Cars and dreamers

Spark her plugs sooner

2011-06-07T05:53:00.000-07:00

As you might have become used to,i only right small but smart posts,and yes,modesty- i've got plenty of.

Today,i need to speak about spark plugs. Yes those little ceramic plated rods,that fit in the engine,and of cours,give sparks and bring the car to life again.

Everyone changes them at (usually) the time plan stated in the owner's manual,but i've seen from experience,that it pays to do that sooner.

The cost from 15 to as much as 80-90 $,especially those iridium sparks,wich i don't find really up to the promise from the manufacturer. Just put the one sugested by the manual- be advised,the manual,not the dealer,as they tend to sell you anything they have a contract on,not what you need.

Why should you bother replacing them? here's why: Your car gets more MPG,swifter acceleration response time,shorter start up time,and most of all,you minimize the risk of having a dead spark plug in the middle of nowhere,Hillbilly County.

If you like to have dirty hands,you can change them yourself,all you need is a spark plug key,some copper grease,and maybe,in a perfect world,a dynamometric key. Dont want them over-tighten like my father wallet on new years eve !

Don't go the the other side either- changing them too soon. They don't grow in trees,and you're not made of money,you know.

How to solve foggy windows in rain

2011-05-31T01:45:00.000-07:00

Well,every now and then,a mistifying question resurfaces: How to stop my car windows from fogging up (and me to start seeing again outside)?
Well i have couple of answers,but by far the last one seems to get the most votes every time. Why,beats me...
1. Stop breathing,it's as easy as that,no questions asked,satsifaction guaranteed.
2.Maybe not that simple,and definetly not as funny,leave the car,take the bus/metro/bycicle, and there,no fog on your car.
3. It requires some work,and by far,the most boring one,is to use a good ol' shaving foam,applied thoroughly on the inside of your windows ( clean them before,trust me,they're always dirty),and mix it up until you can't see it on the glass. You need only 10 minutes,unless you have 2 left hands,and your best working one is a right hand.

Oh,wait,i see a hand raised in the public...yes,you,the fat woman,please,speak louder...oh,you have no one who can borow you some shaving foam? Hmm,Jesus,i believe you can buy a cheap one,or start walking,you may be less fat and solve the foggy windows nightmare.
This really works,i know it sounds strange,but think about it- what people used before,in medieval times,on their cars? Now,as i proved it scientifically,get to work,and see (through clear windows in the rain) for yourself. You can try this trick in the bathroom mirror,first,and fill the room with vapor.

The things you do to me...

2011-05-30T01:32:00.000-07:00

I went with a friend who owns a van,to help him deliver some goods,and,on the way back,when he started the engine,a check light bulb message was showing nice on the display. What the hell,we thought,it's just a bulb,and as he is a smart person,he had spares in the car. 10 minutes later,light bulb changed,still,same problem. I went at the electric fuses panel,and...bingo,we have a problem !! A nice 5A fuse burned down,i mean,melted inside. This fuse,my friend doesn't have,so,what can we do? No auto shops in sight,Saturday evening,so slim chances to find one near us. After some debates,we took out the horn fuse,exchanged the burned one,and thing as good to go. The only problem,and here is what i want you to remember,is that you should always have 2-3 fuses,5A,10A,15A at least,somehere handy in your car. Might be the ignition system that fails to start,and a cheap cause,the fuse the choosed to melt. In our case,the horn was a 15Amps,so it will need to be replaced with a proper 5A when he finds one for sale. You can put higher value fuses in lowervalue sockets,but risk some damage to electrical system,but not otherwise- small in high.

To air filter or not to air filter?

2011-05-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

With this new hype of fuel prices going skyrocketing,everybody's looking for ways of reducing fuel consumption on their autos. The internet,newspapers,even news,they all have it: "X ways to save money on fuel". We all know it- fully inflated tires,slow acceleration,give up on AC use,and the likes.

Good,this crap really works,but what if you want even more? I personally have found that one simple move is to purchase & install yourself a new airfilter. You can buy a new one from all partshops,you don't need to go for the OEM parts,as they tend to be the same,just rebranded boxes. Installation is simple-open the bonnet,take the old one out,put the new one in,and-miracle,car drives better,responds prompter to the acceleration,so you don't need that heavy foot on the gas,and hey,it's like a new and more loveable car !!
What i need to underline,are two things:
1. don't change the air filter if there is no need to,but,let me tell you when it's time to do that. You take the air filter out,and with a flaslight,or against the sun( in a good fasion sunny day) you check and see if light protrudes from under it. If not,go ahead,change it. If it does,it means it's still clean,and you don't need to waste money. NEVER-ever wash your air filter,you cheap bastard !
2.make sure you dissasemble the old one easy,with care,or you risk braking the household and thne you should expect some serious check for a lucky mechanic. Again,after installing,make sure you screw/hinge the cover back like it was before.

