PRODUCT CATALOG

PRODUCT CATALOG One source for aftermarket info

In the format you need

Information

solutions that power business results MOTOR Information Systems is the leader in aftermarket information solutions for vehicles. Founded in 1903, MOTOR products include targeted, timely and accurate data to help its customers achieve their business goals. Visit www.MOTOR.com.

Mechanical Repair

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PARTS & LABOR ELECTRONIC ESTIMATING

LABOR GUIDE MANUAL

Coverage:

Coverage:

Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs


Contents:

Contents:

• Mechanical labor times, OE part numbers & prices in an electronic format • Networkable • Searchable by category or system operation • Special table to enter supply costs, disposal charges & canned jobs • Two tax rate percentages • Three labor rates • Printable custom greeting/message on the estimate • Authorization statement or disclaimer unique to your business

• Labor times based on the original labor time database by the Chilton Company • Divider tabs make finding the right data quick & easy • Detailed alphabetical labor operations index • Labor operations unique to the aftermarket

medium, heavy truck & van labor online

TRUCK & VAN LABOR TIME GUIDE

Coverage:

Coverage:

Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported medium & heavy duty trucks

Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported medium, light trucks, vans & heavy duty trucks

Contents: • This module contains the mechanical labor times for trucks, engines, trailers& transmission manufacturers. • Labor times may be searched stand-alone or correlated to the Parts Catalog (MMY) search, creating a PARTS & LABOR look-up.

Contents: • Includes medium & heavy duty truck component manufacturers • Labor times grouped by industry SYS code • Detailed labor operation alphabetical index

1.800.4A.MOTOR 4

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Collision Repair

CRASH ESTIMATING DATA on DVD Domestic Crash Data* & Import Crash Data* Each DVD Contains: • Crash Parts and Labor data • Black Book retail used car price information • Replacement assemblies time guide data • Guide to estimating • Illustrations – exploded component views * DVDs are available individually or as a set. DVDs can be purchased as a yearly subscription (quarterly updates) or as individual DVDs.

CRASH ESTIMATING DATA online Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

ALSO AVAILABLE:

contents: • Crash Parts and Labor data • Black Book retail used car price information • Replacement assemblies time guide data • Guide to estimating • Illustrations – exploded component views

Crash Estimating Training Guide

e-frame Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Precise frame & unibody measurement data on CD • Capability to enter and retrieve customer information • Universal symbols to locate measuring points quickly

• Fast access to data with clear, sharp images • Zoom in function & capability to print exactly what you see on the monitor

1.800.4A.MOTOR 5

Car/Truck Repair

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auto repair manual Volume 1: Mechanical Repair

Auto Repair Manuals: Vol 1&2

• Air conditioning maintenance • Cooling fans diagnosis & repair • Disc & drum brake service • Drive axle service • Electrical components R&R •E ngine rebuilding specifications • Hydraulic brake system service & repair • Machine shop specifications • Mechanical engine repair

• Power brake units • Power steering diagnosis & repair • Specification data • Starter & alternator diagnosis & repair • Steering column R&R • Suspension & steering components R&R • Tightening specifications • Tire pressure monitoring system • Wheel alignment

Volume 2: ABS/Electrical • Active suspension system • Air bag systems •A nti-lock brake component locations •A nti-lock brake diagnosis & testing • Dash gauges diagnosis & testing • Dash panel service

• Passive restraint component locations • Speed control component replacement • Speed control diagnosis & testing • Warning lights diagnosis & testing • Wiper system diagnosis & testing

light truck & van repair MANUAL Volume 1: Mechanical Repair

Light Truck & Van Repair Manuals: Vol 1&2

• Air conditioning maintenance • Cooling fans diagnosis & repair • Disc & drum brake service • Drive axle service • Electrical components R&R •E ngine rebuilding specifications • Hydraulic brake system service & repair • Mechanical engine repair

Volume 2: ABS/Electrical • Active suspension system •A nti-lock brake component locations •A nti-lock brake diagnosis & testing • Dash gauges diagnosis & testing • Dash panel service

