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Steam engine: An external combustion engine where water is converted to steam in a boiler outside the cylinder. The steam is then admitted to the cylinder where it expands against a piston. As the steam expands it cools and begins to condense. This mixture of water droplets and steam is forced out of the cylinder on the return stroke and into the condenser where the remaining steam is condensed into water. This water is forced into the boiler by a pump and the cycle is repeated. Steam engines have some notable drawbacks: slow warm up, freezing of the water system in cold weather, and contamination of the water by scale, oil, and sludge which can wreak havoc with the boiler, pumps, and condenser. But they also offer certain advantages: the potential for high fuel economy with low emissions, the ability to start from rest against a load so a clutch is not needed, and the torque developed is greatest at low rpm so in some applications a multiple-ratio gearbox is not necessary.

Steel pack muffler: A straight through (no baffles) muffler using metal shavings surrounding a perforated pipe. Quiets exhaust sound.
Steel strut: Steel braces or rings which are cast into aluminum pistons. Because steel expands slower than aluminum, the steel struts tend to control or minimize the expansion of the piston.

Steep angle: See steep angles.

Steep angles: Angles that position frame tubes relatively closer to vertical than do shallow angles.

Steer: See bump steer and roll steer.

Steerer tube: The tube that forms the top of the fork and rotates inside the head tube of a bicycle.

Steering: A mechanism for controlling the direction of a vehicle. Also see ackermann steering, center steering linkage, manual steering, negative offset steering, parallelogram steering linkage, power steering, and recirculating-ball- and-nut steering.

Steering, Ackermann: See ackermann steering.

Steering arm: Arms, either bolted to, or forged as an integral part of the steering knuckles. They transmit the steering force from tie rod to the knuckles, thus causing the wheels to pivot. Also called tie rod arm.

Steering axis: The line through the center of the ball joints in a front suspension system. The line that intersects the upper and lower steering pivots on a steered wheel.

Steering axis inclination: See kingpin inclination.

Steering axle: An axle that directs control of the vehicle. It can be powered or non-powered and more than one steering axle can be present.

Steering column: A shaft connecting the steering wheel to the steering gear assembly. Also called the steering shaft. See energy absorbing steering column.

Steering feel: Steering feel is the general relationship between forces at the steering wheel and handling. Ideally, the steering effort should increase smoothly as the wheel is rotated away from center. In addition, the steering effort should build as the cornering forces at the steered wheels increase. Finally, the friction built into the steering mechanism should be small in comparison with the handling-related steering forces.

Steering gain: The relationship between yaw and the steering wheel's position and effort. All three should be proportional and should build up smoothly.

Steering gear: The gears, mounted on the lower end of the steering column, that are used to multiply driver turning force. It converts the rotary motion of the steering wheel into straight-line motion. This straight-line motion then moves the linkage connected to the steering arms and attached to the steering knuckles and this causes the front wheels to move to the right or the left in response to the steering wheel direction.

Steering geometry: A term sometimes used to describe the various angles assumed by the components making up the front wheel turning arrangement, camber, caster, toe-in, etc. Also used to describe the related angles assumed by the front wheels when the vehicle is negotiating a curve.

Steering head: !!!.

Steering knuckle: The inner portion of the spindle that is affixed to and pivots on either a kingpin or on upper and lower ball joints. Also see ball joint steering knuckle and grease fittings.

Steering knuckle angle: The angle formed between the steering axis and the center line of the spindle. This angle is sometimes referred to as the included angle.

Steering linkage: The system that connects the steering wheel to the front wheels and allows the wheels to change direction in response to commands from the driver. Contains grease fitting to cushion against wear and friction. Also see alignment. and idler arm.

Steering lock: 1. The number of degrees that the front wheels can be turned from straight ahead before they are physically restrained from turning any further. Generally, the more lock designed into the front geometry, the smaller the turning circle but the more the tires scrub as the wheels approach the extreme lock positions. Turns lock-to-lock refers to the number of rotations of the steering wheel required to go from one extreme lock position to the other. 2. Can also refer to the locking mechanism usually contained in the steering column that locks the steering wheel when the ignition switch is turned off or the key is removed from the switch. 3. A lock on a motorcycle which prevents the front wheel from being turned left or right.

