How to Communicate With Other Drivers on the Road

Many times there are situations on the road where we mayfeel that we need to tell another driver something. No I am not talking aboutwhen someone cuts you off making you test your brake disc and brake calipers. What this is about is good communication that will help or just showcommon courtesy when on the road.

Over the road communication is something truckers have usedfor years, not just with CB radios but with lots of other techniques as well.There are ways to say thank you, your welcome, go ahead and much more butknowing them is the best way to make driving a nicer experience.

Anyone who has let a Semi truck merge onto the highway hasseen the flashing lights. Not the turn signal but what look like the hazardsfor 3 distinct flashes. This 3 flash process is actually them saying thank younot trying to warn other drivers, truckers have been using this for years butmost “4 wheelers” don’t know the signs. The name “4 wheeler” is also truck slangfor small civilian vehicles such as cars and small trucks.

There are many messages that the average driver should knowthat can help make driving smoother. The double flash of the high beams can leta driver know they are safe to come into our lane. The triple flash is more to alertoncoming drivers of a hazard…or a hiding cop. Three flashes of your hazardlights tell the driver behind “thank you”, While 3 flashes of your headlightssays “hey you just cut me off”.  Evencabbies have signals that they use, the slight honk while driving is to letpeople know they are available. Knowing these few signals can make driving mucheasier and also save a lot of stress as well. True there will always be people whospeed up to block other drivers from merging and others that cut in line at atraffic jam. These signals can’t help with them but maybe they can make thedaily commute a little less  stressful.

Is Your Muffler Bearing Still in Good Shape?

Has the performance of your car seemed reduced as of late? Does the exhaust sound rough or just too loud? Is the idle too low and you are thinking the fuel pump has failed? Well good news everyone! It may just be your muffle bearing not the fuel pump assembly. The muffler bearing is essential for high performance cars to avoid that annoying swarm of angry bees sound. Ever heard a Honda with a fart can on it? Well the muffler bearing will keep you from looking like a fool. But the muffler bearing is not the only part that is over looked on a regular basis…there are tons of parts that just don’t get enough attention.

Most of the time blinkers stop working and it is assumed it’s time to replace the bulb but really your car is just out of blinker fluid. It is a common mistake to waste your money replacing bulb after bulb without fixing the issue. The blinker is a sensitive component and needs to be properly lubricated, if not the bulb can dry out. Lots of issues can be cause by a dry bulb, the least of which is fire. Before ordering blinker fluid, be sure to check the manual for the correct viscosity fluid for your vehicle. Don’t forget that Synthetic fluid is only intended for newer model vehicles.

This brings up on to performance gains that can be made with very little time or effort. These upgrades can give performance increases almost instantly but are seldom known in the automotive community. Parts like the radiator insulator, which keep the much needed heat closer to the engine. The engine works to create heat and there is no reason to give it away through the cooling system. The cooling system is intended to keep the transmission and axles cool not the engine. Protect the most valuable commodity or your car by insulating the radiator from cold air. Lastly are brake line upgrades. A cheap and helpful upgrade is a cross drilled brake line kit. These lines expose the brake fluid directly to the outside air and thus cool the fluid. Cooler fluid increases braking and reduced brake fade during times of heavy use. 

Automotive performance has been argued about since the dawn of the car but following the correct steps will get you ahead of the game. When working on your vehicle it is important to never listen to this guide. All of these parts are a joke and not to be taken seriously. If any of this guide made sense to you leave the automotive work to the professionals. Stay safe and always trust a licensed mechanic to do all maintenance and repairs to your vehicle.

The Integration of the Video Game industry and the Auto Industry

A few years ago people who played video games and enjoyed computers were considered to be “nerdy” as the rest of the world stayed analog but nowadays it is very different. In the last few years the car CD changer units and center console screen have become so advanced that they designs are being created by the video game companies that make racing games.

The idea of a video game company programming for a car may seem a bit strange to some but there are not many people more qualified to do it. Most racing game programmers have done more research into the way a car handles than a race team and they are used to using that raw data in a understandable way. Games like Gran Turismo have been programmed for years to display every bit of into that the car would give top the gamer. Polyphony Digital who created Gran Turismo was hired by Nissan to create the interface on their GTR.

This may be a strange marriage but it seems to have worked because the GTR is one of the most track capable cars that has ever been created. Now other companies are getting on this with the interfaces for the Navigation and social media platforms in new models being created.  Mercedes, BMW and Ford have all wrangled themselves a video game company or two to create the new designs for in car entertainment set ups.

This new integration of electronics into cars will surely mean a shift in the dynamics of the industry that used to be mainly reserved for car companies alone. This also means that the gaming industry will have the backing of the auto industry which can prove to be great for the future of gaming.

We All Know How to Merge...or Do We?

So many factors to count for what shall we do? That may be the way some of us are looking at merging into traffic. When it comes to merging it is still up to us to determine if it can be done safely, our car stereo or in-dash navigation screen cannot tell us how to do it. Because many of us rely on a nav system to get us anywhere, regular driving techniques have become a bit lax.

