When you are sooming around, four things greatly impact your safety, your tires. And, unless you are lucky enough to live in the tropics, it's pretty likely that the seasons change where you're driving, bringing with them a shift in driving conditions. By purchasing a good set of all season tires you can avoid accidents and even save your own life! Good all season tires kept in good repair will keep your car hugging those curves and stopping on a dime, so it is of utmost importance that you acquire a set and maintain them properly.
To maintain your tires properly, you need to do more. Tire maintenance requires more than this of you, but nothing that is too strenuous once you understand what needs to be done. Keep rotating your tires, so to avoid uneven wearing out of the tire. You should also drive in a way that does not damage your tires. This means go easy with turns, avoid dirt road and do not go up the curbs. Skidding to a stop suddenly and turning too quickly is not too good for your tire.
You must also bring your car for regular maintenance. I can commiserate with care enthusiasts who would love to do everything themselves, including changing the tire themselves. Before getting started as a mechanic, I was just such an automobile do-it-yourselfer, and never went to a garage for anything that I didn't think was completely necessary.
You should not attempt the installation yourself. It requires an expert to change the tires properly. This is because of the precision adjustments that are involved. They must be securely installed for it to work properly. This means that they tires are balanced, and you cannot ensure this without having specialized equipment.
Also, your tires will wear unevenly and have a much shorter lifespan, because more wear will be concentrated on less area. You will spend more money in the end as compared to getting the professional.
December 28th, 2008
The water powered car on Fox News
This public patent for making a car that runs strictly on water is said to work. Some companies from Japan say they will be able to build a car running on water only, but their technology is highly controversial among US experts. A man in 1935 actually demonstrated running a car on water for a crowd of people that has been historically noted and we all know that hydrogen is a legitimate source of energy.
Does this really work? Why not. There are plenty of people out there who are using these inventions as well as the kits that convert a car to being a hybrid that are getting results. It depends on the car and how you install the components. It may take some time before you get the right temperature or the voltage, but this should be a project that can be done on an older car that is not the family car and is not necessary to get you back and forth to work.
This is not really free energy since you have to pay for the use of the water. It is normal to reach up to 50 miles with just one gallon of water - however with some minor adjustment the milage can be increased substantially. The system consists of creating your own electrical power base and using it to create fuel, which is HHO. The fuel is then injected into the carburettor or injector pump and allows the car to run. This does not really sound scientific. The process of water fuel conversion is actually pretty simple.
It is safer than using any other fuels that are on the market today and is definitely safer for the environment. You will also be helping the environment when you create a water powered car. This car, instead of burning gasoline emissions into the air, will burn H2O. Actually, it will be making the air cleaner instead of polluting the air.
Often the objection is that tis technology is nothing more than steam energy. But you are not using very high pressure or temperature to get the steam that a steam engine used. In a water operated car steam is just the byproduct of the process - not the main energy factor. It is not a steam engine.
If you want to know how you can use this technology at home without spending a fortune read one the available reviews of water fuel cell kits online. There are many options available today.
December 14th, 2008
Need to buy a used auto online, but are unsure of how to get started? The Internet is a big place, and has numerous resources for used car buyers, but you need to know where to look to find the best deals.
First of all, you can find used car listings on your local newspapers website. These are nice, because they are all typically sellers in your local area which makes it easy to stop by and take a test drive, which is critical for getting the best possible deal on a used car.
Stepping out a little more, you can check online classifieds sites, such as Craigslist, which will expose you to a broad range of sellers, many of whom will be near you, though not to quite the same extent as a news paper might. These sites can be gold mines, though, so be sure to give them a look.
If you’re looking to broaden your scope further, try sites like eBay Motors, which brings sellers from all over the country into one convenient location. These listings are both auction format and fixed price, so you have multiple buying options. These sellers will be located all over the country, but you can search for listings that are in your area. What's more, eBay offers some basic protection for its buyers, which helps prevent major rip-offs. Something worth investigating, for sure.
If you’re looking at a very specific model of used car, try search on car enthusiast forums. For instance, if you want to buy an early 90s Nissan Z car, then check out some Z car forums to find some sellers. Buying from these sorts of sellers can be great, because they are often very knowledgeable and passionate about the cars. You will be able to get a really good idea as to the condition of the car if you go with a seller like this.
There are many other places to find used cars online. As it turns out, many sites offer car listings. However, the places I’ve listed above have the highest amount of listings, and are thus the most “bang for your buck” locations for buying a used car online.
As always, be careful when shopping online. Don’t throw away your common sense, and make sure that you’re getting a good car at a fair price. If you do your research, check multiple sources for pricing, and check the car over thoroughly for buying, you can certainly buy used cars online and get great deals for it.
November 29th, 2008
Hybrid sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are high performance vehicles that are compatible to using two distinct sources of power- the gasoline engine and the electric motor. This provides a fuel efficient source of power.