Steering overall ratio: The ratio of the degrees you must turn the steering wheel to turn the road wheels one degree from their straight ahead position.

Steering rack: The device by which the movement of the steering wheel is transferred to the front wheels of an automobile.

Steering ratio: The ratio of the gearing within a steering system such as the rack to the pinion or the worm gear to the recirculating nut.

Steering response: A subjective term that combines steering feel and steering gain.

Steering rod: One of two metal rods on each end of the steering rack that connect it to the front wheels via ball joints (tie rod ends).

Steering shaft: See steering column.

Steering spindle: A shaft-like projection from the steering knuckle to which the wheel is mounted. See spindle.

Steering system: The mechanism that allows the driver to guide the vehicle down the road and turn the wheels as he desires. The system includes the steering wheel, steering column, steering gear, linkages, and the front wheel supports.

Steering wheel: The device that the operator uses to control the direction of the front wheels. Most are circular with spokes that attach to the steering column. Also see drag wheel.

Stem: See valve stem.

Stereo: An abbreviation for "stereophonic." It indicates sounds which appear to have their source distributed in space even when they are emitted by the vehicle's speakers.

Stearns-Knight: The 1925-1948 models are classic cars.

Stethoscope: A device (such as used by doctors) to detect and locate abnormal engine noises. A very handy tool for the trouble-shooter.

Stevens Duryea: The 1925-1948 models are classic cars.

Steyr: The 1925-1948 models with required application are classic cars.

Stick shift: This refers to a transmission that is shifted manually through the use of various forms of linkage. Often refers to the upright gearshift stick that protrudes through the floor. Also see four on the floor.

Stiffness: See roll stiffness.

Stirrup cable: On bicycle centerpull brakes, a short cable, each end of which attaches to a brake arm and which is pulled up at the center to activate the brakes.

Stirling engine: An external combustion engine in which heat is applied through the wall of a chamber within which a gas is successively heated and cooled, alternately expanding and contracting to power a piston inside the chamber. Its advantages include: exceptional silence, lack of vibration, long life, high efficiency, extremely low emissions and adaptability to many different kinds of fuel. Its main drawbacks are the need for extremely effective seals, inflexible control systems, and cost.

Stitching: A hard rolling method used to both remove trapped air and improve rubber contact for better adhesion, during repair, and retreading.

Stock car: A car as built by the factory. Usually one that is raced without any modifications beyond factory installed equipment. Also see super stock.

Stocker: !!!.

Stone: See finishing stone and roughing stone.

Stop: See air stop, bump stop, sealer, idle stop solenoid.

Stop-and-go penalty: !!!.

Stop leak: See sealer.

Stop-leak: See sealer.

Stop solenoid: See idle stop solenoid.

Storage battery: See battery.

Stormer: A hot car that really moves out (i.e., accelerates rapidly).

Stove: See choke stove.

Stovebolt: Generally refers to Chevrolet (GMC) 6-cylinder, in-line, valve-in-head (push rod operated) engine.

Straddle cable: See stirrup cable.

Straight cut gears: See straight-cut gear.

Straight-cut gear: A gear that has teeth cut in the edge of the circumference of the gear. Unlike helical gears, the teeth are cut in line with the shaft on which it fits. See spur gear and helical gear.

Straight engine: See in-line engine.

Straight-line speed: !!!.

Straight-line tracking: The ability of a car to resist road irregularities and run in a straight line without steering corrections.

Straight time: The actual time that a mechanic takes to complete a repair job. In contrast with flat rate.

Straight weight: Term designating motor oil as suitable for use within a narrow range of temperatures. Outside the narrow temperature range its flow characteristics will not adequately lubricate.

Strap: A long flexible strip (usually of leather or rubber) used to connect two items.

