Car Specifications Explained - What do they mean?

Ankita Katdare · 2015-07-25T17:37:01+00:00

I am sure beginners like me who've started reading and writing about car only a few years back had a tough time understanding what certain car specifications meant. I realized that there are many like me who have no idea how certain specs of a new car or bike mean, even the so-called automobile enthusiasts. Apparently, no one teaches you what they stand for. The meaning of car specifications is an important step towards knowing your car better, What better place than CrazyEngineers to come up with a guide of sorts for understanding all important car specifications. Let's all try to come up with simple, easy-to-understand definitions of the specs. Here we go: What does CC mean in Car or Bike engine? Now, cc stands for cubic centimetres - It is a unit to measure the engine's displacement. This is the measurement of the volume of the engine's cylinders or "compartments". Now, when you read 200 cc it means the volume of the cylinder is 200 cubic centimeters. CC can also be expressed in the form of litres. So, 200 cc = 0.2 L engine. Remember that: 1 cubic centimeter = 0.001 liters = 1 milli leter. With that you can understand that more cc does not mean more power. So, that brings to the most asked question: Does more cc mean more fuel consumption? From what I've read, it is generally true that a vehicle with more displacement will have more fuel consumption. However, there are very many other factors that affect fuel efficiency. Therefore, by minimizing engine displacement, you will not ensure increased fuel efficiency.

Car Specifications Explained - What do they mean?

Ankita Katdare

Administrator

Updated: Oct 26, 2024

Views: 3.6K

I am sure beginners like me who've started reading and writing about car only a few years back had a tough time understanding what certain car specifications meant. I realized that there are many like me who have no idea how certain specs of a new car or bike mean, even the so-called automobile enthusiasts. Apparently, no one teaches you what they stand for. The meaning of car specifications is an important step towards knowing your car better,

What better place than CrazyEngineers to come up with a guide of sorts for understanding all important car specifications. Let's all try to come up with simple, easy-to-understand definitions of the specs.

Here we go:

What does CC mean in Car or Bike engine?

Now, cc stands for cubic centimetres - It is a unit to measure the engine's displacement.
This is the measurement of the volume of the engine's cylinders or "compartments".
Now, when you read 200 cc it means the volume of the cylinder is 200 cubic centimeters.
CC can also be expressed in the form of litres. So, 200 cc = 0.2 L engine.
Remember that: 1 cubic centimeter = 0.001 liters = 1 milli leter.

With that you can understand that more cc does not mean more power. So, that brings to the most asked question: Does more cc mean more fuel consumption?

From what I've read, it is generally true that a vehicle with more displacement will have more fuel consumption.
However, there are very many other factors that affect fuel efficiency.
Therefore, by minimizing engine displacement, you will not ensure increased fuel efficiency.

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Jul 25, 2015

What is meant by 'wheelbase' and 'ground clearance' in a car or bike?

Wheelbase:

In a car, there are two rods used to connect the center of the wheels, one on the front and another on the rear.
The distance between these two rods or axles of a vehicle is known as its wheelbase.
This term is generally checked while buying a car to see how much large the cabin is. The longer the wheelbase, the more the interior room in the car's cabin.

In a bike, the horizontal distance between the centers (or the ground contact points) of the front and rear wheels is called the wheelbase.

Ground Clearance:

It means the distance between the ground (the point where the tire meets the ground) and the under side of the chassis i.e. any parts that aren't designed to touch the ground. The manufacturers generally mention this distance in millimetres or inches in the list of specifications.

High Ground Clearance Vs. Low Ground Clearance:

More the ground clearance, more is the vehicle capable of moving on off-road, bumpy, rough terrains. For this reason, you will generally find that SUVs are designed with high ground clearance.

If the vehicles has low ground clearance will have low center of gravity and that leads to better handling and performance.
A balance between a high and low ground clearance is needed and you'll find this being achieved in the most executive sedans.

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Jul 25, 2015

Inviting mechanical engineers and automobile enthusiasts here to explain some crucial terms here. 👍

The next ones on the list are:

1. Significance of max. power and max. torque in the specifications list.
2. What is the difference between Automatic transmission and Manual transmission?
3. Front and Read suspension - What do they mean and why are they needed?
4. What does air-cooled engine mean?
5. What is the difference between 4-cylinder engine and 3-cylinder engine?
6. What is meant by Kerb Weight and Boot Space?
7. What is drivetrain and powertrain and why is it important?
8. What is the difference between All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive?
9. What is the difference between Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) and Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)?
10. What is the difference between Hatchback and a Sedan?

I have made this list for myself to remind what all topics need to be covered here.

But if any of you can give me a hand here and explain any one of the topic in simple, easy to understand language is welcome.

Please be as elaborate as you can and avoid using jargons in your explanation.

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Jul 26, 2015

What is Kerb Weight in a car? (Also called Curb Weight)

You will find this section in every car's specification list. 'Kerb Weight' is the total weight of a car without occupants or baggage. When we say that, we are measuring the weight of the car including all of its standard equipment, all the oils that the car needs (transmission oil, motor oil, fuel, coolant etc.)

