Category Car Chat

Replacing the oxygen sensor – this task sounds easy.

For some cars this is actually an easy job. But for some it isn’t. Take this Audi A6 for example, the two red arrows point to the two oxygen sensors on its left exhasut manifold (the right manifold has another 2, too).

Now please use your imagination: without disassembling the engine like what it shows in the photo, and with the cylinder head blocking your space (you can use the right hand side cylinder in the above photo as comparison), are you able to reach the sensor and take it out, then install a new one? For other people I am not sure, but I know I cannot.

Short answer: yes and no.

Full explanation:

For example a manufacturer states the engine puts out 268hp@5600rpm, and 258 lb-ft of torque@2000rpm, it only means: when the engine is revving at 5600rpm, the maximum power it can deliver is 268hp; when the engine is revving at 2000rpm, the maximum torque it will deliver is 258 lb-ft.

But it does not tell you WHEN it can attain such value. Take the above engine for example: 258 lb-ft of torque at 2000rpm – it does not mean every time when you see your tachometer needle points at the 2000rpm mark, the engine is outputting 258 lb-ft of torque.

The first factor is how deep you are pressing the gas pedal (which shows how eagerly yo...

For some car enthusiasts, the Lexus RX is just simply plain from their point of view. Well, this is quite understandable: the RX is based on a front wheel drive platform (which you can even claim it is related to the Toyota Highlander); the engine outputs 270hp (or “merely 270hp” in some muscle car owners’ language, for the RX350), paired to a somewhat outdated universal 6 speed transmission (I know the higher-level RX350 FSport offers an industry-first FWD 8 speed transmission); its exterior looks conservative, and it drives/handles conservatively too. Everything is just so plain, so conservative, nothing interesting at all...

To qualify for 2014 Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a good or acceptable rating in the small overlap front test.

To qualify for 2014 Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle must meet the Top Safety Pick criteria, plus earn a basic, advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.

Models that earn Top Safety Pick+ or Top Safety Pick are the best vehicle choices for safety within size categories. Size and weight influence occupant protection in serious crashes. Larger, heavier vehicles generally afford more protection than smaller, lighter ones...

The IIHS side crash test uses a same object to T-bone the test vehicle, and then measures the distance from the center-line of the driver’s seat to the inner edge of the car’s B-pillar. Therefore, the more distance the better (because of more survival space).

Nowadays most new cars in the market all have this side crash test “distance” greater than 10cm. But as of model year 2014, there are still some cars’ side crash result do not reach the 10cm mark. Here are a list of them (data obtained from IIHS’s website), numbers after the car model means the survival space distance in centimeters:

Toyota Yaris Hatchback  9.5

Volvo XC90  9.5

Mitsubishi Mirage  7.5

Mi...