Motor Head

As car companies continue to employ the latest technology to compete for your hard earned dollars, it's definitely a good time to be a car guy. Even with gas prices soaring here in the US, manufacturers are still banking on the fact that we, the consumers are still going to lust after those sexy gas guzzlers.

However with some of these advances in technology, manufacturers can now produce fast(er) cars that get decent gas mileage. This article highlights some past automotive technologies that hold a special place in our hearts.

FORCED INDUCTION
Turbochargers, superchargers..etc. Look up FI in Wikipedia if you want to learn about how these methods work. We just love the fact that FI is the probably one of the best bang for your buck to increase hp. We think that it's about time manufacturers like BMW are starting to utilize FI technology again. Plus for the DIY'ers, there's no other feeling like the joys of building a FI motor, turning it over for the first time and not having it blow up in your face. With all of this information so readily available on the Internet, we are starting to see some pretty interesting FI builds out there from the tuning community as well.

VARIABLE VALVE TIMING
This technology is the sport compact enthusiasts' answer to old guys named Cooter sitting in their rusted Nova's and Chevelle's who swear that "there's no replacement for displacement". VVT changes the cam profile to produce better power and efficiency. A lot of car manufacturers now utilize VVT for this reason. Honda has VTEC, BMW has VANOS and the newer Valvetronic system etc. Even GM and Ford now employ some type of VVT in various models these days. They are all designed a little differently but we love it when we rev the snot out of our VTEC equipped Civic Si.

ACTIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT
A few years back when Chevy introduced the retro-styled Camaro prototype (set to be put in production in 2010) one of the cool things about this car was the "active fuel management" feature. Designed to shut down half of the cylinders in their V8 motors for "relaxed" driving situations, the ACF helps to increase fuel economy without compromising performance. "When load demands increase, such as when the vehicle accelerates or travels uphill, cylinders are reactivated to provide full power." Chevy is currently utilizing this technology in the Impala and some of their truck models. Pretty frickin' cool especially coming from a North American car company.

At the end of the day, these technologies and others such as traction control and ABS have allowed cars to not only go faster but be safer as well. However, just because you can drive 150mph on the freeway while talking on your cell phone doesn't mean you should. ; )