Car Tuning,Car Finance,Auto Loans

Archive for the ‘Automotive’ Category

As incidents of road accidents continue to climb, yearly, auto-makers have been scrambling to meet safety standards, that seem to get harder, and more expensive, to meet each year. Despite these efforts, on the part of the government, and car makers, accidents continue to go up.

This simply proves that we aren’t doing enough for our automobile safety. With car insurance premiums rising each year, not to mention the death toll, it’s clear we aren’t doing enough. One safety enhancing addition, not usually bundled with cars is an aid to reversing safely, something that has been tricky for drivers, since cars were invented.

Backup cameras on vehicles aren’t, exactly, new but they used to be pretty hard to get(and even harder to have installed). These days, however, these safety devices are as cheap as ever and an important boost to your safety, and peace of mind, while driving.

Even now, you might be thinking, isn’t my rear-view mirror enough? Is it really? There are so many ways for accidents to happen, when relying on them for safety.

1) They can move, meaning that even a strong wind can push it out of its proper position. Once this happens, either the seconds required to fix the mirror, or the consequences of not doing so, can be fatal or highly costly. If you think the cost is trivial because you have insurance, think again. Accidents push your premiums up.

2) Not all drivers can adjust, from the view of the road, to the view of the mirror, quickly enough, on the fly. It’s trickier than it seems to glance in a mirror AND react to what you see before its too late. Let any driver who has ever backed into a light post tell you, it jumped out at them. Most people agree that using a proper screen to see behind you simplifies reversing greatly.

3) Rear view mirrors have an annoying habit of breaking off. It happens in so many irksome ways, passing another car and clipping off each others mirrors, vandals, accidental damage from someone walking by, distractedly etc. When that happens, what do you do? Resign yourself to reversing blindly and hoping for the best. Usually, you wouldn’t have much of a choice until you replaced the mirrors(which can take a longer time that you might think…trust me That’s where a well placed backup camera would come in very handy.

Now that I’ve made my point about the inadequacy of mirrors alone, I’ll go into some of the pros of using backup cameras. As I mentioned before, the screen is easier to use than a mirror. Also, you can adjust the camera so that you have the perfect view of behind you, that you need to avoid mistakes.

Finally, you can see more of behind the vehicle, enabling you to judge better and prevent serious damage to your car (and an unfortunate fire hydrant).

Gas costs are rising very fast and you could find this next system to be a great money saver. Hydrogen generator for cars are a small device that you can easily build at home. These inexpensive devices, that runs with water, are the only gas savers to give tangible results that really shows a significant gas mileage improvement.

It works by breaking down water into HHO or Browns’ Gas. Only 20% of the gas burns in vehicle engines to provide power. Are you able to purchase it off the shelf from car shops? How much does such a generator cost? Basically, you should buy them all for less than $90. Elements are like a water container, hoses, wires and baking soda.

How long does it take to build your own hydrogen generator for car? Once you have all the parts for your device, it should only take a few hours to assemble/install. Maybe half a day?!

Have we got to change our automobile engines in order for this generator to work? No, you don’t need to touch the automobile engine at all. You also need to power the generator using your auto battery. Is it safe to use such a hydrogen generator kit for cars?

The final product is water, which is safe. You need not to worry since you are not modifying the engine at all. Also, if you need to stop using it, simply take the kit off from your car.

But to expect the greatest results, you will have to install the right device by following the right instructions. Many people are selling their own system, that actually does not result in such great savings..

Hey, look under the hood!

It’s a bird!

It’s a plane!

It’s SUPERCHIP!

With apologies to Superman, performance computer chips or superchips are quickly becoming a popular way for auto enthusiasts to squeeze out more power from their cars. Basically what a superchip mod does is to store a new engine management program in your car’s computer. Noticeable increases in horsepower and torque as well as improvements in driveability are the chief benefits of this type of chip. Installation is easy and the price is right…we’ll examine just how easy and cost effective a superchip is below.