Many of us still use to think that tunning the air filter will change the way the car acts,swifter acceleration,more top speed.etc,and,maybe to a limited degree,that is true. But i don't do that,here's why:
-the cost more( i mean,a looot more)
-they need more care,some need a special oil lubrication. And that is a helluva pain in the arse.
-some crappy producer made the form,but neglected the function,so it't pretty much possible to make things even worse,with a higher price.
-as for the top speed,with the prices of fuel going Everest avery day,and all these speed cameras,and hungry policemen,why risk it?

After you take the old one out,wipe clean the compartment. Aaa,i love the smell of fresh air in the morning ! (says the engine)

2009-07-28T00:48:00.000-07:00

This morning i read a great article,in a romanian newspaper, Evenimentul Zilei,that was citing www.hybridcars.com saying that BMW was testing ! a new hybrid version of the already amazing BMW X6. The new car will be shown in the Frankfurt Auto Show,held in september 2009.
The picture was taken near Spartanburg, California a town that has a BMW factory in USA.

As the newspaper said,it will have 2 engines: the petrol one,being a V8 and having 400 HP and 4400 cmc and a hybrid engine,of unknown power. As all hybrids,it will help reduce fuel consumption by moving the car at slower speeds,and perhaps at highway speed,where the vehicle travels at a constant speed.
What's great,is the electric engines have full torque from the beginning,allowing very fast acceleration.
What's not cool,is that batteries add to vehicle weight and also,a higher tag price is a certainty.
It seems the starting price for the BMW X6 hybrid will be around 50.000 Euros.

For more pictures,please go to http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/860992/Primul-hibrid-BMW-surprins-inaintea-lansarii/

Car antenna,size sure does matter !!

2009-07-27T02:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you,but i really miss those long,chunky radio antenna that you could even go fishing from back in the '90's.

In new cars,we can only see small antennas and even those get smaller by the day,and i wouldn't be surprised to see the future antenna will be a part of the car body,not visible from the outside.
I really don't miss those huge army-like antennas,but i really miss the quality of radio station reception that came with those long rods.
These new ones,are spiral-shaped,don't drag so much,and consequently have lower sound disturbances,but all with a trade-in in reception. I have on a car a small antenna,work great in town,but outside,over 50 km signal gets distorted,and if i don't get a CD,i better get used to listening to old AM stations,and news. And i hate news.

On my other car,there is a retractable antenna,that extends over 1.5 meters high,and gets reception almost in the Moon,i believe. What is not so cool,is that i suspect that some time it will mechanically fail,because it retracts and extends every time i turn the engine on/off. Not to mention,if i get in a car wash,i can't listen to the radio,cause those retards will break the antenna,and excuses count for crap,when i get a car with a non-functional radio.

I don't know what best solution there is,but one thing can be done better,make a longer antenna,cause in this case,size does matter !!

Parking sensors? maybe,but not the ones you think

2009-07-23T01:48:00.000-07:00

Today i want to speak about parking sensors: Do we need them? Surely,we can do without them,and maybe in one ocasion,in a cloudy night,or a rainy afternoon,they can be useful. But other than that,we probably can use the money spent on them to buy anything else.
More and more cars come now with parking sensors standard,and i believe that in a couple of years,they will be on every car,of course,if the end of world in 2012 will not come upon us.

How do they work? By detecting obstacles behind you and also in front of you,to aid your parking and enabling you to get into those tight spots without rounding the corners of you car,or other's.
There are many variations of the design,but all work the same,emitting ultrasonic waves tens of thousand per second,and then by using a sensor,picking up the signal that bounces back from obstacles. They start emitting a horrible beep-ing sound that scares the hell out of me,if i'm not aware of them,and,as you approach an obstacle,the beep turns to a continuous tone,warning you to stop or else...
Apart from the horrible beeping ones,some also have a LCD screen, on wich they show the actual distance.
If you are not very skilled in parking maneuvers,financially,the parking sensors kit is worth because even from one dodged collision you will be avoinding money loss.

Normally, cars have parking sensors that activate when the car is in reverse,but standard new cars,have also front sensors,and,most important,to disable the sensors,if you don't feel like hearing them all the time.

The vast majority come with a DIY drilling head,that makes mounting them a piece of cake. This might seem easy,but don't act surprised if you start loosing the sensors from time to time,as you have drilled too big holes in your bumper.

