13th
February
2008
The excursions induce a new spark in lives of people. They leave you with a fresh state of mind while getting back to work. An activity, which is the most common cause of fuss during a trip, is to handle the luggage. With roof racks and boxes mounted on the top of your car, you will never experience these hassles again. Placing a large part of the luggage inside the boxes or fixing your bike to roof racks, adds to the utility of your car.Sometimes, you compromise with the sitting space inside the car with placing luggage in it. You avoid using roof racks and boxes. This practice swallows a large amount of the limited space inside your car. As a result, passengers have to sit cramped within the compartment of the vehicle. Excursions are not just about reaching the destination and then enjoy the activities. In order to draw maximum pleasure from a trip, you need to enjoy the whole drive back and forth the destination.Mounting roof boxes and racks atop your car, leaves you with good space inside the car. This affects the comfort of the journey. These car accessories act as storage enhancement devices. An increased storage space of the car adds to the utility of the user. Roof racks come in many shapes and sizes according to your car type. You do not need to mount a mighty roof rack or roof box on your small sized car. Just find out an appropriate rack or box online.Nevertheless, if you are one of the mountain biking enthusiasts then roof racks are among the perfect car accessories for you. You can place your All-Terrain-Bike on the rack and leave for an ultimate mountainous expedition. Make your travel comfortable with these car accessories.
posted in Driving Tips |
13th
February
2008
If you watch or listen to the news, discussions come up all the time about the price of a barrel of oil and the cost of fuel at the gas pump. The sale of large SUV’s has plummeted and manufacturers have been giving huge rebates to manufacturers just to get rid of them. With gas prices climbing, people are seeking other ways to save on fuel such as buying small or mid-size SUV’s, smaller cars or Hybrids. When listening to the news, you may also hear about alternative fuels such as E85, Hydrogen or anything else to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Crude oil is pulled from the ground and sent to refineries to create our fuel. The sludge that is left at the refinery is then used to create oil to lubricate the internals of the engines in our vehicles. Did you know that conventional oil from the ground is full of impurities, paraffin’s and waxes? Crude oil from the ground has millions of different kinds of molecules. Many of these molecules are similar in weight but not in structure. Refining the oil does not remove all of the critical impurities. The lubrication and performance qualities of refined petroleum are limited. The refining process cannot distinguish such molecules, so a wide assortment of molecules is present in the finished lubricant made from crude oil. Many of the molecules from the crude oil contain paraffin (a wax-like substance harmful to your engine), which cause the lubrication to thicken and flow very poorly in cold temperatures. There is also sulfur, nitrogen and other nasty elements in refined crude oil that cause the build up of sludge and varnish inside of an engine. The sludge and break down of molecules are what significantly cause wear and breakdown of the oil in your engine.That same crude oil is also used to make tar for the roads. Is that something you want lubricating your engine? The automobile manufacturers and car dealerships seem to think so. That low-cost conventional oil guarantees profits all across the board. How is this possible? Manufacturers like the low quality oil because it’s just good enough to get a car to get passed the warranty period before major wear starts to be noticeable, such as your valve guides wearing out. That’s when you see that puff of smoke when you first start your car in the morning once you have put high mileage on it. Since conventional oil is loaded with all of these impurities and non-uniform molecules, it breaks down quickly and creates sludge and varnish; hence you need to change it at approximately 3,000 miles. This is a perfect excuse to create foot traffic at the dealership and the quick lubes. The last thing the dealerships or quick lubes want is a long lasting oil or an oil that will extend the life of an engine or transmission. Marc Graham, the president of Jiffy Lube, stated in an article that if they could get their customers to shorten their drain interval by only 100 miles (changing the oil at 2,900 instead of 3,000 miles), that it would mean an extra $20 million dollars in revenue for the company each year. If they could get all of their customers to get one extra oil change per year, the company could make an extra $294 million. I hope you can now see their motivation for the short intervals. It’s in their best interest, not yours.Here’s your chance to participate in the movement to reduce the need for foreign oil dependency.Not only can you reduce to dependency on the