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Numbers

4WD

 4-Wheel Drive Used to refer to the drive train ability of a vehicle. Options include full-time or part-time.
4WS 4-Wheel Steering Refers to when both the front wheels and rear wheels of a vehicle have ability to be turned.
A
A/C Air Conditioning The system which proves cooling to the interior cabin of the vehicle. Older systems used freon gas while more modern systems use R-134A.
AAA Automobile Association of America A membership based agency providing services such as roadside assistance, insurance, trip planning, and vacation packages to members.
ABS Anti-lock Braking System A computer controlled system which will apply frequent, sharp, braking commands to the tires when the brake pedal is pushed all the way to the floor board. ABS has been proven to help keep a vehicle under control in emergency stopping conditions.
AC Alternating Current Refers the the type of electrical current driving that particular system. Most vehicles do NOT use this type of electrical system.
ACC Automatic Cruise Control The feature of a vehicle which, when activated, maintains a set speed of the vehicle either through a vacuum system or an electronic control module.
AGC Automatic Gain Control A feature of modern stereos where the volume level will be maintained no matter the level of the input (CD, TAPE, Radio, etc.) and the associated road noise from the vehicle.
AM Amplitude Modulation A type of radio signal received by most car stereos. AM is a ground wave propagation, which allows further distance of travel but is highly effected by the atmosphere and relative moisture.
AT Automatic Transmission Allows the vehicle to switch gears with no driver control inputs.
ATF Automatic Transmission Fluid The fluid, an oil based fluid, for use in Automatic Transmissions.
ATV All Terrain Vehicle Referred to by many as Quads, these off-highway vehicles will sometimes be licensed for on-highway use.
AUX Auxiliary Used when referring to non-factory installed components in a vehicle (Example: AUX lights).
AWD All Wheel Drive All wheel drive (AWD) is a system that powers all four wheels of a vehicle at all times. The difference to full time 4WD is that a "4-low" setting is not available in AWD cars. Due to the lack of "low range" AWD vehicles are less capable in off-road settings than full time 4WD vehicles, but work perfectly well in easy off-road environments and on-road.

Recently some new "automatic" AWD systems have emerged. Fancy names like "Real Time 4WD" or "active AWD" are hiding the fact that they are essentially sophisticated 2WD systems. Automatic asymmetric AWD would be the best term for them. Unfortunately, since they offer AWD only part of the time, some magazines have now called it "part time 4WD" - but that term has been used since WW II for cars like the Willys and Jeep Wrangler and their part time 4WD - the name coming from the fact that part time 4WD can only be used part of the time (when off-road), most of the time they have to operate in 2WD (on-road). Automatic asymmetric AWD is much less capable in off-road settings than full time AWD systems and inferior to full time 4WD. However, automatic asymmetrical AWD is becoming more and more sophisticated and offers pretty much everything consumers expect for everyday (pavement) driving.

Here is how they work: During traction loss at the driven axle (could be front or rear) a fully automatic system (hydraulic, mechanical or electronic) routes torque to the axle with traction. This means you have to completely lose traction in 2WD on your driven axle first and then the other axle will take over and try to keep the car moving and stable. So, for a moment you have AWD. Once the primary driven axle regains traction and both axles rotate at the same speed again, the system reverts back to 2WD.

Examples: Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, LandRover Freelander, Isuzu Trooper (TOD), Volvo V70, 1999 and later Jeep Grand Cherokee (in high range)
B
     
C
     
D
DC Direct Current Refers the the type of electrical current driving that particular system. Most vehicles use this type of electrical system.
E
     
F
FM Frequency Modulation A type of radio signal received by most car stereos. FM is a sky-wave propagation, which is mainly subject to line-of-sight signals.
FWD Front Wheel Drive Refers the the vehicle's primary drive wheels being the front. Most small cars are Front Wheel Drive.
G
     
H
     
I
IFS Independent Front Suspension This type of suspension is common in many vehicles. It refers to the front of the vehicle using double A-Arms on each side for the suspension. While an axle is still used, it is not a solid housing as seen in most 4x4 trucks.
IRS Independent Rear Suspension Similar to IFS, this system is used by some newer vehicles to increase road handling and stability. The A-Arm (sometimes called double wishbone) suspension is in the rear of the vehicle.
J
     
K
     
L
     
M
MT Manual Transmission When the vehicles uses driver inputs to control the gear used. Also called a "stick shift" vehicle.
N
     
O
OBA On Board Air A system which is used in off-road applications. A source is plumbed to provide compressed air to tools, tire inflators, or any other need for compressed air.
P
     
Q
     
R
RTI Ramp Travel Index This number or score refers to the distance one tire can travel up an inclined ramp while keeping all the other tires touching the ground. The score is calculated by taking the traveled distance up the ramp at a point directly under the tire center of rotation, and dividing that by the wheel base of the vehicle.That number is then multiplied by 1000 to and rounded to the nearest integer to give the RTI score.
RWD Rear Wheel Drive Refers the the vehicle's primary drive wheels being the rear. Most four wheel drive vehicles are RWD.
S
SAS Straight Axle Swap Refers to when a vehicle which was factory equipped with an alternate suspension systems has been removed and replaced by a straight axle out of another vehicle. Usually, these are custom fabrications with only a few kits in existence for certain vehicles to do this modification.
SUV Sport Utility Vehicle The market term used for most 4WD vehicles. Though modern trends has leaned more toward the cross-over vehicles, SUV is still an common term used by marketing research, insurance, and the industry to define a very broad range of vehicles.
T
     
U
     
V
     
W
     
X
     
Y
     
Z
     

For a more complete listing of automotive abbreviations and terms, check out http://www.motorera.com/dictionary/index.htm

 

 
 

 

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