DervTerms
A glossary of DervTerms, or Dervisms, heh.
ABS
ABS is covered
in more detail elsewhere in this
website. Since the summer of 2004 all
new cars manufactured for sale in the
Airbox
The airbox is the plastic box that contains the air filter
element (we’ve replaced Kermit’s standard paper air filter element with the K & N replacement panel, which has
the advantage that it can be washed
and reused rather than replaced).
For most modern cars, the airbox is usually
one of the larger looking components under the bonnet, often black
plastic. For the Endura-E engine is sits on the
right hand side of the engine bay as you stand in front of it but for the Duratec
8v, it sits slightly further back but again on the same side of the engine
bay. The airbox
is usually replaced when fitting an induction
kit.
Acceleration Sense
Acceleration
sense is the ability to match the current engine power output to anticipated
requirements in the near future. In
other words, if you can see that you are going to have to slow down for a
hazard (a slow moving vehicle, a
roundabout or a bend), you lift off in advance rather than using the brakes
over the last few feet. With careful and
effective use of acceleration sense a driver can save up to twenty percent fuel
for a very limited impact on average speeds.
Bosh
A universal word,
which can be a substitute for a great number of other words.
For example, “hey, darling, do you fancy a bosh?” and “bosh
it; we’re out of petrol” and, of course, “to get it boshed
you’ll need a new sproggleclunket.” Can also be butchered with
other words, such as boshtastic.
Cadence braking is the term used to
describe the act of braking hard enough so that the wheels start to lock up,
then releasing the brake pedal so that the wheels start to turn once more. In my opinion, all drivers should have an
understanding of how to use cadence braking since there are occasions when it
is useful even if the vehicle has ABS,
such as on snow or when the ABS fails.
Cage
A derogatively term used to describe a car, banded about by biker types.
Camshaft
One or more shafts inside the donk that have lobes to operate the engine’s valves. In
“pushrod” engines, such as the Endura-E, lifters ride on the cam lobes. The up and down motion is transferred through
push rods and rocker arms to actuate the valves. In an “overhead” cam engine, the cam may push
directly on the tops of the valves or work the valves through short rocker
arms. The cam may be changed to improve performance, aftermarket camshafts offer a wide range of
different lobe profiles from which to choose.
A higher lift, longer duration cam generally provides more power
and moves the engine’s peak power point up the rpm scale.
Catalytic
Converter
The catalytic converter is a honeycomb matrix of
precious metals encompassed in a ceramic, designed to reduce the engine’s
harmful emissions. It usually resides
right behind the engine manifold. It converts more harmful gasses into a mix of
water and carbon dioxide. Catalytic
converters only operate at a high temperature and are ineffective with a cold engine. They are ruined by running the engine on
leaded or lead replacement petrol, overheating (usually caused by running
with an overly rich mixture for too long as a result of a sensor failure, the
excess petrol is burnt).
DervMobile
Originally used to describe the Mondeo
TD, even though she was technically the DervMobile
2. Also used as a generic word for all Mondeo TDs, or indeed any diesel
car.
The “diesel lope” is my term used to describe the
ability of a diesel engine powered car to drive along in a high gear without
changing down. As it happens, many
modern diesels now have such tall gearing that some of their (shorter geared)
petrol cousins are better at it than they are...
General purpose term for “engine” and may
be interchanged. Derived from “donkey,”
for example, “The Ka has a rather weedy donk
compared to most Fiestas” or “you call that a donk? No, this is a donk...”
ECU stands for Electronic Control Unit and
in this website, the reference infers to the donk’s
ECU. This is the computer chip and code
that controls the engine and many ancillary systems. It uses data from a variety of sensors around
the engine bay to ascertain how much petrol to squirt into the engine. The engine control functionality can be
replaced with other code to improve one or more aspects of engine performance
using a device such as the Superchips Bluefin. Most ECUs also
control other functionality such as cooling fans and the dashboard. The Ford Ka uses Ford’s EEC-V. The ECU is also called the PCM, Powertrain Control Module.
Exhaust
In the context of this website, the
exhaust usually refers to the entire system of pipework
right from the engine block. There are
three parts – the manifold, which
encompasses the catalytic converter,
the mid pipe and the back box (or muffler). Replacing parts of or the entire the exhaust
for one with a higher flow rate can improve overall performance, but most of
the difference can be had by replacing the manifold. Kermit’s worn a Janspeed back box and currently
has a PowerFlow
“cat-back” stainless steel system.
