1886 was the year when modern cars were born. It started with Karl Benz patent his first vehicle. Cars became widely popular during the 20th century. Model T by Ford Motor Company was the first car to be available to the masses. Since then the automobile industry has come up through leaps and bounds ahead. Today's cars are very sophisticated but are way more friendly compared to the old times. We will talk about what a car is made up of like the engine, transmission, brakes, suspension, and a lot more. This is the first episode so let have a brief idea of some of the different parts of a car.

Engine



It is the heart and soul of the car. This is what defines the car. Nowadays most of the cars come with 4 or 3 cylinders internal combustion engines. They can be petrol or diesel. Some manufacturers even provide a CNG compatible engine. Inside the engine basic combustion takes place. Fuel and air are mixed accordingly and ignited by a spark plug as in the case of a gasoline engine or just ignited by compression as in diesel engines. This combustion pushes the pistons and thus they rotate the crankshaft and power is generated. Due to emission constraints forced induction engines are becoming popular. We will know more about the engine in detail in the next episode of Know Your Vehicle.

Transmission



This part of the engine transmits the power generated by the engine to the wheels. It also helps to increase the torque produced by the engine by varying the size of the gears within it. This provides way more control of the car depending on the situation you are in. They differentiate into manual and automatic transmissions. The manual transmission has a gear shifter which has to be manually slotted into the right gear by the driver. Automatics shift gear on their own. They are also present in different types based on the technology they use like Torque Converter Gearbox, Dual Clutch Transmission, Continuously Variable Transmission, Automated Manual Transmission, and so on.

Suspension

The suspension connects the transmission and wheels to the entire body of the car. Their main job is to always maintain enough traction between the tires and the road. They also make our ride comfortable by soaking up the bumps and bad sections of the road in their stride. Most of the cars come with a fixed suspension setup which is tuned by the OEMs themselves. Expensive cars get high tech suspensions like Adaptive Suspension and Air Suspension. These allow the driver to change the suspension setup depending upon his need. 

Brakes


Brakes have a very important job to do that is to stop the car. There are two types of brakes - Drum Brakes & Disc Brakes. Disc brakes are preferred due to their impressive performance. They comprise of a rotary disc and the brake calipers. When we apply brakes the brake fluid is forced inside the brake calipers against the brake pads which in turn stops the rotary wheel to spin and thus stops the car. Performance cars come with Carbon Ceramic Brakes while others have Steel Rotary brakes which are ventilated so as to cool the brake disc from the heat generated during braking. calipers

Wheels & Tyres



These play an important role in our car. They provide traction which thus allows us to move around. Wheels come in sizes and materials. Alloy wheels make the lighter and stronger as well as visually improve the looks of the car. Steel wheels underperform compared to alloy wheels but they are cheaper to build. Tires also come in different sizes and thread patterns. Wider the tires better traction we get but fuel efficiency takes a toll and vice versa.

Structure of the Car

The structure of the car plays an important role in the driving dynamics of the car. Stronger the chassis there would be less flex in the structure and the car would drive better all around. They also help in safeguarding its occupants during an accident. The chassis is made up of generally steel and aluminum. Expensive cars do come with carbon fiber which is stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum. 

Safety Tech



Back then safety was not an option but now it is a necessity. Advanced technology is used in making cars safer. Some of the technology is as follows - Anti Lock Braking System, Electronic Stability Control, Vehicle Stability Control, Airbags, Autonomous Driving and Emergency Braking, Rollover Mitigation, Automatic Cruise Control, and a lot more. We will go into detail in our further episodes.

    We will go through a lot more topics one by one in detail. Stay tuned and do share this with your friends and family so that everyone gets the knowledge about their vehicle. If you have any doubts do let us know in the comments section below or contact us through the dialog box alongside

Stay Tuned!!!