Total rating - 5

Pedestrian safety - 3/4

Children safety - 4/5

Front crash - 14 (88%)

Side crash - 18 (100%)

Additional - 2 (%)

Total - 34 (85%)

Pedestrian Safety - 19 (53%)

Children Safety - 39 (65%)

Front Impact

The force structure of the body has not been deformed by the impact. Owing to the separate air-bag, the knees of the driver are well protected against the elements of the interior. The company Peugeot has also proved its effectiveness for people of different constitution. Moreover, the holding systems for the front passenger worked properly – the knees of the dummy didn’t even touch the front panel.

Side Impact

For passenger protecting from side impacts Peugeot 308 2007 got the highest marks.

Children Safety

The holding systems used in the crash-tests:

• 18-month old child - Britax Romer Baby-Safe, opposite the direction of the motion
• 3-year old child - Britax Romer Duo Universal, forward the direction of the motion

In order to place a children seat on the front seat of the car the air-bag can be switched off, however, the information about the current state of the air-bag is provided not enough clearly to the driver. The presence of ISOFIX fastenings on the read side seats is not marked fairly.

Pedestrian Safety

The bumper of the tested car is relatively safe for pedestrians as is safe the cowling in the areas of the contact with the head of a child. At the same time, the safety of the head of an adult is very low.

Basic Safety systems installed on the car in Europe:

• Front air-bags
• Side air-bags for head and body
• Front safety belts with preload system and strain limiter
• The alarm of the unfastened front belts
• ISOFIX fastenings of the rear side seats

Crash Ratings: Ford Mondeo 2007 Crash-Test

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Total rating - 5

Pedestrian safety - 2/4

Children safety - 4/5

Front crash - 15 (94%)

Side crash - 18 (100%)

Additional - 2 (%)

Total - 35 (88%)

Pedestrian Safety - 18 (50%)

Children Safety - 39 (65%)

Front Crash

Deformation from a crash didn’t touch the force structure of the body. For higher safety features the steering wheel moved slightly forward. The knees of the driver are protected by a special air-bag placed below the steering post. The passenger is safely held by belts and his legs didn’t even touch the interior elements.

Children Safety

The holding systems used in the crash-tests:

• 18-month kid - Fair “Bobsy” G 0/1 ISOFIX opposite the direction of the motion
• 3-year-old child - Fair “Bobsy” G 0/1 ISOFIX forward the direction of the motion

As an option in Mondeo comes a switch of the front air-bag, but it is missing in the basic version, that’s why EuroNCAP didn’t include the system in its results. Without the switch a children seat cannot be installed on the front seat opposite the direction of the motion. The warning plate is not enough clear and is not fixed properly. The presence of ISOFIX fastenings on the rear seats is not marked in the proper way.

Pedestrian Safety

High marks have been given to the bumper of the car for the safety of legs and the cowling at spots of the probable contact with a child’s head. At the same time the zone of a adult’s head safety is very poor and the front rims of the cowling is too stiff.

Basic Safety systems installed on the car in Europe:

• Front air-bags
• Side air-bags for head and body
• Front safety belts with preload system and strain limiter
• The alarm of the unfastened front belts
• ISOFIX fastenings of the rear side seats

Crash Ratings: VW Tiguan 2007 Crash-Test

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Car insurance has become a necessity nowadays since there are lots of unpredictable occasions and eventualities which do not depend on a car owner’s acts:

• Natural hazards ( rain falls, earthquakes, floods)
• Bad road conditions
• Even drivers who may provoke the collision which will damage your car.

As they say it’s better to prevent the illness than to treat it. So it’s obviously sensible to buy an insurance policy avoid any complications in emergency cases.

The first step to make is compare different companies offers in prices and programs. To choose the most appropriate one you should be completely aware of your needs so that you may consult the insurance agent giving him particular notion about your requirements and the direction of his further work.

The company which will help you to make a deal on the best terms is Cost-U-Less, located in North California and offering its services all over the state. It renders the support at all the possible levels of insuring:
• Selection the car insurance program
• Deal conclusion
• Debates settling in case of accidents

To get the insurance policy with this company will be much easier and faster. The only thing you need is to call the operator or to send an application. More than a hundred programs which are up to the mark you may find on the costulessins.com. More than 600.000 California dwellers have made their choice and will never regret about it for they received a most profitable car insurance for the lowest prices.

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Total rating - 5

Pedestrian safety - 2/4

Children safety - 4/5

Front crash - 14 (88%)

Side crash - 18 (100%)

Additional - 2 (1%)

Total - 34 (85%)

Pedestrian Safety - 17 (48%)

Children Safety - 39 (65%)

Front Crash

The force structure has resisted the crash well. VW has worked hard in order to reduce the danger coming from the elements of the front panel, nevertheless the steering post and ignition lock still produce danger for the legs of the driver.

