Leaded gas phased out in 1988 as legislated.Įxplains terms and adjustments involved with suspension alignmentĮxplanation of early open-loop and new closed-loop emissions controls.ĭiscussion of K-Rail highway dividers being rolled out at the time.Įxplanation of the Waller opposed-piston swashplate engine. Outlined the costs, benefits, and challenges of phasing out leaded gas. 2005 Honda vehicles offered voice-control of navigation input.ĭescribes the VATS equipment on the then new Corvette, with a resister chip in the ignition key. I first sampled in-car voice recognition in a Citroen XM with an aftermarket audio system in the mid-1990s. Presents results of GM R&D paper on human perception, suggesting changes in presentation of information and UI design and recommends verbal inputs. Review of 1983 Toyota NavCom, mid-1985 Etak Navigator, and a forthcoming French Dialog nav system promised by 1989.ġ995 Oldsmobile got the first true GPS-enabled nav systemĭashboard Design Through Visual Perception In-Car Navigational and Intelligent Terminals Naimo, AWA Composites, are showing stranded and forged carbon con-rod concepts and Lamborghini has mentioned incorporating them in 2021 for the next V-12.īack to the Future with All-Aluminum BodiesĬovers the ALCOA-Audi partnership that built an aluminum Audi 100/5000 body that weighed 46.8% less than the steel one.Īudi A8 featured all aluminum construction in 1994. market, though Nissan's Japan-market R31 Skyline introduced High-Capacity Active Steering (HICAS) in 1986.Įxplores composites, honeycomb sandwich, and carbon/kevlar fiber materials already in use in F1 racing. The 1988 Honda Prelude introduced the concept to the U.S. Saab SDI Ignition: What Happened to the Spark Plug Wires?Įxplains benefits of 4WS, Mazda MX-02 concept car, prototype drive of Honda Prelude 4WS Infiniti was first to market with steer-by-wire on the 2014 Infiniti Q50.
Proposes use in automotive accelerators, clutches, shifters, brakes, etc.ġ988 BMW 7 Series introduced throttle-by-wire, brake-by-wire was featured on the rear brakes of the GM EV1, and widely adopted on the Prius and other hybrids. Intercooled Boost Coldly Calculating the Hot Setup in Turbocharger TechnologyĮxplains the value of cooling a compressed charge, discusses production systems from Mitsubishi and Ford SVO.ĭrive-by-Wire: Deprogramming the LeadfootĬovers technology already in use in fighters, etc. Torsen was just appearing on the market at the time, others in production already. Quartz-Halogen Lights: Driving (Slowly) Out of the Dark AgesĬovered the recently legalized replaceable-bulb halogen headlampįirst appeared on the 1984 Lincoln Mk VIIĮxplains differential function, introduces ball-ramp, viscous, and Torsen type limited-slip diffs
Spectroscopic oil analysis as a means of engine wear diagnosis
Run-flat wheel/tire design requiring new style wheels, tires, mounting equipment tire sidewalls flex more than usual. Widespread adoption of E85 commenced as of legislation in 20 production Honda Civic GX CNG vehicles in 1996, otherwise very low adoption of CNG or other alternatives.Ĭhanging Tire Technology: They're More Than "Round and Black" Nothing is in production yet, though opposed-piston engines count low heat rejection among their benefits.Īlternative Engine Fuels: What'll We Do When the Tank Runs Dry?ĭiscusses benefits of alternatives like propane, CNG, and alcoholsīy 2000, ethanol reached 1-percent penetration in the U.S. Renault, BMW, Fiat, Valeo, General Motors, Ricardo, Lotus Engineering, Ford, Jiangsu Gongda Power Technologies and Koenigsegg's sister company FreeValve have worked to develop camless valvetrain, and China's Quoros promises to introduce its Qamfree engine, but it is not yet in productionĪlternative Engine Cooling, or Who Needs Radiators?Ĭovers prospective adiabatic or low-heat-rejection cooling system using a high-boiling-point fluid and condenser, with no radiator. VVT Explained, camless valvetrain mentioned Variable Valve Timing: Taming the Wild Camshaft Tire/wheel upsizing, scrub radius, wheel offsets explainedĪcedemic treatise on benefits/drawbacks of FWD vs RWDĪBS explained, prototype '86 Corvette driven Subaru Justy was first to market in the U.S. Various designs explained, predicted Fiat or Subaru first to market. Explanation of benefits of all-wheel traction.