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Giving Way To The Tire Quarter Test

drivemecrazy — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:47:56 +0200

More than a decade ago, the Penny Test for tires was born. This is the quickest way to determine the tread wear of a tire. You only need to place the coin upside down on a tire’s tread channels. The condition of the tire can be indicated depending on Lincoln’s visibility. With that simple step, you would know if it is time to give your vehicle a new set of tires.

On a standard basis, if the penny still shows the top of Lincoln’s hair, it only means that the tread has worn to less than 2/32 of an inch or 1.6 mm. This condition has been accepted before. However, Tire Rack says that in order to have a safer driving during wet weather, the Penny Test should be raised to the Quarter Test. The Quarter Test raises the 2/32 of an inch to 4/32. This could be known when the amount of rubber upon placing a quarter in a tire’s channels still shows Washington’s scalp.

The 2/32 state of the tire is indeed dangerous because there is little rubber to be used for gripping in emergency situations. In fact, some states here in America had made driving with tires in this condition to be illegal. It is also stated that at high speeds, the resistance to hydroplaning (this is the condition where the tires float over water on the road rather than gripping on the pavement) is reduced and stopping distances is increased.

As compared to the 4/32 condition, the small amount of extra rubber that is present makes a great difference in terms of stopping distances. When you only have 2/32 of an inch tire depth, you are sacrificing a lot on wet stopping ability.

With this, I guess there is nothing wrong in adopting the Quarter Test. You know, you would surely be replacing your tires frequently than usual. But the safety that such offers to you is the best thing you could get. It would really be practical to spend for replacement tires rather than anything else.

Slow Hybrids Are Getting Faster

drivemecrazy — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:47:07 +0200

Perhaps, one of the pitfalls of hybrid vehicles is that they can be so sluggish. That was basically the problem with this vehicle. This is because hybrids use underpowered gasoline engines and electric motors that are only good for lessening fuel consumption but are not actually designed for acceleration. And this is commonly the reason why people, especially those that are after the performance of a vehicle, do not choose such kind of ride. However, the use of hybrid vehicles should be considered by majority of road users to bring something good for the environment. With this fact, manufacturers of hybrid vehicles are converting their hybrids into something more powerful than before.

Though most of the new generation sporty hybrids are still being worked on, there are a comparative number of hybrids that are not that slow compared to the traditional hybrids. The fastest hybrids in the auto market are not that speedy compared to non-hybrids and are not fuel efficient compared to the rest in their lot. However, if you are a kind of driver who wants both acceleration and fuel efficiency in their vehicle, the fastest hybrids are worth considering.

Topping the list of the most powerful hybrids offered in the auto market nowadays is the Lexus GS 450h. Its quickness is far compared to the smaller and lighter Porsche 911. Also, General Motors’ Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, and GMC Yukon Hybrid made to the list. These full-sized SUVs have exceptional towing capabilities for hybrids.

Still, it is a problem that these hybrids cost more than their conventional counterparts. With this, people tend not to patronize them. However, with the unstoppable oil price hikes, it is much practical to invest in such kind that is more expensive compared to enduring everyday the price of fuel.

MirrorPilot: A Safer Rearview Mirror

drivemecrazy — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:58:40 +0200

As a part of the desire of Magna Donnelly to promote a safer travel, it has joined forces with U-Blox (Swiss technology provider) and Paragon (German electronics supplier) to develop a new device. It is called the MirrorPilot—a navigation system that has a map displayed in the rear view mirror.

Mounted on the windshield, this rearview self-dimming mirror has a GPS receiver, antenna, speaker, and 2.2-inch screen. By this great move of placing the nav system in the mirror, there’s no more point in worrying about hard installations and limited views of the road.

The MirrorPilot has a special feature of zooming in at intersections and giving the driver a clear route during bumper jams. It also has a remote control so it could easily be used by busy drivers.