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• Power steering diagnosis & repair • Specification data • Starter & alternator diagnosis & repair • Steering column R&R • Suspension & steering components R&R • Tightening specifications • Tire pressure monitoring system • Wheel alignment

• Passive restraint component locations • Speed control component replacement • Speed control diagnosis & testing • Warning lights diagnosis & testing • Wiper system diagnosis & testing

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Car/Truck Repair

imported car repair MANUAL Volume 1: Mechanical Repair

Imported Car Repair Manuals: Vol 1&2

• Air conditioning maintenance • Cooling fans diagnosis & repair • Disc & drum brake service • Drive axle service • Electrical components R&R •E ngine rebuilding specifications • Hydraulic brake system service & repair • Mechanical engine repair • Power steering diagnosis & repair

• Specification data • Starter & alternator diagnosis & repair • Steering column R&R • Suspension & steering components R&R • Tightening specifications • Tire pressure monitoring system • Wheel alignment

Volume 2: ABS/Electrical • Active suspension system •A nti-lock brake component locations •A nti-lock brake diagnosis & testing • Dash gauges diagnosis & testing • Dash panel service •P assive restraint component locations

• Speed control component replacement • Speed control diagnosis & testing • Warning lights diagnosis & testing • Wiper system diagnosis & testing

ENGINE PERFORMANCE & DRIVEABILITY ONLINE Coverage: Multi-year coverage for imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Code accessing procedures • Computerized engine controls • Component locations • Drive cycles • Diagnostic flow charts • Emission application charts • Fuel system diagnosis & service

• Ignition system diagnosis & repair • Sensor & tune-up specifications • Service reminder & warning lamp reset • Technical service bulletins • Vacuum hose routings • Wiring diagrams

1.800.4A.MOTOR 7

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1.800.4A.MOTOR

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Emissions

EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEMS APPLICATION Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans, SUVs, medium & heavy duty trucks

Contents: • Accessing & clearing trouble codes • Charcoal canister locations • Data link connector & locations • EGR functional test procedures • Emission system application charts • Federal & state air quality standards • I gnition timing adjustment connector & specifications

• Lamp reset procedures • List of vehicles that cannot be tested on a dynamometer • Listing whether a vehicle is FWD, RWD, 4WD or AWD • MIL information • Service reminders • Visual inspection procedures

EMISSION CONTROL VACUUM HOSE ROUTING & COMPONENT LOCATION MANUAL Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans, SUVs, medium & heavy duty trucks

Contents: • Component locations • EGR diagnostic charts

• EGR functional tests • Vacuum hose routings

OBDII DRIVE CYCLES Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Drive cycle procedures • EPA highway & urban procedures where OE does not publish data • Keyless ignition procedures

• OBDII overview • Known readiness & communications issues • Notes & tips

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Medium/Heavy Trucks

HEAVY TRUCK REPAIR MANUAL Coverage: Multi-year coverage for medium & heavy duty trucks and components

Heavy Truck Repair Manuals: Vol 1&2

Vol. 1 CHASSIS REPAIR

Vol. 2 TRANSMISSION & AXLE repair

• Air bags •A ir conditioning, cooling, electrical & exhaust • Brakes • Chassis, engine & electrical • Gasoline & diesel engines • Steering & suspension • Specification data

• Clutches & transfer cases • Drive axles • Fifth wheels • Transmissions

HEAVY TRUCK WIRING DIAGRAM MANUAL Coverage: Multi-year coverage for medium & heavy duty trucks

CONTENTS:

Heavy Truck Wiring Diagram Manuals: Vol 1&2

• Hino • International • Isuzu • Kenworth • Mack • Mercedes-Benz • Mitsubishi-Fuso

• Autocar • Caterpillar • Chevrolet/GMC • Cummins • Detroit Diesel • Ford • Freightliner

Heavy Truck Diagnostic Trouble Codes Multi-year coverage for medium & heavy trucks

Coverage:

Contents:

Multi-year coverage for engine performance & wiring information

• All codes for all commercial trucks • Description of sensors, their locations and how they operate