Depending on the make/model of your car or truck, a superchip can help your vehicle crank out from 9 to 60 more horsepower. Not too shabby when you consider some compact cars barely make it to 115 horses. Yeah, you could have elected for the more powerful engine with some cars but the $1000 or better mark up in price dwarfs the price of a superchip. Better to go with the superchip and pocket the savings.

So, how hard is it to install a superchip? Actually, it is really a simple procedure:

1. Locate your car’s computer chip [usually found in your dashboard].

2. Remove the factory installed chip and replace it with the superchip…one chip slides out and the other slides in.

3. Place a cover over the chip to keep it in place and to keep dirt and dust out.

That’s it! The hardest part will be to remove the dash, but even that job isn’t all that difficult.

As I said previously, the price of installing a superchip can be done for a lot less than an engine upgrade. Prices start below $300, so it ends up being one the cheaper performance enhancing mods out there.

You can also find other types of performance computer chips that will work well including Jet Chips and the Hypertech performance chip. With either chip you stand to wring out additional performance from your car for a reasonably priced mod. Hey, if it is increased performance you want then one of these chips is for you!

As incidents of road accidents continue to climb, yearly, auto-makers have been scrambling to meet safety standards, that seem to get harder, and more expensive, to meet each year. Despite these efforts, on the part of the government, and car makers, accidents continue to go up.

This simply proves that we aren’t doing enough for our automobile safety. With car insurance premiums rising each year, not to mention the death toll, it’s clear we aren’t doing enough. One safety enhancing addition, not usually bundled with cars is an aid to reversing safely, something that has been tricky for drivers, since cars were invented.

Backup cameras on vehicles aren’t, exactly, new but they used to be pretty hard to get(and even harder to have installed). These days, however, these safety devices are as cheap as ever and an important boost to your safety, and peace of mind, while driving.

Even now, you might be thinking, isn’t my rear-view mirror enough? Is it really? There are so many ways for accidents to happen, when relying on them for safety.

1) They can move, meaning that even a strong wind can push it out of its proper position. Once this happens, either the seconds required to fix the mirror, or the consequences of not doing so, can be fatal or highly costly. If you think the cost is trivial because you have insurance, think again. Accidents push your premiums up.

2) Not all drivers can adjust, from the view of the road, to the view of the mirror, quickly enough, on the fly. It’s trickier than it seems to glance in a mirror AND react to what you see before its too late. Let any driver who has ever backed into a light post tell you, it jumped out at them. Most people agree that using a proper screen to see behind you simplifies reversing greatly.

3) Rear view mirrors have an annoying habit of breaking off. It happens in so many irksome ways, passing another car and clipping off each others mirrors, vandals, accidental damage from someone walking by, distractedly etc. When that happens, what do you do? Resign yourself to reversing blindly and hoping for the best. Usually, you wouldn’t have much of a choice until you replaced the mirrors(which can take a longer time that you might think…trust me That’s where a well placed backup camera would come in very handy.

Now that I’ve made my point about the inadequacy of mirrors alone, I’ll go into some of the pros of using backup cameras. As I mentioned before, the screen is easier to use than a mirror. Also, you can adjust the camera so that you have the perfect view of behind you, that you need to avoid mistakes.

Finally, you can see more of behind the vehicle, enabling you to judge better and prevent serious damage to your car (and an unfortunate fire hydrant).

One of the best things you can do for your car audio system is to properly tune it. There are several variables to consider when doing this, and I am going to walk to through the most important ones so you will have a good understanding of how to get the most “bang” for the buck from you system.

Assuming you have an amplified system with one or more subwoofers, you can dial in your system to give you the best sound and have the durability you want from it. It starts at the head unit. You want a head unit with a good, strong output signal, between 4 and 5 volts on its pre-outs. Audiophiles tell us that 2-3 volts of good clean signal is good too, but that will require a little more amplifier power to get the decibels we’re looking for. You also want a head unit with an adjustable subwoofer level. Start by tuning the stereo without the subs on. Add your bass and treble until you get the desired sound with minimal distortion at the loudest volume setting you will listen to it at. This is generally about 2/3 max volume.

