Automotive Industries Unit 3

1 Match the diagrams with the descriptions of maximum dimensions.

A
3 B C

1.2 m point of articulation rear overhang line

12.3 m maximum
9.5 m maximum
1.9m radius
point of
articulation
rear overhang line

D E F

load

4.6 m 5m
drawbar
150 mm 150 mm
length
2.5 m 4.9 m
25 m

1 The distance from the point of articulation at the front of a semitrailer to the furthest projection must
be inside a radius of 1.9 m.
2 The distance between the coupling pivot point on the drawbar of a dog trailer, and the centre of the
front single axle of the trailer, must not be over 5 m.
3 A load on a vehicle must not project more than 1.2 m in front of a vehicle.
4 The distance from the point of articulation at the front of the trailer to a) the rear overhang line must J7276
not be over 9.5 m, and to b) the rear of the trailer must not be over 12.3 m. PEARSON Technical English
Automotive Industries
5 On a trailer carrying cars on more than one deck, the distance between the rear overhang lineaw_03_01
and
the rear of the rearmost car on the trailer must not exceed 4.9 m. A vehicle that is built to carry cars on
two or more decks must not be over 4.6 m high when laden.
6 A vehicle must not be more than 2.5 m wide. A load on a vehicle must not project more than 150 mm
from the outermost part of either side of the vehicle.

2 Check the survey summary about owner satisfaction. Which of the three SuperMini cars has the
best owners’ comments?

Winton Seden Ransom

Performance Petrol – poor; Diesel – good Excellent Petrol – acceptable; Diesel – good
Fuel Acceptable Good Poor
economy
Ride comfort Good Good Poor
Build quality Good Excellent Poor
Front/Rear Acceptable Excellent Poor
space
Reliability Acceptable Excellent Acceptable
Noise Petrol – good; Diesel – poor Excellent Petrol – poor; Diesel – acceptable

© Pearson Longman 2008 www.pearsonlongman.com/technicalenglish

 Automotive Industries Unit 3

3 Complete the dialogue about the cars in 2 using the words in brackets.
A: I’m thinking of buying a Ransom because it’s (1 cheap) the cheapest car of these three.
B: Don’t! It’s (2 bad) of the three cars! Its petrol engine is (3 noisy) of
the three. It has the (4 little) space in the front and the rear. And it’s much
(5 comfortable) to drive than the other two.
A: But I drove a Ransom a few days ago, one with a petrol engine. Its performance is (6 good)
than the Winton’s.
B: But it’s still not very fast and it’s (7 economical) than the Seden. Have a look at
the Seden. I think it’s (8 good) SuperMini on the market. It’s got the (9 much)
space in the front and rear seats. The build quality is (10 high) than
the other ones. And the owners in the survey say it’s (11 reliable) of the three.
A: I’ve never driven a Seden.
B: Then book a test drive! I think you’ll find the ride (12 comfortable) than in the
Ransom. And it’s not much (13 expensive) .

4 Read the article and underline the correct words.

Petrol engines versus diesel engines

Diesel engines have (1) longer/higher cylinder pressures than petrol engines. For this reason, the components of
diesel engines have to be (2) heavier/higher and stronger. The cylinder block is usually made of cast iron, which is
(3) greater/stronger than aluminium. It is strong enough to withstand the forces generated by the pistons, crankshaft
and other reciprocating components of the diesel engine. Diesel engine pistons are also (4) higher/longer than
petrol engine pistons because the top of the cylinder (where the fuel burns) needs to be bigger.
Compared with a petrol engine of the same capacity, a diesel engine has several advantages:
1 The fuel economy is (5) greater/longer. This results from a compression ratio that is (6) heavier/higher in diesel
engines than in petrol engines. This means that there is an improvement in fuel efficiency of approximately 30%.
2 There is a reduced risk of fire. Because diesel oil is (7) lower/heavier at room temperatures, it burns less easily. In
an accident, a spillage of diesel fuel is less likely to cause a fire than a spillage of petrol.
However, there are some disadvantages with diesel engines.
1 The cost of manufacture is (8) higher/stronger. This is partly because the fuel injection system is
(9) more expensive / higher. In addition, the engine block is (10) greater/heavier and more expensive too.
2 The maximum torque and power output are lower than for a petrol engine. Therefore, vehicles with petrol engines
usually have (11) longer/greater acceleration than vehicles with diesel engines of a similar size.
3 Diesel engines have a lower power:weight ratio. A heavier diesel engine produces (12) lower/less power, while a
lighter petrol engine produces (13) more/higher power.
4 The diesel engine is (14) noisier/more expensive, both inside and outside the vehicle.

5 Read the text in 4 again. Mark these sentences true (T) or false (F).
1 A petrol engine is lighter than a diesel engine of the same size.
2 A petrol engine runs further on a litre of fuel than a diesel engine of the same size.
3 Petrol burns more easily than diesel oil.
4 It is more expensive to manufacture a petrol engine than a diesel engine.
5 A petrol engine produces more power than a diesel engine of the same size.
6 Heavier engines produce more power than lighter engines.

© Pearson Longman 2008 www.pearsonlongman.com/technicalenglish

 Automotive Industries Unit 3

Word List
6 Write the meanings of these words and phrases in your own language.
NOUNS NOUN PHRASES

articulation build quality

drawbar cast iron

performance compression ratio

radius coupling pivot point

projection cylinder block

reliability dog trailer

semitrailer fuel economy

spillage fuel efficiency

torque fuel injection system

ADJECTIVES power output

comfortable power:weight ratio

economical rear overhang line

laden ride comfort

reliable room temperature

SUPERLATIVES VERBS

furthest generate

outermost project

rearmost

© Pearson Longman 2008 www.pearsonlongman.com/technicalenglish