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In & Out: The 1999 Honda Accord
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| Inside+Out: The 1999 Honda Accord |
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| Updated |
Mar 17, 2005 19:41:50 |
| Rating |
 48 ( -6 -12.5% ) |
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Description:
performance features
The radiator with two jobs – If you’ve ever peered and prodded under the hood of your new Accord, you may have noticed that the radiator can actually move around a bit on its mountings. No, this car doesn’t have a screw loose. Far from it. Rather, the radiator can act as a "harmonic damper" that helps to cancel out engine noise.
By vibrating slightly, the radiator counteracts some of the vibrations that come from the engine. So not only does the radiator keep the engine cool, but it also helps to keep it quiet and smooth. Now that’s engineering for you.
Why Does It Do That?
The jumping brake pedal – If your Accord is equipped with anti-lock brakes (ABS), you may notice that in a hard stop, or when stopping on wet, snowy or icy pavement, the brake pedal thumps under your foot. You might also notice a moaning sound coming from under the hood. When these two things happen in tandem, it’s a signal that the ABS is doing its job.
The thumping in the brake pedal is the ABS rapidly pumping the brakes so they don’t allow the tires to skid, and the accompanying sound is the hydraulic system rapidly applying and releasing brake pressure. All you need to do is keep your foot firmly on the pedal – the ABS will do the rest.
This sound and sensation can serve as a reminder that the road you’re traveling on is slippery, and it’s a good indication that it’s time to slow down.
An automatic transmission with a mind of its own – If you’ve noticed that your Accord automatically downshifts when you’re descending a hill, it’s nothing to be concerned about. In fact, this behavior points out a very nice feature of the car. The Accord transmission is so smart it can tell when you’re going down a steep grade. When it senses that you’re on a hill, it will automatically downshift to spare your brakes and help maintain a safe speed.
Also, if you’re climbing a steep grade, the transmission will refrain from shifting into high gear and bogging down the engine. As you may have noticed in other cars, automatic transmissions can be very indecisive when climbing hills, shifting between gears while trying to keep momentum on a grade. The Accord simply shifts into the appropriate gear for the steepness of the hill and then stays in that gear until you get to the top.
In simple terms, this transmission does exactly what an experienced driver would do with a stick shift. |
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