importing of oil, you can also save at the pump while doing it. On top of that, you can also dramatically extend the life of your engine and transmission, and that folks, is definitely not on the agenda of the vehicle manufacturers. The hidden agenda of the auto manufacturers is to have your drive train wear out after the warranty period so you can keep coming back to buy more vehicles. It is not in their best interest for any vehicle manufacturer or mechanic to tell you how to extend the engine life of your vehicle. If they told you how to get your engine to last longer, they would kill their profit margin.So how you can reduce the foreign oil dependency?That’s easy. Stop buying conventional petroleum oil to lubricate your engine, transmission and axles. The next time you are due for an oil change, only buy synthetic oil. And don’t buy the “blends” as they have all of those nasty impurities that I just mentioned above by mixing synthetic with conventional. Just buy 100% synthetic. You don’t want any additional impurities in your engine.But synthetic oils are expensive! That’s why I have been buying conventional oil in the first place.That is the biggest myth. If you use 100% synthetics in your entire drive train, synthetic oil can end up costing you nothing. How can that be, you ask?First let me explain the benefits and then I will do the math. Fully synthetic oils are chemically engineered from pure chemicals rather than from crude oil. Fully synthetic oils do not contain that nasty sulfur, nitrogen and other elements that can cause sludge and varnish in your engine that conventional oils do. Fully synthetic oils also have a much higher flash point and can handle much higher temperatures than conventional oil without breaking down. Since their resistance to break down is dramatically reduced, they can be used for a much longer timeframe than conventional oils. Fully synthetic oils stay much cleaner and last significantly longer than conventional oils. Unlike conventional oils, fully synthetic oils have uniform molecules which ensure low friction as the lubricant layers slide across each other (which is what you want in your hot running mechanical engine.)If they can land a space ship on the moon, can’t they make an oil last longer than 3,000 miles?
You bet they can and they do just that.So what are the financial advantages of spending a little more money on a quart of oil?For one, 100% fully synthetic oils can last up to 11 times longer than conventional oil depending on the vehicle, application and fuel type. A small company called Amsoil is the only company that has such long lasting motor oils. The Amsoil corporation is the very first company in the
United States to make synthetic motor oil for passenger cars, years before Mobil 1, Havoline, Valvoline, Castrol or any of the other big-named companies. Amsoil owns the trademark for the phrase “First in Synthetics” because of this. The thing is that most people don’t know is that Amsoil is the only company that makes motor oil last up to an incredible 1-year or 35,000 miles and has been doing this since 1972. This oil is guaranteed in writing.If fully synthetic oils can last up to 11x longer and can virtually eliminate wear in your drive train, then what are the benefits of using conventional oil? Well, not a whole heck of a lot. Their initial low cost gets people to buy them. Using it for engine break-in to help seat valves and other components during the first several hundred miles. Other than that, it’s actually costing you a lot of money to keep using conventional oil. Look what happens to a transmission once you put high mileage on it while using conventional transmission fluid. You can end up spending $1,500, $2,000 or even more on rebuilding a transmission on a passenger car. If you would have had used a fully synthetic transmission fluid which resists heat and break down of molecules, you could potentially eliminate that need for a transmission rebuild. For every 20 degrees above 175 degrees, your transmission life is CUT IN HALF! When facing up to $2,000 on a repair bill, do you really want to risk that chance by sticking with old school crude oil?Other savings of switching to synthetics are the fuel mileage increase that most everyone notices. I will give you an example in my own personal vehicle. I was initially getting 22 MPG on the highway with my car with conventional oils. I switched over my engine, transmission and rear differential over to Amsoil’s synthetics. Afterwards, I realized a gain of 4 MPG due to the reduced friction of the synthetics. I paid approximately $250 (including labor costs) to have all of my fluids changed over. That change over lasts up to 1 year on the oil and several years for the other fluids. At the time of my tests, fuel was $3.19/gallon for premium that I was using. That same $250 is close to what I would pay for a year’s worth of oil changes at a quick lube for conventional oil, but with conventional oil, I’d still be getting 22 MPG, not the 4 MPG increase from synthetics.When driving 2,000 miles per month at 22 MPG, that comes out to 90 gallons of fuel per month.
