Dnj Engine Components P143 Piston on 2040-parts.com

Michelin Challenge Design 2007: The not so ugly truth about rising vehicle safety standards

Can cars be safe and beautiful at the same time? That may not have been the case a few decades ago when automakers were forced to hang those big, ugly so-called federal bumpers off the ends of their vehicles.  With vehicle safety standards on the rise around the globe are designers today feeling a little '70s deja vu when it comes to meeting the challenges of making cars safe as well as more fuel efficient? "(Back then) we said it was the end of automotive styling," says Patrick Le Quement, senior vice president for corporate design at Renault and one of the world's most influential automotive designers.

Tyre warning for drivers heading into Europe

BRITISH DRIVERS could face on the spot fines for using the wrong tyres when travelling in Europe this winter. Severe winter weather in many European countries means the normal summer tyres fitted to most UK cars will not offer enough grip for safe driving or braking in icy or snowy conditions. In Germany and some ski resorts, drivers are liable to on-the-spot fines if their car is not equipped with winter tyres or their car becomes stuck in slippery conditions due to the wrong tyres being fitted.

Honda Civic Type-R MUGEN (2009) first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 22 June 2009 18:00 Honda's Mugen Motorsports performance tuning arm has released the first official pictures of the company's stripped-out Civic Type-R hot hatch. Details are still sketchy, but let's start with the visual changes. There's a deeper and wider front spoiler (sans fog lights), a new grille, a vented bonnet, plus vents just behind the front wheels.  At the back the Civic's triangular exhausts have been replaced by two huge bazooka tailpipes, which fit beneath a more angular rear bumper, and there's also a double-decker wing to make rear visibilty even worse.