Biofuels Are Green No More

drivemecrazy — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:56:08 +0200

Biofuels had been the solution of most auto manufacturers and owners for the unstoppable oil price hike and even the threats of global warming. Its use had been widespread and it has been adopted by most auto owners. However, a potential was seen that these biofuels could contribute to global warming rather than counteract it. Two separate studies conducted by teams from Princeton University and Nature Conservancy had attested to that fact.

Timothy Searchinger, a researcher from Princeton University, said that biofuels that people are currently using could substantially increase greenhouse gases. The emissions should not only be the ones to be looked at in terms of the benefits of biofuels. Instead, its production should not be overlooked. The process of growing, harvesting, and refining fuels could make greenhouse gas emissions twice as much for the next 30 years.

With the two studies’ findings, the name of biofuels as “green fuels” had been tarnished. With this, it is about time to reconsider biofuel policies of different countries worldwide.

Hybrid Vehicles Pose Risk To Blind Peopl...

drivemecrazy — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:55:27 +0200

It is not anymore unknown to many that the situation of our environment nowadays had become so alarming. Of course, vehicles are one of the many things that are blamed when this happens. To answer this, auto manufacturers had come up with innovations in their vehicles to make it safe for the environment. An example of this is the spread of hybrid vehicles.

However, though the potential of hybrid vehicles have been greatly recognized, there are still many things that put a hindrance on the plans of this vehicle conquering the road. One of these things is the potential risks to blind people.

Included in the designs of hybrid vehicles is their capacity to be driven at a quieter phase, especially at slower speeds. This fact makes it risky for blind people who are crossing the streets because they purely rely on the sounds of vehicles to know if it’s safe to cross. This situation had created an unexpected tension between hybrid auto makers, environmentalist, and blind people.

With this situation, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) calls for auto manufacturers to make their hybrids have at least some sound. They want to make hybrid vehicles to sound like all other conventional vehicles. As much as auto makers, auto engineers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Federal Highway Administration want to respond on that call, they admit that they have no immediate high-tech solution for that as of now.

As of the meantime, owners of hybrid vehicles are challenged especially when they come near crosswalks. They could rely first on what they call “low-tech solutions.” These include driving slowly when nearing crosswalks, paying close attention to pedestrian traffic, and playing loud music whenever approaching crosswalks.

With all these things, let us all do hope that everything will just be fine for all concerned people and groups. Of course, it would benefit all of us and the environment as well when hybrid vehicles conquer our streets. However, let’s still care about those people that could be greatly affected too.

Interior Scents Matter (2)

drivemecrazy — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:56:14 +0200

My previous post discussed the scents that should be kept away from the vehicle’s interior, and more importantly, to prevent the driver from experiencing these scents. In fear of the possible effects of smells to your safety, you could come into a decision not to give your car a scent. But, it would bring you no good too. Studies even show that having a neutral smell inside your car could lead drivers to be disturbed that could lead to irritation and hallucinations.

If there are scents to be avoided, there are some that are beneficial. These are as follows:

Peppermint and cinnamon. This makes the drivers become less irritable and improves the concentration levels.

Lemon and coffee. Also for high concentration levels, these are also good for clear thinking.

New car smell (cleaning products and organic solvents). This has the power to make drivers concentrate more and practice more care while driving.

Sea ozone. This encourages deep breathing that helps relax the muscles, relieves stress, and calms the mind.

In the event that you are inviting passengers to get inside your vehicle, they will surely be turned-off with smells like pet odor, stale smoke, dirty interior, smelly gym gears, urine or vomit, sickly air fresheners, food wrappers, spilled drinks, mildew from air conditioning, and more.

So, get these things out and stick to the recommended ones. Have a great ride always.

Interior Scents Matter (1)

drivemecrazy — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:55:03 +0200

Road accidents should not be blamed only to carelessness, driving under the influence, defective auto parts, and the usual things often blamed for accidents. Did you know that a study says that there could be one root for speeding, dozing, road rage, and meeting mishaps? Yes, there is. It is the wrong smell inside the vehicle. At first, this sounds so funny yet it pays to follow what I’m saying here.