With the increase in gas mileage to 26 MPG, the same 2,000 miles per month now only uses 76 gallons of fuel. That’s $44 per month that I saved right there. $44 x 12 months = $535 per year in fuel savings.That’s not too bad of an investment. Not only am I saving money on the fuel (actually saving more at the pump than I paid for all of the oil, which basically makes the oil free when you do the math), I am also saving on time because the oil changes last up to 1 year or 35,000 miles before I have to get them drained. Not to mention the fact that I am cheating the manufacturers planned obsolescence of my vehicle. By using the 100% fully synthetics, my drive train will now last much longer than what the manufacturer designed it to last for. And to think… that’s just for me. Imagine if I owned a company with a fleet of vehicles. How much money would I save then? Our governments could save millions of dollars if they sat down and ran the numbers in spreadsheets to figure out savings over time. That’s millions of dollars of our hard earned tax dollars being saved. Think of all of the police cars and utility vehicles that the governments currently use that could keep going for an extra few years before getting rid of them as long as their engines ran like new (which they typically do when using synthetic oils in the drive trains.) Those long-term benefits and savings are not thought about when using conventional oil.Let’s look at how much oil is saved on an annual basis. If I drove 1 year on 6 quarts of fully synthetic oil for 24,000 miles, if I would have done it the old way, I would have had to get 8 oil changes and use up 48 quarts of oil to travel the same distance. That’s 48 quarts of oil imported from another country. By using the fully synthetic oil, I have saved the country 48 quarts of oil that I did not have to use for the year.But how many people drive 24,000 miles in a year? LOTS! With the crazy prices of homes, people have been moving farther and farther out to the suburbs. Over 50% of the people are driving more than 1 hour to get to work just to live in affordable housing. If everyone stopped using conventional oil for their cars, the demand would go down and the price of fuel would most likely plummet. If gas prices went down like crazy, then the sales of large SUV’s such as Hummers, Chevy Tahoe’s and Ford Expeditions would probably dramatically increas
posted in Future Fuels |
13th
February
2008
At a superficial level, it seems that roof racks are simply a systematic arrangement of some iron bars. So, those who need to add them to their car may think that there is no requirement of giving much importance to this particular auto accessory. Simply adding one will be enough. But contrary to this general belief, buying the right type of racks necessitates some carefulness and a little knowledge as well.If proper information is not there and one does not know what type of roof racks will suit his purpose, he may end up with buying something that may not meet his need. Hence, it is necessary to take out some time and dedicate it to research on roof tops. Along with enough research, one must do some smart shopping so that he can buy the product at the best rate. These are easy steps but help a lot in getting the right thing at the right price.The first thing to be looked in roof racks is whether or not they are made of proper materials. Unless they are made with something solid, they may collapse unexpectedly thereby causing loss to the car as well as the goods kept in them. The purpose of adding bars to car differs from person to person. Hence, everybody should keep in mind the purpose for which the racks will be used and then buy the one that can fit the purpose.The second thing to be seen in car roof racks is the shape in which they are made. They must go in sync with the design and model of the car. Otherwise, the racks may look absurd and hamper the look of the car. The size of the racks is the next thing to be considered. The size should meet the need properly. All the qualities that are expected in roof racks must also be there in roof boxes.
