2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: Leaning Towards Safety
August 31, 2007
2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: Leaning Towards Safety
by: Joe Thompson
The 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe has been designed and crafted by Chevrolet the automobile manufacturer with family safety in mind. Just like any other vehicle from Chevrolet, the 2007 Tahoe has made it a point to be able to perform well as well as provide safety before a crash, during a crash, as well as after a crash. This vehicle comes in three trim levels that comprise of the LS, the LT, and the LTZ.
The 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe is one of the first creations of General Motors as per new full size sport utility vehicles. The interior layout of this vehicle is quite symmetrical and very engaging. It also incorporates a build quality that is vastly superior to any other previous vehicles crafted by the company. The vehicle had dropped off the hard plastic trim framing controls and put in its place modern and cohesive construction that provides and exudes a more European look. The new interior holds beautiful import materials thus providing a premium-touch surface and a tasteful element in styling. As per noise, this hubbub from the road and the wind is well hidden and kept away from its passengers. It holds the capacity to absorb persistent surface degradation. The whole vehicle is very rattle-free.
You Can Install A “Green” Air Filter!
August 30, 2007
You Can Install A “Green” Air Filter!
by: Matthew C. Keegan
All right now, no laughing. Probably the easiest part to swap out in a car is the air filter. A quick pop of the hood and the loosening of a couple of clamps or a wing nut and you simply reach in and pull out the old air filter. Next, open the box up containing your new air filter, pop it into place, secure everything and you are done. Five, maybe ten minutes to accomplish the easiest job going. So, why doesn’t everyone change their own air filter? More importantly, why don’t more people opt for environmentally friendly air filters, commonly known as “green” air filters? You can install a green air filter yourself and do much more than keep the air clean in the process.
So, what is a “green” air filter? A green air filter is an environmentally friendly air filter. No, they aren’t usually green as the color green is what signifies that the product works in harmony with nature. Now go hug a tree.
Seriously, there are several advantages to owning a green or reusable air filter:
You Can Tune Your Car For Maximum Performance!
August 29, 2007
You Can Tune Your Car For Maximum Performance!
by: Matthew C. Keegan
Are you satisfied with your performance? Your car’s performance, that is? If you are not or if you have wondered how you can crank more power out of your engine, then I have some good news for you: you can do it with an engine tuning programmer. Yes, within minutes you can turn your ordinary passenger car into a road warrior without having to pop the hood or by removing the dashboard. It is a quick, easy, and awesome way to unleash more power from your car’s engine.
The aftermarket parts industry is constantly coming up with everything you need to enhance your vehicle’s look as well as its improve performance. On the performance side of things custom air filters, cold air intakes, and exhaust systems are much sought after options for car enthusiasts. In addition, performance chips are being installed by owners who desire to turn their ordinary cars into something extraordinary.
Mazda MX3: Shining Through the Dark Ages
August 28, 2007
Mazda MX3: Shining Through the Dark Ages
by: Kimberly Meyer
If there are the Dark Ages in the journey through history, there also are some gloomy years and periods in the automobile world. The late 1980s and 1990s was considered to be the Dark Ages for most sports coupes. And yet, beneath the gloom, there was one that stood out and had brought the line on forward. The Mazda MX3 was the chosen one. Amidst the dark sales and gloomy market for sports coupes, the Mazda MX3 continued to move forward and reaped in success. Despite the gloomy period, the Mazda MX3 soared and this period became known as its golden years.
The Mazda MX3 has the capacity to take in a maximum of four passengers. It made its public debut in 1992. It lived for a couple of years. The last year for production was in 1998, thus making the Mazda MX3 a six-year-old wonder. The design and construction of this sports coupe was based on the Mazda Familia platform that was known as the EC platform. Perhaps what made the Mazda MX3 a spectacle was its departure from the classic styling of the 1980s which was boxy and quite conservative. This vehicle sported instead smooth fluid lines that showed and exuded modernity and a higher sense of excellent and comfortable driving.
Jet Chips and Your Car
August 28, 2007
Jet Chips and Your Car
by: Matthew C. Keegan
One of several questions car enthusiasts ask about jet chips and other performance chips is whether they are legal in all states, provinces, etc. Well, I can’t answer that question for the rest of the world, but in the U.S. jet chips are legal even in California, home of some of the strictest automotive emission regulations in the world. As the saying goes, “As goes California, so goes the rest of the country,” or some variation on that theme! There is much more to jet chips than the name implies. Let’s take a look at this remarkable aftermarket product and its impact on North American drivers.
