Modifying Your Car

How to Modify Your Car for Better Performance. To modify your car for better performance costs money and time, Information about vehicle modifications including examples

Better Performance by Modifying a Car Engine

April 13, 2012 10:53 pm / Leave a Comment /

When you buy a new car or pre-owned cars, in some cases, you do not know how strong and fast cars. You can always try and ask before you buy it, but usually that some types of cars have a certain level of strength and speed. If you’re one of those who want to express yourself when you’re driving, or need to own a car with a more powerful engine, it is time for you to get the engine modifications.

modifications to the car engine is one way to pimp out your car. After you change to replace the machine with different abilities, your car will turn into a fast car changed. In addition, by modifying your car engine, you can only improve the performance of the car for the better. It may sound that bothers you so much, so after you change it, the sound would not be a problem anymore. In addition, you may want to change your car’s engine because of pollution, because there are many cases that produce car engine smoke so annoying environmental health. Another thing that people really care about is the ability of machines to use too much fuel. That’s certainly not good for your budget.

Auto Car Modification

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Hello world!

April 13, 2012 8:32 am / 1 Comment /

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

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10 Things to NOT Put Off!

May 23, 2010 1:23 pm / Leave a Comment /

With more and more used cars on the road today it isespecially important to keep up with regular car maintenance. At some point downthe road parts like the AC compressor or a fuel injector may unfortunately gobad, but there are certain things that every driver should keep an eye on toavoid unexpected car fails. The first of these are the brakes because oursafety is dependent on them. Brake failure is easily avoided by checking thefluid regularly and by replacing it every 24,000 miles. In addition to thefluid, the pads should be changed out depending on their condition and use. Just because they still make your car come to a stop, does not mean they don’t need any help!

Other safety-related parts to keep an eye on are the tires.It’s easy to ignore tires that don’t have enough tread because you don’t wantto drop that extra cash on a new set. However, this can be extremely dangerousand you may leave yourself hurt or stranded because of neglect. A typicaltime-frame for tire replacement is 6-10 years, although it obviously depends on their wear. An easy test to check a tire’s condition is to put an upside-down penny between the treads. If you can see thetop of the president’s head, time for a new tire! Check out the rest of a top10 car maintenance checklist below!
  1. Brakes: Fluid 2 years or 24,000 miles
  2. Tires: Dependent on use; roughly 6-8 years
  3. Coolant: 2 years or 24,000 miles
  4. Engine Belt & Timing Belts: 3 years or36,000 miles (Engine Belts) & 60,000-90,000 miles (timing belt)
  5. Spark Plugs: Every 30,000-100,000 miles
  6. Automatic Trans Fluid & Filter: Every 2years or 24,000 miles
  7. Air Filter: 12 months/12,000 miles or asneeded
  8. Battery: 48-60 months or as needed
  9. Power-Steering Fluid: Top off as needed,inspect level with every oil change
  10. Fuel Filter: Every 2 years or 24,000 miles

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Why Should I Lower My Tire Pressure?

May 21, 2010 8:46 am / Leave a Comment /

So, you’re cruising down the white sand beaches of Mexico inyour truck with a Diesel Turbocharger, and all your buddies are flying by.  What’s going on? How come they seem to befloating on the sand while you’re struggling? They have exactly the samevehicle as you, right down to the exact same Diesel Injector.  The answer is probably tire pressure.

You may have heard people say that it is good to lower yourtire pressure anytime you go off-roading, but might have never known why. Youprobably don’t want to ask, because not knowing something about off-roadingwould make you seem unmanly. Well, no need to wonder anymore, because I amabout to tell you. The answer is a simple one word solution, FOOTPRINT. Justthink of a camel.  Those things havebigger feet than Shaq, and Mother Nature gave the camel those aircraft carriersfor a reason.  The bigger the foot, thelarger the area to distribute the weight of the camel, which keeps the camel ontop of the sand instead of sinking into it.

