Car Glossary India - Index L

Laminated glass is made by sealing a tough layer of plastic (a laminate) between two panes. They are widely used in windscreens and side windows for safety purpose as they can withstand most forceful attack unlike standard glass.

A lateral link is a suspension link that is aligned to resist sideways motions in a wheel. It is mounted to the chassis behind the wheel.

A long, flat, thin, flexible piece of spring made of steel or various composite materials that deflects by bending when forces act upon it. Leaf springs are used primarily in suspensions.

A vertical force directed upward, produced by the air flow around a moving object, such as a car body.

This is a handling and gear-shifting characteristic that causes the rear tyres of a vehicle to lose some of its cornering grip when the throttle is released during hard cornering.

A limited slip differential (LSD) is a modified kind of differential gear arrangement that tolerates some difference in rotational velocity of the output shafts, but does not allow the difference in speed to increase beyond a pre-determined limit. Limited slip ensures that some torque is always distributed to both wheels, even when one is on very slippery pavement.

Link is a suspension member that has a single joint at each end.

A rigid axle incorporating a differential and axle shafts to power the two wheels when they are on the verge of lock-up, so that the car’s stopping distance reduces and the front and rear tyres approach lock-up simultaneously. This is very hard to achieve under varying conditions of load and traction, so one end typically locks up before the other. Front-wheel lockup is inherently more stable than rear-wheel lock up.

A lockup differential is a differential where the two outputs can be locked together. This eliminates any differential action, but maximizes traction under slippery conditions.

A torque converter fitted with a lock-up clutch that can be engaged to eliminate the slip between the torque converter’s input and output.

When the seat belt applies a large restraining force on driver/passenger during a collision, load limiters respond and loosen the belt a little bit to compensate for the force. The load that the belt applies on the occupant is kept below a limit, above which the risk of injury would be higher.

The child restraint (CR) anchorage system in a vehicle is commonly referred to as the LATCH system for "Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children". It is designed for more practicable CR installation in the vehicle.