Merging is a important part of everyday driving an its one that many people are really really bad at doing. The idea is to seamlessly move from one lane to another in traffic and keep the flow of cars uninterrupted. It seems that many a driver believes that merging their vehicle is everyone else's problem. Just start moving over and everyone else should get out of their way. This is not true, you are the one who has to take responsibility for your driving.

When merging the main idea is to look using your mirrors and actually turning your head to make sure you can make the gap you are trying to enter. Driving along any freeway merging is needed when ever getting on the highway and usually when highways intersect not to mention anytime you want to pass. Merging is very common and one of the most used driving maneuvers that we use without thinking about it. So if we all use it so often why is it that day after day and night after night we sit in traffic for no reason? The answer is clear it bad drivers! Drivers who slam on the brakes after the merge, push their way on, other drivers who don't let people in or even worse the ones who speed up to block people from getting in. If all the drivers at an intersection were to allow one other driver to merge then the speed of a highway should only drop by a few miles an hour due to the fact that the merging car can meet the required speed with the on ramp. If it comes down to merging being the cause of many traffic jams...which it does, the "Smart guy" is the cause of many of them. This is the guy that sees a long line for an exit off the freeway and waits to the last second to cut over. They risk hitting the person who is already waiting in that line and also they slow down their lane by making people behind them panic break. It's a rude and obnoxious maneuver and it is also down right dangerous. To the driver who does this "you are not smarter than the rest of us, your just much more rude".

A drivers action on the road are going to dictate how the traffic flows on the freeway so think before you make your merge. If we all do it right, the drive will be smoother and nicer for all of us. If you are one of those people who thinks it is ok to cut the line of traffic, you should try it at the grocery store when waiting to check out and see what everyone around you has to say about that.

What Makes a Car Cool

Cool is a word that can be used to describe many a thing...it can be a mass air flow sensor or alternator that is new and works in a  unique way. It can also be a car that may look ugly as hell but for some reason we all want one....WRX STI anyone. The fact that a car is bad wont even make it loose its cool factor...in fact it may even help.

The cool factor is something that auto makers have struggled with for year and even tried to force on people. The truth is if a car is cool it will be made that way by the general public, it cannot be told to you by the "car hipsters". People tend to fall into crowds of what everyone else likes but many of us like what we like because it is   "cool". This to me means that a car has the "it" factor, there is something about it that i like but i cannot tell you why. This is something that cannot be forced if it is not there. One of the best examples of a missing cool factor was the Pontiac Aztec which was billed as the car of the future and marketed to be the coolest new car. It failed....epically, not only was it one of the single ugliest cars ever made it was also trash in every way that can be compared to a car. On the other hand there are cars that are worthless that are cool like the Nissan 240SX. Not to say that it is not awesome but as a stock car it was a dud.  A small under powered truck motor sat under the hood and while the car looked sporty the suspension was set up for comfort not sport.

The 240 personifies this "cool factor" like the old school civic because they became something very different then they were intended. The cool factor developed from the cars being modified and after a while no one saw the car as just a car. They saw what it could be...and this is the essence of cool. It is the factor where a person sees a car and thinks what if can become which make it just ...plain cool. Of course there is always Aston Martin which is just the epitome and has been since its start.

What Does a Knock Sensor Do?

Knock sensors are the units in vehicles that monitor the pinging in the motor and help control the timing of the engine. The computer uses the input from the knock sensor along with the O2 sensors and air fuel ratio sensor to adjust the timing and fuel mixture in the pistons.

The engine in a modern vehicle has to be kept in perfect timing to ensure the top of efficiency and performance. This is done by toeing the line between running perfect and detonation. The perfect ignition of the air / fuel mixture happens at the exact moment that the piston is about to reach the top of its stroke. The timing is set this way to ensure the pressure has time to begin pushing the piston back down. When the spark plug is fired with the incorrect ignition timing or fuel mixture the pressure waves move out from the flame wall faster than the explosion itself. When this happens they impact the side wall at the incorrect time and a sound wave is created and detected. The element in the knock sensor is designed to detect this sound and alert the computer to adjust the timing.

All sensors in a vehicle are extremely important and are generally overlooked on basic maintenance. During automotive check ups it is important to remember to check the smaller parts such as sensors and filters to ensure protection from future issues.

My Car is Having Tracking Problems

Driving a vehicle in traffic can be a stressful time, not only are there distractions and other drivers but if your vehicle is not driving straight it can be down right scary. Many people and mechanics will instantly blame the steering gearbox or steering rack but this may not always be the case.

If a vehicle is not driving straight when the steering wheel is at center there can be a huge number of reasons. Not only can the steering be out of alignment but the whole vehicle may be as well. This can be caused by an impact on the road with debris or maybe  pot hole. Sometimes even after a repair or a modification the alignment may be off from where it should be.

