Using carbon and ceramics in braking systems offers significant advantages over other materials, but the processes involved in their manufacture are considerably lengthy and more expensive – why are they so expensive and is it worth the cost?

Perhaps an indicator to their eventual cost, the use of heat resistant carbon/ceramic based materials originated in the ever so expensive endeavour of space exploration.

Despite the efforts made to improve road safety, traffic collisions still regularly occur. The latest development in road infrastructure aims to reduce the numbers of accidents even further by evolving the tried and tested ‘cat’s eye’ into something more.

Invented in the UK in 1934, the cat’s eye has been quietly doing its job for over 80 years - the simplicity and effectiveness of its design standing the test of time and seeing it adopted around the world.

Speed merchants may not like to admit it but the ability to stop in good time far outweighs the importance of lightening quick acceleration. With that in mind, appropriate brake pads go some way towards ensuring motorists’ safety on the road.

So what are they? Put simply, the component that applies the requisite pressure and friction to brake rotors, allowing a car to stop.

Tailgating is the scourge of drivers everywhere. Indeed there is seemingly no motorist safe from those intent on getting up close and personal, whose impatience come ignorance invariably brings us bumper-to-bumper.

But aside from infuriating those on the receiving end, what effect do tailgaters have on traffic itself? A negative one, it transpires.

High end car brands place huge importance on the sound their vehicles make because of how they believe it affects potential buyers. Many have dedicated departments that spend millions on precisely tuning their cars to produce a very specific sound designed to induce the desired effect. 

A bit of a stir occurred in F1 this 2017 season with regards to teams using engine oil in ways other than prescribed. Several teams are under suspicion of using oil to supplement their fuel and gain more power as a result, and whether this was clever innovation or just being sneaky is still being debated.

To put some context behind this, fuel in F1 is heavily regulated.  You are strictly limited to 105kgs, and additives are restricted to tiny amounts - leaving the fuel used in F1 engines very similar to that of ordinary road cars.

Diesel fuelled new cars sales have had a tough time this year. After the negative press surrounding their impact on the environment and the tax penalties suffered because of it, sales in the UK have dropped sharply.

December has seen new diesel car sales drop by 31% on the year, following a similar drop in November (-30%) and October (-21%)  – contributing to a 17% fall in annual diesel fuel car sales compared with 2016.

Gender gaps in employment sectors are still very much a reality for more industries than modern society would like to admit. Industries ranging from Fashion to Science to IT have all seen their work forces skewed one way or the other and have, or are working towards, overcoming the issue of a gender biased workforce.