Once you are happy with the low/mid/high sound from the multi-range speakers, we can add in the subs. If applicable, tune the sub outputs to about 2/3 maximum, and head to the amp. Start at the amp and adjust the frequency and the level to minimum, and turn the volume up to the the same loudest point we were working with earlier. Pull your frequency to about half way, and slowly adjust the power level upwards. If you hit the zone you want, stay there. Keep in mind, this is only a safe adjusting technique with a speaker system that matches the power output of the amplifier. If you want more from your system, incrementally adjust the frequency down slightly with the increases in power level.

Your goal is to get a loud, clear bass from the subs that DOES NOT CLIP OUT under the loudest conditions you anticipate. If the amp clips out, then adjust the power level lower until it is back in the safe zone. Once the system is set where you want it, don’t mess with it. Leave the levels on the head unit and the amp alone. The mistake I see with blown speakers and amps is trying to show them off with all the levels maxed out. This produces a lot of power at a high distortion level, which is damaging to the speakers and the amplifier. If you want a louder sound than what you have by tuning your system this way, it may be time to upgrade.

Keep these guidelines in mind when configuring your systems, and you should be able to build a car stereo system that will sound great and have great durability. Good Luck and stay TUNED!

You’ll rest easy once you finally find out that you don’t have to put up with the rising prices of gasoline anymore. There is an alternative energy source that you can use to power up your vehicle. Electric cars are becoming the wave of the future as more and more people are cottoning up to the idea of doing an electric car conversion.

You can build an electric car out of your gas-guzzler without very much difficulty at all. All it will require is a modicum of technical knowledge and very little expense.

You’ll be surprised to learn that electric cars have been around since the turn of the century. During the early 1900′s, gasoline was extremely expensive and people drove electric cars instead. The technology behind gasoline-powered cars then was so primitive, there was no key to start the engine. People had to laboriously crank up a lever in front of the car to start it up. Gasoline-powered vehicles during that era emitted a lot of smoke and had very noisy mufflers, as well.

As years passed, people found new ways to make gasoline. Newer cars featured electric starters and enabled vehicles to travel further than electric cars could. Soon gasoline-powered cars became the widely-used means of transportation.

These days, however, with the rising prices of gasoline and the push towards a cleaner greener environment by minimizing the emission of carbon gasses into the atmosphere, people have started to gravitate towards the idea of bringing back the electric car once more.

Electric cars have no need for gasoline at all. They are powered by the electricity in their batteries. The batteries, around 12 to 24 to a car, are responsible for powering up the motor which impels the movement of the wheels. All you need to do to charge these batteries is to plug it into an electric outlet during the night. Electricity is then stored into the batteries while you sleep. You’ll wake up the next morning to a fully-charged car which will carry you for up to 200 miles before it will need to be recharged again.

An electric car conversion will save you from having to spend money on gas. The money you save can go to other things you’ve always wanted, such as taking your family on a vacation or indulging in a brand new home theater system. You’ll also be able to join in the movement to reduce pollution, thus easing up on the effects of global warming.

Converting your car into an electric need not be expensive either. You won’t need to buy a whole new vehicle. All you need are those easily available DIY electric car conversion kits, or a downloadable DIY electric car guide that you can find on the internet.

Guides that show you how to build an electric car are well worth getting. For a very minimal amount, in fact just about the amount it takes to fill up a gasoline-powered car, you can get a step-by-step guide on how to convert your current gas-guzzler into an inexpensive environmentally-friendly green car! Electric car conversion guides that you can find on the internet will help you towards driving the roads with a clear conscience and considerably more money in your pockets.

Welcome to Everything About Cars.

