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| M+S Rating |
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A tire rating which indicates a tire designed to perform well in mud and snow.
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| Macpherson Strut |
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A combined damper(shock absorber) and spring unit. MacPherson struts are used in most front-wheel drive vehicles for compact packaging. MacPherson struts also allow relatively long springs that can increase suspension travel and increase bump absorption capability.
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| Magnaflux |
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Short for 'magnetic particle inspection'. A procedure for checking all ferrous (steel) parts - suspension pieces, connecting rods, cylinder heads, etc. - for cracks and other defects utilizing a solution of metal particles and fluorescent dye and a black light. Surface cracks will appear as red lines.
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| Make |
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The manufacturer of the vehicle (BMW, Chrysler, Honda).
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| Making Up Time |
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A driver is catching up to or gaining ground an opponent.
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| Male Joint |
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A ball inside a socket that can turn and pivot in any direction. Used to allow the suspension to travel while the driver steers the car.
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| Man in Black |
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Not Wil Smith or Tommy Lee Jones, in NASCAR it refers to Dale Earnhardt.
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| Manual Transmission |
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A mechanism in the drive train with gears to vary the power and torque delivered to the driven wheels. It consists of a lever that the driver operates in conjunction with the clutch to change from one gear to another.
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| Marbles |
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Small bits of rubber that have broken off tires during a race. They are usually found in corners and are more likely to gather on the outside of the racing line. If a car drives over the pieces, it tends to lose control, as if it were on a bunch of marbles.
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| Market Value |
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The price for which something would currently sell.
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| Master Cylinder |
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A piston-type pump that produces pressure in the brake hydraulic system.
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| Max Revs |
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Revving a car to its maximum RPM levels.
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| Mc or Mcscc |
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Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs, our racing sanctioning body.
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| Mcrcb |
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MotorCycle Racing Control Board - Motorcycle race organisers.
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| Medical Payments Coverage |
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Optional insurance that pays for medical and/or funeral expenses for the driver and passenger of a vehicle.
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| Memory Tach |
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A tachometer which records its RPM readout and can replay the readout on command.
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| Methanol |
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Technically pure methyl alcohol produced by synthesis that is used as fuel in all CART and IRL cars. It consists of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It is not a fossil fuel.
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| Michael Andretti Rule |
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CART rule instituted to limit the height and thickness of the front wings on Indy cars after several tires were slashed, whether intentionally or not.
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| Mid-Size |
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A medium size car designed to seat four to six passengers.
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| Midget |
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An open wheel car using short, tall bodies, with the engine in front of the driver, and the driver enclosed in a tall roll cage.
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| Mileage Allowance |
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The lessee's estimate of how much mileage he will drive during the lease term. If the lessee underestimates how much he drives, he will face an excess mileage charge at lease end.
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| Mileage Cap |
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In a lease transaction, the maximum number of miles the vehicle can be driven by the end of the lease. There is a per-mile penalty for exceeding this limit.
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| Mileage Charges |
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Fees assessed if lessee drives more than the contracted mileage limit.
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| Miles Per Gallon |
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Fuel economy measurement. Abbreviated as mpg. Generally, a vehicle sticker may offer mpg ratings for city driving, highway driving, and combined driving.
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| Million Dollar Bill |
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A name given Bill Elliott after his win of the Winston Million in 1985. He was the first driver to meet the required three out of four wins on the major speedways of NASCAR. Only one other driver has done this to date and that was Jeff Gordon in 1997.
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| Mini Stock |
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A general name for a class or division based on '70s or '80s compact-car models such as the Ford Pinto and Pontiac Sunbird. These are characterized by light weights and 4-cylinder engines, with the level of rules and competition being otherwise similar to a Hobby class. Sometimes called "Pony Stocks."
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| Minimum Ground Clearance |
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The distance between the ground and the lowest point of the vehicle chassis (usually the axle). A vehicle can drive over any object shorter than its minimum ground clearance.
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| Minimum Premium |
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The smallest premium that an insurance company will accept for payment on a policy.
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| Mirror Racing |
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Driving while paying an inordinate amount of attention to a car or cars behind (while paying less attention to one's own line); especially, driving so as to make it difficult for faster cars behind to pass.
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| Mis |
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Michigan International Speedway. Site of the 1996 US 500, a CART event.
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| Mock-Up |
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A full-size dummy of a car made of wood and clay, used for design studies.
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| Model |
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The style of the vehicle produced by the manufacturer (Ford Mustang, Chrysler LeBaron, Honda Civic).
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| Modifieds |
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These are open-wheel, enclosed-cockpit, front-engined cars that race mainly on ovals. Some have external framing, often known as "nerf bars", to add chassis stiffness, and to protect the front end and sides of the car.
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| Money Factor |
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The money factor is used to determine the lease rate. For all intents and purposes it is the lease equivalent of the interest rate on a conventional loan. The money factor is the current annual percentage rate divided by 24. To figure out the equivalent interest rate, multiply the money factor by 2400. The money factor usually has two zeroes after the decimal point before the rest of the number, for example 0.004133, so any differences in the figure seem very small, but translated into an interest rate they can make a great difference in the actual finance cost of a lease.
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| Monroney Sticker Price |
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The price which appears on the label showing the base price, installed options, transportation charge, and fuel economy. Required by law, it may not be removed by anyone other than the purchaser.
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| Moonroof |
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A window-type opening in the roof of the car that can open or tilt up or down. See Sunroof.
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| Morale Hazard |
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The attitude, ""It's insured; so why worry?"" Usually increases the probability of loss or damage.
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| Motoring |
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When a driver is using the race car in a prudent and wise fashion and not demanding more of the car than it can perform.
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| Moving Chicane |
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Alternative form of "rolling roadblock", used for any slow and usually clueless driver.
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| Msa |
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MotorSports Association - Organisers of FIA world championship events.
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| Mscc |
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Madison Sports Car Club
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| Msrp |
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The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. The recommended selling price for a vehicle as set by the manufacturer.
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| Muffler |
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The exhaust system device in the tailpipe that reduces engine noise. Some vehicles have more than one muffler along the tailpipe.
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| Multi-Link Suspension |
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A general term for independent suspensions that are controlled with several link arms. These links restrict undesired motion of the suspension. Multi-link suspensions provide better handling and ride control than simpler types. They are also more expensive to manufacture.
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| Multi-Port Fuel Injection |
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An electronic fuel-injection method that uses individual injectors to spray fuel directly into each intake port, bypassing the intake manifold. Also called multi-point fuel injection.
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| Multiple Security Deposits |
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A lessee may choose to pay additional security deposits (or monthly payments up-front) in exchange for a lower monthly lease payment via a reduced money factor, which reduces the monthly charges.
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