Your A to Z of motoring gobbledygook
Load Rating
This is shown on the sidewall of the tyre to indicate the maximum load the tyre is designed to bear.
Logbook
The V5C registration form which identifies details of the car and the person recorded as its registered keeper by the DVLA in Swansea. When you sell a car, you and the buyer are both required to inform Swansea of the change of ownership.
Low-profile tyres
Tyres with shallow sidewalls, fitted to high-performance or sporty cars. Typically, an average family car will have 65-profile tyres, which means the sidewall height is 65% of the tread width. Performance cars can be found running on 50-, 45- and even 35-profile tyres.
Low-ratio gearbox
A secondary gearbox that takes drive from the normal gearbox and lowers the gear ratios so the road wheels turn more slowly than in normal use. This allows for greater traction when climbing very steep terrain or driving off-road.
LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)
This is an alternative to petrol and diesel, but is usually used in conjunction with petrol in bi-fuel cars. The LPG is housed in a separate tank in the boot and the driver is able to switch between the two sets of injectors (one for petrol, one for gas) on the move using a dash-mounted switch. LPG gives worse economy than petrol or diesel, but pollutes less and costs much less, so it is a cheap option.
