A Tiny Patch Of Rubber – Makes The Car OTC : FLKI
That, exactly makes driving fun ? I asked Theodore Roberts, Product Development Engineer at Falken Industries Ltd a publicly traded little known by the investment community global corporation whose name needs no further introduction to the trades and industry for the conception of innovative automobile, professional and industrial products and accessories. “It all starts with a tiny patch of rubber” he responded.
Indeed. Consider the poor little contact patch : six square inches of patterned rubber, drumming away on the tarmac of a thousand revs per minute for 1200 hours or more. Most motorists who stop and think about the tires on their car (and I’m sure there aren’t too many that do other than for the regular coating of a Clean Plus® Tire Shine or Back to Black !) hardly ever consider the rolling action of the tire and the wear that results from it – though they might possibly wince from time to time at the after-effects of confrontation with a sharp stone curb or an unidentified object lying in the road.
But there’s so much more to the tire contact patch – and its neighbor the sidewall – than that. They are the beginning and the end of all our fun driving experiences. And the more sporting the driver is, the more important these four little bits of rubber become. They are the beginning of the handling equation, signaling to the driver the level of grip being developed and in turn asking for input from the steering wheel or the throttle. And they become the end of the handling equation after the driver has made the input, reacting to absolutely dictate the attitude of the car.
Ford Transit Connect X-press: Minivan With Sports Car Abilities
The automotive industry has always been full of innovations and improvements. Year after year, car manufacturers constantly come up with new developments. This competitiveness has given birth to some of the most notable vehicles in history. While not all vehicles have what it takes to take the world of auto industry by storm, some vehicles are just made to do just that.
Recently, Ford’s Connect X-Press has done that. The X-Press is a Europe-only vehicle developed by the Ford Motor Company. It is a minivan but it has been said to have the abilities one can usually find in a sports car. Some auto enthusiasts have even compared the newcomer to the Supervan model that is equipped with a Cosworth engine.
Sports Cars: The Ladies Like Them Too
As a female child of the 60′s, I grew up in New Hampshire when a sports car was just the thing for those super-cool young men or the balding, Aqua-Velva wearing, slightly paunchy, middle-aged Peter Pans out there. Women racecar drivers were practically unheard of, and my mother drove a nice, respectable Ford station wagon, while my older sister drove a rather nondescript, beige 1968 Chevy Nova, hardly anything to make my pre-teen peers stop and gaze in awestruck, open-mouthed wonder.
My older brother, however, drove a 1968 Rally Red Corvette with T-tops, which, according to my ten year old brain was the epitome of cool. He shopped around at the used car Dover dealers and used car nh dealers until he found the right one. The deep-throated rumble of that 327c1 350hp engine when he roared off down the street was music to my ears. I remember marveling at the hidden windshield wipers and the unmistakable smell of the black leather upholstery heated by the midday sun. I remember how that same black leather upholstery would sear the backs of my shorts-clad legs during the summer on the rare occasions when I did get to ride in that magnificent vehicle (which was only when my mother forced my brother to take me to swim lessons at the pool when she got too busy.) But I didn’t care. The wide-eyed stares and envious remarks from my swim class more than made up for the pain when I got in with a flourish and shut the door I’d give my friends a lofty wave as we made our way out of the parking lot, that magnificent engine purring away. My brother knew what he was doing – he would back out of the space, then proceed slowly and nonchalantly to the stop sign at the corner, at which he would look both ways, then floor it. The engine would roar like a tiger as we peeled out into the road, and we would exit in high style, him smirking and glancing in the rear view mirror while my friends all stood stock-still, visibly impressed. The memory of that sweet slice of automotive heaven will stay with me for the rest of my days.
Fast forward 30 years later. I am now a married, professional businesswoman with a husband and three kids, one in college and two not far behind. I drive a minivan (only when I have to) and a 1997 slightly upscale red Eagle Talon ESI, which boasts a 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder with 16 valves. It’s only 140 horsepower, but it still looks good for its age (like me I hope) and it’s paid for. Men and boys often stop me at the gas pump and ask if I want to sell it. I always say no.