Contents: • Component locations • Emission application charts • Emissions control system & repair • Fuel system diagnosis & repair

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• Volvo • Western Star

MEDIUM & heavy TRUCK ENGINE PERFORMANCE & DRIVEABILITY MANUAL

Coverage: 1987-2010

• Nissan/UD • Peterbilt • Scania • Sterling

• Injection pumps • Specification data • Technical service bulletins • Vacuum hose routings

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Medium/Heavy Trucks

HEAVY TRUCK SERVICE dvd or online Coverage: Multi-year coverage for medium & heavy duty trucks and components

Contents: • Air bags • Air conditioning • Brakes • Computerized engine control system diagnosis • Drive axles & transmissions • Emissions • Engine & chassis • Engine electrical

• Maintenance • Mechanical repair procedures • Performance... including trouble codes & flow charts • Specifications • Steering & suspension • Technical service bulletins • Wiring diagrams

ALL-MAKES FleetCross When parts cross-references are required, people in the industry turn to FleetCross. From service locations to parts retailers and distributors to fleets and fleet management companies, FleetCross covers all facets of the truck industry. With hundreds of millions of original equipment and aftermarket part number crosses, FleetCross, by far, leads the industry in available cross reference parts information. The “All-Makes” data is: • available 24/7, providing the latest information when and where it’s needed • a complete system offering manufacturer catalogs in support of the cross references that contain manufacturer’s images, including off-highway and industrial equipment information • an intuitive system with advanced design that offers quick and thorough search results

Users search by > part number > manufacturer’s name > make-model-year

From aftermarket part numbers to illustrations, the system offers users a variety of selections to locate the parts information they need. Some of the options include: • Partial part number search • Manufacturer web site integrations • Tear away and duplicate tab technology • Advanced application installation, depending on environment • Web training and support with on site training available Visit www.motor.com for more information.

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Specifications/Quick Reference

SPECIFICATION GUIDE Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • A/C data • Ball joint specifications • Brake bleed procedures • Brake specification data • Cylinder head & torques • Engine tightening specifications • Fluid capacities & cooling system data • Front drive axle & wheel lug nut tightening specifications • Lubricant data • Sensor specifications • Serpentine drive belt routing • Service reminder lamp reset • Tire inflation pressure data • Tune-up data • Valve timing marks • Wheel alignment data

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HEAVY TRUCK SPECIFICATION GUIDE

WHEEL ALIGNMENT SPECIFICATIONS

Coverage:

Coverage:

Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported medium & heavy duty trucks


Contents:

Contents:

• Brake data, sensor specificiations & wheel alignment data •C ylinder head & engine tightening specifications • Fluid capacities • Lubricant requirements • OE scheduled maintenance • Powertrain diagnostic trouble codes • Service reminder lamp reset procedures • Tune-up specifications • Valve timing marks

• Adjustment procedures • Ball joint testing • Vehicle ride height tables

BRAKE SPECIFICATIONS GUIDE AND BRAKE BLEED PROCEDURES Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

ALSO AVAILABLE: Vintage Specification Guide

Contents: • Brake bleed sequence procedures • Brake rotor, drum machining & service • Caliper mounting torque • Minimum lining thickness • Rotor parallelism, runout, thickness & microfinish • Wheel bearing adjustment procedures • Wheel nut & bolt torque

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www.motor.com

Specifications/Quick Reference

TRANSMISSION FLUID SERVICE GUIDE

Lubrication recommendations GUIDE

quick lubrication GUIDE

Coverage:

Coverage:


Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans, SUVs, medium & heavy duty trucks, tractors & small engines


Contents: • Lubrication & fluid specifications • Fluid inspection procedures for transmissions that do not have a dipstick • Custom transmission illustrations • Transmission gasket illustrations • Injection pumps • Service intervals

Contents: • Fluid capacities • Lubricant type • Transmissions, transaxles & differentials

Coverage:

