Lexus Cars And Automotive Reviews

The pressure plate is one of three main friction components of your clutch system. It is a cast iron plate that provides a pivot fulcrum for the diaphragm spring, a friction surface for the disc and a mounting surface for the drive straps.

In much simpler terms, the Mercedes Benz pressure plate’s main function is to apply pressure to the clutch disc for the transfer of torque to the transmission. This is a very important function since the pressure plate, when coupled with clutch disc and flywheel, makes and breaks the flow of power from the engine to the transmission.

To add further description, the Mercedes Benz pressure plate is like a spring-loaded clamp that is bolted to the flywheel. It consists of a sheet metal cover, heavy release springs, a metal pressure ring that provides a friction surface for the clutch disc, a thrust of ring fingers for the release bearing and release levers. The release levers lighten the holding force of the springs when the clutch is disengaged. Some high-performance pressure plates are “semi-centrifugal,” meaning they use small weights on the tips of the diaphragm springs to increase the clamping force as engine revolutions increase.

There are three types of pressure plates that are used today. These are the long style, the Borg & Beck, and the diaphragm. The diaphragm is said to be the best plate for street use but then again, each of these three has specific advantages.

The long pressure plate is easily identified by the three thin fingers that engage the release bearing are used to identify the long pressure plate. Under the pressure plate cover is a series of nine coil springs. This style is mainly used for drag race applications where the static load can be adjusted separately from centrifugal load.

The second style which is the Borg & Beck style is somehow similar to the Long style. In fact, it is even considered as the street version of the Long style pressure plate. It can be identified by the somewhat wider three fingers that release plate pressure by compressing the coil springs found under the pressure plate “hat.”

The diaphragm pressure plate, on the other hand, uses a single, large Bellville-style spring to load the pressure plate. This style of spring poses some advantages. First, it loads the pressure plate evenly since the pressure is equally applied to the entire plate assembly. Second, and more importantly, as the Bellville spring is compressed, it reaches a point where the pedal effort decreases when the spring over-centers therefore makes holding the clutch pedal in at a stoplight much easier than a coil spring type pressure plate.

A defective Mercedes Benz pressure plate may cause different problems. One is clutch clutter which may be attributed to damaged pressure plate release levers. Another problem is clutch slippage which can be caused by a damaged pressure plate and a dragging clutch which can be caused by damaged pressure plate-clutch drag.

Nowadays, pressure plates have constantly improved their main and primary responsibility, which is to obtain increased holding power.

It’s therefore necessary to regularly check your Mercedes Benz pressure plate to avoid problems and to replace it immediately when the need arises.

In Detroit: Lexus has unveiled two of its pride, the IS-F high performance luxury sedan and the LF-A sports-car concept at the 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

The all-new 2008 IS-F high performance luxury sedan is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine that delivers 400 horsepower. The LF-A supercar concept on the other hand is equipped with V10 engine that produces more than 500 horsepower. These two cars exemplify Lexus’ high regards for power and performance.

The IS-F and LF-A are two distinct vehicles but share the same DNA, design, heritage and philosophy. The F-designation can be considered as the prominent factor in both vehicles and first conceived nearly twenty years ago as part of an internal project under the codename “Circle-F” in which F stands for “flagship”. This was later turned into Lexus Division.

The Circle-F further evolved to code name Flagship One or F1 which produces Lexus first F1 concept vehicle– the LS. The creation of the LS signifies the beginning of Lexus’ special vehicle program which involves outside the normal engineering and developmental process.

According to Bob Carter, Lexus Division Group Vice president and General Manager, “Lexus has long been perceived as the maker of mainstream luxury vehicles, but the unveiling of the IS-F and LF-A not only changes this perception, it also introduces a new Lexus marque. The ‘F’ shared by both vehicles is the signature for a new high-performance marque conceived by an engineering team that dared to turn their dream of ‘a Lexus like no other’ into a reality.”

The LF-A sports car concept is not entirely new as a matter of fact it was first presented at the 2005 NAIAS as a means of reflecting the bold and dynamic direction in styling that the Lexus brand is heading. The objectives set for the new LF-A are not that different from the original concept which is to build a supercar that has world-class performance and at the same time is uniquely Lexus.

The styling for the new LF-A was based on the design direction called L-finesse which was also the same styling used for the original LF-A concept. But to give the new LF-A with a distinct look, Lexus has further redefined styling by means of using greater curved surfaces and unique details.

The new LF-A’s running gear is likened to that of the original concept and powered by a potent high revving 500-plus horsepower V10 engine. Its high quality Lexus parts like its rear mounted radiators, together with its front mid-engine placement and rear mounted transaxle provide excellent weight distribution. Plus, its amazing horsepower, superior aerodynamics, as well as its revised styling make sit possible for the LF-A to reach a top speed of 200mph.