| The Importance of Speed and Balance |
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| Written by Walter D |
| Tuesday, 01 December 2009 19:09 |
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So, okay, I have to be honest here. Until this point, I had no clue as to how important my car's balance and speed was in terms of its performance. And if you are anything like me, then right now you are scratching your head and thinking, "Performance? What? I am just happy if the darn thing runs without problems!" Apparently, however, you can make a lot of small and surprisingly inexpensive changes to your car which can improve the way it performs. You do not necessarily have to be inherently familiar with all the big name brands, like Hooker or Summit or ReadyLift, but you should be passingly familiar. More importantly however, you need to know what you can do to make your vehicle perform better, especially in terms of its speed and its balance. The latter is especially important, especially when it comes to driving on curving mountain roads, or trying to drive in inclement weather, like snow and heavy rain.
Now, if you are into high performance driving, then all of this is especially important. However, even we every day drivers need to be concerned with balance, even if we are not highly concerned with speed. The problem is, a lot of us – yours truly included – do not consider these things. We frequently overlook them because we are more considered with other aspects of more routine car maintenance, like getting the oil checked and the tires changed. How can you tell your car is out of balance? It is not as simple as feeling yourself listing – although if that happens, then sure, that is absolutely a telltale sign that your car is severely out of balance. More likely, you will notice it when you are taking a turn. You may take it fine, but then again, it will feel like you are having to fight your car almost. You will not feel comfortable and secure in taking the turn, and at that point, then yes, you may notice your car listing to one side, or at least feeling severely out of balance. Your car may even act a little like it is trying to throw you out the window! As mentioned however, mostly it is high performance drivers who have to worry about this kind of thing. Again, though, we regular drivers need to worry about it as well. Now, having good brakes and brake pads are an essential part of maintaining your vehicle's performance, especially in terms of balance and speed. This is because, as most of us learned in driving school or driver's education, you take a turn by slowly, gently applying the brakes in order to slow down your car, then you steer your car through the turn you are taking, and once the car is pointed in the appropriate direction, you speed up. Just by that standard formula, you can see how important it is to make sure that you have good brakes. Your steering wheel is also a factor here. That is to say, you need to make sure that it is neither too difficult to handle, nor too easy to handle. In other words, it cannot be too loose or too tight. Ideally, it should be suited to your individual touch. You might be able to do this without having to buy any new parts, just by adjusting the way you handle the steering. Then again, you may need to have some work done on your vehicle to suit these purposes. Last but not least, it may be necessary to have some work done on the throttle as well. Again, you may be able to get it to suit your driving needs and style on your own. If not, however, then you may again need to get some work done on your vehicle. |
| Last Updated on Friday, 11 December 2009 21:52 |
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