Contents: • Chassis lubrication data • Cooling system capacities & bleed procedures • Engine lubrication data • Resetting oil service indicators • Vehicle lift points

chek-lube FARM TRACTOR LUBRICATION GUIDE Coverage: Multi-year coverage of farm tractor, medium & heavy duty trucks & other farm equipment

Contents: • Crawler tractors • Lubrication & fluid specifications • Lubrication service points • Self-propelled farm implements • Skid steer loaders

Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Engine component locations • Fluid capacities & lubricant type • Part numbers for over 30 brands of aftermarket filters • Severe service maintenance intervals • Tire size & specifications • Transmission, differentials & transfer case fluid capacities & type • Vehicle lift points

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Specialty Repair

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AIR BAG QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Arming & disarming procedures • Collision inspection • Component location & service • Component replacement after deployment

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ONLINE Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Subscription provides access to over 100,000 TSBs at your fingertips, with the ability to quickly search for the one you need

TIMING BELT AND CHAIN REPLACEMENT GUIDE Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Accessory drive belt tension • Free-wheeling or interference fit engine chart • OE scheduled recommendations

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• Step-by-step replacement procedures •T iming belt inspection fit procedures • Timing belt labor time

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Specialty Repair

hybrid maintenance GUIDE Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Cooling system service • ECM/PCM programming • Fuel system cleaning • Starting information

INTERIOR PANEL REMOVAL GUIDE Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: •R eplacement procedure panels, instrument panels & floor consoles • Exploded views showing hidden fastener locations

• Door handles • Door lock cylinders • Illustrations showing the type of fasteners • Air bag system precautions

TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING GUIDE Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Component locations • Component replacement • Description & operation • Diagnosis & testing

• Reset & re-learn procedures • Tire fitment data • Tire service procedures • Wiring diagrams

1.800.4A.MOTOR 15

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Specialty Repair

VIN GUIDE Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Decoding of the first eleven VIN code positions

SECTIONING GUIDE COVERAGE: 2006 – 2011 Domestic and Imported Cars and Light Trucks

CONTENTS: •O EM-Authentic Sectioning Procedures and Illustrations outlines the process in which a sectioned component is required to be removed and replaced. •A ir Bag Precautions allows user to disarm and arm air bag system as required to complete a safe sectioning procedure as required. •H ybrid Battery Service Precautions allows the user to disarm and arm the hybrid battery system as required to complete a safe sectioning procedure as required. •G eneral Sectioning and Special Substrate Data allows the user to understand the different metals used by OEM’s in their vehicle builds and how they interact with each other.

air conditionER & heater online COVERAGE: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

CONTENTS: •C omplete air conditioner, cooling system and heater diagnostics, repair procedures and specifications

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www.motor.com

Wiring Diagrams/Component Locations

wiring diagrams online Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Over 2.5 million wiring diagrms • OE-drawn wiring diagrams searchable by system or component • Easy-to-use vehicle selection by year, make, model and engine

Component Location online Coverage: Multi-year coverage for domestic & imported cars, light trucks, vans & SUVs

Contents: • Nearly 2 million component locations • Easy-to-use vehicle selection by Year, Make, Model and Engine • Component locations searchable by system or component • Component images & textual locations

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Shop Management

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FEATURE

* EDITION

Shop Operations

GS

PRO

• Customer Search - By name, phone, plate, VIN, make, fleet number

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• Drag & drop scheduling and appointment system

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• Service history/recommendations

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• Four labor rates

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• Bar code reader & mechanical cash drawer ready

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• Up to 9800 standard tasks with labor, parts, comments & menu pricing

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• Integrates with: MOTORTM/ALLDATA®, Alldata, MOTOR E-Estimating

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• Surcharges/Standard surcharges, automatic shop supplies charge

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• Direct editing of parts & labor from work order view

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• Split labor capability for multiple technicians working on one job

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• On-the-fly editing of customer, vehicle and part information

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• Improve shop productivity • Increase production output • Enhance profits • Maximize resources • Eliminate financial waste

• Reminder message- service recommendations and account balance

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• Automatically create standard tasks (canned jobs)

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• Target profit indicator- Graphic indicator shows work order profitability

