Consist of a shoulder belt and a lap belt. Whereas the cars of the 60s had the option of being ordered without seat belts, today’s cars have an integrated safety belt as standard equipment. Read More »
Lowsided
When the bike is leaned over in a turn and the front tire locks and slides sending the bike and rider immediately to the ground. Read More »
NASCAR
Acronym for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. Read More »
Pace Lap
The last warm-up lap before a race where the cars assume their start-up positions. Read More »
Production Car
A vehicle model that is in production and for sale to the general public as opposed to a concept vehicle that is not available to be purchased. Read More »
Residual
A conservative projection of the market value of a vehicle at the end of a lease. Residual values are provided by major auto manufacturers or independent companies that specialize in auto valuation. A higher residual value will lower the monthly payment. However, the vehicle must be resalable at the residual amount or the lessor will lose money. Conversely, adjusting the ... Read More »
Side Impact Intrusion Beam
Metal beam in the door or along the side of the passenger compartment that adds additional protection in the case of an accident. It reinforces the side of the car. Read More »
Spec Series
This is a generic term used to describe several of the racing series where the rules for the series specify a certain chassis, or motor that the racers are required to use. Thus, the reference to “spec.” Examples of a spec series is the Formula Atlantic series, where all the cars must use the Toyota engine. Read More »
Swingarm
Works in conjunction with the shock absorbers to absorb the impact of bumps in the road. Attaches the rear wheel to the frame of the bike with a single pivot point. It connects to the frame near the rear of the engine. Read More »
Torsional Rigidity
Sometimes called chassis stiffness. It relates to how rigid the chassis is in twisting. Imagine a sport utility vehicle that needs to climb over rocks. Those without long suspension movements sometimes have lower torsional rigidity to allow the chassis to respond to uneven ground. A passenger car, on the other hand, should have high torsional rigidity in order to give ... Read More »
