My favourite:
Egyptian brake pedal (the horn). Why Egyptian I don't know.
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Not been to Cairo then? :+)
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Most cars spend much of their time, when in actual use and not stood on the drive etc, being driven comparativly slowly and for short distances. the result is that the engine, oil, exhaust etc never get up to a high temperature. This leads to condensation in the crankcase and exhaust which never really clears properly. The inlet and exhaust valves tend to get deposits of soft carbon etc build up on them. Altogether, the engine starts to lose efficiency and performance, and the oil to build up impurities.
One of the best ways to help reduce this is to occaisionally give the car a good run, at high speed, making the engine do what it was designed to, produce power, and rev. This treatment gets the engine and its systems hot which clears the loose carbon, condensation etc.
If you intend to try this, find a SAFE place to do it, double check it is SAFE and give the engine an Italian tune up.
It does work, but, I stress again, check that the road(s) where you are going to try it are SAFE, don't endanger anyone!
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Couldn't you achieve the same thing just driving along the motorway in 2nd gear?
I don't bother with the "Italian Tuneup" any more because my driving takes me 10 miles along the Leeds ring road, 30 miles along the M62, and then 5 miles through Rochdale's streets at the end.
So it gets a chance to warm up, run fast, and cool down. The hardest I drive it is holding second gear occasionally when I want to join the motorway slightly faster than usual.
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i guess i give my car an italian tune , evry day at about 6pm on the way home :)
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You are doing 90 miles of mixed driving every day at mixed speeds and driving conditions. Some cars only do a few, schoolrun at 25mph for a few hundred yards?(it happens where I live!) The vehicle barely warms up, let alone reach operating temperatures. I travel 12 miles each way on rural roads in Gloucestershire, sometimes behind a queue of vehicles, the drivers of which are incapable, it seems, of travelling over 35mph regardless of the conditions. They also travel so close to each other that overtaking is impossible unless there is room to take 4 or 5 cars in one go, and there isn't anywhere safe to do that. So, when the conditions are right, I travel considerably faster, it gives the car an Italian tune up, me great enjoyment, and generally cleans the system out. My speed may be illegal, but both my own and other road users safety is not compromised.
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For sound advice on this subject, it is well worth reading HJ's FAQs Numbers 3 and 4.
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I had a Volvo 440, with carburettor and cat, which failed its first MOT very badly on emmissions. I was waiting for its replacement, same type but with fuel injection etc., so I took it into the dealer and asked him to fix it. That was Saturday, and I was going to visit my sister that afternoon, so I delivered it to him on the Monday morning. He assured me, hand on heart, that it had passed the MOT with no problems, "What is the matter with you, Sir?" After reflection I realised that I had bombed up the M60 to and from for 30 miles, and had effectively done an 'Italian Tuneup' and done his job for him. DRAT!!
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my understanding is that it ia a way to clear out exhausts by driving reasonably fast in low revs
Eh? High revs actually ;-)
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These are particularly applicable to Jaguar v12s, which can run around town and never exceed 2000 rpm. After a few weeks of that they can start to be bad tempered, missing and dropping a cylinder or two. A burst of 5000 rpm in second gear can work wonders, especially before an emissions check. Good fun too, as long as BIB are not around.
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