Engine Control Units

Engine Control Units

The ECU uses closed-loop control , a control scheme that monitors outputs of a system to control the inputs to a system, managing the emissions and fuel economy of the engine. Gathering data from dozens of different sensors, the ECU knows everything from the coolant temperature to the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. more :

With this data, it performs millions of calculations each second. The Engine Control Unit also performs operations including looking up values in tables, calculating the results of long equations to decide on the best spark timing and determining how long the fuel injector is open. The ECU does all of this to ensure the lowest emissions and best mileage. A modern ECU might contain a 32-bit, 40-MHz processor. This may not sound fast compared to the 500- to 1,000-MHz processor you probably have in your PC, but remember that the processor in your car is running much more efficient code than the one in your PC. The code in an average ECU takes up less than 1 megabyte(MB) of memory. By comparison, you probably have at least 2 gigabytes (GB) of programs on your computer -- that's 2,000 times the amount in an ECU. In order to provide the correct amount of fuel for every operating condition, the engine control unit (ECU) has to monitor a huge number of input sensors. Mass airflow sensor - Tells the ECU the mass of air entering the engine
Oxygen sensor(s) - Monitors the amount of oxygen in the exhaust so the ECU can determine how rich or lean the fuel mixture is and make adjustments accordingly
Throttle position sensor - Monitors the throttle valve position (which determines how much air goes into the engine) so the ECU can respond quickly to changes, increasing or decreasing the fuel rate as necessary
Coolant temperature sensor - Allows the ECU to determine when the engine has reached its proper operating temperature
Voltage sensor - Monitors the system voltage in the car so the ECU can raise the idle speed if voltage is dropping (which would indicate a high electrical load)
Manifold absolute pressure sensor - Monitors the pressure of the air in the intake manifold
The amount of air being drawn into the engine is a good indication of how much power it is producing; and the more air that goes into the engine, the lower the manifold pressure, so this reading is used to gauge how much power is being produced.
Engine speed sensor - Monitors engine speed, which is one of the factors used to calculate the pulse width

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Car Video

Car video has really taken off recently as a fun, viable, and even necessary addition to in-car entertainment. Several new SUV and minivan models feature car video components as factory options, and a growing number of people have decided to retro-fit their vehicles with car video entertainment systems. Car video systems drastically expand the number of entertainment options you can have in your vehicle. Movies, video games, local television, even satellite television are all available for use in your car, truck, van, or SUV. Car video technology just keeps getting better all the time. Some car video systems give you the option of connecting a navigation system, which provides turn-by-turn visual and voice directions, which help you get where you're going efficiently and accurately. Not having to fiddle with conventional maps is a huge advantage, especially if you're driving through unfamiliar territory for the first time. Read More......

Car Airbrushing

Car airbrushing or airbrush painting is a painting technique that is used to create custom vehicle graphics. Airbrush painting is a paint scheme designed to set a vehicle apart from others like it on the road. Some airbrush graphics literally are painted on, while others are decals that can be removed or changed for frequent styling updates. Airbrushing graphics can range from a simple pinstripe to complicated designs and murals. Read More......

Car Neons

Car neon lights are accessories that gives extra lighting for cars. They are inexpensive car accessoires which gets a custom car more attention during night. They can be installed under a vehicle, in the engine compartment or even in the trunk or cargo area of a pickup. Car neons generally are not for use when a vehicle is driving. They come in a variety of colors and are popular on show vehicles. Read More......

Lambo Doors

The Lambo door was first introduced in a concept car. The lambo door was designed for a concept car whose wide chassis mandated this unusual door configuration. The lambo door design was carried forward to the other cars made after the concept car's lambo door's were a success. The only current car in production which uses the Lambo door is the Murciélago. This lambo door design combines some of the advantages of a conventional door and the traditional roof hinged door. The lambo door can open upward rather than outward, which is important in wide cars. The lambo door hinge is in a similar location as a conventional door, so a convertible version of the car is not prevented by the lambo door design. The disadvantage is that the lambo door still impedes access much more than a roof hinged door and, in some cases, more than a conventional door. Read More......

Decals

Decal pinstriping is actually painted on, while some is a paint decal that can be applied quickly and easily for a restyling touch. For a more dramatic styling statement, some people choose to add paint decal graphics to their vehicles. Decals are cut to shape using a computer and plotter, this eliminates the need for printing inks and background material. Vinyl Stickers are also called Computer Cut Decals and Die - Cut Decals. Vinyl Cut Stickers create a professional appearance for signs, windows, cars, trucks, boats industrial & commercial equipment, in fact you can apply vinyl stickers to any clean smooth surface, so are great across many different applications. Vinyl graphics are provided on pre - spaced and pre - masked sheet for an easy, quick and professional application. Read More......