Cars have been an obsession for human beings since their conception in the late 19th century.
If cars had a heart, it would no doubt be the gasoline engine.

A controversy in the 21st century, the gasoline engine has nonetheless withstood the test of time and is still being employed today in most modern cars.

Many people, if their budget allows it, becoming collectors of cars. Throughout the years, thousands of models have made their entrance, had their moment of glory, and made their exit. Collecting vintage cars is a hobby only available to those who can afford it, however, as it is costly and requires a lot of garage space. The maintenance of cars is absolutely crucial to any collector; it should be of utmost importance that the cars be shiny, mechanically functional, and ready to be taken for any whimsical spin deemed necessary.

For many, however, cars are little more than a functional tool of locomotion. It is understandable then, that the controversy surrounding the gasoline engine has now reached critical proportions. Cars can be powered by new-age hybrid motors which rely on an electrical back-up system-only using gasoline combustion when absolutely necessary. These motors can help cars reduce their emissions of carbon monoxide.

There is a future for cars – one that remains stylish yet adapts to the modern world’s needs. There would be nothing more luxurious than adapting classic cars to new, hybridized technologies. This is why the future for cars, car collectors, and environment-friendly functionalists is a bright one.

MOMO has long held the title of the worlds best interior auto accessories, but there is some competition coming from SHUTT. MOMO shift knobs are very popular worldwide and can be found in all types of rides. SHUTT is very popular in South America and has outsold MOMO, SPARCO, and GRANT for many years, there business started in 1993 and has recently come to the US market in the last two years. Both MOMO and SHUTT are of the highest quality auto accessories only using the best materials in their designs. It seems that the only area the two companies don’t agree is price, with SHUTT consistently coming in around 20% less.

SHUTT was at SEMA 2008 and had a variety of gear shift knobs available for viewing. Made from such materials as leather, carbon fiber, aluminum, chromed details and quality laser imprinted logos. The shifter knobs were very attractive and had a great feel to them…very comfortable. The leather was thick and durable, as it was in all the products. The shift knobs attach to your current shifter lever by way of set screws set around the base usually hidden behind a screw on base…function incorporated into the fashion. SHUTT has several leather shifter boots to go along with your new shift knob, that way you can complete the look.

You may have seen SHUTT ads in some auto mags like import tuner, car stereo tuning, full power and more. And I am sure you will see more in the future, SHUTT will only grow as word gets out that there is another top quality brand out there. SHUTT added a car audio line that will rock your world, 12 inch subwoofers that come in various watts and ohms, a component set and two different lines of amps, one of which is digital.

Overall both companies have very high quality parts, very unique designs, new models coming out every season…so why choose SHUTT over the well known MOMO? Well for one Shutt has a lifetime warranty, I could not gather any info online about the MOMO warranty. SHUTT prices were 20% less overall and in this economy everyone wants to get a quality product at a lower price. MOMO products are the established company and that alone can sway some buyers. Although there is something to be said about a company that will jump up and give serious competition to MOMO, that might sway younger car enthusiast to give SHUTT a try.

After much research I found that Shutt was not that easily located here in the US yet, I called several accessory shops nearby and most had not even heard of the brand yet. The only place that looks reputable is www.shuttusa.com, other than that a few other online sites and that’s it right now. Of course the manufacturers sites are nice but they do not allow any purchases. So you can call and check your local shops but you will probably be back online so remember that site name.

Anyways I can’t wait to go to next years SEMA show, the only thing that would have been better is if this economy wasn’t in a funk so I could have had more money to blow in Vegas. Until next time “tune it in” and have fun.

Tuning the exhaust for a car can make a big difference on how your car performs. The normal exhaust fitted by the car manufactures are normally a compromise between performance and production costs. The standard exhaust system is made to a budget and to keep the exhaust quiet which also makes the exhaust fairly restrictive.

