Posts Tagged wheel
Porsche Cayenne Review
Posted by in Uncategorized on November 19, 2009
It wasn’t that many years ago that Porsche was strictly about sportsters and roadsters. But no more! Today Porsche produces a product line for everyone and that includes the SUV Porsche Cayenne.
The SUV isn’t that new. It was actually introduced back in 2002. The V8 was new to the Porsche line with the last V8 being produced in the 928 back in 1995. It instantly became Porsche’s best seller in North America.
So what has made it such a great hit? It was co-designed with the VW team who were also planning to add a SUV to their line up. The cost sharing strategy was supposed to help both companies.
The chassis is actually shared by three companies. VW uses it in the Touareg sport utility, Porsche in their Cayenne, and Audi uses a modified version its Q7.
When it comes to the engines VW and Porsche share only a base engine. The Porsche engine has had substantial modifications. The Cayenne offers up four great engine choices.
The 247 HP 3.2 L engine, the 335 HP 4.5 L engine, the twin turbo charged 450 HP 4.5 L engine, the Tequipment twin turbocharged V8 500 HP 4.5 L engine, and finally the twin turbocharged V8 520 HP 4.5 L engine. That’s a lot of power in an SUV.
You get 0 to 60 in about 5.2 seconds which is the same time as the Boxster S and the Tequipment engine is even quicker. Of course you realize there is no real good reason for that kind of speed in an SUV but it sure is fun having it anyway!
This is a true SUV and thus it is designed to take you where ever you need to go whether that is up the rocky mountain or across a deep river.
So what’s it cost you ask? Well the turbocharged version can be purchased for around $90,000. It’s priced competitively against the competition which includes the Land Rover, Mercedes Benz M Class, and Range Rover.
The Cayenne has a low profile tire that gives it a much sportier ride that you might expect to be not so good in serious off road conditions. But it’s actually the opposite. These tires are very impressive in off road conditions.
4 wheel drive with manual lockable center differential are standard equipment. You also get a low range setting. There are some terrific off road options too which include air suspension, interior switching rear differential, and vehicle height adjustment.
In 2006 Porsche introduced the Turbo S which is a higher output model. It was designed to compete with the Mercedes Benz ML63. You get a whopping 520 HP making it the second most powerful Porsche ever built. O-60 in 4.8 seconds. So is that fast enough?
The Porsche die-hards that like the traditional reputation of the Porsche line which stands for sporty cars that are designed for speed, comfort, fun, and the race track, aren’t happy with the introduction of the Cayenne.
Porsche however is in the business to make money and recognized that an SUV could provide them with a steady income and continuous sales that the fickle sports car market could not and thus they added the Cayenne to their product line.
If you are in the market for an SUV and want the quality and reliability that Porsche is known around the world for, you should consider the Porsche Cayenne. It’s got a lot to offer for the price.
Tags: car market, mercedes benz, sports car, vehicle, wheelRelated posts
Looking at the Best 7 Seater Cars For Your Growing Family
Posted by in Uncategorized on November 18, 2009
Today’s growing number of 7 seater cars have to be the way to go when you need enough room to comfortably carry a growing family. Gone are the days when you would get squished in the back seat with your 2 or 3 brothers or sisters, even sharing seatbelts to make room. Today’s MPV, SUVs and CUVs make it easy to carry a lot of passengers.
Once you start looking for one though, you’ll realize that there are so many to choose from… when I did a quick search I found a total of 204 in the United States! Which one is going to meet your family’s needs best?
I think the best way to start your search is to determine the type of car that you need regardless of the number of seats. Let’s take a look at the type of cars that are available in today’s car market.
One of the best known types of vehicles is the traditional family sedan which is usually a 4 door vehicle that carries usually 4 or more passengers. In 2009, the most passenger room that I could find in a sedan was 5. So today’s fuel economical sedan isn’t going to fit the bill with our need for 7 seats. In the past that need was filled with the station wagon but today’s station wagon is the MPV (multi-passenger vehicle) better known as the mini van.
If you’re needs consist of a light duty MPV that is going to cart the family around to after school activities the mini van makes a good choice. Most vans will get decent fuel mileage of 20 to 25 MPG. There are even some new hybrid models that combine gas and electricity to get mileage into the 30 and 40 miles per gallon category. However if you’re going to be driving the family around in rough weather, like snow, you may be better suited to drive a SUV or sports utility vehicle.
SUVs have gotten a bad rap as gas guzzling wrecking machines but in reality there is a need for the 4 wheel drive models in cold weather areas. You can carry 7 passengers with ease with the addition of a “way back” seat and if it starts to snow you just flip the switch to 4 wheel drive. The drawback is that they do swill some fuel. Mileage varies but you’re generally in the 15 to 18 mpg range. Ford as a pretty cool hybrid SUV out there but it’s smaller and will only accommodate 5 passengers.