Body Kits

Bodykits or body kits are collections of exterior body kit modifications to a car, typically comprised of front and rear body kits and side skirts. There are many companies that sell these body kits as alternatives to the traditional look of the vehicle from the factory. Many advantages to body kits include better aerodynamics as well as having a high degree of aesthetic value. Body kits will be designed to complement each other, and work together as a complete design. Despite this, the 'mix and match' approach is often seen on cars, where the front of one body kit will be matched with the rear body kit of another. Automative body kits are usually constructed of either fiberglass or polyurethane. Most car modification entusiasts prefer polyurethane body kits because it is more resistant to damage, and does not crack in cold weather. In some cases, body kits may also be constructed of carbon fiber, which is a popular, lightweight material. This type of body kit modification is not as highly regarded among speed enthusiasts, though, because it is very costly, and the difference in weight is minimal, versus changing other parts such as the hood or trunk.

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Spoilers

Spoilers are often fitted to race and high-performance sports cars, although they have become common on passenger vehicles, as well. Some spoilers are added to cars primarily for styling purposes and have either little aerodynamic benefit or even make the aerodynamics worse. Although the most recognizable spoiler is the wing spoiler , there are actually many different types of spoilers. A wing spoiler is an airfoil suspended above the body of the vehicle.
A lid spoiler (commonly trunk lid spoiler , lip spoiler , or boot lid spoiler ) is often a ridge of plastic or metal attached directly to the top of the trunk lid.
A roof spoiler is a small ridge of plastic or metal attached to the very back of the roof, usually just above the rear window.
A splitter is a spoiler attached to the front bumper, very close to the road surface, sometimes known as a "front spoiler" or on stock or stock-appearing cars as an "air dam."

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Nitrous Systems

Nitrous oxides came into use with car racing back in the 1960's, and has been around ever since. Nitrous oxide acts as an agent for oxygen to enter the engine. We know gasoline needs oxygen to burn. Too much, and your engine burns up entirely, so the nitrous has to balance this oxygenation with just the right amount of added fuel as well. It doesn't burn like gasoline. In fact, it would just mix with the open air if left lying around in an open container. To your engine, nitrous oxide is a more convenient form of normal air. Since we are only interested in the oxygen the air contains, nitrous oxide provides a simple tool for manipulating how much oxygen will be present when you add additional fuel in an attempt to release more power. The power always comes from the fuel source. Nitrous oxide is not a fuel. Nitrous oxide is a convenient way to add the additional oxygen required to burn more fuel. If you add only nitrous oxide and do not add additional fuel, you would just speed up the rate at which your engine is burning the fuel that it normally uses.This, more often than not, leads to destructive detonation. The energy comes from the fuel, not the nitrous. Nitrous oxide simply allows you to burn a greater quantity of fuel in the same time period; thus, the overall effect is a tremendous increase in the total amount of energy, or power, released from the fuel and available for accelerating your vehicle.There is no voodoo involved in nitrous oxide. In effect, using nitrous is no different from using a bigger carburetor, a better manifold, a supercharger, or a turbocharger. Understand that the air you and your engine breathe is made up, at sea level, of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and just 1% other gases. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is made by simply taking the 2 major components of earths atmosphere (in this case 2 molecules of nitrogen and 1 molecule of oxygen) and attaching them together with a chemical bond. When the nitrous oxide goes into your engine the heat of combustion breaks the chemical bond to provide your engine more oxygen with which to burn fuel. As you ' ve read, all race engines operate under the same principles: more air (better breathing, supercharging, turbocharging, or nitrous) plus more fuel in a denser vapor equals more power. A Nitrous Oxide System, can give your sport compact that extra kick on the racetrack, or even in the mud. It doesn't have to break the bank, because a Nitrous Oxide System gives you the best bang for your buck. When compared to the cost of the carburetion, manifold, valve train or turbo charging modifications it takes to get that extra horsepower, a Nitrous Oxide System is truly a cost-effective solution. Even better, a Nitrous Oxide System, in addition to other enhancements only makes those other performance parts increase their performance. With over 20 years in the industry, NOS has carefully developed reliable, safe, extremely effective nitrous oxide kits in both wet and dry systems for 40 – 60 horsepower applications of all types. Dry injection technology makes up many of these (intended for fuel-injection systems at wide-open throttle,) but NOS recommends “wet” type kits for the majority of turbocharged and supercharged applications. Because of nitrous oxide's nature, there is variance in the increase in horsepower in different sized engines. More inefficient designs show a larger NOS-related horsepower increase.

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Engines

The basic way all engines work is to suck in a mixture of fuel and air, compress it, ignite it either with a spark plug or by self-igntion in the case of a diesel engine, allow the explosion of combusting gasses to force the piston back down and then expel the exhaust gas. The vertical movement of the piston is converted into rotary motion in the crank via connecting rods. The crank then goes out to the gearbox via a flywheel and clutch, and the gearbox sends the rotary motion to the wheels, driving the vehicle forward. Engines are devices that burns fuel to produce mechanical power and convert heat energy into mechanical energy. Read More......