The RAC Foundation stated in their study that the right smell inside a vehicle could aid the driver distinguish dangers earlier, to keep focused on the road ahead, and to be patient enough to forgive other drivers’ errors. It has been found out that the smell is such a powerful sense that could result to a lack of concentration or an overreaction even to the small irritations on the road. These things could then result to trouble.

Researchers found out that the following scents should be avoided:

Chamomile, jasmine, and lavender. Perhaps if you want to sleep, you can get these. Known as relaxing odors, these scents are dangerous for drivers to smell for they could make them too much relaxed in front of the steering wheel. A too relaxed driver is not good as this feeling could lull him to sleep. You should also be aware that air fresheners with flowery scents contain the same effects.

The smell from fast food wrappers, fresh bread, and even pastry. These odors could result to drivers’ irritability, the want to speed up, and a greater possibility of being involved in a road rage. This is supported by the fact that these odors could make drivers feel hungry, thus making them want to be in a hurry to fill their appetites.

The scent of fresh cut grass, pine woods, or roadside flowers. Indeed, these scents could be relaxing, but these could also make the drives be in a nostalgic stage that could make them daydream while driving.

With these, you should not anymore allow your vehicle interior have odors like those mentioned. Though these smells are not sickly, there’s a proper time and place to satiate your feelings about these smells, but not in your vehicle, please. Care about every road user’s safety.

Do We Have Quality Vehicles Still?

drivemecrazy — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:45:07 +0200

The notion that auto manufacturers of today only produce vehicles just for the sake of coming up with new ones is a hoax. Though the competition among all auto makers is indeed getting tougher, auto companies do not engage in this kind of battle. That is supported by the results of J.D. Power and Associates’ Initial Quality Study.

This study measured the quality of new vehicles during 90 days of ownership. It looked into the problems that were experienced by the owners in terms of quality of design and defects or malfunctions. The group found out that the overall quality of new vehicles improved by six percent this year as compared to last year. This result connotes that many auto manufacturers today are making much effort to provide quality improvements in their vehicles.

To attest to this, some Honda models have gotten three segment awards in this year’s study. These Honda vehicles are the Civic, CR-V, and Fit. Also, Chevrolet, Dodge, Infiniti, Lexus, and Mercedes Benz got to take home two segment awards each. Included are the Malibu and Silverado LD of Chevrolet; Dakota and Durango of Dodge; EX-Series and M-Series of Infiniti; LS and RX of Lexus, and; CLK-Class and E-Class of Mercedes Benz.

The Porsche 911

At the bottom line of the survey, the Porsche 911 has the fewest seen quality problems in all the new vehicles of the entire automotive industry. It only has 67 problems as per 100 vehicles. Other awardees for quality are the Ford E-Series, Lincoln Navigator, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Pontiac Grand Prix Sedan, and Toyota Sequoia.

Men’s Preference Over Vehicles

drivemecrazy — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:38:23 +0200

Could you easily guess who is behind a vehicle’s windshield by just its exterior appeal? Perhaps you could, especially when you know the preference of the two opposing genders. I will be dealing more today about the preference of the males for I had already discussed in one of my previous posts the choice of women. There you could find what women want for a vehicle. So, now, I think it is just a fair act to talk about men’s preference too. With this, permit me to start.

When we talk about men, they tend to like to own more a vehicle that others can’t have. This is the reason why you could find men driving rare cars. They would more enjoy being seen in a vehicle that is so unique. Also, they would prefer to own those attention-grabbing sports cars, sedans, and sport utility vehicles.

Take for example the Dodge Viper. It has 88.97 percent male drivers because it is a rare find. Imagine, only 435 of them are sold in the entire United States. More than this, the powerful and predatory look of this vehicle makes it loved by men. The Viper has in it a flashy look and a brawly engine sound that has the capability to show off the power of a man. That is commonly what men want to show off. With this, most vehicles manufactured have masculine styling cues like big wheels.