Side Crash

Tiguan got the maximum point at a side crash-test and at a crash with a column.

Children Safety

The holding systems used in the crash-tests:

• 18-month kid - Fair “Bobsy” G 0/1 ISOFIX opposite the direction of the motion
• 3-year-old child - Fair “Bobsy” G 0/1 ISOFIX forward the direction of the motion

Relying only on the results of dynamic tests at front and side crashes, Tiguan got the maximum points for the children’s safety of a 18-month child. The front air-bag of the front passenger can be switched off for the installation of a children seat (opposite the direction of the motion), nevertheless the information about the current mode of the air-bag is not provided to the driver. The preventive plate about the danger of placing a children seat in such a position with the air-bag turned on is not enough and can easily be unstuck.

Pedestrian Safety

The bumper of the car got the highest marks for the safety of pedestrians’ legs. Unfortunately, the other parts of the front end of the car got very moderate marks.

Basic Safety systems installed on the car in Europe:

• Front air-bags
• Side air-bags for head and body
• Front safety belts with preload system and strain limiter
• The alarm of the unfastened front belts
• ISOFIX fastenings of the rear side seats

Light and Productivity: The Secret of an Ideal Stop-Light. Part 2

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So, the problem of stop-signals is obvious. To be precise, there are two problems. The first – the absence of the means to avoid discrediting false turning on of stop-signals. The second – drivers’ inability to evaluate the degree of braking of the car in front of them. And is it possible to avoid false switching of stop-signals? Everything is clear with the brake and accelerator pedals. Acceleration sensors – accelerometers - seem to be able to give correct data about braking, but the matter is not that easy. Let’s find out what is an acceleration sensor.

As a matter of fact it is a flexible plate fixed with the help of elastic elements. Under the power of acceleration or braking the plate deviates from the neutral state and the static plates (like the capacitor coating) in collaboration with the measuring chain give out signal proportional to the degree of the flexible plate deviation thus proportional to acceleration of braking. Now let’s assume that a car equipped with an accelerometer is moving downgrade or upgrade. The flexible plate will shift its position under the force of gravity and the accelerometer will show acceleration of braking (depending to the direction of movement). Even though the movement is uniform the accelerometer will switch on the stop-signals.

Thus the relief of the road makes the accelerometer to either give false stop-signals or understate the degree of braking. Nevertheless, there is a device that can help solve all the above mentioned problems. It is acceleration speed change sensor or jerk sensor.

The accelerometer signals used to be processed by a computer after which it was possible to find out the derivative from the acceleration function – thus estimate the jerk. By construction a jerk sensor differs from an accelerometer by that it measures the speed of the flexible plate but not its position. When the motion is uniform the sensor doesn’t give out false signals even if it is down- or upgrade. When braking jerks appear and the acceleration of the car changes the flexible plate gets the same speed and the sensor gives out the appropriate signal. So, other advantages of such a device are its total autonomy, simplicity and reliability. The sensor generates the signal that doesn’t need any further processing.

Light and Productivity: The Secret of an Ideal Stop-Light

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In the time of global automobilization when traffic is tight as never before accidents at braking are one of the most widely spread phenomena in the automotive world. The generally accepted means of avoiding such accidents – stop-lights – are not ideal at the moment.

Even at a slight push of the brakes the modern cars’ stop-lights come to work. When driving in a tight traffic drivers push brakes not for full stops but to snub or regulate the distance between the car in front of them. Thus the work of stop-light doesn’t give the useful information to the goes that drives behind. The same thing happens when the driver removes his foot from the accelerator pedal. This action also causes stop-lights to start working. In both the cases – when driving in a tight traffic – stop-lights work way too often and the drivers stop paying any attention to them. And it naturally causes their distraction when the situation truly needs fast breaking.

The majority of manufacturers try to solve the problem by “frontal” methods – increase the brightness, size and quantity of stop-lights. The rear end of many cars looks like a red toreador’s cloak. But do you really think that makes driving in traffic more comfortable?

Mercedes engineers went the other way: in order to decrease the number of accident they suggested equipping the cars with stop-lights that blink in order to attract the attention of the drivers from behind. However it seems that such novelties are more of a distraction and irritant than a real help in traffic. At the same time BMW engineers suggested adaptive stop-lights system. The system aims to reduce the danger of an accident from behind at hard braking by increasing the area of the signal glowing.