There is also a parking sensor called Electromagnetic system do not look for a reflected signal, instead they create a wide electromagnetic force-field and this can extend through and beyond the car's body panels. For this reason, this type of sensor can be fitted behind the bumper so that no externally visible alteration is required, although the bumper and/or under body panel may need to be removed in order to fit the system. They have some main advantages over the classic sonic system,and here i will count them

The sensors are compact and can be fitted without drilling the car's bumper. Maintaining your car's original factory look will improve its resale value.
Electromagnetic systems provide a wider operating zone around, above and below the bumper,thus no dead-spots are allowed.
They can detect closer the obstacles,so even a 4 cm-apart object is now shown.
If you own a pick-up,or just have a towing hook,will no longer keep sounding,as the sonic system does.

They ignore fixed items that are already present and look for changes to the surrounding area and that makes them ideally for the cars that spot body alterations.

The need for speed- Audi A1 expected september 2009

2009-07-22T00:33:00.000-07:00

More and more people feeld the need for a small car,but for the moment,most of us feel pretty annoyed by the current small car market. They are small,and the interior is a bit crowdy,but we expecat this,and surely we can live with this. What is really really bad,is the lack of engine power,that makes over-taking a car at speed over 50km/h an act of desperate courage.
Car-makers tell us that gears are so tuned for a better fuel efficiency,and not for sport-like acceleration. So,with this great technical information in mind,you need to arm yourself with a lot of patience if you're planning to go on a trip outside the town- cause you ain't gonna overtake nobody,mister.

These so called "city-cars" should be named girlie-cars,because,apart from their lack of power,they even have trendy colors,and funny car bodies. Sure,it's really cool if you are a girl,but i do believe,sir,i'd rather ride on an oversized dog at work,than in such delightful fashion..thingies.

What buggles me even more,is the fact that most car magazine hide the truth,and speak only about positive aspects,like low fuel consumption,small car length that allows you virtually to park everywhere.

Virtually. A great word for those who believe in sticking head in sand and ignoring the truth.
Low fuel consumption- yes indeed,they have one,but,so long as you don't try to speed up a little,and don't put more than a lipstick in the car,besides the driver.
And parking space? Sure,they fit everywhere,but their trendy design makes it a nightmare to try and park this little hell-born monster,especially if you need the other drivers to wait for you.
But,as always,try and see the good part of it- you can hear all the new curses and insults invented in town.

This is,of course,not a rule.Some small cars,are,actually,quite fun to drive,and pack quite a punch in engine power,this,combined with small weight making them surprisingly fast.
Some of this cars,i might mention Mini Cooper S- 177HP, Ford Fiesta 170 HP, Volkswaggen Polo GTI-140 HP, and now,finally, Audi chosed to enter the market for these cars,with the newly designed A1. Sure,for some of us who already knew,this car was presented as a concept car,A1 MetroprojectCar,at Tokio 2007.
It seems that Audi A1 will enter mass production in september,2009. Back then,the prototype sported a hybrid electric engine and a petrol engine,bold design features,rimless door windows.
The model for the masses,wil have a petrol engine and maybe a diesel one.
Petrol engines will vary from 1.2 to 1.4 TSI Vag-origin engines,bot already on use in Volkswaggen Golf and Polo,Seat Ibiza and Leon,also in Skoda Octavia. Already praised,these engine are very efficient at fuel consumption,light weight,and huge power to weight ratios.
The sportier version of A1 will be S1,and will have stiffer suspension,a bigger engine,probably,maybe sure the 2.0 TSI petrol engine with 200 HP.
All models will have manual or automatic DSG sequential gear box.

You can see the video of the prototype in an article by MikeDushane at Caranddriver.com here:
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/08q4/audi_a1_sportback_concept-video

Or,some pictures with the cabrio A1 at autoworld.worldpress.com here:
http://autoworld.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/new-audi-a1-cabrio-will-debut-on-2009-frankfurt-motor-show/

Fog lights? No,just pimp lights

2009-07-21T02:29:00.000-07:00

Fog lights examination-do we need them?
These days,most cars come equipped with fog lights standard,so this might seem a bit of a useless question. Still,a good question and i will try to adress it from the average person point of view.
Normally,fog lights are meant to be a help when driving in foggy days,or rainy or snowy ones.But let's be honest- as a fog helping tool,they do crap.Sometimes i wonder if they really are on,because when fog is really thick,nothing can really go trough.
The only real advantage,worth having fog lights,is that you get noticed more and better by other drivers,and this is no minor thing.Especially on highway,having four lights instead of just two,is a heck of a difference,believe me. But normal fog lights have normal light bulbs,that get average light,and burn quite often,if you use them daily.

