Essential Car Care

Image Source: www.importcarsfromjapan.blogspot.com
Yes Indeed. When people buy cars, one significant factor to think is safety. By that, we mean car features that can guarantee safety or at least minimize injuries during accidents and other road disasters.

MSNAutos.com reports that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a research and communications organization funded by auto insurers has come up with a list of safety picks for 2008 to conduct car shoppers in getting the safest vehicles possible. The safety picks were chosen from among the various car segments: small cars, minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks. The crash assessments were made in the front, rear and side of the cars and measurements were done on the intrusion into the passenger compartment, the injury on dummies, and the control of restraint systems.

Fourteen Japanese cars have completed it to the list such as Honda Accord, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Impreza, Honda Odyssey, Acura MDX, among others. Way to go, Japanese cars!

There have been recent studies that have shown that Nitrogen gas for use in inflating your car’s tires makes them last longer. Well, there might be a good scientific backing for this for many of the new muscle cars that are coming out onto the market have them in their tires.

Nitrogen being an inert gas that prevents the problems associated with regular compressed air which contains a sizeable amount of moisture that causes corrosion in aluminum and steel wheel rims. Oxygen causes oxidation which can eventually weaken wheels whatever type they may be. Nitrogen is also cooler than regular air which can translate to better mileage which may be needed due to ever increasing gas prices. As it turns out, the tires on your car looses air even if it does not have a puncture which translates to 2 psi per month compared to 6 months for nitrogen gas.

Nitrogen also causes less problems with your car’s wheel valves making them last a tad longer than usual. Wheel valves should be replaced everytime you have your tire changed to ensure they are at par with the wheel. They might be slowly leaking air which if added to the leak in the rubber tire can get you in an odd spot when you least expect it.

Also, it would be a good idea to make it a ritual to have the tire pressure checked everytime you fill up to ensure your wheels are running as designed. Uneven wear, cupping and other wheel maladies should be taken seriously for they are indicative signs of other problems such as in the suspension. Low tire pressure leads to poor mileage (it also heats up the wheels excessively even causing failure). If you have experienced having to run on a flat tire due to an emergency or unexpected flat the tire would surely be a goner for the plies of the tire tends to separate on the sidewalls for they are not designed to come in contact with the surface of the road. Till next time, keep safe on the road and off guys. Drive safely.

Thanks to Marcel for this Interesting post on StudyDriving : Nitrogen For Your Wheels

Good news for mums in Pennsylvania! Cloister Wash & Lube will treat mothers to a free carwash on May 11 in honor of Mother’s Day. All four Cloister locations in Ephrata, York, Lancaster and Sinking Spring will participate.

“I feel it’s very important to say a special thanks to our mothers for all they do”� said Mike Mountz, president of Cloister Wash & Lube. “Treating mothers to a free carwash allows us to take care of them for a day. It is a way to show our appreciation for mothers within our community. Now, that’s a nice gift for mom and her car as well.

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The Ford Shelby GT500 is really different and not only because of its 500 horsepower. It’s extra subtle in appearance with a Cobra badging, has bland SVT-styled wheels, a bulging hood and a wide grille with angled-frame opening. Such is how a killer horsepower looks like and doesn’t resemble any of the other Mustangs.

No non-functioning extras or gimmicks in this baby. Do check-out the aero-lip surround at the front fascia and the span of diffusers at the rear end-all of which add down force for stability at high speed.

The GT500 went on sale June last year with MSRPs of $47,750, but dealers are selling cars online for $60,000 and more.

Was it worth it?

Fire it up and there’s a slight scream of the supercharger.� The clutch is all-business for transferring 480 foot-pounds of torque to the rear wheels. Then slip it into gear and the close-ratio shifter communicates, truly “�grace under pressure”.

A showcase of performance engineering, much less harshness vibrating through the suspension, the GT500 seems more calculated than the Shelby GT, but still with the same pedigree handling. The three-link solid axle acts like that of an independent rear end. And has a calming force that makes the car feel more planted under power than stock Mustang GTs.

The signature color of Vista Blue with silver stripes of the 2008 model expresses the fun of this tough ride.

Active safety features include Antilock Brake System Electronic Brake Force Distribution and Brake Assist, combined with the 15-inch front and rear disk brakes for better braking response.
Passive safety features include standard Toyota Global Outstanding Assessment (GOA) body structure, dual SRS airbags (for V-grade), and Whilpash Injury Lessening (WIL) Concept front seats.
The 2008 Corolla Altis will be available in the 26 Toyota dealerships by March. And in its 42-year history, the Corolla has been the sedan of choice for 32 million owners in over 140 countries. In the Philippines, the Corolla was one of Toyota’s first models to be sold.� It has become one of the country’s biggest-selling vehicles, with over 170,000 units sold since 1989.� The Corolla is manufactured in 16 countries.