The ‘milder’ hybrids are dependent primarily on the gas engine. They use a small electric motor/ generator to supplement this. There are also ‘strong’ hybrids in which the electric motor is given a larger role enabling it to propel the car on its own at low speeds.
Hybrid SUV Models
Toyota and Lexus are providers of hybrid SUVs. Honda provides the mild hybrids. These are the ones that rely mainly on the gas engine while using a small electric motor or generator to supplement it. Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid are examples of strong hybrids which have a larger role ascribed for the electric motor.
Features and Functionalities of Hybrid SUVs
The pathway of energy for the Hybrid SUVs can vary to wide extents. This depends upon various conditions and demands of the driver. Usually it is the electric motor that provides most of the momentum while driving at lower speeds despite the engine revving. The excessive power from the engine is absorbed by the smaller motor or generator and then routed back to the main motor to be used either for providing the energy to move the car or for charging the battery pack.
A simple system is involved in the Hybrid SUV setup. No rotating belt is there as in case of conventional Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). There are simply two electric motors and a gas engine that is permanently linked together using a planetary gear set. The driver can perceive nothing but only a smooth flow of power in spite of the fact that there is a lot of variation in the different modes.
There is a third electric motor or generator in case of the RX400h and Highlander Hybrid 4WD-i – two models of Hybrid SUVs. It is worth noting that the front-wheel-drive Highlanders do not have this motor. These Hybrid SUV models have none of the typical elements present in an all-wheel-drive system, namely, individual drive shafts connecting the front and rear axles and a center differential varying the power split. The independent third electric motor or generator rated for 68 hp and 96 lb-ft of torque is instead built into a rear transaxle. It is only in times of need like during hard acceleration or starting on a slippery surface that the rear electric motor comes into play. While moving under force of gravity (coasting) and braking, this rear electric motor acts as a generator. In other circumstances the two models work as front drive SUVs.
October 19th, 2008
The hybrid car market has built upon us slowly but steadily over the last decade ago. If you can remember back that far you’ll recall that gas was hovering around a dollar a gallon and we were in an economic boom, right on the edge of the dotcom bubble and the economic reality of the new millennium.
The last half decade or so has brought a few other realities as well, the most prevalent being the truth in global warming. The social effects are just now starting to be seen, right alongside the commercial effects. The evolution of the automobile has sidled right up to the plate as the next major development. For those interested in helping out by owning one of the new generation of the car, your choices were limited for a long time, but with each passing year a whole new slew of options open up as car companies hop onto the bandwagon, realizing that there is in fact money to be made in this market.
Until Ford finally announced their Escape model recently, the market has been dominated by Japanese automakers, and even now as more American companies get involved, they have nearly a ten year head start in the market.
Toyota Prius – The most popular and oldest of all hybrid models, the Prius is one of the cheapest models available as well as the most efficient with nearly 60 mpg. There is a downside to being the most popular however – a waiting list of two to nine months.
Honda Insight – Honda’s new entry, the Insight is a straight up competitor to the Prius, with a slightly lower price point and slightly higher mpg. It doesn’t have the establishment of brand name like Toyota hybrids, but the success of Civic and Accord hybrids in Honda’s line places them in a better position than any other car company to take Toyota on.
Ford Escape – The Escape Hybrid is the first time an American car company has offered a hybrid vehicle to the public. Their first entry is an attempt to pacify both markets at the same time, offering a more expensive SUV hybrid that gets significantly better mileage than most SUVs on the market, but still fails to come anywhere near the Toyota or Honda mileage standards.
Lexus and Toyota have offered their own entries into the SUV hybrid arena, with the Lexus RX 400h and Toyota Highlander respectively. The popularity of the SUV being what it is, the price point is rendered partially if not entirely mute, as those on the cusp of buying an SUV because of gas mileage might reconsider when these options are presented.
With upwards of 10 new models supposedly being unveiled later this year, the list of hybrid cars available to the public is growing rapidly, finally catching up to the demand that Toyota and their over-stuffed order forms can attest to. What remains to be seen now is if the kind of technology race that this market needs is coming right behind.
October 16th, 2008
Want to take a race with wind! Not a bad idea at all; only you need to have the right sports car to give you company. Cars are the most passionate possessions in the boy’s toy’s list especially when it comes to throwing challenge to the wind. So how do you find your dream sports car that gives you the height of joy at the top speed, yet comes for an affordable price? Well, here are a few useful tips to find out your sports car without burning a hole in your pocket.
Begin with the used cars
The most practical way of buying your car for most affordable price is to go for a used sports car. You can look for the classic sports cars like Fiat or Triumph, which can be restored back to their old glory for little price. These pre owned cars will help you to save on your sports car budget without cutting down on your adrenaline rush at the time of wild driving of a sports car. Owning and driving sports car become really enjoyable when you know where to find the most lucrative deals. There are two surefire ways of finding your dream sports car at an affordable price.