When you let air out of you tires it increases the size ofyour cars footprint.  More of your tiretouches the sand.  When you do this youmay think that more of the tire touches in width just by looking at it, but itactually increases the length of the footprint. With this increased length your friends will no longer be leaving you inthe dust… or should I say sand?

Driving in the sand is not the only time when lowering yourtire pressure optimizes your ride. Anytime you are off-road it will help, especially bumpy or rockyroads.  When you go over a rock, a fullyinflated tire has to climb it. Even a small rock can cause the car to thinkit’s about to go up a steep hill. Just driving over a 2×4 piece of wood createsthe same increase in angle as a hill with a 30 degree incline.   When you lower your tire pressure the tiredoesn’t climb the rock or piece of wood, it engulfs it.  Your car stays flat on the road while yourtire eats up the rock and spits it out the back.

Remember when you get back on a hard surface to reflate yourtires.  Tires with low pressure easilybend and break wheels, and driving too fast could overheat your tires. Thelower your pressures are set the lower the speed you should drive.
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Rear-Facing Camera’s Might be Required by 2014

May 15, 2010 12:21 pm / Leave a Comment /

Last week we covered why it might be a good idea to install a dash cam into your vehicle. So many vehicles now come with a Car Navigation System and In Dash Navigation Screen stock, that adding a few cameras in the front and the rear can be easy and provide you with a range of benefits. Soon, however, automakers will not have a choice: rear facing back up cameras are set to be required for all vehicles made after 2014.

Based on a proposal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers must have the ability to see behind their vehicle when the vehicle is put into reverse. According to NHTSA, this “blind spot” regulation could save 95 to 112 lives per year, and prevent 7,000 to 8,000 or more injuries. Tragically, backover accidents cause an average of 229 deaths per year, 44% of which are children under 5 years old. Cars with lots of travel and small back windows (like SUVs) have very poor rear visibility, especially for children who are not taller than the back windows of the vehicle.

The matter is not cut and dried, however: there is some heated debate on whether measures like this are necessary. The NHTSA says the total approximate cost to equip their estimate of 16.6 million vehicles sold in 2014 would be between $1.9 billion and $2.7 billion. Of course it’s impossible to put a price on a child’s life, but it is possible to hold drivers responsible for making sure there is nothing behind their vehicle, especially if there are children around.

There is also the responsibility of parents  to keep an eye on their children to make sure they are not playing behind cars, and not in the driveway when a car is running. Given that in 2009 33,808 people were killed in automobile related accidents, back-up related deaths are relatively rare.

The decision has been delayed on several occasions so the jury isn’t out yet on the issue, but if passed we could be seeing even the lowest base model cars with in-dash screens to support rear-facing cameras as early as 2014. Do you think the burden of responsibility lies with automakers or parents?

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How to Get Warranty Work Done at the Dealership

May 13, 2010 2:26 am / Leave a Comment /

A great way to ruin your day is to have your diesel engine parts or diesel injectors go out on you. It’s even worse when the parts aren’t warrantied; or worse still, when the parts ARE warrantied by the manufacturer but your local dealership doesn’t want to warranty the parts for you.

It’s sometimes difficult to realize that dealerships are not directly related to the brand of vehicles they sell. Though you hold high regard for the automaker of the car you purchased, the dealership can fall short of those high standards. Automakers try very hard to get their dealers to be honest and good to their customers (it affects their brand image a great deal), but still sleazy dealerships persist.

Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times

 Here are some tips to get warranty work done on your vehicle:

1. Know Your Warranty: The owner’s manual for your vehicle will have a warranty section, or a separate warranty pamphlet. There are often separate warranty terms for different parts of your vehicle; an example is a Drivetrain Warranty. Make sure that the part in question is covered under the manufacturer’s warranty, and that your vehicle is within the warranty parameters.

