Gadzooki

Modern Cars – The Best of Advanced Technology

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Cars and automobiles have seen an immense boom not only in terms of sales figures but also in their quality and modern features. There is a line of modern cars that have been built with state of the art technology to make your ride a comfortable one; added to this factor there are other measures of safety and accident safeguards which have been incorporated as well. All of these aspects makes the car a very important asset for life – not merely in adding to your fashion labels but also ensuring that you reach your destination comfortably and safely.

Here are some of the features seen in modern cars.

Automatic Climate Control

This is a feature that controls the interior temperature of the car. When you switch on the air-conditioner you don’t have to adjust the controls. There is an automatic temperature setting in accordance with the outside temperature levels. This adds to your comfort and driving especially in case of long distance. [Read more…]

Ferrari 150° Italia Full Size Steering Wheel Replica

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Ferrari 150 Italia Full Size Steering Wheel

Not everyone is into cars, but those who do appreciate all things automotive realize just how much cool stuff one can find. Take this Ferrari 150 Italia Full Size Steering Wheel – it is perhaps the coolest thing I have seen today. The replica is the same scale as the real steering wheel that Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso uses in his car. Well I guess I should also mention that the other Ferrari driver, Felipe Massa, has the same steering wheel.

If you are an F1 fan – a Ferrari fan in particular – daydreaming about being behind the wheel of the famous red racing car is probably nothing new for you. For majority of us, in all probability, driving a Ferrari (much less owning one) will remain a dream. Heck, many will probably only see a Ferrari on TV or in the movies.

With the release of this limited edition Ferrari 150 Italia Full Size Steering Wheel replica, though, the chances of getting your hands on something real – not counting Ferrari apparel, key rings, and the like. And since it looks exactly like what you see the Ferrari drivers use during the races, you can easily improve your daydreaming experience.

Just how accurate is this replica? For starters, the Ferrari 150 Italia Full Size Steering Wheel is made of genuine carbon fiber. Then you have the buttons, paddles, and switches – all of which actually move. If you buy the Ferrari 150 Italia Full Size Steering Wheel replica, you also get a leather base (red, of course) plus a clear cover (to protect it from dust). The steering wheel weighs in at 14.5 kg (surprisingly heavy!) while the outer box measures in at 45 x 42 x 42.

If you have $2,230.15 (shipping and tax not included) to spare and you are a true Ferrari fan, then you ought to go to the Ferrari online store now to order one. There are only 250 units of the Ferrari 150 Italia Full Size Steering Wheel, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them sell like hot cakes.

Oh, and just for fun, wouldn’t this be the perfect companion for the Ferrari 150 Italia Full Size Steering Wheel replica? (Yes, I am a Ferrari-Red Bull fan.)

F1 Red Bull Seat

F1 Red Bull Seat

Via

Earth Day Gadget: The dAlH2Orean

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dAlH2Orean
It’s Earth Day today. How’s your carbon footprint? You probably know the principle of little things add up over time, so every little way that you can lower your carbon footprint helps.

Here’s another “little” thing that can help you contribute to the fight against global warming – and in a fun way, too! I am talking about a Hydrogen-powered remote controlled car that runs on soda can rings. Ridiculous as it may sound, I am not pulling your leg.

Without further ado, here is the Earth-friendly RC car named the dAlH2Orean. (Cool play on words/characters, if I may say so myself.)

So how does this work? Go back to the times you spent in Chemistry class. Okay, maybe you were absent when this was taught, or maybe you simply weren’t paying any attention. Get some aluminum. Then get some sodium hydroxide – otherwise known as lye. If you combines these two, what you’ll get is – you guessed it – hydrogen. That is what powers this RC car. Even cooler is that they use soda can rings – which is made of aluminum; recycled soda cans! That is rather simple, isn’t it?

The main thing is how to get that hydrogen and use channel it to actually make the car run. Otherwise, you’ll just be releasing air for no reason. That’s where engineering know-how comes into the picture. The team of engineers from Spain put their heads together and got the car working! As you can see in the video, they did a pretty good job.

Now playing around with RC cars powered by a reaction between aluminum and lye is one thing. Using the same concept to power road-worthy cars is a totally different story! The engineers, however, are unfazed. They are actually aiming to extend the concept to power small vehicles. Road-worthy cars may be out of the question for now, but think about those tiny carts used in golf courses or big resorts. Think about trolleys that take you around large complexes. It is not unthinkable that in the future, these can be run using recycled aluminum and lye. Awesome or what?

For now, I’d settle on having my own dAlH2Orean or two. Who wouldn’t?

Via dAlH2Orean

When Buying A Car…

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There are of course a few things you should consider when buying an automobile. There is a huge range of them out there, both issues to consider as well as potential vehicles. As such, it can help to narrow down your options in order to come to some sort of short-list. Let’s take a look at a few questions you might want to ask yourself:

What’s my budget?
Well, that’s up to you to decide. Unless you’re absolutely crazy about cars, it’s probably not worth getting into a huge amount of debt over. After all, the other costs including insurance and breakdown cover etc should all be factored in when considering this issue.

