Automotive Technology

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Automotive Technology

In a world that is quickly becoming ever dependant on technology, people take many things for granted. For example: nearly every day you and I get into our cars to go to work, school, shopping, or anywhere else you can think of. Naturally, car manufacturers are constantly coming up with new technologies to get people to buy their car over the next manufacturers; and a lot of these new inventions seem straight out of a sci-fi movie, or book in this case.

One of the most important part of any car is the tires. Tires are in constant contact with the road, and like the Goodyear commercial says, “So much is riding on your tires.”

“You want to talk contact patches? Your car’s tires have tiny contact patches, talk to the asphalt in four places the size of your tongue. The Deliverator’s car has big sticky tires with contact patches the size of a fat lady’s thighs. The Deliverator is in touch with the road, starts like a bad day, stops on a peseta” (Stephenson 2).

According to an article written by Earle Eldridge on usatoday.com, “Automakers agree. "There has been more emphasis on horsepower, and bigger tires help get that horsepower to the ground," says Kurt Antonius, a spokesman for Honda, whose base model Accord now comes with 15-inch tires instead of 14-inch.” The article goes on to state that “the days of 15- and 16-inch tires and wheels as the dominant size are fading. Shipments of 17-inch tires to automakers grew to 14.2% of the market in 2002 from 5.3% in 2000, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Shipments of 15-inch tires fell to 27.6% of the market in 2002 from 39.4% in 2000.” Also in the article is a list of the advantages of having larger tires; these include better brak...

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