2. Be Polite But Firm: If a dealer argues with you that the part is not under warranty when it clearly is, ask politely if you can check the warranty section of your manual. If they are still being resistant, nicely ask if they would like you to call the automaker to get authorization for them. Maintain an attitude of trying to work to solve the problem, not trying to accuse the dealer. Unfortunately your best bet of getting the problem fixed lies with the dealer, so make sure to remain polite and genial but firm.

3. Call The Automaker: If the dealer still refuses, you can always repeat the process at a different dealer in hopes of getting better service. If not, however, it may be necessary to contact your automaker and let them know of your experience. They often have national and regional telephone numbers; check your automaker’s main website and search for the regional telephone number (if you can get it). Once on the phone, still remain polite and calm and do not badmouth the dealer. You do not want to be labeled as one of those “insane customers” so it’s best to keep your cool and emphasize you are just trying to resolve an issue with your vehicle, and you need help.

Think this is a warranty issue?

 4. Lemon Laws: If all else fails, you might need to get help from a lawyer. There are different laws for manufacturer’s warranties in each state; finding out how many issues, and what kind of issues, you need to be experiencing to qualify could be useful to you. At this point you need to weigh the cost of lawyer’s fees with the cost of buying a new part at your expense.

Hopefully, you will never need to follow all of these guidelines to get warranty work done on your vehicle. It can be an extremely frustrating experience but hopefully, armed with the facts, you’ll get your vehicle taken care of.

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What To Do If You Are Involved In A Minor Car Accident

May 11, 2010 5:18 am / Leave a Comment /

Any car accident can be very distressing – buying a brand new front wheel hub or rear wheel hub and then having it destroyed is never fun. However, if you areprepared it can help make a stressful situation more manageable. This guide isfor cases in which there are no injuries to either party in the accident. Ifyou are involved in an accident where there are injuries to either party, youmust stop immediately and dial 911.
 The first thing to do if you are involved in an accident is,if possible, to move your car to a safe nearby location out of the way of othermotorists. Be careful not to go too far, and never leave the scene. Leaving the scene of an accident is a highlypunishable offense and a felony in cases where someone is injured.
Stay calm. Regardless of whether the accident was your faultor not, don’t panic, remain polite, and do not admit fault. Contact your localpolice, who will inform you whether or not a patrol officer should come andassess the situation.
Then exchange information with the other party. Collecttheir contact information, insurance information, the year make model and colorof their vehicle, and their license plate number. Take a picture of the damage toboth vehicles at the scene of the accident. Take pictures from multiple angles,and try to get as much detail as possible – from close-ups of the damage towider shots of the scene itself. If you do not have a camera on yourmobile phone, purchase a disposable camera and keep it in your car at all timesin case of an accident. Also collect contact information from the tow truckdriver and any witnesses (if present).

After you have exchanged all of the information necessary,you should be ready to get on your way. Make sure to keep all of theinformation you gathered in a safe place so you can reference it once youreturn home to complete the necessary paperwork, and ensure the responsibleparty pays for the repairs.
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What is MPGe?