Special sensors – accelerometers - measure the degree of the car’s braking and while it is low, the stop-lights work in the normal mode, but if it gets high, the additional sections of lights come to work. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the major problem of stop-lights remains – high degree of useless illumination. As for the additional sections at hard braking, their effect is very doubtful: in a situation like this the count goes by split seconds and in the blinking of dozens of stop-lights a driver is simply unable to react fast.

to be continued…

Printable Map of the Automotive World: Latest News

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Do you want to read a few good and interesting stories about vehicles and parts? If yes - you came by the right address! I will tell you what’s been going on during the week and you’ll discover a number of quite useful pieces of information in the posts I will provide

Auto Parts and Car Accessories writes about

• Saving Money On Gas - Your Car Is Not A Closet
• Confidence is King of the Road
• How To Buy A New Car Without it Being Taken To The Cleaners

Auto Blog, News and More speaks about Auto Recalls Increase in 2007

Auto Parts From A Lady Expert writes about

• Honda’s Car Navigation System uses PC card to update Map Info
• Electric Car Company Of The Year Goes To…
• How Batteries Go Bad

Auto Parts Information speaks about Peugeot, car part suppliers in Iran confer

Breakeryard.com writes about

• Catalitic convertors being targeted for theft
• The World’s Cheapest car
• Sat-nav floods car engine

CarDomain Car Blog speaks about

• 2008 Focus RS World Rally Car
• Concepts We Wish They’d Made
• Suzuki WRC News: Let The Dirt Fly!

Jalopnik.com writes about Valleywag’s green issue

The Truth about Cars writes that

• New 7-Speed DSG Makes BMW a Clutch Player
• Elderly Drivers: It Pays to be a Playa
• Daily Podcast: The Car In Front is a Toyota

Serious Wheels speaks about 2008 Motor City UAV Rolls-Royce Phantom

Automotoportal.com writes that Nissan Carwings wins energy conservation prize

No More Manual Transmission Clutch Fluid – ZF and Volvo Robotic Transmissions. New TSI by VW

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Give Way to “Little Ones”

In the near future VW of the small and middle classes will get the new power unit of the series TSI. It will work alongside the new transmission DSG. The “firstborn” of the family – 1.4-liter unit with 122 hp and 200 Nm.

Such impressive figures from such a modest capacity are enabled by the system of double supercharger. On low turns the engine is assisted by a mechanic compressor, and on high turns a turbo-supercharger “feeds” the unit with air. The technology helps forget about the so-called “turbo-pits” and shortages of draft on low turns. It is now wonder if you pay attention to the fact that the max torque is given out by the engine at 1500 rpm. These figures are much higher than that of 1.6 FSI. The company’s experts promise the fuel consumption of about 5.9 liters per 100 km.

If the engine is that tough from the very low turns, the DSG transmission was taught to shift gears 7 times as it increases the dynamics of driving and the ecology is not damaged. The gear-box is a variant of robotic transmissions and is tailored for the transmission of torque under 250 Nm. It is peculiar, first of all, by 2 clutches, each responsible for certain gears – odd and even. The brainy electronics prepares shifting beforehand while accelerating and at the right moment it releases the first clutch and attaches the second. Thus the acceleration gets vey intensive.

The car will be available from the middle of the current year. The car is likely to be popular with the audience as far as the new alliance of TSI with DSG is concerned.

8 Grades of Economy

The engineers of the company ZF have introduced a new automatic transmission. The new transmission has 8 grades which assists fuel economy. If compared with the widely spread 5-grade automatic, ZF’s novelty gives a 15% economy. Such an effect has been enabled by the optimization of the gear choice scheme. Moreover, the engineers were able to reduce the vibro-load of the transformer thus enhancing its figures.

In comparison to the 6-grade predecessor the new transmission is more powerful and is able to transfer bigger torque to the wheels. The manufacturer promises that the new 8-grade transmission will enable more driving smoothness and will be able to reduce carbon monoxide emissions.

With New Strength

Volvo has released the new variants of power units for S80. Now it is available with 6-cylinder petrol unit T6 with 285 hp. The Swedish company hasn’t forgotten about diesel fans – the new engine for them is 185-hp D5 turbodiesel. Both the units can work with the AWD transmission.

The petrol engine is based on the in-line 6-cylinder which S80 was equipped with from March 2006. Still, the new one is smaller in capacity (3.0 vs. 3.2). However, this didn’t kill the dynamics – the company applied a complicated supercharger. The device enables 400 Nm at 1500 rpm. The manufacturer stated that the unit is able to accelerate the car to 100 lm/h in 7.2 seconds

The diesel is in now way less interesting – at 185 hp it develops 400 Nm of torque. The unit is assisted by the modern system of multi-spot admission and a turbine, the work of which is controlled by an electronic unit.

The AWD system is controlled electronically as well. It commands the hydraulic coupling which is able to redistribute draft on the front or rear wheels without the break in power flow.