Why some fog lights seem to stick to that old-looking yellow light color? Well,it's just that a theory,proven false,said that yellow light has a different wave length and so penetrates better the fog. As i said,proven false,end of story- just stick to white light,already standard on new car models sincer 2000+. What makes thing even worse,yellow lights usually have an optical filter that actually takes a percentage of light,so you even get less light in those hellish foggy days.

For this reason,many car manufacturers introduced driving lights. What are these? A set of LED (light emitting diode) lights that can be used continuously without increasing fuel consumption,and they get burned after tens of thousand of hours of use. Bein a LED,they offer a brighter light,and in return,you are more visible on the road.

Some car manufacturers,offer fog lights with an interesting function,adaptive cornering function,that makes the fog lights turn as you turn the steering wheel.Pretty neat,i'd say,especially at night.One of these vehicles is Fiat Bravo,an European car.For this,please review the next link http://www.fiat.com/FIAT_COM/uploads/PB_TMPL_SHOWROOM/1073903335/20070315/Bravo_catalogo_BlueMe_UK.pdf

So,we can state that the vast majority of fog lights are purely aesthetic in nature,but newer version are better although still hardly effective in foggy days.

No matter what you choose,fog lights or not,if you plan on using them normally,get them mounted at a professional car mechanic,so you don't burn your alternator,or something else.
Periodically,check if they are correct aligned,as bumps on the road can affect the screws.

Also,if you need a more scientific opinion regarding the difference between yellow or white color fog lights,be sure to check this great site,Newton BBS:
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy99/phy99xx4.htm

Wash your car and brush your teeth

2009-07-20T01:29:00.000-07:00

Everybody has a car these days,and,most of us like to keep it clean,or at least,not having mud or bird crap on it. If you are like me,and don't own a garage,that perhaps,like me,you probably need to clean your car often.

The problem,is that with the economy going slower,car washing is getting out of business faster that we had expected. Where only months ago were succesful car washes,now there are signs of "space for rent".... This affects us indirectly,because now we see growing lines at those stations that survived. Week-ends now are a search for a shorter line to wash the car.
We could skip washing our car so often,but,this solution is a-no-brainer, because paint deteriorates, plus that the car that we like looks like a perfect homeless-wagon.

A better solution,is DIY car wash,it's cheaper,faster,and you get a good feeling that you did something all by yourself in these digital times,when all we do is pushing buttons.

Sure,some might see this a first sign of bankruptcy,but you need not care abou them,you have more free time,a cleaner car,and more cash in ya wallet,homeboy.

You can buy a jet washer,wich might seem costly at first,but in time,you will see that it sure is worth the money. After that,all you need is to plug it in electric outlet,and insert a water hose in it,and you have your own car wash. Newer machines actually have shampoo compartments,so you can spray foam first on your car. It has a huge pressure,so be careful not to use it too close to your car body,or on your mirrors,or you risk damaging them. Remember never to wash your hands with it,as it can actually peel of your skin. When inserting the water hose,always insert it after you let water pour through it,because air bubbles damage the jet washer engine.
For a price of at least 80-100$ or 50-80 Euros you can get a machine that will serve you well. But if you plan to use it quite often,and invite friends wash their cars,too,well,you'd better buy something worth more money.

Another solution,is to wash you car manually,this is cheaper,but needs more work,and you need some experience,if you want to duplicate the results of a jet washer machine.
What you need,is a car shampoo,some sponges,a water bucket,and some cloth. Of course you need to have the will to get yourself wet and dirty,first of all.

So let's begin:
Get some water in the bucket,preferably not cold,so you don't freeze your hands,and mix in the car shampoo,gently,so to avoid making too much foam.
Next,you need your car body pre- soaked,because otherwise you will damage the paint,and,if you car as mud stains,you also need to remove those first. If possible i recommend a hose,but if you don't have acces to one,just use another bucket.
Also very important- find a spot in the shade so the shampoo doesn't dry out too fast on the car. And also,you don't get headaches or sunburn,but who cares about that?
Also,if you drive a lot on the highway,you need a bug-remover spray,to get the damn bugs from your bumper and windshield off,and we all know those hell-spawn insects are pretty hard to clean just with water and car shampoo.
Next,start with the roof of the car,so you don't get otherwise dirt on your newly cleand doors. After the roof,clean the hood and the rear section- the trunk. Last,wash your lower doors panels and your wheels. Wheels are better to be washed with a different cloth,so to minimize scratching the paint. Always keep this routine in mind,because the last sections get sand,and pebbles encrusted on them,so you risk damaging the paint on other ares,you don't use my advice.
Word of advice,after you apply the shampooed sponge on you car, clean it after you put it back in the bucket with shampoo foam.
After you wash the car,all of the car,mufflers,bumpers,antenna,and wheels,rinse it very well,and believe me some car shampoo products can get a lot of water to rinse off.
Don't forget,after rinsing,take a clean cloth and dry the car completely,or you get water spot and streaks on it- and that is just not a good car wash. Get a good absorbing cloth.
With a window cleaner,wash the windos,both inside and outside.
When you wash the wheels,you should wait a little before watering the brake disks,as this might affect them,especially if you have a high performance brake system installed.

