Paintless Dent Removal News

Michelin Reinvents the Tweel

 by: Richard A. Brink

Every once in a while a product comes along that catches your eye. The new Michelin Tweel is just such a product. Mounted on an Audi A4, demonstating its flexibility, is what Michelin North America Inc. has dubbed the Tweel. It is a tire and wheel combo that comes as an assembly, requires no air(the flexibilty comes from the spokes)and is retreadable. Can you imagine never having a flat again?

The Tweel uses a network of elastomeric polyurethane spokes to control the ride characteristics. These ride characteristics can be set independently of each other, for instance, verticle stiffness-which primarily affects ride comfort-and lateral stiffness-which affects handling and cornering-can both be optimized, pushing the comfort level and the performance envelope at the same time. This is something todays pneumatic tire just cant do.

The possibilities of the Tweel seem endless. For instance, since the Tweel requires no air, holes or channels could be designed in the tread that could channel water literaly through the tread, thus improving aquaplaning resistance considerably. In the looks department, the Tweel is extremely low profile. At speed, the spokes seem to disappear, giving the appearance the vehicle is floating on air, while also revealing the brakes and associated suspension hardware. If that werent enough, to add a little “Bling Bling” the spokes of the Tweel could be chromed or painted to any desired color for that ultra custom look.

As for maintance, there is very little. There is no air to check, no more mounting and balancing, and no more flats.

Now before you run out to get yourself a set, you must understand that Michelin says they are ten years away from having the Tweel in mass production. That said, as you can see they already have a fitment available to at least bolt on an Audi, and with the benefits being so great, can it really be that far off?

Richard A. Brink

AftermarketGoodies.com

Ford�s Hybrid Car: A Giant Step towards the Reduction of Oil Consumption and Air Pollution

 by: Jenny McLane

Ford�s Hybrid Car: A Giant Step towards the Reduction of Oil Consumption and Air Pollution.

Today�s financial crisis comes as a main concern with the price hikes of main commodities and the tremendous raise in petroleum prices. More and more people�interest groups, government administrators, consumers and the industry are bothered by these. Since one cannot do away with transportation utilities, alternatives to the conventional gasoline engine are a current issue to both consumers and auto manufacturers.

The United States ranks as the world�s largest consumer of oil. Transportation is responsible for roughly 65 percent of petroleum use not to mention that it is likewise the major cause of air pollution. The Department of Energy sees the transitioning to vehicles which are fueled by less oil thereby yielding to higher gas mileage as the solution to the dependence on the already dwindling and too expensive resource that may lead to the reduction of pollution.

Hybrid cars are on the watch list. Several government leaders from all over America recommend the use of hybrid cars since they combine gas and electric fuel sources. Hybrid cars integrate a gasoline engine with both an electric motor and a powerful battery to continuously recharge and store energy therefore the configuration it produces allows less energy to be lost and holds a high gas mileage.

Practicality and technology speaks for the hybrids. Several manufacturers started coming up with their hybrid concepts to respond to the consumer and the present time�s call. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention, as Plato puts it. Ford is basically spurred by a sense of necessity, practicality, inevitability, and the reality that it is the ultimate relief to today�s downtrodden economy.

Ford Escape Hybrid is the very first vehicle to combine SUV capability with an outstanding fuel economy and low environmental impact. True to the qualities possessed by an SUV leader, Ford�s Escape Hybrid drives normally, performs superbly, and contains no compromise features expected of an efficient SUV.

“When we began work on Escape Hybrid, we made a commitment to delivering a no-compromise, authentic Ford SUV that’s fun to drive, spacious, comfortable and capable, with substantially lower fuel use and emissions,” said Mary Ann Wright, director, Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Programs, Ford Motor Company. “Mission accomplished! It’s wonderful to see the vehicle we originally envisioned resonating so strongly with customers,” she added.

Escape Hybrid has earned the highest fuel economy numbers for an SUV as certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with its 36 mpg city/31 mpg highway/33 combined in front-wheel-drive configuration; 33 mpg city/29 mpg highway/31 mpg combined for the four-wheel-drive model. It is certifiably a clean vehicle to run and operate producing 97% less hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrogen emissions than vehicles that meet the nationwide Tier I emissions standard. No wonder Ford Escape Hybrid has been named “North American Truck of the Year” for 2005.

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