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• Work order print preview- Standard layout

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with the click of a mouse you can:

Take control of your shop with MOTOR Shop Director™ MOTOR SHOP DIRECTORTM LETS YOU:

• Security system with 16 different security rights per user

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• Automated time sheet system

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• Ten level parts matrix pricing

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• Write work orders • Manage your inventory • Network • Maintain service histories • Export accounting data to Quicken, QuickBooks, Pro, Peachtree • Interface with MOTOR™/Alldata®, Alldata, MOTOR Electronic Estimating, Quick Quote, Real Time, WorldPac, Wrenchead Catalog, and Mighty Auto Parts!

• Modem based auto dialer

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• Spell check with user definable customer dictionary

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• Auto Text System- Automatically enter a sentence using three letters

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• Vehicle specific standard tasks

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• PLUS MOTOR Parts & Labor Guide

management/marketing

*Our upcoming Premium Edition adds:

• Over 30 management reports

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• Technician productivity analysis by job

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• Compatible with Microsoft Office products

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• Work order customization

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• Over 100 customizable options

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• Automatic export to Customer Link

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• Upgradable to multi-user network

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• Internet Auto Parts (IAP) integration that will enable importing from O’Reilly, AutoValue, Bumper to Bumper, Car Quest, and many more.

• MOTOR marketing module

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• Inventory management system

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• Parts catalog integration with Wrenchhead, WorldPac & Mighty

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• NAPA ProLink integration

• Archive utility to transfer 300 work orders to archives

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• Activant part integration

financial management • Profit analysis by type of service, work order, service writer & technician •

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• Track marketing sources for each customer

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• Un-post/Re-post utility to correct closed work order information

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• Export accounting data to Quicken, Quick books & Peachtree

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• • A/R billing terms, aging, interest charging & payment Allocation

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• Viewabl management Reports

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• Warranty system with receivable billing

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1.800.4A.MOTOR 18

www.motor.com

Shop Management

Marketing is Easy with MOTOR Shop Director™ Marketing CHOOSE YOUR CUSTOMERS: • By type • Using structured query language • By vehicle type or options

• By zip code • Needing specific type of service • Last time they were in for service

SEND MAINTENANCE REMINDERS & PROMOTIONAL OFFERS BY GENERATING: • Labels • E-mail notification • Printed reports

• Postcards • Data files

ADDITIONAL FEATURES: • TechLink automated time sheet system: record time at the task level for complete profit analysis • Technician productivity analysis • Vehicle search by plate, VIN, make & fleet number • Transfer vehicles from one customer to another

• Over 100 custom options to tailor Shop Director to your needs • Drag & drop scheduling & appointment system • Built in accounts receivable billing • Toll–free technical support help line (1 year included with all updates)

Ten-level Matrix Pricing: Automatically apply different margins based on part cost! Here you see a part cost of $6.50 selling for $19.70; a 67% margin and 203% mark-up.

Starter SERVICE WRITING Software The perfect solution for small shops

EZ-WRITER FEATURES: • Seamless integration with MOTOR’s e-EstimatingTM • Import MOTORTM/ALLDATA® estimates & convert to work orders

• Basic work order, customer invoice & service history shop management program • Quick Books interface available • Financial reports

• Great starter software for small shops

• Seamless upgrade to Shop Director™

1.800.4A.MOTOR 19

Magazine

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Your #1 Source for Automotive Aftermarket Information Consistent Circulation Quality

• #1 circulated magazine among all service & repair magazines • #1 in total units delivered among all audited service & repair magazines • #1 in first-year qualified circulation among all service & repair magazines

Consistent Editorial Quality

• #1 in average individual readership time per issue at 1 hour, 24 minutes • 90% of MOTOR Magazine recipients read MOTOR on a regular basis • Winner of numerous journalism and automotive media awards • Jesse H. Neal Award (2010-2009, Finalist 2011) • International Automotive Media Award (1999-2011) • APEX Awards for Publication Excellence (2001-2009) • TABBIE Awards (2006-2011) • Azbee Excellence Award (2007-2010) • 1.7 years: Average length of issue retention • 18.5 years: Average subscriber to MOTOR

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www.motor.com

Magazine

Industry leading content • EDITOR’S REPORT by John Lypen Provides expert opinions on key issues and concerns for shop owners, technicians and the industry. • TRADE SECRETS by Bob Cerullo Bob uses case histories from his own shop to help show MOTOR shop owners the right way to approach and fix mechanical problems; right for both the customer and the shop.

