Driving Through The Snow

With the chaos that the snow has caused in recent months many people have found it extremely difficult to make their usual journey into work. Some people have been able to take the day off or work from home and whilst everyone is being urged to avoid driving where possible this is not always feasible.

Some people have had to make the journey in to work no matter how much snow that may have fallen. Some areas have been affected worse than others, such as side streets that local councils have not been able to grit. If you are one of the many people that has to go to work then it is vital that you take extra care on the roads as we have already seen many accidents due to the snow and ice.

When snow becomes compact and frozen the potential dangers increase considerably. Not every road can be gritted and even the ones that have are still extremely slippy with many cars unable to drive on them. When snow strikes it is important to keep a full tank of petrol in your car as your journey to and from work may be prolonged, depending on whether some routes are closed or diverted, meaning you may have to detour. The last thing you want is to be running on fumes when the weather is below zero outside.

Try and plan your route to work carefully, look for traffic updates online or on the news to see what the conditions are like, and when in the car stay tuned to the nearest radio station providing localised updates on the road conditions. Always keep a breakdown kit in the car, this is advisable at all times but none more so than in these treacherous conditions. A warning triangle, blanket and torch are absolute necessities as well as food and drink just in case you are stranded for a long period of time.

Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front as it is hard to predict what the car ahead may do and stopping distances are increased in snow and ice. If you skid then simply ease off the accelerator and do not brake. If this does happen, steer into the direction of the skid to try and regain control – your aim is to regain traction through your wheels so they need to be turning, not locked by your brakes.

If you, like many other people over the past week or so, get stuck in the snow then do not continue to spin your wheels as you will just get yourself into a deeper rut. An old carpet under the wheel is ideal but if you have any salt or grit this is also good as you will be able to improve traction and the salt will melt the snow and ice. If you have to drive anywhere then take extra care on the roads and make sure you have the necessary equipment should you get stranded.

If you are looking for a car this winter you may be tempted to find one that can cope well in the snow. If you need car finance then search online where there are competitive deals on a range of used car loans and more.

Drag Radials for Drag Racing

There comes a time when most people get the urge to take their muscle car to the drag strip to see what she will do in a quarter mile run. Drag racing can be an inexpensive and fun way to enjoy your car. It can also get quite competitive, especially if you and your friends start racing for bragging rights.
Having the right set of tires on your car is one of the most crucial aspects to successful drag racing. So much of a car’s ET, or elapsed time, is based on its performance in the initial 60 feet of the race. You will notice that on the time slip that you get at the end of each run, there is a line dedicated to the 60 foot time telling you how many seconds it took you to reach that marker. This measurement is a great method of determining how much traction your car is getting on the hole-shot.
The quicker your car can get off the line, the faster the run will be. This is where tire selection comes into the picture. If you have ever seen a slow-motion video of a funny car or top fuel dragster launching at the strip, then you might have noticed that the huge rear tires actually seem to sag and bow under heavy acceleration. This wrinkling in the sidewall of the tire occurs so that the maximum size contact patch can be maintained while all of that power is applied at once.
You might be wondering how the tires on an 8000 horsepower drag car are relevant to your situation. The key is understanding that allowing the sidewall of a tire to deform slightly helps increase overall traction when launching. What this means in practical terms is that low-profile tires do not make good drag tires and since their sidewalls are far too thin to deform, instead of gripping they often spin or chatter when power is dumped to the rear axle.
Since dedicated drag racing tires, called slicks, do not have any tread (just an ultra-sticky rubber compound), they are not safe for every day driving, especially in the rain. The best option when it comes to drag tires that you can drive safely to the track and then back home again are drag radials. Drag radials are tires with enough tread to handle reasonably wet conditions, but still have the majority of the tire smooth and sticky for maximum traction. They are also designed to be rigid enough for safe highway use, but when a deflated to a lower pressure, their sidewalls can wrinkle in a similar fashion to true slicks.
Drag radials are an excellent option to dramatically improve your traction out of the hole, and speed up your 60 foot times. Many people say that a drag race is won or lost in those crucial first few seconds, and this type of tire can help keep you on the winning end of that equation more often than not while still letting you drive home safely at the end of the evening.

