Bumpers
Bumpers pre-date the car – for example, protective devices were fitted front and rear to early locomotives.
Initial car bumpers, bolted onto the chassis, were crude, rigid devices that effectively ensured that the object, other car, or worse, person, that you'd hit came off worse than you did. Modern bumpers, integrated into the whole body design, incorporate crumple zones, absorptive properties and deflection points, and are far more pedestrian-friendly. They just don't look as elegant as a traditional chrome bar with over-riders, though. The 'federal' rubber bumpers demanded by US law on many sports cars in the 70s are probably best forgotten, though.
Bumpers pre-date the car – for example, protective devices were fitted front and rear to early locomotives.
Initial car bumpers, bolted onto the chassis, were crude, rigid devices that effectively ensured that the object, other car, or worse, person, that you'd hit came off worse than you did. Modern bumpers, integrated into the whole body design, incorporate crumple zones, absorptive properties and deflection points, and are far more pedestrian-friendly. They just don't look as elegant as a traditional chrome bar with over-riders, though. The 'federal' rubber bumpers demanded by US law on many sports cars in the 70s are probably best forgotten, though.
Diesel particulate filters
The main problem with the diesel engine (see above) has been its tendency to emit more harmful particles of unburnt hydrocarbon matter (particulates) than a petrol engine. That's the black smoke or soot often seen coming out of an exhaust pipe under acceleration.
There have been many advances in cleaning up diesel, including more precise common-rail, direct-injection and piezo-injection technologies, and more refined engine management and exhaust systems. But one of the simplest and most effective devices is the particulate trap or filter. This does exactly what its name suggests: most filters on offer are now maintenance-free for the vehicle's projected lifespan and they can even be retro-fitted.
Cheap to produce, easy to fit: why the hell aren't they legally-required on all diesel cars which fail to meet certain emissions standards? Or trucks, HGVs and other commercial vehicles, for that matter?
The main problem with the diesel engine (see above) has been its tendency to emit more harmful particles of unburnt hydrocarbon matter (particulates) than a petrol engine. That's the black smoke or soot often seen coming out of an exhaust pipe under acceleration.
There have been many advances in cleaning up diesel, including more precise common-rail, direct-injection and piezo-injection technologies, and more refined engine management and exhaust systems. But one of the simplest and most effective devices is the particulate trap or filter. This does exactly what its name suggests: most filters on offer are now maintenance-free for the vehicle's projected lifespan and they can even be retro-fitted.
Cheap to produce, easy to fit: why the hell aren't they legally-required on all diesel cars which fail to meet certain emissions standards? Or trucks, HGVs and other commercial vehicles, for that matter?
Laminated windscreens
One of 4Car's deputy editor's earliest memories is of sitting in the front passenger seat of an Austin Princess when the windscreen shattered all over her (body flex under hard cornering, says her mum).
No such worries in today's family cars; besides better structural rigidity, modern-day safety glass comprises strong sandwich-type layers of glass and flexible clear plastic film, providing some 'give' in the surface and ensuring that if it does break, it dissembles into small rounded pieces instead of jagged shards and is less likely to fall from the frame.
Laminated glass also cuts down noise intrusion and blocks most ultraviolet radiation.
One of 4Car's deputy editor's earliest memories is of sitting in the front passenger seat of an Austin Princess when the windscreen shattered all over her (body flex under hard cornering, says her mum).
No such worries in today's family cars; besides better structural rigidity, modern-day safety glass comprises strong sandwich-type layers of glass and flexible clear plastic film, providing some 'give' in the surface and ensuring that if it does break, it dissembles into small rounded pieces instead of jagged shards and is less likely to fall from the frame.
Laminated glass also cuts down noise intrusion and blocks most ultraviolet radiation.
Pneumatic tyres
Despite being invented by Scottish vet John Dunlop in 1888, who initially developed the idea for bicycles, it was fellow Scot Robert Thomson who actually patented his idea for 'aerial wheels' back in 1845.
Dunlop's air-filled rubber tyres proved their worth in cycle races, but it was the Michelin brothers who were first to fit them on a car, the 1895 Peugeot-L'Eclair that took part in the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris road race. Not only did these air-filled devices – made possible by Charles Goodyear's invention of strengthened vulcanised rubber – make the ride more comfortable than that given by a solid carriage-style wheel, they also allowed for greater speed. Tubeless tyres didn't come until 1903, however.
Despite being invented by Scottish vet John Dunlop in 1888, who initially developed the idea for bicycles, it was fellow Scot Robert Thomson who actually patented his idea for 'aerial wheels' back in 1845.
Dunlop's air-filled rubber tyres proved their worth in cycle races, but it was the Michelin brothers who were first to fit them on a car, the 1895 Peugeot-L'Eclair that took part in the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris road race. Not only did these air-filled devices – made possible by Charles Goodyear's invention of strengthened vulcanised rubber – make the ride more comfortable than that given by a solid carriage-style wheel, they also allowed for greater speed. Tubeless tyres didn't come until 1903, however.
Run-flat tyres
No more skidding to a halt after a blow-out, or struggling to change a wheel by the roadside in the rain: the run-flat tyre gives you the chance to at least coast safely to your destination or to a tyre-fitter's.
First developed for endurance racing (Porsche 959), it has become a significant device for civilian road safety. A high proportion of road accidents involve either people stranded by the side of motorways, or high-speed tyre failure; the run-flat not only helps prevent both these scenarios, but does away with much of the inconvenience of a puncture.
It works by keeping the tyre beads anchored to the rim flange of the wheel, even if there is no pressure in the tyre, preventing tread separation. The downside of run-flats is that they are expensive to replace and can affect ride quality, especially the low-profile tyres fitted in combination with large alloy wheel designs.
No more skidding to a halt after a blow-out, or struggling to change a wheel by the roadside in the rain: the run-flat tyre gives you the chance to at least coast safely to your destination or to a tyre-fitter's.
First developed for endurance racing (Porsche 959), it has become a significant device for civilian road safety. A high proportion of road accidents involve either people stranded by the side of motorways, or high-speed tyre failure; the run-flat not only helps prevent both these scenarios, but does away with much of the inconvenience of a puncture.
It works by keeping the tyre beads anchored to the rim flange of the wheel, even if there is no pressure in the tyre, preventing tread separation. The downside of run-flats is that they are expensive to replace and can affect ride quality, especially the low-profile tyres fitted in combination with large alloy wheel designs.