Foreign Service When you service a vehicle, how certain are you that you’re the only one who’s ever worked on it? Unless you know you are, questioning the customer to obtain a detailed vehicle history is a must.

S

Photo: Dan Marinucci

ometimes we solve customers’ problems with a good memory, careful visual inspection and old-fashioned luck. Other times the jobs we tackle require nearly every diagnostic tool, Dan tester and instrument we own. This month’s saga reminds us that an accuMarinucci rate vehicle history may be the single most [email protected] valuable tool at our disposal. What’s more, we may have to pry this information out of the customer. Finally, critical clues about vehicle history may be right under our noses but we overlook them and the fact that they beg answers from the car owner. This story concerns a first-rate shop I’ll call “Pauly’s Garage” for the purposes of this column. A customer brought in a 2006 Toyota Corolla, claiming that its brakes were locking up. He said his wife drove the car most of the time and the symptom occurred during her routine commute to work. He also said he smelled burning friction material. Pauly verified the lady’s daily commute, then one of his techs drove the Corolla over that route again and again. Initially, no symptoms appeared. Then the tech put the car on a lift and visually inspected the brakes. He found some relatively new-looking brake parts, and the brake fluid looked and smelled new. There weren’t any obvious signs of sticking or dragging calipers and he couldn’t find any If you suspect that a binding, corroded or kinked or crimped misadjusted brake pedal mechanism is brake lines. keeping the brakes partially applied, unbolt Hindsight, they the master cylinder and carefully pull it forward just far enough to separate it from say, is always 20-20. the firewall or brake booster. See if this Here, the customer’s trick releases the brakes. comment about a

burnt-brake odor could have been the first red flag about relevant vehicle history. How many nontechnicians can identify the smell of overheated friction material? The second red flag could have been the new brake parts. Who installed these parts? When and why? Meanwhile, Pauly couldn’t locate any service bulletins for the Corolla’s symptoms and a technical hotline service didn’t have any specific fixes for it, either. Next, his tech tried recreating the symptom by “driving” the car on the lift and repeatedly applying the brakes. That approach failed, so he retraced the driving route—but this time with many more brake applications along the way. Finally, he smelled overheated friction material and another symptom appeared. The front wheels began dragging, the right front seeming to drag slightly more than the left. The tech flushed the hydraulic system with fresh brake fluid and bled the system per Toyota’s recommended procedure. However, the front brakes still began dragging severely after their established road test. When he raised the car on a lift after each road test, the front wheels barely turned. Loosening the front bleeder fittings released the front calipers every time; then the front wheels spun freely. But after each road test, the front wheels would severely drag again. By this time, Pauly told me, they began suspecting a master cylinder problem. However, confirming this suspicion required eliminating everything outside the master cylinder—easier said than done. They double-checked the car for evidence of body/frame damage as well as bashed brake lines. After all, a crimped metal line or internally flaking rubber brake hose could keep a caliper applied. Pay attention here if you’ve never seen this condition. A restriction inside a line or hose may trap brake application pressure between the restriction and the caliper. Then the caliper won’t release the pads after the driver applies and releases the brakes. However, opening the caliper’s bleeder fitting will release the pads. The tech connected a brake pressure gauge to each front caliper and then operated the brakes continued on page 16

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March 2012

Eye On Electronics Fuel economy standards are ramping up, after years of stability. As a result, all related systems must be reevaluated. Weight-saving innovations help the cause, while benefiting other areas as well.

