The bicycle is probably the most widespread means of transport. And there is no doubt that it is also the most economical: two buttered sandwiches are enough to pedal for two hours. But can the efficiency of the human “engine” be increased? Reducing “fuel” consumption will not help. Friction and the weight of the machine Read more…
Starting a car’s internal combustion engine in winter — especially after a long period of inactivity — is often a serious problem. The issue is even more pressing for powerful trucks and agricultural machinery, much of which is now privately owned and is typically stored outdoors without a garage. And the cause of a difficult Read more…
Interest in homemade mufflers is driven primarily by the unsatisfactory quality of series products. It is quite natural for an amateur designer to want to improve the parameters of their vehicle. Of course, it is practically impossible to significantly increase engine power through a muffler at a given exhaust noise level, but eliminating some shortcomings Read more…
A car’s handling and tire wear, as is well known, depend primarily on the condition of the front suspension — the caster angles of the steering axes, as well as the camber and toe angles of the wheels. As a rule, all of these parameters are adjusted on special stands at service stations; however, even Read more…
At first glance, these are just trifles that mean nothing. In fact, much in our lives (if not everything) is decided by them — though in different ways, depending on what kind of trifles they are. Some, for example, may affect no more than a person’s mood, while others can even change the fate of Read more…
In recent decades, the world has been experiencing a bicycle boom. Today, the bicycle is the number one means of transport on the planet, and even the car yields the palm: for every four-wheeled vehicle, there are two two-wheeled ones. A bicycle does not pollute the atmosphere and improves health. The author, formerly an avid Read more…
To refuel a car tank in field conditions — for example, from a barrel or another vehicle’s tank — drivers often use a simple hose and the so-called “suction method,” creating a vacuum by mouth, which risks getting some gasoline into it. You can avoid trouble if you make a simple mini-pump. To do this, Read more…
A garage for a car enthusiast is not only a roof over the car but also a place where you spend quite a lot of time yourself: you need to touch up the body, change the oil, or even tackle serious repairs. That is why rational planning of the space and sensible organization of the Read more…
When I bought a used passenger car and started repairing it, my first helper in the garage became… a hoist I built under the ceiling. Without it I would hardly have managed, for example, such a difficult operation to do alone as replacing the engine. Figure 1 shows the hoist placement in the garage — Read more…
I suggest motorists equip themselves with a shallow inspection pit that lets you repair a car while seated. It takes far less effort and material than building any “full-depth” equivalent — and it is comfortable to work in. The mini pit has two parts: a ramp pit with a sloped end (you slide under the Read more…
