The spring rate (or suspension rate) is a component in setting the vehicle’s ride height or its location in the suspension stroke. Vehicles which carry heavy loads will often have heavier springs to compensate for the additional weight that would otherwise collapse a vehicle to the bottom of its travel (stroke). Heavier springs are also used in performance applications where the loading conditions experienced are more extreme.
Springs that are too hard or too soft cause the suspension to become ineffective because they fail to properly isolate the vehicle from the road. Vehicles that commonly experience suspension loads heavier than normal have heavy or hard springs with a spring rate close to the upper limit for that vehicle’s weight. This allows the vehicle to perform properly under a heavy load when control is limited by the inertia of the load. Riding in an empty truck used for carrying loads can be uncomfortable for passengers because of its high spring rate relative to the weight of the vehicle. A race car would also be described as having heavy springs and would also be uncomfortably bumpy. However, even though we say they both have heavy springs, the actual spring rates for a 2000 lb race car and a 10,000 lb truck are very different. A luxury car, taxi, or passenger bus would be described as having soft springs. Vehicles with worn out or damaged springs ride lower to the ground which reduces the overall amount of compression available to the suspension and increases the amount of body lean. Performance vehicles can sometimes have spring rate requirements other than vehicle weight and load.
A starter motor (also starting motor, or starter) is an electric motor that rotates an internal combustion engine to cause the engine to begin powering itself.
A shift knob also known as a gear knob, gear shift knob and stick shift knob is the physical interface between the manual transmission stick shift and the drivers hand.
A basket type rack placed on roof racks. Typicalled used for more storage space. Popular with trucks and suv’s that go offroading.
Steering stabilizers are essentially a shock absorber for your steering system. They are highly recommended for all vehicles with over-sized tires, a winch or snow plow to increase control and handling. Stabilizers dampen out wheel shimmy and help prevent the steering wheel from being jerked out of your hands in rough terrain or when a road hazard is struck by the front wheels. A steering stabilizer is a proven safety device in the event of a blow out.
An electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as, aerosol gasoline, Ethanol, and Liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.
A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to ’spoil’ unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams, because in addition to directing air flow they also reduce the amount of air flowing underneath the vehicle which reduces aerodynamic lift. Spoilers are often fitted to race and high-performance sports cars, although they have become common on passenger vehicles as well. Some spoilers are added to cars primarily for styling purposes and have either little aerodynamic benefit or even make the aerodynamics worse.
via wikipedia
car door that is hinged on the edge closer to the rear of the vehicle
A strut bar is a mostly aftermarket car suspension accessory usually used in conjunction with MacPherson struts on monocoque or unibody chassis to provide extra stiffness between the strut towers.
