What Is a Split Braking System?

The simplest way to describe a split braking system is to visualize that the pressure to the brakes are applied to the wheels on separate lines carrying a special hydraulic fluid. This is done for several reasons, safety among them. There are two basic types of split braking systems. One is a front and rear split system. The second is called a diagonal split braking system. There are different reasons for both, though they share the common goal of straight-line braking.

A Primer
Since braking systems work based on hydraulic fluid that runs through lines that apply pressure to braking cylinders in the wheels, a brake line failure may prove catastrophic. If the line leaks or breaks for any reason, pressure is lost. Without pressure when the brake pedal is applied, the braking cylinders in the wheels couldn't apply the force needed to stop the wheels from spinning and, in turn, not stop the vehicle. This applies to both systems.

Double Back-Up
Sometimes, split braking systems use two master cylinders to control each conduit (brake line). This is akin to a double safety back-up. Since master cylinders exponentially increase the force of the hydraulic fluid to the brakes, should one fail, the vehicle still has stopping capability, albeit the stopping distance is greater and less even (more difficult to control). On the other hand, with two master cylinders, the system has one more additional part that could fail, but engineers consider that the safety features outweigh the potential for failure if properly maintained.

Diagonal Split
The diagonal split concept comes from the fact that the left rear and right front brakes are on one hydraulic line while the right front and left rear brakes are on another. The diagonal split system, because it maintains braking ability for both a front and rear tire, is easier for the driver to control the vehicle in emergency brake failure. In a nondiagonal system, all the braking power would transfer to either just the front or back tires, increasing the likelihood of skidding and possibly losing control.

Loads
Front brakes on vehicles typically sustain about 70 percent of the braking load, which makes sense since vehicles are generally traveling forward at high rates of speed. This varies, at times substantially, if the vehicle is hauling heavy loads. A front and rear split braking system is less desirable when the vehicle is expected to be hauling loads because if the front system fails, the remaining rear system may be inadequate to safely stop the vehicle. It's one of several reasons why diagonal braking systems are generally preferred in most modern automobiles and light trucks, particularly those expected to be hauling horse trailers and the like.

Science is Good
Whichever split system is installed on your vehicle, you can find some comfort with the advent of anti-lock braking systems (ABS), which were a significant development to preventing unsafe stopping conditions by keeping the tires in relative synchronization. By keeping the revolutions of all the tires electronically within a 5 to 10 percent rolling velocity, it helps the driver keep the vehicle under control while it is brought to a stop, minimizing skidding and the loss of control that could easily lead to accidents. Even without brake failure, it helps safer stopping by more equally distributing the braking power of the vehicle.

Safety Precautions When Handling Brake Fluid

Like commercial aircraft landing gear, backhoe buckets and racing jacks, your vehicle’s brakes are driven by a powerful liquid-based system. This pressurized, sealed system uses the muscle pressure of a hydraulic medium to slow your vehicle when you press the brake pedal. Brake fluid, regulated by the Department of Transportation, is hazardous and must be handled with care.

Glycol-based Brake Fluid
DOT-3, DOT-4 and DOT-5.1 glycol-based brake fluid has several hazardous properties. Ingestion is a major concern and may cause liver or kidney failure, and affect lung and central nervous system function. Although it has low volatility, inhalation of large quantities of glycol-based brake fluid mist, fumes or vapor may cause cough, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, or even death. It is an eye irritant and can be absorbed through the skin. Spilled glycol-based brake fluid is slippery and may cause falls.

Silicone-based Brake Fluid
Silicone-based DOT-5 brake fluid is an eye and skin irritant and may be absorbed through the skin. It has a lower ingestion toxicity and inhalation is not a large concern due to its viscous nature. However, use extreme care to avoid ingestion or inhalation, wear proper personal protective equipment, and apply first aid if swallowed or ingested.

Do Rims Affect Your Car's Performance?

Rims are an easy upgrade for your car, but many people only consider the aesthetics when upgrading their rims while neglecting to consider the other measures that create a good rim. When shopping for new rims with the idea of increasing performance, you must consider a few design variables that can affect it. These considerations make you a savvy shopper whose rim purchase can increase the curb appeal of your car while also having a positive affect on performance.