What's in a Name?

There are millions of cars on Britain’s roads, so it comes as no surprise that there are thousands of claims each year when accidents occur. But did you know that car insurance companies look at your surname, amongst lots of other things, to establish how safe a driver you are, and how much your premium should cost? A UK based car insurer revealed this week the top names for accidents, and the safest names for drivers.

So what is your surname? If you are blessed to be a Roberts, then you are one of the safest drivers in the UK. Roberts are the least likely surnames in the country to make a car insurance claim, and therefore much safer than the most likely to collide with another driver; Clark. Drivers with the surname Clark are more likely to have accidents, being 10% over the national average. Roberts however, tend to be 15% lower than average in the car accident stakes. Other bad drivers are Allen’s, Lewis’s, Greens, Watsons and Stewarts. Safer drivers are Hughes, Bell, Jones and Young.

Insurance companies have added that this is light hearted research, and they know that not every Clark is going to crash when taking a trip to the supermarket, and that there are some people with the surname Roberts who could go careering into the back of the driver in front.

So how does your surname rate? Do you fall into the top ten worst names for driving, or are you one of the safer ones? On the whole, your surname will not impact on your quote cost as much as your previous driving history and accidents you may have had. Shop online to find Cheap Car Insurance quotes and save yourself time and money.

Depreciation: American vs. Foreign

There is no secret that when you purchase a vehicle, it is one of the worst investments a consumer can make. Within five years of ownership, a brand new vehicle can depreciate to 65% less than the original selling price. Despite these numbers, it is nearly inevitable for people to actually acknowledge these statistics by making change, because transportation has become almost a means of a necessity.

Some people prefer to buy American made vehicles and others prefer a foreign alternative. Regardless of which line of cars they choose, the vehicle is going to lose its value as it ages, but which line of cars will depreciate less? There are many reasons is to why a vehicle can depreciate, however, if adequate research is done it may be clear that the purchase of different vehicles may be a better investment than others.

Traditionally, foreign imports, particularly Japanese, hold their value better than American or domestically manufactured vehicles. There are many reasons that influence this trend, and it depends on the state of the economy at the time of your purchase. An important impacting factor on this is the current exchange rate. When the exchange rate lowers, it can result in more expensive foreign cars. This also forces the US to decrease the price on imports. However, if the rate stays low, the demand for domestic exports will increase, and therefore the US recovers some of the loss in volume. Either way, this development affects our prices for both American and foreign imports in America. Another factor is the price of fuel at the time of the purchase. If gas prices are high than fuel efficient vehicles will typically hold value better than those that are not. Many Japanese imports tend to have better fuel efficiency than most American vehicles. However, American manufacturers have definitely produced more competitive vehicle line ups within the past 5 years. Another dynamic, continues to be the predicted reliability of a vehicle. Although American vehicles have made great strides in this area, the Japanese still hold this title over us.

Regardless, what we need not forget, is that whether the vehicle is American or foreign, it is going to depreciate. This being the case, the best buy is a used vehicle. Why suffer a loss in value in something you bought, when you can buy something that somebody else has already suffered for? That being said, the key point is to evaluate the needs of the buyer. How long are they planning to keep the vehicle? How much can they afford and how much are they going to have to finance? Clearly, foreign vehicles are still depreciating at a slower rate than the American vehicles, but they are also usually more expensive. One more thing to consider is that American manufacturers have made great advances to overcome their image and to illustrate their confidence by offering a lot of great incentives. Therefore, a consumer should look at all of the variables to make the best decision, and to not just base it on whether it is a foreign or domestic vehicle.