has a discharged battery. A second battery (often in another vehicle) is temporarily connected to the "dead" (discharged) battery, to provide the initial charge required...
K
Kerb Weight
Curb weight (US) or Kerb weight (UK) is the total weight of a vehicle with standard equipment, all necessary operating consumables (e.g. motor oil and coolant), a full tank of fuel, while not loaded with either passengers or cargo. This definition may differ from definitions used by governmental re...
Kit Car
A kit car is an automobile that is available in kit form, which means that the client buys a set of parts and needs to assemble the car themselves. Usually many major mechanical parts such as the engine and transmission are taken from one or more donor vehicles. Kits vary in completeness from as lit...
L
Le Mans 24 Hour
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 Heures du Mans) is a sports car endurance race held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance, it is organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and runs on a circuit containing closed public roads t...
Leaf Spring Suspension
Originally called laminated or carriage spring, a leaf spring is a simple form of spring, commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. It is also one of the oldest forms of springing, dating back to medieval times.
This article describes leaf springs in terms of vehicle suspension. Somet...
M
Magneto Rheological Damper
A magnetorheological damper or magnetorheological shock absorber is a damper filled with magnetorheological fluid, which is controlled by a magnetic field, usually using an electromagnet. This allows the damping characteristics of the shock absorber to be continuously controlled by varying the powe...
N
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of stock cars in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the Sprint Cup, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series. It also oversees NASCAR Local Racing, the...
Naturally-aspirated engine
A naturally-aspirated engine is a reciprocating internal combustion engine that depends solely on atmospheric pressure to draw in combustion air. This is in contrast to a forced induction engine, in which a mechanical or exhaust-driven blower is employed to increase the volume of intake air beyond w...
O
Odometer
An odometer (often known colloquially as a mileometer or milometer) is a device used for indicating distance traveled by an automobile or other vehicle. It may be electronic or mechanical. The word derives from the Greek words hodós, meaning 'path' or 'way', and métron, 'measure' (an older n...
P
Part Time Four Wheel Drive
Very common on older type Land Rovers, part-time four-wheel drive is the most common type of all wheel drive. It usually operates only in two-wheel drive mode and it can be switched to all-wheel drive whenever the situation requires.
By employing a centre differential or a transfer box, these typ...
Permanent Four Wheel Drive
Permanent four-wheel drive systems send power to all four wheels in a continuous manner. There is no need for the driver to engage two or four-wheels drive mode, since all of the wheels are always powered. ...
Power Curve
The power output of an internal combustion engine forms a curve if charted on a graph, since the engine has different outputs at different rpms. This is called the power curve, or powerband. The power curve can be more abrupt, or relatively flat, depending on the power output along the rev range....
Power Steering
Power steering was developed in order to reduce the effort needed to steer the vehicle. In other words, the driver can change the vehicle's direction with the help of an external power source that can assist this operation.
Most power steering systems employ hydraulic pressure and are operated ...
Power Train Electronic Control
The Power Train Electronic Control (PTEC) is the Aston Martin moniker for a system which controls the engine management, fuel-injection, ignition and other diagnostics. Employing a central ECU, the PTEC technology is capable of transmitting information between different electronic elements in the en...
Q
Quattro
quattro (meaning four in Italian) is the name used by Audi AG to indicate that four-wheel drive (4WD) technologies or systems are used on specific models of the Audi automobiles.
"quattro" is a registered trademark of Audi AG, subsidiary of the larger German automotive conglomerate, Volkswagen ...
R
Rack & Pinion
A rack and pinion is a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. The circular pinion engages teeth on a flat bar - the rack. Rotational motion applied to the pinion will cause the rack to move to the side, up to the limit of its travel. For example, in a rack railway, the rot...
Registration Plate
A vehicle registration plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing region's database. In some countries, the ident...
Remote keyless system
A remote keyless system is a system designed to remotely permit or deny access to premises or automobiles. There are several RKE systems on the market, including but not limited to KeeLoq by Microchip, HITAG by Philips, and AVR411 by Atmel.
In the case of automobiles an RKS performs the functions o...
S
Satellite Navigation
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is the standard generic term for satellite navigation systems that provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage. A GNSS allows small electronic receivers to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude) to within a few metre...
Seat Belt
A seat belt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop. As part of an overall occupant restraint system, seat belts are intended to reduce injuries by stopping the wearer...
Spark Plug
A spark plug (also, very rarely nowadays, in British English: a sparking plug) is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed aerosol gasoline by means of an electric spark. Spark plugs have an insulated center electrode which is c...
Spoiler
A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. Spoilers are often fitted to race and high-performance sports cars, although they have become common on passenger vehicles, as well. Some spoile...
Starter Motor
An automobile self-starter (commonly "starter motor" or simply "starter") is an electric motor that initiates rotational motion in an internal combustion engine before it can power itself.
Both Otto cycle and Diesel cycle internal-combustion engines require the pistons to be moving before the...
Steering
Steering is the term applied to the collection of components, linkages, etc. which will allow for a vessel (ship, boat) or vehicle (car) to follow the desired course. An exception is the case of rail transport by which rail tracks combined together with railroad switches provide the steering functio...
Strut
An automotive suspension strut combines the primary function of a shock absorber (as a damper), with the ability to support sideways loads not along its axis of compression, somewhat similar to a sliding pillar suspension, thus eliminating the need for an upper suspension arm. This means that a stru...
Subframe
A subframe is a structural component of a vehicle, such as an automobile or an aircraft, that uses a discrete, separate structure within a larger body-on-frame or unit body to carry certain components, such as the engine, drivetrain, or suspension. The subframe is bolted and/or welded to the vehicle...