With this kind of preference of men, the vehicle is the equivalent match of jewelry for women. If the women would want to show off their social status, they would get the most expensive necklace or whatsoever. Because men don’t care so much about jewelry, the vehicle becomes their means of showing off what they have. With that, men tend to purchase accessories that will upgrade either the appearance or performance of their vehicle.

Included in the most common vehicles that are driven by men aside from the above-mentioned Dodge Viper are the Bugatti Veyron, Maybach 57, Maybach 58, and the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

What Makes A Vehicle Kid-friendly?

drivemecrazy — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:11:13 +0200

When you plan to purchase a vehicle, of course, you should analyze first your needs so as to find one that is perfectly functional for your day-to-day activities. One thing that would make it difficult for you to decide which one to get is when you have kids to consider as passengers. You should find a vehicle that would entertain them during most of their rides and would be a safe place for them during travels. Plus, how much more would it be difficult if you are on a tight budget?

With three things in mind (entertaining, safe, and affordable), it won’t be difficult for you anymore. This is because auto manufacturers have made so much effort in upgrading the entertainment capability and safety of their vehicles for children. They are also making such without being much of a burden on the pockets of auto buyers.

Talking about the affordability of child-friendly vehicles, all the luxury and non-luxury vehicles of 2008 that are priced $20,000 to $45,000 have passed the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety crash test rating for front, side, and rear impact collisions. Two of the most kid-friendly vehicles are the Honda CR-V compact SUV and the Toyota RAV4 midsize SUV. These two vehicles are said to offer different kinds of comfort that give kids the feeling of being at home even when they are on the road. In fact, the CR-V is equipped with a retractable center tray table that allows kids to comfortably eat snacks or even play games. The RAV4, on the other hand, has a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

Crash-Avoidance Systems: An Analysis

drivemecrazy — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:10:06 +0200

The fact that road mishaps are happening frequently makes auto manufacturers worry about the safety features that their vehicles are offering. This is the reason why most auto makers continue to develop safety features so as to reduce the number of fatal crashes. Today, they have come up with crash-avoidance technologies that they claim to have the capability to improve the chances of avoiding collisions. Some include technologies that have the capacity to give an audible or visual warning to command the driver to do corrective measures. There are even those which have the capability to automatically apply the brakes or guide back into the proper lane a drifting car.

However, even the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) is getting a hard time to tell whether such is effective or not because its use is not widespread yet. Still, the IIHS just analyzed five crash-avoidance technologies: forward collision warning, emergency brake assist, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, and adaptive headlights.

Of these features, the IIHS sees the forward collision warning and the lane departure warning as the most promising features. The forward collision warning feature gives the driver a warning whenever it detects that the vehicle is about to hit an object directly in front of it. On the other hand, the lane departure warning tells the driver if they are drifting out of the lane.

Based on the information gathered by the IIHS from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and General Estimates System, the IIHS identified the types of crashes that all these features have been designed to prevent. In period of four years, which is from 2002 to 2006, there is a possibility that the 20 million frontal collisions could be reduced in half with the aid of the forward collision warning. Though it could not totally erase incidents of frontal collisions, a 50 percent reduction is a good deal. On the other hand, the lane departure warning could prevent up to 100,000 crashes and 2,500 fatalities per year.

The IIHS also announced that of the five safety features they have been analyzing, it is the blind spot detection that shows the least potential. This safety feature alerts the drivers of their blind spots. This conclusion is not because that its capabilities are ineffective but because there are not much fatal crashes that involve vehicles in blind spots.

Extending The Service Life Of Your Vehic...

drivemecrazy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:27:18 +0200

Purchasing a new vehicle at this point in time would indeed cost you a lot of money as compared to the time when you bought your old one. With this, it would be more practical for you to preserve the service of your vehicle rather than replace it as a unit. Making your current vehicle last longer would surely make you spend less. So, I assumed that you want to know how to make your vehicle serve you longer. I compiled these for everyone who may be interested in this.

Allow your vehicle to breathe easier. It may not be new to you that when the air filter is clogged, the engine would not properly operate. Therefore, you need to regularly maintain the good working condition of the air filter. The problem in the operation of the engine could make it fail sooner, thus making your vehicle fail as well.