Grip
Grip refers to a tyre’s ability to cling to the road. Exceeding the grip threshold, that is, asking
too much of the tyre, results in a skid or
wheelspin.
Gooning
Gooning implies driving at skid-inducing speed, i.e. “the chap in the Corsa was gooning along.” The ability to goon requires sensitivity at
the controls, and ideally, a car that does not snap out of line. Excessive gooning
results in the driver overcooking it and then may require the help of cadence braking, ABS, airbags or hospitals.
Similar to the sproggleclunket, gubbins is another generic term used to describe an object
or contents. However, gubbins is more often used when the DervMan cannot be
bothered to write “Ford EEC-V” for the seventh time.
Hooning
Hooning is similar to Gooning,
but whereas Gooning means driving to induce a slide, hooning means to try to drive at the one speed (for
example, “we were hooning along the B1225 at 60 mph”) no matter how twisty or hilly the
road gets. The ultimate hooning challenge is to drive over a twisty road with cruise control set at a realistic
speed.
Induction Kit
Most induction kits are designed to
increase the amount of air that is ingested by the engine, but sacrifice the
quality of this air for the amount, by removing the airbox and replacing it with a
conical air filter. Engines really don’t
like hot air nor are they especially
keen on a turbulent supply or air, too.
There is more discussion on general induction systems here and for my designs for a custom Ka induction system too.
Labouring
Labouring is
the term used to describe a donk
working unduly hard at a low engine speed.
Labouring is bad for an engine because you are asking it to work hard
with low oil pressure. This can lead to
inadequate lubrication, which in turn means that metal can grind against metal. Labouring is especially bad when the engine is cold. It can also be demonstrated by pinking.
Limiter
When used in
the context of this website, the limiter (or engine speed limiter) is a
safety feature built in to the ECU
that stops the engine speed exceeding a certain point. This is to prevent engine damage and is set
by the manufacturer for a good reason.
Some products on some engines change the limiter, such as the Superchips Bluefin on the 1·3 Endura-E. The limiter is raised from 5,850 rpm to 6,050
rpm. However in the case of many
engines, by the time the engine speed has reached the limiter, you’re better
off in the next gear anyway.
Ka Klub
The original
and only unofficial club for Ford Ka owners living in the United Kingdom, so
it’s the best only by default and not on technical merit. I found it impossible to have a meaningful
discussion regarding important issues using the Klub
forum and by daring voice my
opinions on this website, I was kicked out.
KITS
Kermit’s Induction Temperature System, see
here for details, but in essence, KITS is a system for
measuring the air temperature inside the airbox, and
then comparing it with the ambient air temperature.
Manifold
The manifold is the collection of pipes
that the hot exhaust gasses flow from each individual engine cylinder to the catalytic converter, and then out of the
car via the exhaust. The shape and
design of the manifold is instrumental to engine performance. Careful optimisation of each individual pipe
can result in improved power and torque.
“Mr. Tea, meet Mr.
Monitor”
This term
originates from my Usenet time, and I use it when somebody makes an unprovoked
remark that makes me choke and spit my tea out with laughter. Invariably, the tea is splashed on to the
monitor (and sometimes the desk and wall behind).
Nailing
It
The term used
to describe hard accelerating, referring to the concept of nailing the
accelerator pedal to the floor.
Overcook
It
I usually use
this term to describe the moment when the driver realises that he or she has
overstepped the mark and done something stupid.
Examples might be entering a corner with too high a speed or losing
control of the Ka over a wet roundabout.
“Goon just a bit too far and you’ll overcook it.”
Overrun
When I write
“overrun,” I mean that the car is in a running gear but there is no accelerator
pedal pressure being applied. Under most
circumstances the ECU will shut off the fuel supply to the
engine, which is then converted into an air compressor. When the engine is in an overrun condition it
is effectively using no fuel.
Oversteer
Oversteer is the term used to describe when the car skids and turns greater than
one would otherwise expect from the steering input. In extreme cases the car may spin. See also: understeer, skids, grip, traction
and wheelspin. Also, my articles on Ka Handling, Car Handling and Anti-Skid
Protection Systems.
PCM
Powertrain Control Module, see ECU.
Pinking
Pinking is
essentially pre-ignition of the petrol in the engine. It can be caused by a number of things, such
as using fuel with too low an octane rating, the wrong spark plugs, too lean an
air / fuel mixture or simply asking the engine to work very hard at low engine
speeds and in a high gear (for example, ascending a steep hill at 1,200 rpm
in top gear). When the engine is
pinking, it is a sign that something is not right and you should look to remedy
the problem as soon as possible.