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Mazda is one of the leaders of the “ecology race.” Recently it has released RX-8 Hydrogen RE – the first serial car with a hydrogen rotary engine. The car is an exceptionally “green” one: CO2 emissions are zero and nitrogen oxide emissions are minimal. The model is able to drive on the average petrol as well – the feed circuit automatically shifts on the “petrol” mode when it has run out of hydrogen. Moreover, there is manual shifting from the interior. The power of the engine when it drives on hydrogen is 109 hp, on petrol – 210 hp.

Unfortunately, the great Wankel didn’t see all these advanced of the rotary engine, because he died in 1992 being 90 years old. He would have been happy to see Mazda promoting his invention. On the other hand, Wankel’s rotary engine hasn’t become a mass product. As has been already mentioned, Mazda is the only manufacturer in the world that produces serial cars with rotary engines. Nevertheless, it has achieved phenomenal results in this walk of life.

The form and content

The construction of the rotary engine features a crater, the inner space of which resembles a cocoon and a triangular rotor. The space between the rotor and the inner surface of the crater makes a work chamber. The pressure created by the expanding gases rotates the rotor. In order to make a rotary engine work, all the 4 cycles should be carried out in the work chamber. That’s why the chamber has to change size. If the rotor rotated in a round crater, work chambers would have constant size and the pressure created by air-fuel mixture wouldn’t turn the rotor. That’s the reason why the work chamber has a trochoid shape (it resembles a flattened oval). One rotation of the shaft features 2 cycles of the change of the capacity of the work chamber which enables to realize 4 cycles of the running cycle.

In Wankel’s engine the tops of the rotors are constantly in contact with inner surface of the crater. The rotor is in constant adhesion with a gear in the shaft. The gear pair creates the trajectory of the movement for the triangular rotor. It consists of a geared rim and a gear with external gear. If the rim has 30 teeth, the shaft gear must have 20 in order to create the gear ration 2:3. So, one rotation of the rotor matches 3 rotations of the shaft. Accordingly, if the shaft’s frequency is 3000 rpm, the rotor’s frequency makes 1000 rpm.

Rotor Vs Piston

During one cycle the crankshaft of a piston engine turns by 180 degrees, while the eccentric shaft of a rotary one - by 270 degrees. In other words, during one running cycle (4 strokes) a crankshaft makes 2 complete turns (720 degrees), while an eccentric shaft of a rotary engine – 3 complete turns (1080 degrees). Thus, having similar power factors, piston engines are much heavier and bigger than rotary ones.

Remote Control Ford Trucks (Ford Sync) & Brittish Camera Spotter

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The Voice of Progress

One will be able to use almost any good of the electronic civilization in Fords from 2008. In collaboration with Microsoft Ford has created the communication system Ford Sync which enables to work with a great number of various devices. The multimedia system will be available in 12 modifications and will be compatible with iPod, MS Zune, PlayForSure and USB-data. Besides USB-port, Ford Sync is equipped with Bluethoth that enables synchronization with a mobile device. You can make calls, work with the contact lists with the help of voice dial (you just pronounce the name of the contact you want to call). The display features all the information shown on the screen of the mobile device synchronized with Ford Sync (the signal volume, power reserve etc.). When there is an incoming call the ringtone is played via the sound-system of the car. Ford Sync is clever enough to convert SMS into voice messages and later read them aloud. For a quick answer there are a few pattern phrases inbuilt into the memory of the system.

With the help of Bluetooth the users can access the music collection on their mobile devices or players. They can also control these devices with the help of voice commands. Of course, there is button control on the steering-wheel and the central panel.

Radar is no problem

The British company Car Parts Direct has introduces an interesting device - Rossini Navigator & Camera Spotter. In substance it is a satellite navigator that is able to inform the driver about speed restrictions. You drive on a road and the monitors informs you about the speed allowed on this section of the road. Moreover, Rossini Navigator & Camera Spotter will warn you about the approach of road cameras 500 m ahead of their position. The database of the device features over 24 000 camera spots and the system is able to monitor over 432 000 km of the British roads. The manufacturer guarantees that road police is no longer of any danger for you. Moreover, the company is ready to pay the over speeding bill for you if the device wouldn’t show the correct information. The device with the software costs around $790. By the way, the updated software is available for free until 2009. Later it will be paid.

Safe Light

As has been proved the day usage of the antidazzle light is not effective. Its real purpose and the right time to use – is to light the road at night. At the same time if you want to make your car stand out in the crowd even at daylight, there is a great solution. The company Hella offers special LED lights. Extra-bright diodes serve for over 10 000 hours (halogen lamps – 400-600, xenon - 3500) and use 5 W each (xenon and halogen – 40-120 W). The company’s engineers offer to install the lights so that the work of the light should not bother the work of side lights.

The History of Mazda Rotary Engine. Part 2 

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