By changing the system for a less restrictive type of exhaust should give you some gain in your cars performance. One of the first things to look at is the the manifold section of the exhaust. These are normally made of cast iron or even if they are made of steel will tend to have quite sharp bends in them. This can restrict the gas flow quite a lot. Checking that the ports of the exhaust match up with the cylinder head ports can make quite a difference to performance. If you are intending to keep the original manifold, then the simple use of a small grinding stone on a drill to match the two ports up can make a big advantage.

The design of the manifold already fitted to your car also makes a difference as well. The four-into-one or four-into-two-into-one makes, are generally a better design than the other types. So if your car is fitted with one of the first two types you might not have to change them.

The next stage is to look at the silencers on the car. The normal silencers will tend to be pretty restrictive as they tend to push the gases through a U-turn to get more silencing from the silencer baffles to make the car quiet.

Fitting a straight through silencer instead with maybe a slightly larger bore, can help eliminate some of these restrictions. Beware about going too large though, as some back pressure is needed to help with the performance. If you loose all of the back pressure, you could actually loose power rather than gain it. The exhaust has to be tuned for the car and having some back pressure going back towards the engine actually helps to pull the rest of the exhaust gases from the engine. That is why you will find cars with no exhausts do not perform well at all. You may have been in a position in the past where your exhaust has broken when you have been driving and you can tell how much power is suddenly lost.

You will also have to check that the new silencer is road legal as these silencers tend to make more noise than the standard boxes. Expect to loose some cabin comfort because of the increased noise as well. Some people like to look at this noise as just a sporting or throaty sound but on long journeys this sound can get a little tiresome.

For greater improvement still you may want to change the manifold to a free flow tubular type. For normal road use it is best to try and aim for a system that will improve the cars’ mid range power for better acceleration and overtaking capacity rather than the top end power.

Camber is probably the most useful and popular alignment adjustment that can be made to a street car. The other alignment adjustments are toe and caster, which I have covered in accompanying articles. Camber is the angle of the wheel from the vertical as viewed from the front or the back of the car. Negative camber means that the top of the wheel is leaned in towards the car, and positive camber means that the top of the wheel is leaned out away from the car.

Maximum cornering force is achieved when the camber of the outside wheels relative to the ground is about -0.5 degrees. A slight negative camber in a turn maximizes the tire contact patch due to the way the tire deforms under lateral load. Hence, it is good to have some negative camber to increase cornering force.

Another reason why it is helpful to align your suspension with a slight negative camber is that camber will change with suspension travel and body roll. Most suspension systems are designed so that camber increases with more suspension travel. However, camber relative to the car’s chassis is not the same thing as camber relative to the ground. It is camber relative to the ground that affects handling. Therefore, even though camber relative to the chassis is made to increase, camber relative to the ground may actually decrease on the outside wheels if there is substantial body roll. To counter this tendency, it is important to use negative camber and to control body roll.

The only drawback to negative camber is increased wear on the inside of each tire. Since the top of the wheel is leaned in, the car is riding on the inside of the tire while it is on straightaways. In a corner, suspension travel and lateral forces on the tire’s rubber compound combine to straighten the tire relative to the ground. Therefore, the car rides evenly on the tire in turns, which improves cornering ability. However, extra time spent driving on the inside of the tire causes that part of the tire to heat up and wear. This effect is small if you avoid adding too much negative camber.

On most street cars (which use a MacPherson Strut front suspension), camber is not easily adjustable. However, if you choose to purchase aftermarket camber plates, you can set camber to improve handling. More negative camber tends to increase tire grip in corners. Therefore, if your car experiences understeer, you can decrease front camber (make it more negative) to improve front grip or increase rear camber (make it more positive) to decrease rear grip. Remember not to add too much negative or positive camber since it will decrease the life of your tires and may cause a blowout. Even pure race cars rarely use more than about 3 degrees of camber. As with any adjustments, make camber changes in small increments, and make sure to test the setup so that you can see the results from each specific change.

Visit my website for more information about camber adjustments:
http://www.240edge.com