Make it cool. Overheating in the engine won’t do you any better. With that, it should be noted that it is a need to maintain the cooling system and ensure that there is a proper coolant level in it. With that, you could be saved from spending more of your money for the repair of your engine.

Have the tires’ pressure checked. If you often neglect the tires in your vehicle, then you better reconsider. Ensuring that the tires are given the right pressure means a better fuel economy and safer ride for you as well. With this simple and free task that you can do, you could help lengthen your vehicle’s service.

Check the gauge. You could purely rely on the gauge to know if there are problems with your oil pressure, cooling system, or even tire pressure. So, you need to keep an eye on your gauge and do the necessary actions depending on the results you may be reading from it.

Allow professional mechanics to check your ride regularly. Establish trust in one repair shop and one mechanic where you can regularly bring your vehicle for check ups.

Inspect your vehicle closely. It is advisable that you spend at least five minutes to walk around and look at your vehicle. Check the tires if they are wearing off unevenly. Also, open the hood and see the condition of the hoses. Make sure that all the lights are at the top of their shape. The list of things you should check is endless but it does pay to check them regularly.

Follow check-up schedules. You could work on this if you have a trusted mechanic that checks your vehicle. This is because he would know when was the last time something had been done to your vehicle. And of course, he has the right knowledge as to what will be done to your vehicle each time you bring it to him.

Be a smart driver. If you don’t know still, the way you drive will directly or indirectly affect the length of your vehicle’s life. When you drive smoothly, you are being kind to your vehicle. On the other hand, when you drive carelessly, you do no good to your vehicle.

Maintain the vehicle’s cleanliness. Cleaning both the exterior and interior of your vehicle could very well help preserve the service life of your vehicle. Regular washing and waxing of the exterior would also help. For the interior, regular vacuuming of the carpets should be done. The moment you see spills on it, clean them immediately so whatever was spilt on it won’t be difficult to remove.

Keep your vehicle covered. Don’t expose your vehicle to the sun too much. It could do harm to your vehicle. With that, watch where you park your vehicle.

Doing these for and to your vehicle could save you from the costly act of purchasing a new one. However, you should take note that there’s a proper time to replace your vehicle. Pay attention to this detail as it would definitely do you no good to preserve the service of your vehicle when it is not anymore able to serve you as you need it to. Have a good drive always.

Are Really Women More Knowledgeable Than...

drivemecrazy — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:01:08 +0200

It is a fact that men are mostly the residents of the roads. Compared to women, we really outnumber them when we talk about the roads. However, though a bit intriguing, they say women are much more knowledgeable than us when it comes to knowledge about basic car care. So when a woman seeks for advice from a man about car care, she’s probably not in good hands.

Though the national survey, which was sponsored by Jiffy Lube, it was found out that 69 percent of men and 64 percent of women agree that men know more about car care. Their responses speak otherwise.

When respondents were asked where the proper tire-inflation information of the vehicle is located, 67 percent of men and 45 percent of women said that it is in the sidewalls of the tires. However, Mark Ferner, the technical expert of Jiffy Lube, said that it was wrong. He stated that this information could be either seen in the vehicle’s door jamb or in the owner’s manual. In that question alone, 22 percent of women while only 16 percent of men have the right knowledge with regards to that information.

Moreover, 67 percent of men and 46 percent of women were wrong when they say that the act of simply switching from conventional engine oil to a synthetic one extends the oil-change interval. As to this question, it is obvious that more women know the fact about oil-change interval than men.

This entry may not contain the complete findings however, as early as this, I think this really makes sense. Just click here for the complete findings.

No More DIY Carwash

drivemecrazy — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:00:28 +0200

Nowadays, people are taking seriously the effect of vehicles to environment’s condition. With this, they tend to concentrate purely on minimizing the emissions of harmful exhaust gases. Among their efforts are converting their vehicles into hybrid ones and producing alternative fuels that will give off safer emissions. However, what is commonly unknown to us is there are simple things that we usually do in our car that contributes, in a way, to the deterioration of our environment. An example of this is the do-it-yourself (DIY) car washing. So no matter what effort you do in using alternative fuels or hybrid vehicles, if you do you wash your car at your own garage, you will continuously be blamed for the worsening condition of the environment.

