Automotive Terms - F

Front Wheel Drive


Engine power is transmitted to the front wheels, which are the drive wheels. Also called front drive.

Fuel Pump


A mechanical or electrical pump that pressurizes the fuel system to move gas from the fuel tank to the engine.

Fuel Injector


Taking the place of carburetors in the 1980s, the fuel injector is an electrically controlled valve that delivers a precise amount of pressurized fuel into each combustion chamber.

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Automotive Terms - G

Gas Charged Shocks

They are shock absorbers filled with a low pressure gas to smooth the vehicle’s ride during up and down movement. They are also called gas filled shocks.

Greenhouse

It is used describe all of the windows enclosing the passenger compartment.

Grille

An opening in the front of a vehicle, often between the two headlamps, which allows air to cool the radiator.

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Automotive Terms - H

Handling

It is the ease with which the vehicle is steered and manoeuvred around turns, up hills, etc.

Hatchback

A car with no extended boot and has a full height tail gate that includes a rear window.

Head Room

It is the distance between the top of a passenger’s head and the roof of the vehicle.

Horsepower (hp, bhp)

Abbreviated as hp, as in 200-hp engine, or bhp (brake horsepower or net horsepower) to designate power produced by an engine. In general, the higher the horsepower, the higher the vehicle's top speed. One horsepower is the power needed to lift a 550-pound weight one foot in one second.

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Automotive Terms - I

In-Line Engine

Cylinders are arranged side by side in a row and in a single bank. Most four-cylinder and some six-cylinder engines are in-line engines. In V-6, V-8 or V-12 engines, the cylinders are divided into two banks, each of which is angled away from the other in a 'V.'

Independent Suspension

A suspension design that lets each wheel move up and down independently of the others. A vehicle can have two-wheel or four-wheel independent suspension; sportier models have four-wheel independent suspension. See also Multi-Link Suspension, Live Axle.

Instrument Panel

The instrument panel contains the gauges in front of the driver; the controls for the sound system and climate-control system; the glove box; vents for the windshield defroster; and the front passenger-side airbag. The instrument panel is often delivered to the factory as a complete module with electronic components already installed.

Integrated Child Seats

May also be called integrated child-safety seats or integrated child-restraint seats. Built-in child seats that fold out of the seatback of a rear seat. Sedans with this option usually have one in the center of the rear seat; minivans may have one or two in the middle seating positions. While NHTSA and every other safety organization stress that any child-restraint seat is better than none, built-in child-restraint seats are considered the safest alternative because they are more securely anchored than a seat attached to seat belts.

Intercooler

Device that cools air as it leaves a turbocharger or supercharger before the air is blown into the engine air intake. Cooling makes the air denser and richer in oxygen, which lets the engine produce more power.

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Automotive Terms - J

Jack


A jack is a mechanical device used to lift heavy loads or apply great forces. Jacks employ a screw thread or hydraulic cylinder to apply very high linear forces.

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