The reason that a vehicle will track incorrectly is because all 4 tires are no longer facing the same direction as they did originally. This can cause the vehicle to pull when driving or it can even cause a condition known as "catapillaring" which is when the direction of travel is not quite the same as the angel of the vehicle. There are some simple fixes for this condition but sometimes it is not so easy. If the issue was caused by a simple alignment issue it will take a mechanic about an hour to fix it. If there is something more than car may need some serious work to get back to proper operation.

Automotive Styling Do’s and Don’ts

Automotive styling is a tricky beast to tame, the fact of the matter is cars have to be designed to lure the masses and not the specific style of its builder. While parts like the tail light or headlight assembly dictate the “face” of the vehicle there are many other aspects to consider that make a car attractive.

There are some great examples of how headlights can look great but still the car design is a failure. The Pontiac Aztec is a great example of this, the headlamps look like they would be right at home on a sports car but they have been placed on what would turn out to be probably the ugliest car that has ever been released to the public. On the other hand there are cars that have terrible headlamps but for some reason they look great anyway. A great example of this is the new SLS by Mercedes if you look at the parts they don’t look good but once they are all put together it just works and you cant really explain why.

Car design is a major factor in what car people will buy, a few years ago Honda released the civic hatchback SI. It was met with weak sales and Honda took that as the public did not want a sporty version of the Civic. They missed the major factor ….it was really ugly and it doesn’t matter how good a car is if it’s not nice to look at. The fact of the matter a car must look the way people want it to. If you are building a mid-size sedan the car can look kinda bland cause to most “it’s just a car” but if you are building a sports car it must have curves and angles that give the car an aggressive look. They say cars represent their owners and their owners don’t want to drive a car that makes them feel ugly or boring.  

How to Choose the Proper Tire Size

Tires like people come in all shapes and sizes, from monster trucks to lawn mowers they all take some sort of tire. There can be so many choices when buying tires it can be confusing. Tires are not like a wheel hub assembly or wheel bearing assembly there are tons that can fit on the same car. Some tires are able to fit under a car but are too large to allow the car to turn and others are too small making all the gauges in the car inaccurate. Not to mention tires that are too small will lower the performance of the car.

There are numbers that are listed on the side of a tire that will indicate the diameter and thickness. These numbers are listed in a very specific order which as an example would be something like a 205/40/85R. This code can be broken down by section the 205 is the width of the tire. The 40 refers to the height of the sidewall and the 85R will refer to the compound of the tire and the speed rating.

The width of the tire will decide the contact patch on the road, this is the area where the tire is actually resting on the road. This is also the only area where the horsepower of the car is actually transferred to the pavement. The height of the sidewall will dictated the comfort of the ride since the sidewall is the area that absorbs the small bumps in the road. The sidewall also protects the rims from dents due to large impacts. The speed rating literally dictates the speed at which the tires will begin to fall apart. Exceeding the speed rating of any tire is dangerous and potentially fatal due to the chance of failure and the resulting accident. The compound rating will tell the stickiness of the rubber used, while a stickier tire will give more grip it will wear out much faster than other tires.

Selecting the correct tire is essential to the ride and handling quality of the car and is best left to the professionals. If you are going to buy your own tired be sure to study up on the suggested tires for your individual ride. 

This Year’s Monterey was Something Amazing to Behold

There are car shows and then there are CAR SHOWS, Monterey is the latter. This show it the crème de la crème of the automotive world. We are not talking about Ponitiac fuel pump and fuel injector units here. This is a no hold barred brawl of the most beautiful and amazing car that the world has ever seen.  As an example there were a number of cars carrying price tags so high that even Steve Jobs might think twice. Yeah lets be honest it wouldn’t phase him to buy one but still 2.6 Million dollars for one car is quite the asking price.

One such insane car is the new SSC Tuatara which is the latest offering from the Shelby company and the word bespoke is used a number of times when this car is mentioned. This car is a space age material covered high speed monster that will be a contender for the fasted production car on the planet for sure. The Tuatara features a 7.0L turbo charged motor creating more than 1300 HP and is looking to not only top the 270MPH barrier but also capture the fastest time for a production car around the Nurburgring. The best part about this car is it looks like something out a movie based years in the future and yes it is the car in the main image of this blog.

Bugatti had one of the more interesting cars that has been shown in many years but not for the reason you may think. This particular car is in fact a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport that has been custom built with porcelain worked right into the pain and while not everyone may agree with the styling of the car it can be said it is quite stunning to behold even if it is just in high def pictures. One last think about the car it has clear tail lamps and cops love to pull people over for clear tail lamps. Over 2 million for a car and a top speed of over 260MPH and you get stopped for something that trivial. Just saying it would be funny.

If anyone who could not get into the show it-self was feeling left out there was really no need, the parking lot of the even was any car guys dream. Just in a few short minutes walking around the grass lot that was the parking many Porsche carrers GTs and Lamborghinis can be seen. Enough Ferraris, Rolls Royce and Bentlys to make Rodeo drive loot like the poor house and even a Veyron or 2 all making me think why pay for a ticket. The other thought in my head is what do these people do for a living and how nice it must be to have that kind of speed at your finger tips …well toe tips.