| Timing chain or timing belt ?
Question : I am about to buy my first car.
1. Is it true buying a car with timing chain means one does not have to
worry about the chain snapping, and maintenance cost will also be reduced? Does
it make a big difference having a car equipped with timing chain instead of
timing belt?
2. 1 heard that a car equipped with all-round disc brakes gives more
security and safety in terms of stopping power and braking. Does having
disc/drums brakes set-up really "dampen" the car's stopping power? I prefer a
car with an all- round disc brake set-up, but most of the cars today are with
disc/drums installed (apart from the up-market ones).
Answer :
1. I agree that timing chains hardly ever snap but through use, they wear and
the sprockets also wear, resulting in changes to the valve timing and loss of
power. Also, chains are noisy and so require more maintenance than cogged belts.
Cogged belts are quiet and hardly ever wear if properly adjusted. The only minus
point about cogged belts is that they can snap, with disastrous consequences.
Therefore if the cogged belt is replaced regularly as advised by the engine
manufacturer, one can be sure of a quieter engine and consistent valve timing.
2. If one is driving a 500cc shopping car that weighs 300kg, even drums all
round are good enough. The brakes set-up in a particular model of car is decided
at the design stage based on certain parameters such as usage, weight of
vehicle, maxi- mum top speed, etc., and if the car is an economy car with low
requirements then a disc/drum set-up may be good enough to do the job. However
if that same car is modified for competition purposes and is going to be driven
much harder, then an all round disc set-up may have to be grafted on as the
original set-up is not designed for that application. So, it all depends on what
you want to do with the car, and not how the car looks or impresses others.
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