Kerb Weight is different than Gross Weight. The latter is used to measure the car's weight with the passengers seated and baggage if any kept in the storage area.

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Jul 26, 2015

What is boot space in a car?

As a novice, I thought boot space is a term used to measure the area where passengers place their feet. Noob mistake.

Official definition: The trunk or boot of a car is the vehicle's main storage compartment, generally located at the car's rear end. In India and most parts of South Asia the trunk is called a dickie/dicky.

Why is boot space measured in litres?

Simply because we are talking of volume and it is convenient to understand what 100 litres mean, instead of 100000.0 cm³

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Jul 27, 2015

What does air-cooled engine mean?

As is apparent from the term we are looking at, Air-cooled engines have air circulating over the hot parts of the engine to cool it. Now I can't put a diagrammatic explanation here, but it is pretty clear even with just the theory.

Most cars we use today have modern internal combustion engines.
A great percentage of the heat generated through these engines is released through the exhaust.
The remaining is handled traditionally by using a liquid coolant that is passed through a closed circuit over the cylinder head and engine block.
The liquid coolant absorbs heat and when it reaches the heat exchanger or radiator of the car, it released the heat into air.
Now you may feel that isn't the engine being ultimately cooled by air. Well yes, but because a liquid-coolant circuit was used, this system is called water-cooled engine.

In contrast, the air-cooled engines have the heat generated released directly into the air. Natural air flow plays a big part in this.

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Jul 28, 2015

What is the difference between Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) and Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)?

SUV is a term used to denote any vehicle that looks like a station wagon.
They are equipped with four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Their design aims to display superior off-road and towing capabilities and bigger seating capacity.

Example: Mahindra Scorpio, Ford Ecosport, Renault Duster, Toyota Fortuner etc.

MUV is a type of vehicle designed in a shape of van.
They typically allow easy conversion between multiple combinations of passenger and luggage capacity.
Example: Toyota Innova, Maruti Ertiga, Renaulta Lodgy, Honda Mobilio etc.

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NAVATHE SACHIN

Member • Aug 2, 2015

Very good information and thanks for sharing and I would like to know how Low ground clearance vehicles have low center of gravity and how it effects on the performance of the vehicle?

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Vikram S Bargah

Member • Aug 2, 2015

Difference between SUV & Crossover is #-Link-Snipped-#.

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Kaustubh Katdare

Administrator • Aug 2, 2015

N.SACHIN
Very good information and thanks for sharing and I would like to know how Low ground clearance vehicles have low center of gravity and how it effects on the performance of the vehicle?
I'm no expert on automobiles; but I'm pretty sure the CG doesn't directly affect the performance. It should only be a matter of the stability of the vehicle on bends and curves. But of course, I'd really love to know from the experts.

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Vikram S Bargah

Member • Aug 2, 2015

Basic Understanding of Car by its Body Type

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Grandhi Sandeep

Member • Aug 3, 2015

i dont think increasing the displacement of a cylinder would increase the fuel consumption.in si engines the volumatric efficency is maintained by the throttle device.such that amount of fuel injected is controlled by carburator.

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Grandhi Sandeep

Member • Aug 3, 2015

if you consider air fuel injection system you will come up with conclusion like this the flow of fuel is controlled by metering system which varies with speed.

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Aug 3, 2015

N.SACHIN
Very good information and thanks for sharing and I would like to know how Low ground clearance vehicles have low center of gravity and how it effects on the performance of the vehicle?
Do remember that I am not a mechie aka a mechanical engineer, but this is a science question. So, from what I've learned and the information I've gathered, I can tell you that Lower center of gravity means more stability.

The following image explains this concept very well.

If there is a low ground clearance, it means that the center of gravity is low too, which results in better handling i.e the car can take sharp turns or go on a steep curve at high speed without the risk of flipping or toppling over.

You will notice that racing cars always have low ground clearance.

^ This image enforces the same idea.

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Grandhi Sandeep

Member • Aug 3, 2015

can any one explain me what happens when disel is used in petrol engine???

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Aug 3, 2015

Grandhi Sandeep
can any one explain me what happens when diesel is used in petrol engine???
Read discussion here: <a href="https://www.crazyengineers.com/threads/why-we-cant-use-petrol-in-diesel-engine.55085">Why we can't use petrol in diesel engine?</a>

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Kamlesh Vora

Member • Aug 12, 2015

Ankita Katdare
I am sure beginners like me who've started reading and writing about car only a few years back had a tough time understanding what certain car specifications meant. I realized that there are many like me who have no idea how certain specs of a new car or bike mean, even the so-called automobile enthusiasts. Apparently, no one teaches you what they stand for. The meaning of car specifications is an important step towards knowing your car better,

What better place than CrazyEngineers to come up with a guide of sorts for understanding all important car specifications. Let's all try to come up with simple, easy-to-understand definitions of the specs.

Here we go:

What does CC mean in Car or Bike engine?

Now, cc stands for cubic centimetres - It is a unit to measure the engine's displacement.
This is the measurement of the volume of the engine's cylinders or "compartments".
Now, when you read 200 cc it means the volume of the cylinder is 200 cubic centimeters.
CC can also be expressed in the form of litres. So, 200 cc = 0.2 L engine.
Remember that: 1 cubic centimeter = 0.001 liters = 1 milli leter.

