Volvo Strut Mount Bushings: Behind The Success Of Safe Driving
A fully functioning strut is necessary for any vehicle. One’s driving is incomplete and unpleasant if the vehicle has a problematic strut. Although some neglect the maintenance of this integral vehicle element the Swedish car maker Volvo pays ample attention to the quality struts installed in its vehicles. Together with the Volvo strut mount bushings these suspension elements keep car handling manageable.
Struts are designed to keep tires on the road. They are also tasked to control the action as the spring resist bumps when hitting humps and driving through potholes. They are usually located in front of a vehicle unlike the shocks which are placed at the rear. Struts pull a hydraulic fluid through the valves in the piston as it moves up and down. Only a little amount of fluid can be forced through the valves which then creates resistance to the vehicles movement. This allows the driver to easily maneuver the vehicle in any type of road. Meanwhile located on the top of the strut assemblies are rubbermade strut mounts used to provide a pivot point and mounting location for the struts. They have strut bearing in the center that allows the strut to turn right and left with the steering. Mostly used on vehicles equipped with Mac Pherson type struts they are typically found on smaller compact cars.
At this point comes the functionality of the Volvo strut mount bushings which reduce friction and wear by constricting and restraining the motion of the strut mounts. They also serve as the link of different moving arms and pivot points to the chassis and other suspension parts. To diminish vibration wear and noise transfer they are built of flexible material like rubber or polyurethane. Aside from taking the form of an annular cylinder made of flexible material inside a metallic casing or outer tube they also contain an internal crush tube for the bushing. This is to safeguard the Volvo strut mount bushing from any damage which fixings securing it on to a threaded spigot may cause.
All suspension components should be regularly maintained to get lasting quality performance. It should always be remembered that worn out Volvo strut mount bushings can make steering hard erratic and noisy thus negating the cabin comfort that the Volvo suspension provides. More so it can put the lives of the driver and his passengers at great risk. To prevent the worst scenario it is best that suspension components be taken care of by a professional.
About the writer: Evander Klum is a Business Administration graduate who hails from Alabama. He enjoys extreme sports and he is also a car racing fanatic. At present he works as a marketing manager at an advertising agency in Cleveland.
Volvos Towing Aptitude Boosted By Awards
Experience and expertise of Volvo is reflected in its lineup of vehicles. In fact its reputation has been recognized in the recent towing competition. Volvo V50 D5 Sport was tagged as ‘The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2007′. Said car from Volvo also won the ’25001 to 33000′. Said towcar competition was joined by 41 vehicle models including rivals from Lexus Saab Jeep and Mercedes.
The Caravan Club chairman Bob Black MBE said “The Volvo V50 D5 Sport displayed poise and elegance. Its modern good looks will turn heads and Volvo maintains its reputation for quality and safety. The Volvo V50 is a pleasure to drive and it really is a superb towcar. This vehicle is sure to be popular with our members both as a new and used car in future years.”
In said competition experts commend V50 D5′s crisp acceleration smoothshifting fivespeed automatic transmission confident brakes easy to use handbrake and fantastic stability’. These qualities were attributed to powerful Volvo parts which include the 2.4litre D5 turbodiesel engine. The latter delivers 180PS and with the standard Geartronic transmission can achieve 060mph in 7.9 seconds. Its power plant can be controlled to achieve the right torque levels.
“We are delighted to win the Caravan Club Towcar of the Year award. These awards are a great recognition of Volvo’s commitment to developing good towcars and carry a great deal of respect from the public and our retailers” said Hugh Reid managing director Volvo Car UK.
Volvo’s commendable towing capabilities are well known. In fact it performs towing tests for all its new models. These tests are done both in Sweden and Arizona. Said tests also include measurements and calculations to optimize its towing performance.
Mark Blundell the former Formula One driver also noted “It was an eyeopening experience to see how the cars are tested so rigorously and professionally. I am delighted to be involved with The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year competition as caravanning is hugely popular with motorsport fans and thousands of them travel to racing circuits with their caravans as they provide the perfect mobile accommodation for a race weekend.”
About the writer: As a manager of one of the largest auto store in SpringfieldMassachusetts Sarah has extensive expertise on auto parts and automotives in general. This 42 year old is a certified car enthusiast.
Volvos Multi-fuel Car Run On 5 Different Fuels
The Volvo MultiFuel is a fivecylinder 2.0 liter prototype car that runs on five different fuels namely: hythane which is 10 hydrogen and 90 methane biomethane natural gas CNG bioethanol E85 85 bioethanol and 15 petrol and petrol. This concept car was first introduced at the Michelin Challenge Bibedum 2006 and considered to be the only one of its kind.
According to Mats Morn Project leader Engine at Volvo Car Corporation the whole car is equipped with topoftheline Volvo accessories designed for high performance and perfect for driving on any of the five different fuels. The MultiFuel is just as safe as all the other Volvo vehicles plus it is exceptionally clean. He also said that the MultiFuel car is the first step towards a hydrogen powered society.
Volvo Car Corporation believes that the road to the future is not one but many and no renewable fuel type can alone replace the fossil fuels of today. And since local conditions vary different markets need engines for different alternative fuels coupled with cleaner conventional ones. These are the very same considerations of Volvo Car Corporation when it has developed the MultiFuel car. The main idea of the MultiFuel car is to make use of the locally produced fuels thus reducing the need to import fuel from other countries.
The MultiFuel car is equipped with one large and two smaller tanks containing 98 liters of gaseous fuels hythane biomethane and CNG and one 29 liter tank for liquid fuels bioethanol E85 and petrol. The small gaseous fuel tanks are made of steel while the large tank has a durable gas tight aluminum liner reinforced with high performance carbon fiber composite and an exterior layer of hardened fiberglass composite according to Morn.
The fuel tanks are placed under the luggage compartment floor thus preserving the full loading capacity of the MultiFuel car. The two fuel fillers are used to fill up all five fuel types one for gaseous and one for liquid fuels. In order to switch between fuel types the driver would simply have to push a button.
The MultiFuel car its engine tanks transmission and the fuel system is designed to function on the five different fuels. This means that it can be started directly on gas which is said to be unique for this system. The MultiFuel is remarkably clean and meets the emission standards for Euro 4 and the proposed levels for Euro 5. It also has an alternative catalyst system that is developed to meet the tough demands on extremely low tailpipe emissions for PZEV/SULEV on the US market.
The vehicle has two catalysts one close coupled to the engine that lowers initial start emissions while the one under the floor reduces highspeed emissions. The double catalysts and advanced engine control system lead to very low emissions. High temperature materials in the exhaust and turbo allow extremely high exhaust gas temperatures of up to 1050 C. This enables the car to run cleaner accelerate quicker and operate smoother at higher speed.
About the writer: Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit Mi. she is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.