A B S TECHNOLOGY

The antilock brake system or the ABS helps to maintain control and directional stability of an automobile in case of extreme braking circumstances. This is achieved by controlling the rotational speed of every wheel by metering the brake line pressure at the time of extreme braking. The system works on most types of road surfaces and decreases the risk of an accident and severity of an impact. Research has shown that an antilock brake system can decrease the chance of a vehicle accident by 18%. ABS brake systems were introduced in the late seventies and have enjoyed great technological advances since that time. Not only does ABS provide non-skid functionality but it also supports electronic stability control, brake assist, traction control, etc. Recently, additional sensors have been added to the system, gyroscopic sensors and steering wheel angle sensors. Both synchronize to match the direction of the car with the direction of the steering wheel. The wheel angle sensor also helps the ABS system control the outer wheels to have a more positive braking effect when compared to the inner wheels on the curve.

The ABS assembly is made up of a central electronic unit, four solenoid valves and two or more electric hydraulic pumps. The function of the electric hydraulic pump is to supply brake fluid pressure to the braking system by forcing hydraulic pressure to a reservoir located in the accumulator. The four solenoid pressure valves control brake fluid pressure for each individual wheel. During an ABS operation event, one or more of the solenoid valves dump brake line pressure to a particular wheel allowing it to start turning.

Each wheel has a dedicated speed sensor which sends an electronic signal to the ABS controller, from this signal the rotational speed of the wheel can be determined. The location of wheel speed sensor may vary, on most vehicles the front sensor is made into the steering knuckle, near the front wheel hub or outer CV joint. In the rear of the vehicle the sensor rings are bolted to the rear driver assembly on the ring gear or attached to the outer axle flange on each side, some even use the vehicles speedometer (Vehicle Speed Sensor) to read rear wheel speed.

When the ABS system detects a problem a fault code is stored in the ABS system control unit. When an error occurs the ABS warning light located on the dashboard flashes or stays on steadily. The ABS computer stores a diagnostic code until the malfunction has been repaired. To retrieve ABS trouble codes on older vehicles can be tricky because of the variation of retrieval methods; in this case a car repair manual is needed. On newer vehicles a diagnostic information connector is located under the dash on the driver's side; a trouble code scanner can be attached to retrieve ABS codes similar to engine trouble codes. After the problem has been repaired codes should erase automatically with no procedure from the scan tool. (Real time system) after the vehicle has been moved about 6 feet and the brake pedal has been pressed for five seconds. When repairs have been completed the ABS, MIL (malfunction indicator lamp) should not be illuminated, if the ABS light remains on there is still a problem, re-scan the ABS computer for further repairs.

VGT TECHNOLOGY

A Variable Turbine Geometry turbocharger is also known as a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) or a Variable Nozzle Turbine (VNT). A turbocharger equipped with Variable Turbine Geometry has little movable vanes which can direct exhaust flow onto the turbine blades. The vane angles are adjusted via an actuator. The angle of the vanes varies throughout the engine RPM range to optimize turbine behavior.

In this cut-through diagram, you can see the direction of exhaust flow when the variable vanes are in an almost closed angle. The narrow passage of which the exhaust gas has to flow through accelerates the exhaust gas towards the turbine blades, making them spin faster. The angle of the vanes also directs the gas to hit the blades at the proper angle.

This cut-through diagram shows the exhaust gas flow when the variable turbine vanes are fully open. The high exhaust flow at high engine speeds are fully directed onto the turbine blades by the variable vanes.

Variable Turbine Geometry has been used extensively in turbo diesel engines since the 1990s, but it has never been on a production petrol turbocharged car before until the new Type 997 Porsche 911 Turbo. This is because petrol engine exhaust gases are allot hotter than diesel engine exhaust gas, so generally the material used to make VTG turbo could not stand this heat. The 997 911 Turbo uses a BorgWarner VTG turbocharger which uses special materials derived from aerospace technology, hence solving the temperature problem.

HHO TECHNOLOGY

HHO technology is one of the most debated topics when it comes to this how the systems work. On one side of the debate are the critics who simply state that this technology cannot work, despite the fact that HHO generators are running on thousands of vehicles as we speak. On the other end of the spectrum are those who really don't care how HHO technology works or doesn't work as long as it delivers the expect gas savings. This group of people basically want to install HHO kit, (or have a mechanic install it for them) and know how to occasionally maintain it.
Then there is the middle ground group of people who want to know how and why HHO technology works and they want to use it on their own vehicles to save gas. With this said, there are a couple of different explanations on how HHO generators work in cars to save consumers fuel.

The first explanation is that HHO gas helps gasoline (or diesel fuel) burn more cleanly inside the vehicle's cylinders. Hydrogen ignites sooner and at a lower temperature than gasoline, so this helps the fossil fuel to burn more cleanly with less emissions and introduce a small amount of horsepower gain as well.
Advocates of this explanation for why HHO technology works this way in automobiles will cite that gasoline internal combustion engines are only about 28-percent efficient and that HHO gas helps them to increase this efficiency.
There is another companion explanation as to why HHO technology works in fossil fuel burning vehicles. Advocates of this theory say the HHO gas displaces some gasoline or diesel fuel in the cylinders since both HHO gas and gasoline are fuels injected into the cylinder at the same time.
Since two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time, some gasoline is displaced with a lower temperature burning HHO gas and thus you have displacement at work. Some people will tell you that both of these theories are at work, while others will cling to one point or the other.
For many, though how HHO technology works is academic. All they know is that when they install an HHO device on their car, it gets better gas mileage, runs smoother and has slightly more horsepower.