posted in General Information |
13th
February
2008
In the past few years, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have been getting a lot of press, both good and bad. As with any new technology—that is, any technology newly offered to the public—there are proponents and opponents to the wide use of HEVs. Pros and cons are bandied about freely, and it can be difficult for the average person to weed out any useful information. Here is a brief, simple synopsis of the advantages and disadvantages of HEVs.The most obvious benefit of HEVs is lowered environmental impact. A vehicle that’s powered solely by electricity produces absolutely no emissions. Admittedly, a hybrid vehicle does emit some carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, but only from the gasoline-driven engine. If your vehicle is powered by electricity 50% of the time, it will reduce harmful exhaust emissions by 50%.Hybrid vehicles are quieter, and cause less noise pollution—an important consideration in urban areas. The engine only runs when the vehicle is being actively propelled forward. Over time, this trait also cuts down on overall energy consumption.Another obvious benefit is that HEVs run on a fuel source that is already readily available, and that does not depend on foreign oil. The
United States already has numerous electrical power plants that are already producing vast amounts of electricity.For the most part, hybrids are easy to fuel up. The majority of hybrid vehicles on the market today have batteries that can be plugged in and recharged; an adaptor allows most hybrid owners to “fuel up” their vehicles at home. Some cities make charging stations available, as well.However, there are downsides, as well. HEVs use a lead-acid battery. These can take a long time to charge, sometimes as long as 10 hours. This is not so much of a problem if you’re at home and plan on leaving your car to charge overnight, but it can be decidedly inconvenient when you’re traveling. In the future, as HEVs become more prevalent, you can expect charging stations with the capacity to charge batteries in a fraction of that time will to become available.Another drawback is that while hybrids do vary somewhat in the distance that they can travel on a fully charged battery, the average is about 60 miles per charge. Again, this isn’t much of an obstacle for a hybrid vehicle, which can switch over to gasoline power at need—but decidedly inconvenient for a car with fully electrical propulsion (EV). In addition, the batteries have a limited shelf life—roughly three years—and are extremely expensive to replace.Researchers are experimenting with other types of battery, such as nickel-metal hydride, nickel cadmium, and lithium-ion batteries. At present, these types could offer better performance, but the costs are prohibitive.Lastly, the purchase cost of a hybrid vehicle is a major deterrent for many people who are considering “switching over.” HEVs are still more significantly more expensive that their gasoline-driven counterparts. To some degree, decreased fuel consumption, better fuel economy, and reduced maintenance costs serve as a counterbalance to the higher cost. There are also governmental tax credits, at the federal and sometimes even at the state level, for individuals who purchase hybrid vehicles.Is it worth it to replace your current vehicle with an HEV? That depends. Only you can say. Do your research, and do the math. Look at all of the different factors involved, and make an educated decision. Only you can know if an HEV is the best choice given your life, your preferences, and your budget.
posted in Future Fuels |
13th
February
2008
In order to avoid stolen repo cars for sale in auto auctions, one needs to know how the auction works and the pitfalls to look out for. Auctioneers try their best to sell off these automobiles due to the costs involved in storing and maintaining them. However, some of these auctions may include stolen repo cars for sale and the auctioneers may or may not know it.The thing about some of these auctions is that they take in vehicles from anyone. These are usually the smaller, less renowned auctioneers that sometimes obtain goods to sell from the public with no questions asked. Even someone in the trade may or may not be able to ascertain whether a particular car is a stolen good, let alone individuals like you and me who are just looking for a decent car to drive at lower cost. Therefore, it is in the buyers’ interest to go for more reputable auctioneers to avoid stolen repo cars for sale.Auto auction houses usually do not own the cars. They are merely acting as middleman helping to clear the stock. In this case, they are not liable to refund the buyers should the cars get repossessed after it was auctioned off because it was previously stolen or have outstanding finance owing on it, the more the reason to go for auctions held by reputed companies.Another thing one can do is to ask about the origin of the vehicles to make sure they are not stolen repo cars for sale. You can also make use of the VIN of the automobile to get a VIN report. Some auctions offer the report for free or you can use CarFax to obtain the vehicle history report through VIN. Typically, go for cars that come from government agencies, corporate companies, banks and leasing companies. These are safe sources of quality buys.