Online auction
Ask around and most of the auto enthusiasts will let you know that the best place for finding your dream sports car is the internet auto auctions. If you really want to strike it big, then take a virtual journey through the online auction of eBay Motors— the largest online auction in the world. The vast range of comparison that you can experience here is really amazing. But the best thing about eBay Motors is: you can strike gold here by taking the advantage of some real good bargains.
However you should take notice of some important areas like shipment and model number before entering into any sort of commitment.
Deals through friendly car mechanic
One way of grabbing a great bargain is forging a rapport with your local car mechanic. He is the best person to supply you with valuable information about fabulous deals at an unbelievable bargain. Informing beforehand your mechanic about the sports car you are looking for will definitely help you to come across the sports car of your dream. The mechanic is a person to rely on so far as buying a used car is concerned because the mechanic has worked on the car and he knows the exact condition of the car.
Sometimes the car owners fail to foot the bill of the car repairing and in that case the mechanic gets back his money by putting the car for sale. This situation can offer you a particularly lucrative deal as it allows for great bargains.
In case you do not happen to find the sports car of your dream in pre owned market, keep an eye on the advertisements put up by the car dealers; sometimes car dealers offer big rebates and huge discounts that make for a really lucrative deal. Grab these offers to become the proud owner of a brand new sports car that won’t make you break the bank.
October 13th, 2008
The auto industry has been abuzz about the developments and introduction of new technologies for as long as it’s been around. The big new of this decade is the introduction of the Hybrid car. It’s not quite the electric machine everyone thought we’d be driving by now, but it’s halfway there and it’s a good solid step in that direction. But what exactly goes on under that slick new hood that makes these cars so special?
The science is a bit stuffy, but the basics are simple enough. It’s not even new technology necessarily. Buses and trains have been running with the help of electricity for years, but now it’s a consumer product, something you and I can go out and pick up from the car lot and drive around town.
Electric cars have a lot of drawbacks. They’re hard to maintain, harder to charge up, and don’t go nearly as far as you’d like, and we all know the drawbacks of the gasoline powered machines we drive around now. The mixture of the two is an attempt to cut back on car emissions and gas mileage while not falling victim to the pitfalls of electric cars.
Basically, with hybrid cars you’re bypassing the negatives of both sides. You still run your car on gasoline, but now it takes half as much and instead of the gasoline powering your car directly, it powers the batteries and generator that do most of the actual work.
If you brake or release the accelerator, the generator takes and stores energy from the motion in the car’s motor, putting it back in the batteries and recycling it into the all powerful energy that will propel your car forward. It sounds complicated but it’s really a matter of inserting a middle man between gasoline and your car that doesn’t pollute or deplete as you use it.
The fact that you’re still using gasoline is a necessity at this point as it would take a 1000 pound battery to emit as much energy as 1 gallon of gasoline. Gasoline is still an amazing formula capable of storing vast amounts of energy. Until a suitable alternative can be found and refined to the degree needed to operate a motor vehicle in our high powered, quick moving world, the hybrid is the scientific equivalent of a godsend. Our only other alternative is walking, or to start breaking the laws of physics.
October 8th, 2008
It’s been ten years since Toyota introduced their first hybrid car, the Prius, to the market for energy and pollution conscious consumers. The model has seen significant success and maintains a steady waiting list for this interested in owning one. The market is booming and yet where is the competition? Honda hopped on with hybrid models of their popular Civic and Accord models, and Nissan is looking to edge their way in as their market share grows world-wide, but the original developers of the automobile, the American Auto Manufacturers, with the exception of a product line equivalent to sticking their toe in the water, have remained rather silent on the issue.
It looks like 2007 will be a step in the right direction though as 10 new hybrid models will release this year alone, six of those from Detroit’s big three automakers. Ford, Mercury, and Saturn each have their single entry in the field. As it stands though the full support and development budgets that the technology really needs to take off have yet to appear.
So, as GM, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler rev up their sales and attempt to take on a Japanese market with a decade’s head start, what can we look forward to in our hybrid vehicles?
The answer is exciting when you stop to think about the amount of development money and time that could really go into the market if these companies realize that there’s money to be made. When the consumers react and a dozen or more different brands hit the market in competition, the need to step up and offer bigger, better models to stay ahead of the curve will breed the kind of technology race that the auto industry hasn’t seen since the 1970s.
Recent reports released by the UN and the global scientific community state that with CO2 output as it currently stands, worldwide temperatures will rise by nearly 6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. There are still hold outs on the consensus that technologies such as the automobile are causing harm to our planet, but as more and more come to the realization that this is a reality, the corporations will react accordingly. And if the government takes the steps to curb emissions and raise CAFE standards, it’s entirely likely that the industry might start to shift much of their focus to the hybrid car market in an attempt to curb the inevitable downturn in their profits.
October 6th, 2008