Saturday, April 2, 2011

License Plate Frames As Gifts


The people of the United States love their automobiles. According to a U.S. Census count from 2009, there are approximately 307 million people in the United States. A 2007 Department of Transportation study notes that there are approximately 254 million cars. That's almost 1 car for every single person in the country. When you need a gift for someone, why not get something they can use on their car.
When considering car tags as gifts, there are several ways to go:
1. Dealership Frames. People usually are driving the car brand that they love or have a loyalty towards. If your friend drives a Honda Civic, why not get them a license plate frame that says "Honda" or "Civic" on it so they can dress up their back license plate? Stainless steel frames done up with the factory font officially licensed logo of various car brands are always welcome. If you're buying a car for your teenager, why not tease them a little and give them the frame first. Then, surprise them with the car to back it up.

How to Put a V8 Motor in a Corvair


Sometimes a challenge is just that and no more. Not practical maybe but fun nonetheless. I owned at the time, a small shop repair shop where I would tinker with cars and motorcycles and make a few dollars as well. One afternoon during a bull session with some buddies, one of them said it would be neat if we could put a V8 motor in one of my Corvair cars. I had several of them and loved to tinker with the Monza model which was Chevy's souped up version of this rear engined car. The Corvair had no independent frame and was one of the first uni-body cars on the market. Extremely lightweight, the six cylinder motor with the factory blower made the car zip right along. It really was a silly looking car in the first years of production, kinda boxy and square.

Buying A Used Car - Steps To Choose The Right One-best auto zone


You can buy a used car and save a good amount of money instead of buying a new one. But it is quite a hard task to find the right car according to your cost. Moreover, buying a used car without any major problems seem to be impossible for an inexperienced buyer. To solve this problem, some information is given so that they feel confident in buying a used car.
At first, you have to be prepared. You have to do plenty of researches for buying your car. You have to read consumer reports, reviews, ask friends and experts, compare different option and your desired model. Reliability ratings should be examined. Maintenance costs should be determined. You have to shorten your list into one, not more than two models. When you start to think about more models, you will find it difficult to choose among them. Another purpose behind choosing one or two models is that when you choose to test drive different cars with same models, it will be easier to compare then performance than being confused by different models.

It Has Only Taken 30 Years, But The All-Digital Car Is Here


When the first rudimentary computer systems appeared in cars about 35 years ago, they were just that, a couple of rather humongous computer chips with one aim in mind, setting the engine's stoichiometry, or air/fuel mix.
Early Systems
There there three problems back then:
  1. The world was still mostly analog (sine waves and things, not digital 1s and 0s)
  2. The world of cars had not developed the chips needed for engine control and the industry was trying to rely on mechanical ways to control emission
  3. The concept of emissions control wasn't well understood as it was thought that and Exhaust Gas Recycling system and more precise mechanical control would take care of the requirements
As we have found out since, it was a dream world as gas prices were still super-low 85-cent-a-gallon gas was considered expensive after the first gas crisis of 1973 and $1.25-a-gallon gas was considered outrageous after the second in 1980. Add to that the fact that the doomsayers told us the world was running out of oil and production would peak by 2000 (still hasn't yet and new deposits have been found) and then there would be rioting in the streets as gas prices spiked and spiked. Well, the prices have been spiking, but not because of shortage, but because of speculation and the unrest in the oil-producing areas. New sources of oil have been found and have become economically viable, so we're not running out of oil as quickly as painted in 1980. No one was really thinking about global warming then, except some researchers, who were lone voices "in the wilderness," so to speak.

Proper Tire Inflation: Increase Safety and Save Money


Did you know that most tire failure is caused by improper inflation? Irregular wear, stress, blowouts, reduced gas mileage, loss of control, and accidents are just a few of the negative effects associated with tires that are not properly inflated.
Many of us simply neglect to check our tire pressure until something goes wrong. In fact, millions of us drive around daily not knowing whether our tires are properly inflated or not.
According to industry recommendations, you should check the pressure in each of your tires and spare once a month or before any long trips. Because recommended inflation pressures are for cold tires, be sure to check them only after they have not been driven for several hours, preferably overnight.
A pressure gauge can easily be used to check tire pressure at home. The recommended pressure for your tires can be found in the vehicle's manual or on the driver door edge, glove box, or fuel door. Remember that you cannot tell if a tire is low or under-inflated by just looking at it.

Thermal Runaway, Synthetic Gear Lube and You!