The 2008 Altis has a two-level glove box, drink holders for both front and rear passengers, and as much as 21 separate storage compartments placed all throughout the cabin. Trunk spaces guarantee the storage of as much as four golf bags, which can be maximized further if 60:40 slit rear seats are folded completely.

The 4-cylinder, in-line 16 valve DOHC VVT-I engine offers maximum output of 132 ps/6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 170Nm/4,200 rpm for the 1.8 variant while the 1.6 liter variant offers maximum output of 109 ps/6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 145Nm/4,400 rpm.

MacPherson Strut Type front suspension and rear torsion beams are implemented for better handling stability and driving comfort. Sporty 10-spoke 16-inh alloy wheel design is available firtge V-grade while 7-spoke 15-inch alloy wheels are available for the G and E grades.

The new full-model change Altis starts with 15-inch rims, starting with the 16-inch rims for the high grade. The current entry level and midgrade variants have 14- and 15-inch rims, respectively, for the high grade.
The new Altis has three grades, two engines and five variants: the high-end V grade in 1.8 and 1.6 liter automatic transmission, the G grade at 1.6 liter automatic and manual transmissions, and the entry level E grade at 1.6 liter manual transmission. Color options are gray metallic, medium silver metallic, silver metallic, beige metallic, black mica and super white. It features an 8-way power seats that can be adjusted down to the millimeter, combined with the tilt and telescopic steering. It has steering switches for control for the audio system and multi-information display (MID). The MID shows current and average fuel consumption , cruising range, average speed, elapsed time and fuel unit changeover. The MID of the V-grade has a DOT matrix feature for standard reminders.

With Over 30 million satisfied Altis owners worldwide have proven that their car is indeed a revolution in evolution. It’s now sportier and roomier too.

The 2008 Altis has now new overall dimensions: length of 4,540mm (from 4,530), width of 1,760mm (from 1,705), and height of 1,465mm (from 1,480). With these newly reduced external dimensions it made the interiors more spacious that means more headroom both in front and at the rear.

The 2008 Altis is now equipped with electric power steering from the previous models of equipped with hydraulic steering, making sharp turns on narrow roads a whole lot easier, and automatic transmissions models come with super electronic controlled transmission, programmed to utilize the best gear in relation to road conditions, also automatic models have multi-mode transmission (sequential transmission) with 4-speed gate-type automatic transmission (the multi-mode sequential) is available in 1.8 V-grade.

Concerns such as fuel price hike and global warming make the emergence of small cars a big hit. The biggest phenomenon of the small cars hasn’t come out yet but it’s sure to make waves in the market of micro cars – the Nano.

The Nano is a car with the price of a laptop computer and will surely allow a huge percent of commuters to own a four-wheel transportation, creating tremendous mobility for the masses. However, the Nano and other micro cars are foreseeing the consequence. With the expected boom in automobile ownership, there would be greater traffic congestion, higher risk of global warming, and more demand for highway facilities and oil. With the release of the Nano in the market, the rest of the world will soon buy cars the same rate as America alone does – a global traffic jam is sure to take place.

 “The Nano will put the Third World on wheels, that will have far-
reaching implications. It’s going to affect every citizen of the
world,” says auto analyst John Wolkonowicz.

Despite the probable repercussions, consumers see the micro cars as a natural evolution. With the hype of mini mobile phones and iPods, they equate small with high tech. The mindset is now “just because it’s small, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be fantastic”.
It’s all about weighing down one’s wants, needs and priorities. If you care for the environment, remain a commuter for the rest of your life. But since you might not get to beat them, might as well join them.

Spark plugs are nothing more than two wires close together so that a spark can jump between them.  One wire is encased in ceramic to insulate it from the other; the second wire, which is connected to a ground.  The function of the spark plug is to introduce the ignition energy into the engine’s combustion chamber and to initiate combustion of the compressed air-fuel mixture.  It accomplishes this task by generating a spark between its electrodes, which then generates the required heat to ignite a smooth burn of the air/fuel mixture.  The spark plug is an important factor in determining optimal performance and reliable functioning of an engine.  It plays a major role in fuel economy, in achieving a clean and efficient combustion, and the reliable operation of engines and catalytic converters.  When they are worn out, your engine will misfire, be difficult to start, waste gasoline and degrade the performance which was designed into it.

During operation, the spark plug is subjected to both wear and to fouling and should be replaced at regular intervals.  In the course of its service life, the spark plug undergoes changes that increase the required ignition voltage.  When the required voltage reaches a level that can no longer be compensated for by the voltage reserve, the result is misfiring.  These changes can be caused by:

•    Electrode wear
•    Engine wear
•    Abnormal operating conditions (pre-ignition, detonation, high oil consumption)

It is therefore very important to regularly check the condition of the spark plugs.  As part of normal maintenance, spark plugs should be checked, removed, cleaned, re-gapped and re-installed every 5000 to 6000 miles to maintain proper performance.  This interval varies according to your driving habits and type of car.

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