QuickClear
QuickClear is the name given to Ford’s propriety windscreen de-icing and
de-misting system. It consists of dozens
of fine metal strips inserted into the windscreen that are heated, thus
removing moisture from the inside and outside of the windscreen. There’s a little bit more information here.
Ride
Ride is a
measure of how smoothly the occupants travel over bumps and uneven road
surfaces. Ride is influenced by a huge
number of factors including suspension travel and settings (springs and
dampers), the tyre design, profile and pressures and even the seat design.
Rolling
Road, Rollers
A rolling road
is a means of establishing the power at the wheel of a car. To do this the rolling road operator “drives”
the car on an artificial road (usually in a high gear fourth gear) and
uses full throttle from a low engine speed up to the limiter. This is hard on both the donk and cooling system.
It is very
difficult to establish the maximum engine power and torque using the at the
road figures because of estimating the transmission losses, so always take
flywheel figures with a large pinch of salt.
In any event it’s the output at the road that’s important – who cares if
the engine has 100 bhp if the power at the road is 30
bhp?
RST (RS Turbo)
Delusion
A more extreme
form of VTS Optimism whereby the driver of
a vehicle reckons it is the best car, ever.
Skid
A skid is a
loss of proper control of a road wheel.
I discuss skids here, but see
also grip, traction and wheelspin.
Slash and dash
Usually refers
to an emergency roadside stop to relieve oneself, followed by a quick
exit. It’s easier for guys to effect this than girls!
A term used in lieu of a given (and
often unknown) mechanical or electronic component, for example, “heh, for all I care it’s the sproggleclunket
just get it fixed!”
Track can mean two things when read in the
context of this website. One, it can
mean a racing circuit or track, perhaps somewhere that I’d explore Kermit’s
finer handling points, his grip limits or his quarter mile time.
But it can also mean the distance between
the centre of his tyres as they sit on the road. The wider the track, the more stable the
vehicle since the cornering load is spread over a wider area. There are two ways to widen the track. One is to fit wider wheels and the other is
to move the wheels further away from the car.
Traction
as used in this website refers to a tyre’s
ability to grip the road under acceleration from the engine. Losing traction results in wheelspin,
which is a form of skid.
Turn In
is the term used to describe how quickly the vehicle can change direction and
settle into a corner. Some cars wallow
when you enter a corner as the suspension absorbs the initial change in inertia.
Understeer
is the term used to describe a kind of skid whereby the car does not turn as
tightly as the steering wheels would otherwise imply. In extreme cases, the driver has turned the
front wheels but the car continues straight on.
See also: oversteer, skids, grip, traction and wheelspin. Also, my articles on Ka Handling, Car Handling and Anti-Skid
Protection Systems.
Also known (incorrectly) as Unsprung Weight, although the term Mass is more accurate.
Unsprung Mass is defined as the mass between
the road and the suspension springs, so in simplistic terms that would be the
brakes, the wheels and the tyres. It
also includes a proportion of the suspension components too.
Unsprung
mass by itself influences how well the suspension works. The greater the mass, the harder the
suspension has to work to smooth out bumps.
Fit big, heavy wheels to the Ka and you’ll compromise the ride because
the unsprung mass carries significantly more inertia
than the suspension was designed to handle (standard or modified suspension).
By
reducing the wheel weight, you also reduce the rotational inertia, which
results in better acceleration under certain considerations.
The
visibility limit is the term used to describe the maximum speed that one can
drive as so as to be able to stop in the distance that he or she can see. All drivers should always obey the visibility
limit as a matter of course but I use the term to illustrate the point that
Kermit may be driving under the maximum permitted speed limit. In fog the visibility limit might be twenty
miles per hour, on snow the visibility limit might be a half mile but the level
of grip available dictates a maximum speed
of twenty miles per hour.
VTS
Optimism
A state of mind where the performance of a vehicle is exaggerated.
Derived from how quick the Saxo VTS is reputed
to be on paper, compared to how quick they really are.
Wheelspin
Wheelspin is a kind of skid, referring to
the sensation of a wheel spinning faster than the vehicle’s roadspeed
because it has lost traction. It always happens when the wheel is being
driven by the engine.
Woot
An exclamation of joy, for example, “Woot!
Kermit’s Morettes
arrived today!”