Today's new heavy duty pickup's really have become high powered, load pulling monsters!
With powerful turbo-diesel and V-10 engines today's modern pickup can pull more and haul more than ever before. Since 1981 average horsepower in American made pickups has risen by 93%. In just the last decade average horsepower has climbed 34% fueled by consumer demand and intense competition between manufacturers for lucrative truck sales.
This competition for buyers has led to pickups such as the Ford F-350 Super Duty which when equipped with a fifth-wheel package can tow very nearly 20,000 pounds.
All this torque, horsepower and extreme loads flowing through the differentials of these pickups has led to the requirement for vastly improved gear lubes.
Numerous tests performed by organizations such as AGMA (American Gear Manufactures Association) and additive manufacturers like Lubrizol Inc.have shown industry wide problems pertaining to heavy duty differentials and the lubricants used in them.

Honda Accord: A Brief History - Ideal Engines


In 1976 the Honda car company released its first version of the Honda Accord.The first generation was released as a three door hatch back model and ran from 1976 through 1981. The car itself was slightly larger than the Honda civic and was geared towards people who wanted a mid sized vehicle with good fuel economy.This was the first Japanese smaller vehicle equipped with features such as a tachometer, intermittent wipers, an am/fm radio and cloth seats as standard equipment.
In 1982 Honda released the second generation Accord. This generation ran from 1982-1985 and had a more modernized interior and exterior when compared to earlier models. Mechanically this version was very similar to earlier versions. The newest revisions included the use of shag carpet, new velour cabin trim along with chrome accents. For its time it was known as one of the most reliable engines on the planet.

Automotive Marketing Helps Car Dealers Sell More Fast-best auo zone


If you are looking to attract customers in today's automotive market, you can no longer rely on the tools of the past. Successful automotive dealers today have learned to use a variety of innovative tools in tandem to reach their buyers. Here are some useful tips to help you better reach your customers and increase your sales and gross profits on a more consistent basis.
In today's fast-paced information age and with the prevalence of easy-to-use, readily available digital cameras, more businesses are turning to the use of video to get their messages in front of potential clients. With YouTube.com and other Internet-based video hosting sites, video production "quality" has become less important. With "Flip" video cameras and other digital recording devices, it's relatively easy for anyone to create a simple, straight forward message that can be consumed quickly on the Internet by prospective customers. Because it is so easy, you should make video part of your every day arsenal of marketing tools.

Smoking Ban Set For Cars-best auto zone


A new medical survey has prompted medical experts to advise the government to extend the current smoking bank to include cars that carry children. Obviously as the car is a confined space (more confined than public places like restaurants, etc.) so it seems like this could be a natural progression in smoking restrictions.
A recent survey which was set up by the British Lung Foundation found that over half of children aged eight to fifteen years old have been exposed to cigarette smoke in a Car and 86% of those children want the practice stopped. This is not surprising, I am a non smoker, and since the smoking ban came into place the smell of smoke has become much clearer. I have on numerous occasions wondered how bad the previous environment must have been if the smell is so strong.
The survey was conducted with 1,000 children and has subsequently been handed to number 10 Downing Street in the form of a petition with 15,000 signatures. The petition asks ministers to look further at smoking legislation and to extend the current ban to cover cars carrying children.

Before Hiring Any Vehicle Transport Service There Are Smart Decisions That Need To Be Made


Are you wanting to hire a vehicle transport service since you have to get your automobile moved to a new destination and want to get it done without problems? Before you will be able to decide which service to hire, there are some smart decisions that have to be made.
You have to make these decisions before you can make the confident choice about which company is the right one to use for help with getting your automobile moved to your new destination. If you don't make the decisions, then you could easily make a mistake and hire the wrong company.
Here are the decisions that you need to take time to make so you can be confident in the service that you do choose to hire.
1. What is your budget for getting your vehicle moved?
You have to be aware up front of what your budget is before you start looking at any companies to hire. This is going to be important because it will help you eliminate the companies that are out of your price range and help you easily locate the ones you can afford.

Fleet And Personal Car Reviews - An Unbiased Review Of The Toyota Prius Plug In Hybrid


As a fleet car or a family car, the Toyota Prius Plug In Hybrid has a roomy cabin to fit large families and because of its smooth drive train it gives a very comfortable ride. Our fleet car review of this car found that the fuel economy and emissions norms are the best in its class and if you happen to sell it in future it commands a high resale value. The only drawbacks are poor rear visibility, lack of steering feel, and the plastic interiors considering the heavy price.
As 2011 is going to be revolutionary as many establishments and businesses have planned to install points for electric vehicles for their charging, this fleet car review of the Toyota Prius Plug In Hybrid is designed to help you make a good choice. A few EVs are going to roll out this year and the next year you will have a fair choice.

Auto Mechanic School - Can It Be the Right Choice for You?


Charly and I grew up together. I was the one with the dolls and she always liked watching her father work on cars. He taught her a lot back in those days. As time went on, she got away from the mechanics and decided to go to college. She was accepted at a university some 400 miles away from home. Her major was sports medicine.
I remember her signing college loan papers promising to pay back quite a bit of money once she got her career going. I know she liked the thought of having her own gym someday because she always did want to be in business for herself.
Graduation Day was memorable. Her whole family was there and I took time off from work to attend as well. It was the first day of the rest of her life and she had big hopes for success.