I usually buy a shampoo wiht polymers,because rain drops don't stick to your car,keeping it clean more.

Spare tire in your spare time

2009-07-17T00:55:00.001-07:00

Some days ago,one of my friends call me at a late hour,and by the sound of his voice,he was a little ashamed,and worried,at the same time. What happened? Very simple,he was coming home from his girlfriend,and found out,with the help of nearby drivers, that one if his tires is under-inflated,and soon,flat. He wasn't worried,he knew he had a good spare tire in his trunk,and all that was needed was a little effort,and he would be on the road again.
But,life has a ironic way of choosing the worst possible moments to remind us that we should check periodically in order to keep things in good conditions.He takes his spare tire from the trunk,and,biiiig surprise- it's almost as flat as the one he just unscrewed from his car. Sure,if he would have known it.....
This is obviously,a rather unpleasant situation,but unfortunately,in his place there could have been any of us. So,i had to drive to a gas station,inflate the spare tire,come back,and everything was fine. While he was cursing,i told him that if things would have happened on the highway, it would have taken much more time,and a whole lot more cursing,to get him on the road again,as we all know,other drivers don't really care if you have a car problem.

So,as a final note,remeber that from time to time,you should check the fifth tire (that is the spare tire in the trunk,for those who smartly say "hey,my car needs only four") for correct pressure.

Nitrogen or Compressed Air in our tires?

2009-07-16T01:51:00.000-07:00

Once again,a big dilemma comes: nitrogen or compressed air?

Some years ago,i believe i heard it back in 2006 or 2007,a new gimmick appeared,and as all new things,it sparkled some controversy. Some folks,will just go into new things just because they think it has to be great,or just because they want to be special,and show it to the world. This was also the case with nitrogen-filled tires. This technology was in use for a longer period in Formula 1 cars. But let's not forget,those are world-apart cars from what we drive. They drive at higher speed that our car would ever reach,not to mention that at those speed,we would probably be thrown directly in jail on the streets.

Since fuel prices began ski-rocketing, everybody began to search for ways to improve costs with fuels. Unfortunately,some really went too much over-board. Some people claim that you shoul only fill up in the morning,or at night,because then is a little colder,and you can get more fuel for the same price,but,phisics reminds us that liquids is hardly compressible,so probably if you get fuel for a whole year,you could get a liter free,wich,i think is not really worth.

One reason the nitrogen filled tires got so much attention,is because normally,tires filled with air,loose pressure after some time,and so,increase fuel consumption,tire break-down,and decrease car response.
Nitrogen is made of slightly larger molecules than air,so it cannot pass so easily trough the pores of the rubber tires.
Some studies claim that a tire filled with "plain old air" can lose 1.5 psi in less than a month,or even more,dependant on outside temperature variations. The vast majority of cars drive on under-inflated tires,this is the reality. Sure,owner-manuals recommend that you check tire pressure periodically,but,let's face it,routine or lazyness, we don't really do this.
I personally check tires whenever i re-fuel,or when i go for a ride outside the town,and strongly recommend you do the same.

What few people know,is that nitrogen is A tire filled with "plain old air"
can lose 1.5 psi in less than nitrogen is already in the surrounding air,so obviously in the tires filled with plain air,too. The only thing different is concentration,in nitrogen only,it is about 95%. And,surprise,normal air is 78% nitrogen. So,for a 17% difference,you pay a lot whe you pump your tires. Normally,this difference could be better put at use by instead buying fuel for the money,and just fill with air,at a normal gas station. Bet you never thought at that.

But,advantages with nitrogen,come from saving the time that you use in regularly checking tire pressure,and in better card drive-ability on road. Under inflated tires will increase gas consumption. You can solve this by checking regularly,as i said before.
If you live in a colder climate,in winter days,when temperature goes waaaay beyond freezing,yes sir,nitrogen,being a inert gas,will shrink less,so it's worth buying.
Another advantage with nitrogen is that,unlike compressed air,does not cotain moisture,so,in higher speed,tires will heat up less,so yes,it is worth paying.
Again,moisture is damaging tires and rims,so if you have some expansive ones,don't go cheap and buy the nitrogen. It will insure longer life on the tires,and less oxidation on the rims interior.