In a test conducted two years ago by the Environmental Partners, Inc. in Issaquah, Seattle, the possible impact of untreated car wash wastes was measured using the fish mortality as a measure.

Fish toxicity tests were done using water samples from a car wash event. This gave way to a result of a hundred percent mortality of fish. They found out that detergents, even the biodegradable ones, could be harmful to the fishes’ gills and could wash away the natural oil that helps them absorb oxygen.

You might wonder how this test could be related to your simple act washing your own car. Well, listen. When you wash your car, the detergents and surface residue directly run to the nearest storm drains. When these reach the streams, rivers, oceans, and any other body of water, the effects will surely be felt by aquatic life.

On the other hand, in commercial car wash centers, the dirty waters are not sent to storm drains. It is a must for them that their water be discharged into a separate sanitary sewer that would be even treated and recycled. With that, they do no harm to aquatic life.

May this be a message to people to be more responsible in everything they are doing, even the smallest things. So, let’s continue our fight for a healthier environment.

The Green Cars of Tomorrow

drivemecrazy — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:57:54 +0200

The issue regarding the problems of the environment never seems be die. In fact, it is even getting bigger and bigger as time moves forward. This also became the reason why auto manufacturers never stop to conceptualize future vehicles that would respond to the needs of this present situation. Today, more and more concept green cars are coming out. It is just a sign that the auto world is coping with the problem that has been thrown at them. So now, let’s see what the auto makers have in their minds.

This is the Volvo 3cc concept car. As you see, this is a rocket-shaped three-seater car that has the capacity to accommodate any range of power systems--be it traditional gasoline or alternative fuels like ethanol or hybrid, or electric. It has 3,000 lithium-ion batteries which are similar to those that are used in laptop computers. These can give up to 105 horsepower.

Here’s another one. This is the Ford Mercury Meta One that is a combination of a hybrid transmission and a twin-trubocharged V-6 diesel engine that could run on a bio-diesel blend. With this unique combination, it could have the power that is equivalent to a V-10 but with clean emission levels.

This is the Daihatsu UFE III. It is a mini-hybrid van that has the capacity to carry only three people (one at the driver’s seat and two others in the back seat). It has a 660-cubic centimeter direct-injection gasoline engine, two motors, and a nickel-metal hydride battery. It has an estimated fuel economy of 169 miles per gallon.

A bubble-shaped, three-seater electric car has been conceptualized by Nissan. This is called the Pivo.

Named the BMW X3, this unique concept car has a combined direct-injection six-cylinder engine and an electric motor, plus a supercapacitator. The supercapacitator is used in this vehicle instead of the traditional rechargeable batteries that most hybrid vehicles use. This has the capacity to discharge all of its energy in a quick burst of power, and then the gasoline engine takes over until the time that the regenerative braking will discharge the supercapacitator for another quick burst. This results to a 20 percent improvement in fuel economy.

This is the Toyota Volta that has a 3.3 liter V-6 engine that is located behind the rear axle which is not directly connected to the wheels. Instead, its movement is provided by two electric engines, which has the safety benefits of an all-wheel drive. With 408 horsepower, the Volta could drive from zero to 60 in four seconds!

This GM Saab Aero X is not your typical vehicle. It has no doors and no fixed windshield. As you can see, its entire face could be opened upwards. Its manufacturer eliminated the conventional buttons and placed graphic 3D images instead. It uses both turbo-charging and bio-fuel to come up to a 400-horsepower performance without burning even a single drop of petroleum. Its V6 engine is fueled by a hundred percent ethanol that makes its carbon emissions exactly zero. If you cannot find 100 percent pure ethanol, the Aero X’s engine management system could make adjustments for any gasoline-ethanol blend.