C

Photo courtesy BASF

armakers all over the world are acutely aware of the model year 2016. The models to be sold in the U.S. that year are on the drawing boards right now. By Mike federal law, those vehicles must meet a Corporate Average Fuel Economy Dale (CAFE) standard of 34.1 mpg. The 54.5 mpg [email protected] you’ve heard of doesn’t go into effect until 2025. How are they going to do that? The numbers are not as scary as they might seem. Dan Edmunds, on the Edmunds.com website, says: “The 34.1 mpg CAFE target for 2016 is actually equal to only 26 mpg on a window sticker. The talked-about 2025 CAFE standard—usually described as 54.5 mpg—amounts to a figure of 36 mpg Combined [highway and city driving] on a window sticker.” It’s important to realize that this is an average number for the whole fleet. It will include a lot of thirsty trucks, big SUVs, some plug-in hybrids and, of course, a whole slew of average vehicles. Still, it leaves the carmakers right now searching for ways to get roughly a 5-mpg increase out of their vehicles. It would only be fair to note that changing politics and changing government rules go hand in hand. Depending on what the government does, who winds up getting elected and what the state of California does, these rules could be made either easier or harder to attain. That doesn’t help the car companies right now; they really are on the hook to do 5 mpg better and they need all the ideas they can get. The basic formuThe seat back for an automotive interior is las for calculating being simulated on-screen. The computer fuel economy are simulation allows material substitution to fairly straightfordetermine what will work best for the stresses the application will undergo. ward. The force

18

needed to move a vehicle is equal to the mass times the acceleration (weight includes gravity, mass does not). Making a vehicle lighter or reducing its acceleration are two ways to reduce fuel consumption. You can also work on waste factors. Improving the efficiency of the engine and/or drivetrain, reducing aerodynamic drag and reducing lost energy (exhaust, cooling and brakes) are all ways to improve fuel economy. You can also work to reduce the energy associated with heating and cooling the passenger compartment. One particularly good area to look at is the unsprung weight of the vehicle. Unsprung weight is largely a function of the design of the vehicle’s suspension and the materials used in its components. This weight may be something of a trade-off between the wheel’s ability to follow bumps and the vibration isolation of those bumps. Bumps and surface imperfections in the road cause tire compression. This then puts a force on the unsprung weight. The amount of wheel movement is inversely proportional to the unsprung weight. What all this means is that a lighter wheel will follow the bumps better and have more grip, as well as a more constant grip, on the road surface. When you’re trying to make improvements in vehicle design, the sweet spot is when you can not only improve the part, but improve overall vehicle performance, too. Reducing unsprung weight is a way to improve vehicle handling and performance, and for designers to reduce weight in other areas of the suspension and the vehicle body because they have less impact and vibration to deal with. Major development programs are going on right now in terms of how to reduce the weight of the tires and the wheels on which they’re mounted. The HTAS Corp., part of the European tire company Vreedstein, is just one company that’s currently working on weight-reduced tires. Gerlof Korte, who is in charge of the project, says the target is to reduce the weight of each tire by 4kg (9 lbs.), for a total vehicle weight

• FOREIGN SERVICE by Dan Marinucci ASE-certified, Dan uses hands-on experience to give readers expert advice on finding and fixing hard-to-diagnose import vehicle problems. • DRIVEABILITY CORNER by Mark Warren Mark is one of the nation’s leading experts on driveability. Every other month he offers insightful, sometimes unconventional diagnostic approaches to solving driveability problems. • TROUBLE SHOOTER by Karl Seyfert In a dialogue with technicians, Karl responds to questions seeking expert advice on specific problems. • PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES by Jim Gibson This column covers the emerging performance enthusiast vehicle service market. • NEWSBREAK - Late-breaking news about technology, companies, trends, legislation and regulations in the automotive industry. • SERVICE SLANTS by Tom Rosario OE Tech Service bulletins rank #1 on the list of information technicians want. • EYE ON ELECTRONICS by Mike Dale Every other month, Mike Dale, an automotive design engineer, covers the hot issues of electronic technology with a style that demystifies complex service with practical advice.

continued on page 20

March 2012

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