If you plan on buying a nitrogen-machin,to fill your tires by yourself,forget it, the price tag 2500-9000 euros,or 3000$-12000$ for those who's uncle is called Sam.

Over-all,nitrogen is better than compressed air. No doubt about it,but, if it is worth for normal people,is a question that i cannot adress. People should not forget that regular tire pressure,with or without nitrogen is a must do,and this is for sure.

Last,but not least, check out what Mr. Dennis Simanaitis wrote for www.roadandtrack.com on tire pressure affecting fuel consumption,and other useful tips here: http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=36&article_id=6905

New or used car?

2009-07-15T05:19:00.000-07:00

The question that's been like...forever in people minds- Should i buy a new or a used car?

First of all,if you are stinkin' rich,buying a new car is always best,unless,of course,if you buy a collection car,but that is not what i want to talk about here.Obviously,if you are reading this,money is an important thing for you,as is for me,too.
Let me try and cover both,and, as usually you decide what is best for you:

New car benefits:

You get a new car,new model,full manufacturer warranty,at least 3 years or 100.000km,or maybe even better,wich is awesome,but at the same time,if they gave you this warranty,chances are almost zero that the car is going to break before that.
In a new car,usually new technologies and materials is available,wich is,again,fabulous.
You know for sure nobody had accidents with the car,it wasn't treated mindless,or abused by some street wanna-be race driver.
People usually look at new cars with different eyes,so self-esteem gets a huge boost. So when you take your friends for a ride,make sure you show them the new fancy button that practically does nothing useful,but it's still awesome !!
Those new technologies don't just come and do nothing,you are safer,have a better fuel efficiency,and will get you out of tight situations,where maybe you wouldn't be if you'd knew you don't have a new shiny car,bu hey,what's the fun if you don't do it?

New car drawbacks:

The moment you drove your way out the dealer parking lot,you just lost money,you'll never sale that car for what you paid for it.
Being a new car,its price is highest in it's life,so insurance is also at top,although this can be solved by paying a full year ahead,and getting a discount.
Being a new car,usually has fancy technologies,that eventually you don't really need,but you pay for.
Being a new car,if it is a new model too,you risk getting problems,that went unnoticed by the factory,nothing serious,but it is annoying,nonetheless. Being under warranty,it costs you nothing,but you waste your time,and is just not cool.
You know you feel like killing the guy who spilled his drink in your car,second day after you just bought it. Twice,and still,it just doesn't feel enough.

Now,for the used car,i speak about cars that are just under 3 years old,not about cars that probably were there when grandpa went to school for the first time.

Used car benefits:

God damn cheaper,if this is not cool,than i'm lost here....
Already somebody lost the depreciation,so nothing to loose here,you can sell it in a year an maybe,if you're lucky,get the same money you paid for it.
You just don't get new models factory problems,somebody took care of them.
You can buy the car that 2 years ago just couldn't afford,and that hot chick stopped next to you at the traffic light just doesn't know,and that could be the beginning of a hot night.

Used car drawbacks:

You gor for a ride,and come back home on foot,the car that the seller told you is in perfect condition,is just a piece oj junk with a horn. Wich is still great,you you like horns big time.
Maybe crashed some couple of times. So don't be surprised when your car steers by itself.
You can get new friends among mechanics,wich would be cool,if they wouldn't tax you for that.
All those fancy technologies,that you read in the newspapers,and might save your arse when you need it most...it's not in your car,buddy.
No warranty,or at least,not on the car part that just broke,and yes,you are the luckiest person in the world.
It smells like other people,and they might not have been acustomed to body deodorants.

Snow tires

2009-07-15T01:49:00.000-07:00

I remember when i was a child,i was so happy when snow was covering everything,i wanted more and more. Now,except that i'm older,and after some still imature, when it snows i know there's gonna be problem on the streets,no matter what the street-cleaning service is trying to do.

Like those of you who live in colder climates,and get snow and below-freezing temperatures,winter is a lot of a pain in the arse for me. I have to start shoveling,and if that would be all,no problemo,but with the car skidding out of control,suddenly i become a fan of hot weather climates.

There are some solutions:
1. Stop using the car when road conditions are not ok
2.Buy snow tires(winter tires),and i will get into this now.

First of all,snow tires,are not just for snow,as is a common misconception. They are for everybody who drives in colder climates,whenever temperatures gets under 8 degrees Celsius. Under this temperature,normal tires,summer tires,as they are called,get harder,and so they tend to loose grip,when cornering,or when braking,especially in mud,snow,or water-covered roads. One possible solution is to slow down a little,but as weather gets even colder,this is not working. The car you thought you know,suddenly is becoming alive,and skids in all directions,mostly in those you don't want or expect it to go.