posted in General Information |
13th
February
2008
In these days of soaring gas prices, it seems that everyone is looking to increase their gas mileage. In the past, those looking to drive the most fuel-efficient vehicle had just one option: diesel trucks and cars. Diesel vehicles use significantly less fuel than cars that run on regular gas.There is an option to diesel vehicles. Recently, hybrid vehicles have been appearing everywhere. No longer are they just slightly odd-looking compact cars. Hybrid technology can be found in everything from compact cars to SUVs. Diesel vehiclesFor years, the gas-conscious consumer chose the diesel vehicle. These earlier diesels were generally noisier, dirtier and handled the road more poorly than their gas counterparts did. In fact, five states currently do not allow the sale of diesel vehicles due to strict emissions standards.However, this image of the diesel vehicle is very outdated. Modern diesel vehicles are much cleaner than their earlier counterparts are. Low-sulphur diesel fuel and new technology that helps trap emissions particles are making diesel engines cleaner than ever before. In addition, modern diesel vehicles handle nearly as well as their gas-powered cousins and are less noisy as well.Fuel efficiency is still paramount when it comes to driving a diesel vehicle. With their average nine miles per gallon increase over gas-powered vehicles, diesels are a viable option for the fuel-conscious consumer.Hybrid vehiclesHybrid vehicles are the newcomer to the mileage game. These vehicles run on a combination of gas and electric power, and they promise vastly increased gas mileage and lower emissions.While these vehicles deliver on the promise, there are a few shortcomings as well. The first and most glaring disappointment is that many drivers find that the advertised mileage and the actual mileage the car achieves are vastly different.For instance, the Toyota Prius advertises gas mileage of 55 miles per gallon, according to
U.S. government reports. However, when Consumer Reports magazine tested the car under actual driving conditions, the mileage achieved was only 44 miles per gallon. While this is still excellent gas mileage, it is far less than advertised.In addition, the sheer price of hybrid vehicles can be daunting. While a diesel vehicle generally costs an average of $1000 more than its gas-powered version, a hybrid vehicle costs several thousand dollars more than a gas-powered car. The Honda Civic Hybrid base price is $4800 more than the standard Civic with the same options and amenities.Given that the gas mileage on the hybrid is about 30% greater than on the standard vehicle, it would take an average driver at today’s gas costs more than twelve years to recoup the cost difference. However, one must consider that some of this additional cost can also be recouped with the one-time federal tax credit. In addition, some states and even employers offer rebates to those who drive hybrid vehicles.Given that the gas mileage on the hybrid is about 30% greater than on the standard vehicle, it would take an average driver at today’s gas costs more than twelve years to recoup the cost difference. However, one must consider that some of this additional cost can also be recouped with the one-time federal tax credit. In addition, some states and even employers offer rebates to those who drive hybrid vehicles.
posted in General Information |
13th
February
2008
If an individual from the
United States is visiting another country or an individual from another country is visiting the
United States, an International Driving Permit will be needed to be able to rent a car in a country other than your own. Even rental car companies that have branches in different countries will need to see an International Driving Permit before the individual will be allowed to rent a vehicle in that country. There are several requirements that need to be met before an IDP will be issued and the permits are not valid in every country.The International Driving Permit is a special license that is used by tourists in a different country that allows them to operate a motor vehicle in that country, without having to take the driving test required to obtain a driver’s license in that country. This document indicates to the officials and rental car companies in another country that the individual has been judged competent to drive in their home country. The individual must already possess a valid driver’s license in their home country and be over the age of 18 before an IDP will be issued to them.This permit is used in conjunction with the driver’s license issued by the individual’s country of origin and both must be carried by the individual at all times when operating a vehicle in another country. It is not a license to operate a motor vehicle on its own. If the individual is stopped for a traffic violation in the country that they are visiting, both the IDP and the individual’s personal diver’s license must be surrendered to the authorities. The International Driving Permit contains information written in eleven different languages to ensure that local law enforcement will be able to understand the information.The IDP permit is not extendable or renewable and is valid for only one year from the date of issue. Every time a new IDP is required, the applicant will have to complete a new application form. When applying for the permit, you must complete the application and provide two passport size photos and a photocopy of both the front and the back of your valid drivers’ license. The IDP document is the size of a standard passport, complete with photograph and vital statistics and should be carried with you at all times.The International Driving Permit is a must have if visiting a different country, even if the individual is not planning on obtaining a rental car in the country that they are visiting. The International Driving Permit gives the individual another form of photo identification and is printed in a number of different languages to allow local individuals to read and understand the information, a great help if other forms of identification are lost or are not understood by local officials. Because the International Driving Permit is recognized in more than 150 countries around the world, it provides a valuable piece of identification for the individual and can assist the individual in times of crisis.