Benefits Of Cheap Cooper Tires


When tires are needed on your car, it is nice to be able to get them cheaper if you can. There are many options available but a lot of them are very expensive. That is why you should check what options are available with cheap Cooper tires. There are many places that sell this kind of tire.
One of the better options available is the Cooper CS4 Touring tire. These are an all-season tire with excellent traction. With these, you will be able to handle your vehicle in both rain and snow. It is great for dry roads also.
They make for a very comfortable ride that is quiet. It was designed for minivans, cars and SUVs that are smaller. This one looks very attractive and has tread that will last for a long time.
The Cooper GFE tire is another good tire for someone who is on a budget. There is a warranty on them for the tread which will last for 60,000 miles. Highway gas mileage can be improved by minimizing the rolling resistance. It is one that handles great on wet or dry road conditions.
There is another great all-season tire available also. This one is the Cooper Cobra Radial G/T tire.

Car Bulbs: How Your Car Bulbs Can Help You to Save Fuel


The current economic climate means that you'd have to be very fortunate to not want, or need, to save money, whilst the current actual climate needs all the help it can get. That's why changing your car bulbs from halogen to HID or LED is a no-brainer and will be one of the best (and cheapest and easiest!) upgrades you can make to your car.
Whether we're talking about your headlights, brake or tail lights, indicator/turn lights or even your interior and dashboard lamps, all use energy and that's reflected in the amount of fuel your car consumes.
Clearly, saving fuel = saving money, so how do you go about it and what are your options?
Firstly, it's important to know the difference between the bulbs. If you're reading this, your car is probably already fitted with halogen bulbs as standard - these are lit by a filament and have a much higher power consumption than HID and LED bulbs. They are also not as effective and have a shorter life span, which is why switching to another light source makes sense.

Car Bulbs: Why You Should Choose LED Car Bulbs Next Time You Replace Your Headlight Bulbs


If the time has come for you to replace your car, van or truck's headlight bulbs then it's time for you to consider upgrading from your standard halogen bulbs to better and brighter LED car bulbs. Here we're going to take a look at exactly why you should do that.
Firstly, what are LED bulbs, why are they superior to your existing headlights and what can they do for you? People choose LED over filament bulbs for various reasons: some like the wider range of colours, some want to become more energy efficient and save engine running costs, others want to increase their visibility and road safety and some just want their car to look cooler than everybody else's!
Whatever your reason customizing your headlights by switching over to LED makes sense, but first, here's the techie bit:
LED lights aren't so different to standard light bulbs; the main difference is that they don't contain a filament. An LED bulb produces light by using the electricity's movement along its semiconductor. This in turn creates electromagnetic radiation - some of which takes the form of visible light.

Auto Locksmiths-best auto zone


One of the things that are guaranteed more than anything is that at some point drivers will lose their car keys. Luckily they are usually found fairly quickly after some fairly frantic searching, but for some it means calling out a specialized Auto Locksmith to get them back into their vehicle.
Auto locksmiths usually work on a 24 hour callout basis and can for a price be called out to practically any location within the UK. Because they are mobile workers they usually have the tools required to get into any make of car and sort out the problems you are experiencing fairly quickly.
Losing your car keys can be a real problem especially from a security issue if your car can be identified via your keys. If your car is stolen because you lost keys which readily identified it, then you could have serious problems with your insurance company paying out a claim.
The efficiency and speed of an Auto Locksmith when called out means this problem is reduced considerably as they are usually able to effect a change to the locks immediately plus get you back on the road. This also means that you don't have the worry of leaving your car unattended knowing there is the possibility that someone is waiting for the opportunity to steal it.

Car Bulbs: 10 Reasons to Upgrade Your Headlight Bulbs


Are you the kind of driver who likes to stand out on the road? Are you thinking about ways to make your car a bit more eye catching? If so read on as we've got 10 great reasons why just upgrading your existing headlight bulbs could be enough to satisfy your cravings!
If, like the majority of cars, your vehicle is fitted with regular halogen bulbs then upgrading to HID Xenon lights is a great decision. HID (that's short for High Intensity Discharge for those who like to know what their acronyms mean!) bulbs are brighter, longer lasting and make driving at night or in gloomy weather a far safer experience.
So how do they work? HID bulbs use Xenon gas instead of a filament. When exposed to high voltage, the gas is ignited and produces a beam of light that's around 3 times brighter than your regular halogen bulbs. So, without further ado, here are 10 reasons why you should upgrade today:
1) HID lights are 3 times brighter than standard halogen bulbs - that means that you get 3 times more visibility when driving at night or in bad weather.