Weight
Upgrading your steel or standard aluminum alloy rims to a set of lightweight alloy rims offers a two-fold performance advantage for your car. Lightweight rims reduce your car's unsprung weight -- the amount of weight not suspended by the car's suspension system. Lowering your car's unsprung weight allows the suspension to more quickly react to minor road imperfections without the suspension packing up over stutter bumps. Lighter rims also increase your car's apparent horsepower by reducing the weight that the driveshaft has to spin; the decreased rotating mass means your car is making more efficient use of the engine's horsepower.

Size
The size of your rims can alter the profile appeal of your car while also increasing performance and creating more desirable handling characteristics. Wider rims allow you to run wider tires; wider tires give your car more contact area with the street, giving you increased grip for better acceleration and braking. Rims with a larger diameter can be fitted to low-profile tires while still maintaining the same overall wheel diameter. This setup reduces the height of your tire's sidewall, increasing tactile feedback and giving you a more precise feel of the road. Low-profile tires also reduce the risk of tire fold during hard cornering, giving your car more predictable cornering and increased safety.

Rigidity
Upgrading from steel to aluminum alloy rims, or upgrading from entry-level aluminum alloy rims to high-performance lightweight aluminum alloy rims, can increase wheel rigidity. Aluminum alloy rims flex less than steel rims under heavy loads. Increased wheel rigidity reduces wheel and tire deflection during hard cornering maneuvers since the rim is stiffer. This gives you a more precise feel of the road and allows you to carve sharper lines through twisty roads.

Cooling
The design of the rim's surface can also affect the performance of your car. Aluminum alloy is a better conductor of heat than steel, which makes alloy wheels a tool for heat dissipation; under very hard braking or during periods of extended brake application, brakes heat up and develop brake-fade, minimizing the usefulness of the brakes. Aluminum alloy rims can reduce the brake-fade effect. Brakes with an airy design with multiple openings also can increase the flow of air onto the brake rotors, which can cool the rotors and lessen the effects of brake-fade.

Chemicals Used in Rubber Tire Manufacturing

Rubber alone does not have all the properties required in a good tire. Most tires made today are made out of rubber compounds made up of various chemicals mixed in with the rubber while it is still in liquid form. The chemicals used help give the tires the temperature resistance, strength and durability that they require.

Sulfur
Sulfur is a key component in tire manufacturing. Tires are made out of a product known as vulcanized rubber. The vulcanization process is what makes the tires hard and heat resistant. This works partly because of the mixture of sulfur into the rubber. This is one of the chemicals present in most types of tires, while others are only used when making specific tire types.

Carbon Black
Some tires may be made up of as much as 30 percent carbon black. This is a very pure form of carbon that is added to the tire formulation in powdered form. It acts as a type of reinforcement inside the rubber of the tire, making it stronger. It helps the rubber not erode from friction which is critical for tires that are on the road all day. Carbon black also helps tires last longer without rotting from UV ray exposure.

Synthetic Rubber
Not all tires are made entirely from naturally occurring rubber. The biggest use for styrene-butadiene rubber, for example, is in the tire industry. Synthetic rubber has some advantages over natural rubber, because it is more pure and because it is very cost effective. Other forms of synthetic rubber are also used in the production of tires. The exact chemical formulation depends on the tire manufacturer, and the type of tires being made.

Silica
Silica is added to tires to reduce rolling resistance. This accomplishes a few things. When a tire generates less friction, it helps the tire last longer. This helps slow the process of tires going into landfills and the need for new tires. It also helps increase fuel economy, because less power is needed to push the car when it is met with less resistance. Another chemical called bis(triethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulfide is used in conjunction with silica to make the silica bond to the rubber.

Is It OK to Leave a GPS Device in a Hot Car?

As with other electronics, heat is an enemy of your car’s GPS device. It is not OK to leave your GPS device in a hot car. The heat damages not only the GPS device’s internal components but also the device’s memory card. Even if the GPS device is not in direct sunlight, heat from the sun damages the device’s power supply and internal components.

Malfunctions
Heat first causes your GPS device’s software to malfunction, and you may notice the device shutting off unexpectedly or presenting incorrect information. If you continue to leave the GPS device in your car, the heat begins to damage the device’s internal components, including memory card, if present, power supply components and the device’s circuit board components. Once heat-related damage occurs, repairing the device is impossible and you will have to replace the GPS device.