With that you can understand that more cc does not mean more power. So, that brings to the most asked question: Does more cc mean more fuel consumption?

From what I've read, it is generally true that a vehicle with more displacement will have more fuel consumption.
However, there are very many other factors that affect fuel efficiency.
Therefore, by minimizing engine displacement, you will not ensure increased fuel efficiency.
Displacement of any vehicle is been calculated as per the requirement of the particular vehicle. The ratio between weight and power required should be known and accordingly the Engine size can be identify.
For buyers, CC should be consider with the Power output of vehicle and and more power means more fuel consumption is not implies on all technology.
Suppose a Maruti 800 comes with 798cc and 3 cylinder engine that means 798/3= 266cc which is the CC capacity of each cylinder. That means when your Engine sucks fresh fuel mixture as per stoichiometric ratio it intakes 266cc of mixture of AIR and FUEL in one each cylinder as per the cycle.
The CC is calculated as Volume when PISTON is at BOTTOM DEAD CENTRE (at the bottom of the cylinder in its reciprocating motion). So as per definition Distance travelled by Piston inside Cylinder and swept volume is called Total Displacement or CC

as normal buyer, you should keep 2 things in mind more CC means big engine with more power to weight of vehicle and more cost for buying and operation.
Thanks!

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Kamlesh Vora

Member • Aug 13, 2015

Ankita Katdare
Inviting mechanical engineers and automobile enthusiasts here to explain some crucial terms here. 👍

The next ones on the list are:

1. Significance of max. power and max. torque in the specifications list.
2. What is the difference between Automatic transmission and Manual transmission?
3. Front and Read suspension - What do they mean and why are they needed?
4. What does air-cooled engine mean?
5. What is the difference between 4-cylinder engine and 3-cylinder engine?
6. What is meant by Kerb Weight and Boot Space?
7. What is drivetrain and powertrain and why is it important?
8. What is the difference between All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive?
9. What is the difference between Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) and Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)?
10. What is the difference between Hatchback and a Sedan?

I have made this list for myself to remind what all topics need to be covered here.

But if any of you can give me a hand here and explain any one of the topic in simple, easy to understand language is welcome.

Please be as elaborate as you can and avoid using jargons in your explanation.
1.) Max. power or torque is not alone. it always given with RPM. So it states the vehicle can give you that much of max power output at that particular RPM of Engine. beyond that engine RPM will increase but not power.
2.) Automatic transmission have only few select options, like forward, neutral and reverse. Where manual transmission will have complete gear selector.
For buyers, Automatic means a vehicle will select a appropriate Gear by itself as 1st, 2nd or .... as per the vehicle speed and load. where in Manual a driver has to decide and put vehicle in correct gear to move in desired form.
Automatic may have solenoid gear selector or a complex mechanism of overdrive and clutches which we see in luxurious vehicles only.
3.) First why suspension, between you vehicle body and wheels suspension are the main medium which holds vehicle and make moving when moving wheels. second suspension is for absorbing sudden shocks from round terrain. Each wheel have separate suspension for independent work( minds its for cars only, trucks may have different arrangements)
in every cars there are two axles front and rear. each axles will get two suspension of same type on both the wheels.
For buyers, Front suspension has some difference bcoz front suspension has to modify and adjust as per the turning on front wheel in corners. whereas rear wheels has to Go straight only.
4.)Air Cooled Engines- as name says it can be cooled by only Air. no separate cooling system given for them. The common examples of air cooled engines are our bikes which has some fins (like aircrafts wings). They are air cooled engines.
5.) 4 or 3 cylinder engine - it implies number of cylinder and piston you have in your engine. More number of cylinder means more CC and more power. and also it increases size of the engine.
6.)#-Link-Snipped-#
7.)Drivetrain or Powertrain- Both are same.
basically it runs your vehicle. Drivetrain or power train is a flow chart of power or energy from a blast inside the cylinder to piston to crankshaft to flywheel to clutch to gear box to propeller shaft to drive axle and axle to wheels and from wheels to Road to make your vehicle moving.
8.)All wheel drive - means the power as explained in 7th goes from engine to all wheels of a vehicle basically the term uses for multi axle heavy duty trucks or trailer tractors.
Four Wheel Drive- as it says power goes to 4 wheel drive only.
9.) SUV are basically designed for rough terrain with heavy performance engine and all wheel driveability. whereas MUV are designed for more space comfort and perform well on both rough and highways Rest you can read from link below.
#-Link-Snipped-#
10.)okay hatchback vs sedan
Hatch means a small door or windows which opens upward like. back means behind. So any car which has a small door in its back is called hatchback. mind here that hatchback cars has Rear small door which may be use for putting your stuff in boot space or also ENTER INSIDE THE VEHICLE with this idea its called hatchback.
Sedan, if a car is divided in 3 compartments like bonnet (engine compartment, passenger compartment and boot spaces. and has separate entrance for each is called sedan.

Well I enjoyed writing this. hope it comes useful for everyone.

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