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 »
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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 »
Trick
Particularly in relation to motorcycles — means really cool, really hot, really new and unobtainable/expensive, e.g. a rear brake button on the left handgrip is really trick. Read More »
Unibody Construction
A manufacturing process where sheet metal body parts are combined with stress-bearing elements to form the body and chassis as a single piece, as opposed to attaching body parts to a frame. Also see: Body On Frame Construction Read More »
Yellow Flag
A solid yellow flag is used to slow down the racers in the case of a crash, debris on the course (like car parts), slick fluids on the track or the weather has become a factor with rain. During a yellow flag the pace car, with the top lights flashing, joins up with the race leader and sets a slower ... Read More »
Who’s Responsible to Repair my Lemon of a VW?
The manufacturer, VW, also gives an implied warranty of merchantability. This in its most simple form means the vehicle was in at least average condition during the factory warranty. Read More »
Aerodynamic Stance
In general, the car is lower to the ground. This improves air flow over the car, which reduces drag and allows the car to go faster when it is going in a straight line. This can result in better fuel economy. Additionally, when a car sits low to the ground, it has a low center of gravity. This makes it ... Read More »