Stratified charge engine: An internal combustion engine in which a small portion of extremely rich fuel and air is ignited and in turn ignites a much leaner fuel-air mixture. The lean mixture might not fire by itself unless it is ignited by the flame of the burning rich mixture. Its advantage is lower peak combustion temperatures, greater fuel economy, and a decrease in pollutant emissions. The Honda CVCC engine which initiates combustion in a small auxiliary prechamber is one type of stratified charge engine (to be precise, the CVCC should actually be called a dual-combustion engine). Another type is Texaco's which uses turbulence in the incoming mixture to induce stratification.

Stream: See slip stream.

Street bike: A motorcycle which is permitted to be ridden on public roads and must be licensed. In contrast with an off-road bike.

Street rod: A slightly modified rod (car) that will give good day-to-day performance on the streets.

Stress line: See stress lines.

Stress lines: Low areas in a damaged panel, usually starting at the point of impact and travelling outward.

Stressed body: A vehicle body designed so that the outer body panels share a proportion of the total load or stresses in the whole structure instead of the frame taking all the loads. The Jaguar E-Type is one example.

String: A thin length of twisted fiber.

Strip: 1. Area used for drag racing. 2. Removing tires and wheels, battery, hubcaps and other items of value as done by thieves. See gut. 3. To remove the insulation from a wire.

Striping tool: A tool used to apply paint in long narrow lines.

Stripped down: See Base Model.

Stripper: See Base Model.

Stripping stock: Rubber stock used to extend the wing of tread rubber when retreading a tire.

Stroboscope: See timing light.

Stroke: The distance the piston moves when travelling from bottom dead center (BDC) to top dead center (TDC) or vice versa. Also see compression stroke, exhaust stroke, intake stroke, and power stroke.

Stroked: The action of lengthening the stroke on an engine. Sometimes an engine manufacturer will produce an identical engine as he did in the previous year, but this time the stroke is longer. Thus it has been stroked. If the bore is also increased, it is bored and stroked.

Stroked crankshaft: A crankshaft, either a special new one or a stock crank reworked, that has the connecting rod throws offset so that the length of the stroke is increased.

Stroker: An engine using a crankshaft that has been stroked.

Stroking: A method for increasing the displacement of an engine by lengthening the crankshaft throws so that the piston stroke is increased.

Strut: A single, self contained pivoting suspension unit that integrates a coil spring with a shock absorber. Struts are used on front wheel drive automobiles. See MacPherson strut, chapman strut, and steel strut.

Strut bar: Another name for "sway bar" or anti-roll bar.

Stud: 1. A metal rod or shaft with threads on both ends. 2. Metal spikes installed in snow tires to increase traction on ice and hard-packed snow. Studded tires have been banned in many areas because of the damage they inflict upon road surfaces.

Stud puller: A tool used to install or remove studs.

Studebaker: The 1929-33 President models are classic cars. The 1963-64 Avanti models are milestone cars. The 1962-64 Gran Turismo Hawk models are milestone cars. The 1947-49 Starlight Coupe models are milestone cars. The 1953-54 Starliner Hardtop (Six and V-8) models are milestone cars. The 1955 President Speedster is a milestone car.

Stumble: A driveability-related problem similar to but more severe than hesitation. See bog.

Stutz: The 1925-1948 models are classic cars.

Sub frame: A partial frame that is sometimes bolted to the chassis of unit-body cars. It can be used to support the engine, transmission and suspension instead of having these components directly connected to the main body structure. This more expensive design generally results in better road isolation and less harshness.

Subsidiary: a subsidiary is an organization operating in a particular country that is owned or controlled by a foreign company which may or may not manufacture in that country.

Substrate: The surface that is to be finished (painted). It can be anything from an old finish or primer to an unpainted surface.

Substation: !!!.

Suction: See vacuum.

Suction throttling valve: Valve placed between the air conditioning evaporator and compressor which controls evaporator pressure to provide maximum cooling without icing evaporator core.

Suicide door: See suicide doors.

Suicide doors: Doors that have the hinge toward the back of the vehicle. It's name came from the greater possibility of falling out of the vehicle with a door positioned this way.

Sump: That part of the oil pan that contains the oil. Also see dry sump.

Sun and planet gears: See planetary gearset.

Sun-and-planet gears: See planetary gearset.

