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How Traffic Light Sensors Detect Your Car
Traffic lights might seem like they let cars stop or go randomly, but that's not always the case. Many of them use special sensors that detect vehicles.
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5 Manual Transmission Cars That Can Out-Accelerate Their Automatic Siblings
These days, automatic transmissions are usually quicker to reach 60 mph than their manual counterparts. But a few manual models did manage faster times.
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Mars Rover Finally Gets Martian GPS (Sort Of), One Step Closer To Autonomous Planetary Exploration
Just like the Scarecrow of Oz, it turns out the rover was smart all along, it just didn't realize!
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How Automakers Tackle Auto Start-Stop Without Adding Wear And Tear
Most modern cars have auto start-stop systems to reduce fuel consumption, but while some might worry about wear and tear, car makers have it covered.
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Drone Wars, Episode II: Clone Of The Attack (Of Military Lasers Against The Wrong Targets In El Paso Airspace, Again)
The FAA is clearly furious at the way the military is using lasers right now.
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Automakers Have A Long, Annoying History Of Trying To Replace The Gear Shifter
Many modern cars have replaced the usual PRNDL gear shifter with fancier designs. But technology isn't the only reason for these major changes.
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Purge Valve: What It Is, How It Works, And Why Proper Maintenance Matters
The emissions system of your car does a lot to help make its exhaust more bearable to deal with. But it wouldn't be nearly as effective without the purge valve.
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Why Hudson Stuck With A Straight-6 Engine When It Already Had An 8
Before Hudson was folded into American Motors, it had developed its own eight-cylinder engine. Yet for years, it stuck with its old-fashioned straight-6.
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The Smallest Diesel Engine In The World Fits In The Palm Of Your Hand
How big does a diesel engine have to be to spin an airplane's propeller? Would you believe an engine smaller than a quarter can get the job done?
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Displacement You Can't Refuse: The Godfather Big Block Somehow Reached 1,000+ Cubes
They said it couldn't be done, but one engine designer figured out how to surmout the challenges on the way to 1,005 cubic inches and 2,150 horsepower.
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How OBD-II Changed Car Repair For Better Or Worse
Once upon a time, you could diagnose the culprit of your Mazda MX-5 Miata's check engine light with a paperclip. We now use OBD-II technology for that.
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What Exactly Are You Doing When You Jump Start An EV?
Jump starting your vehicle requires some very specific steps. But those steps don't really change much between internal combustion and electric vehicles.
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This Is How Long The Ford F-150 Lightning Could Power The Average House
One of the selling points for the F-150 Lightning was its ability to serve as a backup generator. That wouldn't last forever, though. And it came with costs.
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Am I Wrong, Or Does This Four-Cylinder Ferrari Racing Engine Sound Like A Lawn Mower?
We expect Ferrari engines to have a certain appealingly angry sound. But some of them seem like they'd be more at home on the grass in front of your house.
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What're The Differences Between The Ford 427 And Chrysler 426 HEMI Engine?
Ford and Chrysler both created powerful engines that were banned by NASCAR. Their similarities made them powerhouses, but they also have notable differences.
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Why Strokers Make Their Power And Torque Down Low
Strokers are known for achieving great horsepower numbers and fantastic torque and low rpm. But why do they manage it better than non-stroked engines?
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Driver Who Photographed Police Drone Creeping On Her Car Ticketed For Distracted Driving
The way she sees it, they conducted a "police sting" that basically amounts to entrapment.
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How To Avoid Headaches Trying To Charge Your Rivian At A Tesla Supercharger
Although Tesla's Superchargers can technically be used with other EVs, their compatibility with EVs from other brands (like Rivian) comes with some caveats.
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Helmet Tubes Are Just The Goofy Part Of IndyCar Cooling Systems You Can See
IndyCar drivers must reckon with in-car temperatures that often soar well over 100 degrees. Elaborate cooling systems seek to tamp down those temps.
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When Did Automakers Switch From 8-Track Players To Cassette Decks?
Cassette tapes existed before cars adopted them, but automakers stuck with 8-tracks until one key improvement made cassette decks reliable enough for vehicles.
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Here's How Marine Alternators Are Different From The One In Your Car
An engine is an engine and an alternator is an alternator, right? But not when they're operating in completely different environments like a boat and a car.
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AI Data Center Demand May Cause A New Chip Shortage That Will Affect Auto Manufacturing, Again
I'd better get that Xbox memory upgrade before it's too late.
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Even Planes Are Not Safe From An LS Engine Swap, Apparently
All sorts of cars have seen their engines replaced by General Motors' LS small block. Now some enthusiasts are even swapping them into airplanes.
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Why Are Automatic Transmissions Called Slushboxes?
Even if you're a fan of automatic transmissions, you've likely heard them be referred to as "slushboxes" before. Here's why that nickname stuck.
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The Last Production Car With A Hand Crank Was Still On Sale New In 1997
The heyday of the hand crank ended in the 1930s, but there were still new cars with hand cranks six decades later. For their owners, it was a practical choice.
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The History Of Mazda's Most Famous Rotary-Powered Car
Mazda is most noted for its rotary engine, developed by Felix Wankel in Germany before World War II. But of all its rotary-powered cars, one stands out.
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Why Electronic Car Keys Evolved From Simple Proximity Keys To Pricey Button-Filled Fobs
Car keys were nothing more than simple mechanical devices during their conception, but they've turned into devices with countless functions.
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