Snow tires,have a snow flake imprinted on the outsole,so it is easier to spot,and they have large extra-deep treads. Besides these alterations,one very important thing is that they have a larger ratio of silicon inside,wich makes them softer,when weather gets cold,and they get normal grip.
Some manufacturers say they have 50 percent more pulling ability than normal tires on soft snow and nearly 30 percent more on glare ice. In stopping on glare ice, however, snow tires have no advantage over regular tires; tire chains or studded tires are best for ice surfaces. Studs on this tires can be changed,when damaged,or removed,when road conditions no longer require them. Be advised,chain driving is strictly forbidden in some zones,and when you enter a tunnel,or pass the icy road it is absolutely necesarily to remove them. When chains are attached,you must drive at max of 20km/h,or you risk breaking them,ore damaging the car and tires.
Snow tires have treads designed to clear themselves of snow,to prevent snow build-up. When driving behind a car equipped with these,you might think it plows snow out.
People often have the missconception that if they drive a 4WD vehicle,it is more than enough,but the 4X4 traction only helps when cornering or when starting from a full stop. Grip and braking are completely unaffected. Unless you equip it with snow tires,it is just as powerless as a normal touring car.

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As a rule,buying all same four tires from the same manufacturer is best.Ever.Some people only put them on front wheels,or rear wheels,depending on what traction they have on their car,but this is a recipe for disaster,as you can get to skid out of control when cornering or when braking.

Also,when buying all 4 at once,you might get a discount,or at least free install. Also,don't forget to ask for balancing them,very important. Also,check your car manual for proper tire inflation values.

One very important thing,is that when weather gets warm again,you must switch to summer tires,because driving with the winter tires is dangerous,due to their softness,they will wear prematurely,and also don't get a good grip.

When not used,should be stored in a cool dry location,and each tire individually wrapped.

Note that when driving snow tires the car is more noisy,and also,they have a lower maximum speed,so do not speed with them mounted.

You can also use all-season tires on your car,but,being a compromise,they are not going to give the best results. Being adequate in all weather,means they do not shine in any weather.They are more noisy than summer tires, and have less grip then winter tires.But,as a financial solution,they are fine,but try to get a good manufacturer,as the money spend are well worth.

When buying a tire,or anything,remember that usually cheap thing are cheap for a reason,and maybe not worth the risks involved.

To ABS or not to ABS ?

2009-07-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

Why and why not of the ABS system

No,no,i didn't suddenly gone cuckoo and speak in Shakesperian-language. I just want to underscore as usually pro's and con's of the ABS (anti-lock braking system) in modern cars.
As you you probably know,there are almost no modern cars that come out of production without it. First,the acronyms come from German, Antiblockiersystem and as strange as it might seem,it was first invented by a French dude,for use in the airplane brake system. It is,largely,a security system that prevents wheels lock during hard braking,so the driver can steel steer the car around obstacles.
As you might know,when a car breaks hard,the weight transfers to the fron,due to inertia,so it is possible that front wheels get too much friction and loose traction, while the back wheels get little weight,due to the same inertia. This problem is solved by a new addition,called EBD (electronic brake distribution) wich tends to distribute the brake force more to the back wheels,so the aforementioned problem is solved.
In theory, ABS is a controller that activates the callipers on each wheel tens of times a second,so the wheels don't lock. Note that tires still screech,so hearing that awful sound doesn't mean the ABS is not working or present.
The controller ,coupled with sensors attached on each wheel,continually monitor the speed of each wheel is rotating with. When a wheel begins to turn slower then the others,it will release the brake for that wheel,so it will pick up speed again,and not lock down. At the same time,if a wheel starts spin too fast,comparing to the others,it will brake down,and thus reduce the speed of the car.
There is no doubt that this system saved many lives,or avoid property damage,by letting drivers steer around obstacles. But sometimes,even the best intentions get critics... So,here i will list,as before,advantages and disadvantages of the system:
What's great:

Instead of breaking hard,and not being able to steer the car,with the ABS you can securely turn your car.
On concrete,or normal bitum surfaces,braking is actually improved,and so shorter distances are required to put the car to a halt.
When used in connection with the ESP (Electronic Stability Program) it greatly deacreases car and driver risk of accidents.