posted in General Information |
13th
February
2008
A recent report published in USA Today found that accident insurance claims from senior drivers are being submitted at a rate more than 70% higher now than in 1999. There seems to be no question that driving is getting more difficult for the over 55’s. Roads are busier, cars are faster, and rules of the road keep changing. The AARP has a driver safety program which could now help do the job of better educating our seniors in the skills and techniques of defensive driving.For those who are wondering just who the AARP is, they are a powerful association which pushes the rights and security of those American citizens who are over the age of 55. The AARP acknowledges that preventing all senior citizens from driving is not practical, and is in fact discriminatory. Bearing this in mind, the AARP developed their defensive driving program with the aim of updating and renewing the driving capabilities of seniors still behind the wheel.Letting go of driving privileges can be embarrassing and depressing at any age. Many older drivers find it increases the stresses that accompany growing older and being able to do less as the years roll by. A prime example of this is where a senior driver can easily pass the compulsory eye examination, but critical reaction times and reflexes are now much slower.What Is The AARP Driver Safety Class?A better name for the AARP Driver Safety Class would be the AARP Defensive Driving class. Not only does it update skills on driver safety, but it teaches skills to help seniors avoid getting into accidents in the first place.Motor vehicle insurance companies now accept AARP defensive driving classes as a requisite for car insurance rebates. By undertaking an AARP defensive driving class, senior drivers can not only save money, but can also indicate to insurance companies that they are serious about driving safely and avoiding accidents.AARP Defensive Driving Safety Class – Where Can I find One?AARP defensive driving course are situated in many localities – finding one nearby is not that hard. The AARP website is easily accessible online, and seniors can search to see what classes would suit them. For those who do not have the internet, the AARP can be contacted by telephone on free-call 1-888-AARP-NOW (1-888-227-7669). AARP volunteers will respond with information about suitable AARP defensive driving courses within 3 to 5 working days.At a cost of round $10, and AARP defensive driving course is very reasonably priced. A course generally lasts for two days with approximately four hours daily class contact time. Course objectives of and AARP defensive driving course are:1. Updating driving skills and knowledge of road rules.
2. Awareness of normal physical changes related to ageing, and what driving adjustments to make.
3. Learning the warning signs which precede finishing with driving altogether.
4. Reducing or eliminating traffic violations, accidents, and potential injury.
5. Drive more safely on the road.
6. Obtain insurance discounts. Car insurance companies usually provide discounts to AARP graduates.In the present era where those from the “baby boomer” generation are turning into seniors, there are more over 55 drivers than ever before. As the first and definitely the largest refresher course in the nation for over 55’s, the AARP Driver Safety Program is helping multitudes of drivers remain safe whilst driving on the roads.The AARP driver safety program has been offered in classroom format for 25 years and now the same course is available online. For “seniors” who are still driving and want to remain safe for years to come, get down to your nearest AARP defensive driving course now!
posted in Driving Tips |
13th
February
2008
A family of six going on a trip to a resort about two hundred kilometers away from home will either take the bus, if one’s available, or take the family van and gobble up around 20 liters in diesoline. Imagine the pollutants that family van emits!Not anymore. These days, that same family can bring a hybrid van that is not only safe, but more so, cleaner and healthier, both for the environment and the passengers. Capitalizing on the practicality of combining gasoline and electricity in hybrid technology, hybrid vans can offer other features that will definitely be a come-on for the environmentall-conscious.What does a Hybrid Van have to Offer?Before making that decision to go for a hybrid van for your family or office, let us take a look first at what these vans of today and of the future have to offer.Take a Toyota Estima Hybrid Van for example. It combines a four-cylinder engine with two electric motors. The electric motors are placed one in front and one at the rear of the vehicle, making a four-wheel drive arrangement. Without the complex transmission shafts and all of a four-wheel drive, the hybrid is lighter, thus more fuel or electric efficient.Improving on the designs and features of the heretofore Grandias and Hi-Aces, Estima Hybrids bring a new meaning to sleek and environment-friendly. A handsome van, this hybrid takes into consideration