Sun gear: The center gear around which the planet gears revolve. Also see planetary gear.

Sunbeam: Only the 8-cyl. and 3-litre twin-cam models for 1925-1948 are classic cars. The 1965-67 Tiger Convertible models are milestone cars.

Superbike: !!!.

Super car: A car with a high horsepower engine that will provide fast acceleration and high speed.

Supercharged Engine: !!!.

Supercharger: An air compressor designed to force air, under pressure, into the cylinder. Can be mounted between the carburetor and cylinders or between the carburetor and the atmosphere. It boosts the power of the engine. Also see blower.

Supercharging: A method of increasing engine power by forcing larger amounts of air into the cylinders.

Superspeedway: !!!.

Super stock: Factory car (stock) with engine, suspension, running gear, etc., modified to increase horsepower and overall performance.

Supplemental restraint inflatable air-bag system: See SRS.

Supplemental restraint system: See SRS.

Supplier cost reduction effort: (SCORE) A United States program that urges suppliers to develop processes to cut costs. Suppliers are allowed to keep half the savings and pass on the other half to the automakers.

Suppressor: !!!.

Surface dry: A condition in which the outer layer (surface) of the finish dries while the underneath remain soft and not thoroughly dried.

Surge: A drive problem where the vehicle on its own seems to gain power for a brief moment and then back down to the previous speed. The reason the engine will not run at a steady speed and surges is probably due to very lean air-fuel mixture or retarded timing.

Suspension: The assembly of springs, shock absorbers, torsion bars, joints, arms, etc., that cushions the shock of bumps on the road and serves to keep the wheels in constant contact with the road, thereby improving control and traction.

Suspension system: A system that cushions the passenger compartment of the vehicle from the bumps and shocks caused by the wheels moving over irregular road surfaces. Includes springs, shock absorbers, steering linkage, upper and lower control arms, torsion bars, stabilizers, etc. Sometimes called "springing." Also see air suspension, hydropneumatic suspension, independent front suspension, independent rear suspension, independent suspension, long and short arm suspension, rising-rate suspension, and torsion bar suspension.

SUV: An acronym for "sport utility vehicle" which includes the Ford Bronco, GMC Jimmy, Chevrolet Blazer, Jeep Cherokee, Toyota Forerunner, and Nissan Pathfinder.

SW: Acronym for "station wagon."

Sway bar: See anti-roll bar.

Sweating: Joining two pieces of metal together by placing solder between them and then clamping them tightly together while heat, sufficient to melt the solder, is applied.

Swelling: See sand scratch swelling.

Swept volume: See displacement.

Swingarm: !!!.

Swing axle: An independent rear suspension system in which each driving wheel can move up or down independently of the other. The differential unit is bolted to the frame and various forms of linkage are used upon which to mount the wheels. Drive axles, using one or more universal joints, connect the differential to the drive wheels. When cornering hard, cars with swing axles are prone to wheel jacking which can lead to large positive camber at the outside rear wheel and can induce sudden oversteer. Also see low pivot swing axle.

Switch: A device that opens and closes an electric circuit. Also see ignition switch, kickdown switch, kill switch, and toggle switch.

Symmetrical: Symmetrical tread is the most common tread design. Both halves of the tread face are the same design. It does not matter which side faces out. See asymmetrical Tread and directional tire.

Synchromesh: A device in a manual transmission that allows two gears to mesh more smoothly. When a synchronizer gear matches the speed of the transmission main shaft to the speed of the gear being selected, they mesh smoothly and prevent grinding and clashing of gears. It was first introduced by Cadillac in 1928.

Synchromesh transmission: A transmission using a device (synchromesh) that synchronizes the speeds of gears that are being shifted together. This prevents "gear grinding." Some transmissions use a synchromesh on all shifts while others synchronize second and high gearshifts.

Synchronize: To bring about a timing that will cause two or more events to occur simultaneously; plug firing when the piston is in the correct position, the speed of two shafts being the same, a valve opening when the piston is in the correct position, etc. Also see synchronizer.

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Page Updated Sun May 20, 2001 8:08pm EDT