May 7, 2010 8:46 am / Leave a Comment /

Greater environmental protection measures have led to a pushfor more fuel efficient vehicles. Along with the development of catalyticconverters, air fuel ratio sensors,and O2 sensorsfor standard gasoline engines, automakers have looked for alternative ways to fuel our transportation needs. Most popular today are gasoline-electric hybrids, butmore recently, fully electric vehicles have been in the spotlight as the mostgreen and efficient option available today.
 One challenge for the EPA was how to relate the fuel efficiencyof fully electric vehicles to consumers. We are all used to the standard MPG –or miles per gallon – rating to compare the fuel efficiency of gasoline poweredvehicles, so the solution has been to provide a MPGe, or miles ger gallonequivalent, rating for all electric and hybrid vehicles.
The MPGe metric was introduced in November 2010 by the EPAto label the fuel efficiency of the new Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt electriccars. The ratings are based on the EPA’s formula, in which 33.7 kilowatt hoursof electricity is equivalent to one gallon of gasoline. This is based on theenergy content of gasoline: burning one US gallon of gasoline is 115,000 BTU.The formula for calculating MPGe is shown below.
Two things must be taken into consideration for MPGe of electric vehicles: one  is the energy consumed to generate the electricity necessarycharge the battery; and the other is the transmission efficiency of that electricity from itssource into the battery. This makes the calculations much more difficult, butit is essential for getting an accurate depiction of the fuel efficiency ofelectric vehicles.
2012 Ford Focus Electric
 Even with all those factors taken into consideration, newall electric vehicles have impressive fuel efficiency. The 2012 Ford FocusElectric gets 105 MPGe and has a range of 76 miles. Certainly not capable ofroad trips, but it will get most people to work and back, and perhaps a trip tothe grocery store, with some charge to spare. This satisfies what most peopledo with their cars on a daily basis, and can save a good amount of money in thelong run on gas.
Does MPGe make sense to you?
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Can You Guess the Function of a Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor?

May 6, 2010 4:21 pm / Leave a Comment /

You may have never asked yourself what is a tire pressure monitor sensor. These sensors do exactly what you’d expect; they monitor thepressure within your tires. However, because these sensors are battery powered,over time they will fail and you will need to replace or know how to repair tire pressure monitor sensors. Don’t worry too much about this, when the timecomes you will be warned via the little TPMS on your dash and it is a fairlycheap fix. A little fact about tire pressure is that if you are driving ontires that are 10% under inflated, you will see a 1% decrease on your gas mileage.
As of 2007, the NHTSA requires the installation of thesesensors on all vehicles. There are two types of these sensors, direct and indirect.Direct tire pressure monitoring sensors are located either inside or outsidethe tire and they physically measure the pressure. After doing so, they reportthis information to the instrument cluster of the vehicle. Newer vehicles can displayreal-time pressures of each tire while driving or parked. Indirect sensors onthe other hand don’t actually detect the tire pressure, but they “infer” thepressure through various factors. The main factor is the rotational speed of each individual wheel. If a tire has less pressure, the diameter will be slightlysmaller and in turn will spin a bit faster.
Regardless of which type of sensor your vehicle uses, if that warning light comes on DON’T just pretend its not there and put off the job. It isimportant, and cheap, to fix this issue. Not only can theysave you a few extra dollars at the pump, but if they are working properly you will have lower emissions, increased handling of your vehicle, and you won’t have to worry about failing that state inspection coming up. Also an underinflated tire is the leading cause of tire failure, so having your sensors inworking order will increase your tire life.
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See You Later, Flat Tires!

May 5, 2010 9:13 pm / Leave a Comment /
You’re driving on a hot summer day with your windows downand CD radio player on full-blast. All of a sudden you start to feel something seemsa little off and realize one of your tires is losing air. Whether you decide tofix the tire yourself on the side of the road or give AAA a call, even the bestNavigation Unit isn’t going to get you to your destination on time. Bridgestoneis hoping to end these situations all-together with their air-free tireconcepts shown here.
The color-choice of green would probably be customizable,but in concept form it alludes to the fact that the materials used are 100% recyclable.Its recyclable “thermoplastic” internal spokes are what gives these tires allof their strength and flexibility. The outer rubber on the tire offers a moretraditional tread surface required for use on our sometimes rough roads. Onecriticism has been the possibility of noise due to wind resistance incommercial use. However, if commercialized these tires are expected to besealed by a thin sidewall of rubber for these reasons. Each tire also only hasa weight capacity of up to 330 pounds, but innovations to this technology willundoubtedly be made in the future.

Benefits obviously include the recyclability factor, butthey are also safer and less wasteful because they eliminate the risk ofpunctures. Check out these tires in action on YouTube! (And by “in action”, Imean a girl riding a small scooter equipped with these tires five feet across astage).

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