What's not so great:

Higher cost of manufacturing,and maintainance. This is now pretty much not a problem,as ABS comes standard in the vast majority of new cars.
In snow,mud,or sand-covered surfaces,actual braking distance is increased,even more than 20% plus !! Normaly,a locked-wheel car would simply sink in,and increase braking,but with ABS is not actually the best choice. This "problem" is solved by adding the ability to disable ABS on demand. Also,newer ABS generation systems are better at dealing with this
Sometimes,drivers not used with the ABS will brake hard,and when feel the pulsating of the brake pedal,actually remove the foot from the pedal,wich considerably increases the risk of accident. This is due to unfamiliarization with the technology,and not readin the owner's manual. So,this is not a problem.
Cheaper,smaller cars with smaller tires,tend to engage ABS earlier,especially in sand,snow or mud conditions. This is a problem with older versions of the controller unit. As a solution,it is recommended to purchase and equip the car with better tires,or/and reduce speed on these surfaces.

If you would like,also check this great wikipedia link here http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_ABS_EBD_EPS_in_a_car

First impression

2008-02-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

Supercharger Vs. Turbocharger in cars:

First of all,what is each,and what it does? Both are devices that work in conjunction with engines. Their purpose is to make a small engine give more power,by trading fuel consumption efficiency and cost of manufacturing/installment.
I will only speak about car engines,but every kind of engine can be used with them.
So,let's begin with the supercharger :it's actually a pump that drives air intro the engine cylinder,forcind it in. It is powered mechanicaly by the engine itself,by a connecting belt or chain,and in some cases even a gear. First one ever used was designed by a german engineer, Gottlieb Daimler, back in 1885.

Next, the turbocharger :it has a lot of thing in common with the supercharger,i mean,both pump air compressing it more than normal,in the engine cylinders. Unlike the supercharger,it is driven by exhaust gases that exit the exhaust system.
First of all,both systems take power from the engine,so, if an engine with a supercharger or a turbocharger outputs let's say 200 HP,making the pump work will decrease the power with as much as 15% ,so the total amount will only be 170 HP. This might seem a bit too much,but without supercharging or turbocharging the engine,it would only be normaly aspirated,and output just 100 HP. Not that this is only an example,normaly there are lots of different output with different engines,and gearboxes.
Compressing air increases its temperature, so in order to avoid overheating engines use a small radiator called an intercooler between the pump and the engine to reduce the temperature of the air.

I will continue with pro's and con's of both superchargers and turbochargers. Please note that this post does not claim to present all aspects and it is not my intention to bore anyone with details only an engineer would appreciate.

Supercharger :

Pro:

it's driven the engine itself,so it has no lag at all,it will start to pump air and get power at the push of the pedal,indifferent of RPM. The main advantage is that it reaches full-boost pressure instantaneously.
being mechanically driven,it is less susceptible to break-down,and less complex in design,and so much more reliable.
requires less expensive build materials,so it is cheaper to build and to maintain.

Con:

It takes more power to work,so it is less efficient,and uses more fuel.
It requires more space to install,a lot of American Muscle cars have hood modifications in order to accomodate the supercharger but this creates a different visual car,so many drivers enjoy this.

Turbocharger

Pro:

It's small,requires little space,cars with one installed,have no need to modify the hood or car body.
Requires exhaust gases,wich are already wasted,so it has less impact on fuel consumption

Con:

Turbo lag -being driven by exhaust gases,the turbine cannot be used efficiently at low RPM,and takes some time to build power. This is somewhat solved by maintaining a proper ratio between engine gear and RPM. Some turbo cars have a display that makes it easier to keep in the correct zone.
It is mechanically a very complex device,requiers oil lubricating,and can be easily damaged by incorrect use. Never push the pedal completely down,in and under powered engine,with low RPM,as this could damage the turbine. Never stop the engine completely after driving the car at high speed,just let it idle for couple of minutes,to lubricate the turbine ax completely,and let it cool down.
Maintanance is not cheap,and it is required to be tested periodically,due to large RPM that it reaches,and extreme heat. It also need intercooling,and so needs supplementary piping.

Many of the above con's are reduced by development of newer and more advanced materials,or technological advance.
Turbo lag can be overcome by using a smaller turbine,that has lower inertia,and comes in use at lower RPM,or the turbine can be spined immediately by a small electric engine.
Another solution is to put two turbo's in the same engine,each working at a different RPM range,sequentially.

In the USA normally superchargers are dominant,especially in american muscle cars. In modern cars,there is a shift toward the use of turbochargers.
In European an Asian cars,turbochargers are used almost 100% . In VAG German car producer, two years ago we have seen a new type of engine,displaying both a supercharger and a turbocharger,both working sequentially,unde the name "TSI". From an engine of 1400 cmc,it can give 170 HP,wich is tremendous,and all with incredible fuel efficiency.