Which brings us to the newest addition of passenger vehicles; the crossover utility vehicle. As you might expect from the name, the crossover combines attributes of multiple vehicles. A great example is the Ford Edge. In looking at it, you wonder is it a big station wagon, a van… an SUV? It’s all of the above and usually a great choice for the larger family. When you look at the new crossovers you’ll find 3 rows of well appointed comfort keeping everyone happy on a long trip. The downside to a crossover is like a SUV, they don’t get great gas mileage. Look out in 2010 for some new hybrid cars that seat 7 to show up on dealers showrooms though.
Now that you know the differences between the types of 7 passenger vehicles, hopefully you’ll be able to go to your area showroom knowing exactly what to look at in 7 seater cars.
Tags: 7 passenger, 7 passenger vehicle, 7 passenger vehicles, best 7 seater car, best 7 seater cars, car market, dealer, dealers, hybrid cars, hybrid suv, new hybrid car, vehicle, vehicles, wheelRelated posts
Maintain and Upgrade Your Ford Vehicle
Posted by in Uncategorized on November 18, 2009
Ford vehicles are known for their toughness and reliability; however just like other vehicles you see on the road, they are subject to regular car maintenance and occasional repair. Its original Ford parts may wear down over time and so you would need to replace them. However, you too can replace stock parts and equipments in your Ford vehicle to upgrade its performance especially when your car or truck is already old.
One of your most trusted online auto parts dealers is Ford Parts Online. This store is dedicated to giving you top quality replacement performance Ford parts. These parts greatly affect how your vehicle performs and usually, they carry out the most critical tasks. Keeping them in excellent form and working condition is a must in order to bring out your vehicle’s maximum abilities all the time.
Some of these performance parts are also designed to give your Ford auto an outstanding exterior look. They can set your vehicle apart from ordinary cars you see on the streets and highways. Take for example the Ford wheels and tires. The quality of these parts, the size or dimension and how they are positioned greatly affect ride quality and handling; however, they too can give your car a sporty, luxurious or rugged look, depending on what kind of wheels you get for your vehicle.
Ford Parts Online, as your number one Ford Parts Discount store offers these performance parts in very affordable deals, giving you the best satisfaction. Let’s take a look at the store’s available performance parts for your Ford’s engine and electrical systems as well as some insights on the said systems’ function and components.
Ford Engine Parts
Available at Ford Parts Online are heavy duty Ford Explorer timing belt cover, Ford F150 Pickup harmonic balancer, Ford Mustang timing belt cover with oil pump. These parts along with other performance Ford Explorer parts, Ford F150 pickup parts and Ford Mustang parts are designed to endure extremely hot temperatures under the hood so you can expect them to last longer and perform better.
The timing belt cover gives protection to the timing belt. Its task is very important since the timing belts are among the engine parts that easily wear out. The timing belts or timing chains, though simple in design (it looks like a bicycle chain), performs very essential task too, which is to synchronize the movement of the camshaft with the crankshaft. Without proper timing, there could be too little or too much air-fuel mixture entering the engine for combustion.
On the other hand, the crankshaft is the one that converts the straight line motion of the pistons into rotary motion. The turning motion is then transmitted to the transmission and ultimately to the Ford wheels.
Ford Electrical Parts
The major components of your Ford’s electrical system are the Ford battery and the Ford alternator. Many think that the battery is the main source of power but it is not. It only stores the power produced by the alternator.
When the engine is running, it is the Ford alternator that supplies electricity to all the parts of the vehicle that needs it such as the Ford lights, the horn and other electrical equipments. On the other hand, when the engine is not running, the battery takes charge of supplying electricity to all auto parts that need it, such as the Ford starter, which is used to spin the engine over so that the pistons can draw in fuel and air mixture into the cylinder.
There are three sections in an alternator that generate three separate voltages in one revolution or cycle (each phase is shifted by 120 degrees from the next phase). Each phase has its own windings, each of which also has its own pair of diodes. Each of the windings and diodes can fail at a time. Although the alternator may still be able to charge the battery when one of the winding/diodes fails, power stored by the battery would not be enough to supply for the car’s electrical needs. This means you have to limit the use of the AC system and some electrical parts.
However, you don’t have to wait till the alternator finally surrenders. Replace your old or worn out Ford alternator with Ford Parts Online’s top quality replacement alternator. Offered in the store are premium quality alternators for almost all Ford models.
Tags: auto parts, car maintenance, dealer, dealers, vehicle, vehicles, wheel, wheels