Direct Sunlight
Never leave your car’s GPS device in direct sunlight, including leaving the device mounted to your car’s windshield, dashboard or console surfaces. Direct sunlight raises the device’s internal temperature faster and causes damage to occur sooner. The sunlight can also discolor your GPS device’s LCD screen, casing and mounting bracket.

Car Storage
Even placing your GPS device under your car’s seats or in the glove compartment does not protect the device from heat. Heat builds up in all areas of your car including the trunk, center console and overhead visors. Your car’s internal temperature only increases on a hot day and your GPS device becomes hotter and hotter.

Storing
On a hot day, unmount your car’s GPS device and store the device in a cool, dry place outside of your car like in your home or office. If you are traveling, store the GPS device in your shoulder bag, messenger bag or similar bag until you are ready to use the device again. Do not store your GPS device in an area with high humidity or around water or other liquids that can also damage the device’s components.

Bubbles in Radiator Overflow Tank With No Overheating

If you notice bubbles in your overflow tank, this may or may not be a problem. In fact, if your engine is not overheating, the odds are pretty good that you they are not problematic. Still, if this symptom signals a difference from how your cooling system normally works, it is worth investigating further, as it could lead to a large repair bill if the bubbles are indeed indicative of a problem.

How Your Cooling System Works

To understand where bubbles could come from, it is worth briefly discussing how a cooling system works. The cooling system in your vehicle is comprised of passageways throughout the engine block and heads, a water pump that circulates coolant, a thermostat that controls coolant temperature, a radiator to keep the coolant cool and a radiator cap to control the pressure of the coolant. Coolant picks up heat as it moves through the engine and is cooled down as it passes through the radiator. The cooled coolant is then returned to the engine to pick up more heat.

Overflow Tank

The overflow tank is also commonly referred to as an expansion tank, a coolant reservoir or an overflow canister. Regardless of what you call it, however, it is a part of every vehicle’s cooling system. The overflow tank is connected to an overflow tube that comes from the radiator. This tank provides extra storage space for coolant as it expands when the engine heats up. Without this extra overflow storage space, the coolant would expand and run out from the overflow tube and onto the ground.

Normal Bubbles

It is common to find a few bubbles in the overflow tank. One of the functions of the overflow tank is actually to remove bubbles caused by air in the cooling system. Automotive coolant tends to work much more efficiently without air bubbles as the lack of air bubbles allows the coolant to absorb heat at a much faster rate than coolant containing air bubbles, making it a more efficient means of keeping your engine from overheating.

Problem Bubbles

Though it is completely normal to find bubbles in the overflow tank while the engine is not overheating, bubbles in the coolant could be the sign of a leak at the head gasket. To test for a head gasket problem, check each cylinder of the vehicle with a cylinder leakage tester while the engine is off. If bubbles are present during the test, combustion gas is leaking into the cooling system and this will need to be repaired. If left untreated, it could lead to a blown head gasket, which could leave you stranded.

What Is a 1938 UL Harley Davidson Worth?

There's something very special about war-year vehicles like the 1938 Harley. Partly, it's because they're so rare; most potential buyers were off fighting for freedom overseas. Part of it is due to the fact that these same manufacturers, fresh off the Great Depression, simultaneously produced the vehicles those soldiers used. Mostly, though, it's because the soldiers who made it home quickly bought up America's supply of like-new Harleys -- often-times, from the families of those who never came back to ride them. And that's a special thing indeed.

Bikes
The 1930s started out with over-the-top Art Deco styling, and ended up in bare-bones functionality. Its was the strange juxtaposition of the two that gave us beautiful but purposeful machines like the Depression Era Knucklehead Harley. The W-Series Harley was the entry-level bike with a 45-cubic-inch engine, and the E-Series had 61-cubic-inch powerplants. The U-Series was the sporty middle class, with several trim levels: the U and UL had a 74-cubic-inch engine, and the UH, UHS and ULH had 80-cubic-inchers.

Values
E-Series bikes are the most valuable: NADA guides lists them from $8,335 to $39,715 for a non-running parts bike to a perfectly preserved original. A non-original restoration E-series is worth about $22,600, and the EL is worth about $2,000 more than a base E-Series. The WL is the cheapest, at $4,200 to $19,400, and the other W-series are only slightly more. The base U-Series runs about $5,200 to $22,000, and the UL costs a little more. A parts bike will run about $5,700, a preserved original $23,300, and a non-original driver will sell for about $14,500.