What is the car going to be used for?
One of the most obvious questions really. If you’re going to be using a car for the track, there’s little point getting a huge Oldsmobile (unless you are racing in an Oldsmobile tournament). On the other hand, if you’re a mother with two children that you have to drop off and pick up at school every day, then you’ll want something with space.

How far are you going to drive?
One of the most important issues that are not often considered is how far you’ll drive the car. Bigger cars can feature more creature comforts – which would be more appealing to a salesman for instance who may have to travel a great distance every week for his company. The same car however could prove uneconomical for a single person doing regular short trips or just using the vehicle at the weekend.

New or used?
This is one of the biggest issues in buying a car – do you go with second (or third or fourth) hand, or do you take the plunge, add finance and then drive away in a car with single digit mileage on the clock? Whilst the latter option can look quite attractive, the idea of losing up to one fifth of the value of the vehicle after less than a year makes it sometimes seem like financial idiocy.

Diesel, LPG, electric or petrol?
There are a whole host of various fuel options available today in the modern automotive market. What you pick can make a difference in how the car performs (diesel engines tend to be more torquey for example), how far it can go without refuelling and even how good it is for the environment. This is no doubt an issue that will become more important over time – this is especially apparent here in the UK. The other issue regarding fuel is consumption – just how much will it cost to run?

Which style and bodyshape?
This really ties in with the first question. What you buy depends on the purpose of the vehicle, but it also depends on personal taste. My parents for example favour smaller cars, though this is more because of their appearance over their economical qualities. I myself prefer a saloon bodyshape, though not necessarily the fuel consumption.

What about service?
Servicing the car and the availability of parts is a very important issue when buying a car. Unless you’re in love with a particularly rare brand (and I mean really in love) it will always be worth considering a more widely available model if just because you’ll have less trouble sourcing parts when inevitably things do go wrong.

What about the brand – that’s important right?
Well, it depends where you are. Brands carry certain connotations. Some countries don’t care; the car is after all a mode of transport. Here in the UK though it tends to say something about the owner. I guess in that respect brand and model is important.

Just picking up from the last point, ownership satisfaction is the most important issue really when it comes down to owning a car. If you’re sure of the car, it will give you exactly what you want for years to come – whether that’s space, freedom, speed or just a reliable way to get from a to b.

Famous Cars Through History: The Mini

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250px-Mini_cooper.jpgThe Mini is undoubtedly one of the world’s most memorable cars. No, it’s not as upscale as Aston Martins, Porsches or even Ferraris. And it’s not as aggressive as Hummers, Land Cruisers or even Range Rovers. The Mini is an ultracompact car that’s designed to be economical, both fuel-wise and with the parts used for construction. But it has become a 20th century icon, and this may as well extend to the 21st century, with the introduction of a “New Mini.”

Mr. Bean drove a Mini. Minis were featured in Austin Powers films, too. And the story of the 1960’s Italian Job and the 2000’s remake revolved around the Mini. The Mini seems to have been a Hollywood favorite, especially with renowned purchases by the stars in the late 1960’s.

The Mini is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 to 2000. The most popular British-made car it … is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers. In the international poll for the award of the world’s most influential car of the twentieth century the Mini came second only to the Ford Model T.

250px-DSCN1609.pngThe beauty of the Mini is in its simplicity. It was designed to contain as less parts possible, for easy maintenance. Even the suspension system used compact rubber cones instead of traditional steel springs. Space was maximized, so that even with its diminutive size, you can seat at least four full-size adults.

But what was revolutionary with the Mini is the use of the FF layout–or the front-engine, front-wheel drive layout, which introduced such a layout to a new generation of cars. Most passenger cars today are FF, save for pick up trucks, most SUVs, and large sedans and wagons. The FF layout saved on space, since there is no longer the need to connect the engine to the rear wheels through a transaxle. There is also no need for differentials to be installed on the rear axle. And given the physics of running front wheels on a front-mounted engine, this also saves on fuel consumption.

The Minis also had excellent handling, thanks to the FF layout and the wheels being pushed out to the car’s corners. This gave it an edge in rally racing, and in fact, the Mini has won many a championship in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The Mini has since been replaced the New MINI, manufactured by BMW. It shares some of the retro aesthetics of the original Mini but is pretty much a whole different car, in terms of size and amenities. It’s no longer the spartan, but fun vehicle the Mini was, but is instead aimed at young upscale consumers. Still, you can see Minis in various states and conditions around, and you cannot help but marvel at how such a simple little automobile represented feats in engineering and had captured the hearts of auto enthusiasts and motorists alike.