the mobility needs of families and even office groups or sports teams of all ages and abilities, while also ensuring that high mobility does not take its toll in the environment.Hybrid vans may run on combination fuel-electricity technology or on purely-electric mode depending on the batteries’ charge. And running on batteries mean no more carbon dioxide emissions. No toxic substances are released to the atmosphere, not to mention to the van’s interiors. One is assured that one’s kids do not inhale any dangerous amount of carbons in and out of a hybrid van.Hybrid vans also incorporate smart features like humidity monitors for air conditioners, and this reduces the use of the air-con whenever possible. This only translates into fuel and battery-life economy.Why Go for a Hybrid Van?Traveling with your family or your friends and officemates, you want the trip to be as safe as possible, of course. Hybrid vans incorporate safety features, standard and state-of the art, to eliminate traffic accidents and injuries or fatalities to passengers. While seatbelts and air bags are standard issues, hybrid vans are going for radar-based features that ensure no crash accidents happen. Simplicity amounts to safety, too. With electric motors, complicated and oftentimes heavy mechanicals are done away with. With lighter vehicles, stability and balance is better maintained.And then again, you want to contribute to the global drive to protect and preserve the environment, even while going on that family vacation. Hybrid vans are a great contribution to the effort, as they go around and away on minimal fossil fuel, thus making the atmosphere cleaner. No more carbon dioxide, volatile compound emissions, just pure mobility.Health-wise, hybrid vans ensure this not only to the pedestrian but to the driver and passengers, too. Low emissions, smart air conditioners, streamlined aerodynamic designs, mobility balance, all these combine to ensure not only freedom of movement but freedom from harmful substances and unnecessary pressures of road travel. Gone are the days when one had to bear the fuel plumes overtaking the car’s air conditioner, or stiff bucket seats that rub one’s shoulders and back thin.The road travelers nowadays consider the vehicle their homes away from home. Manufacturers are looking at this need to create vehicles that are cozy and comfy, offering the luxuries of home, yet not forgetting the safety factors. Who would want to feel unsafe in one’s home? With a hybrid van combining feature with facility, safety to the user and the pedestrian is ensured - where else can one get the best of both worlds? Go hybrid now!
posted in Future Fuels |
13th
February
2008
If you’ve done much driving in wintry weather, at some point your vehicle has probably been stuck on ice or snow. For the purposes of this article, we’ll assume that it’s stuck simply because the tires have lost traction on a slippery surface (that is, it’s not in a ditch, and all four tires are on the ground).First, keep a winter-driving emergency kit in your car. The contents of the kit should include the following items:1. A bag of some gritty substance to offer traction for your tires. Common choices are sand, kitty litter, rock salt, or pea gravel.2. Two long, thin lengths of carpet. A runner-style carpet that is cut in half lengthwise is ideal.3. A spade shovel. If you’re in an area where significant accumulations of snow are likely, consider adding a snow shovel as well. To conserve space, you can purchase these with folding handles at a camping or military surplus retailer.Now, for getting unstuck:When you realize that your vehicle is stuck, the best course of action is to avoid making the situation worse. As soon as you feel the tires begin to spin, take your foot from the accelerator. Hitting the gas and causing the tires to spin in place only packs down the ice or snow into a hard, smooth surface, making it harder for the tires to get any purchase.Ease the car backward a little, and then gently rock it forward, up and out of any depression that spinning tires may have caused. If this doesn’t work, turn your steering wheel hard in either direction, and try again to rock the car back and forth.If you’re still stuck, now is the time to get out of the car and assess the situation.Determine which direction is most likely to be successful. If you can, aim toward the closest ground surface where you’re most likely to regain traction. Avoid going uphill. If there’s an accumulation of snow, use the snow shovel to clear a path.Use the spade to dig down underneath the front of the vehicle’s drive tires (note that it must be drive tires that get traction; the others are incidental). If the surface just in front of the tires is packed down hard, try to score it or roughen it up a bit with the edge of the shovel.Shovel some of the sand or gravel underneath the tires. It’s essential that the tread come into contact with the sand. If necessary, you can get down and use your hands to push some of the sand under the tires. Then, spread a path of sand over the area you’ve cleared.
posted in Driving Tips |