First of all, like the name “Jeep” which represents a specific brand as well as a type of vehicle, Jet Chips is a brand as well as a type of chip. Confused yet? Don’t be. Because the name is so easy to remember and the company producing these chips is so well known, consumers have given all performance chips the nickname jet chips. Kind of like reaching for that box of “Kleenex” tissues even though the label obviously says “Marcal.”
A Guide To The Oxford And Cambridge University Boat Race
August 27, 2007
A Guide To The Oxford And Cambridge University Boat Race
by: John Rivers
I have been fascinated with the annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge University for as long as I can remember. I didn’t attend any of these top two British Universities, nor do I have an avid enthusiasm for rowing but this traditional race of the two boats over exactly 4 miles and 374 yards still holds a fascination for me. I am not alone as the televised event is broadcast, from the historic River Thames, to hundreds of countries and has an audience of millions. The idea for the boat race between these paragons of academia was dreamt up by two students, both named Charles, funnily enough. Charles Merivale was at Cambridge University and Charles Wordsworth was at Oxford.
Cambridge issued their challenge to Oxford on March 12th 1829. Ever since then, it has been a tradition for the loser of a year’s race to challenge the other boat to a rematch the following year.
Brake Calipers, Car Blogs, and You
August 26, 2007
Brake Calipers, Car Blogs, and You
by: Matthew C. Keegan
If you are big fan of the internet, as I am, you likely appreciate having access to much of the information you read online. Where else can you find information that is accurate, easily obtainable, and above all else: free? The library, perhaps. Still, reading some of the car blogs out there can be a risky proposition especially if you are prone to taking everything you read as the “gospel truth.”
Blogging certainly is fun and it is all the rage. You don’t have to know how to design web sites and you don’t even have to know how to write especially well. Therein lies the rub. Over the past several months I have had occasion to read information that is not only suspect, but downright inaccurate. Of course, if the writings are simply someone’s opinion about something that is one thing. However, when the writings give explicit instructions [or leave out pertinent information] on how to fix something, such as brake calipers, those instructions must be correct otherwise the reader could be obtaining information that isn’t just factually wrong, but dangerous.
Ford Super Chips: Are They Worth It?
August 25, 2007
Ford Super Chips: Are They Worth It?
by: Matthew C. Keegan
Your Ford Mustang is a true pony car. A coupe with class and no other car on the road is like it. Heck, GM abandoned the Camaro and Firebird while Mustang sales continue to surge. Could it be that Mustang owners know a good thing when they drive it? You bet! Still, maybe you have considered ways to ratchet up the performance. Even with a V8 installed, perhaps you could squeeze out more power from an already potent engine? If that is the case for you a superchip may be right. However, are they worth it? Let’s take a look at these little technological wonders and see if a super chip is what you really want.
So, exactly how does a superchip work? That’s easy! Every car comes with a computer chip - much like the one the central processing chip that powers your computer. Your stock chip helps to regulate a bunch of things including fuel flow to your engine, horsepower, torque, etc. Unfortunately, stock chips aren’t maximized for performance so the chip you get isn’t necessarily conducive to enhancing power.
Enter the Super Chip!
2006 Honda Accord: Still Topping Lists
August 24, 2007
2006 Honda Accord: Still Topping Lists
by: Tom Bailey
One of the best vehicles in the midsize category in the American automobile market, the 2006 Honda Accord has been redesigned and re-engineered. It is not only one of the best vehicles, it also is one of highest selling as well. It sports a good combination of high technology and quality. It is very much usable for everyday operations and functions. Its main competitor is the Toyota Camry. It is offered in both sedan and coupe styles. It has also been made available in three trim levels that comprise of the DX, the LX, and the EX. The vehicle has a maximum passenger capacity of five people.
Taking a look around the Honda Accord, the vehicle has a design that has angular headlamps as well as sharpened noses which is very much like that of the Acura RSX’s. It is very much muscular and very agile. The vehicle also has carefully sculpted combination of concave and convex surfaces in its corners and sides. If you try to go inside its cabin, the interior is very smooth, firm, and quiet. It holds wide seats that are very comfortable. This is due to the springs and urethane padding beneath is. This also reduces vibration much. These seats have the option of a manual height adjustment or power adjustments.
Avoid Used Cars not having Certified Mileage; A Broken Timing Belt will flatten your Wallet
August 23, 2007
Avoid Used Cars not having Certified Mileage; A Broken Timing Belt will flatten your Wallet
by: Ralph Hoffmann
Premature failure of rubber automotive timing belts can easily cost two or three thousand dollars of repairs, possibly including a new engine. Therefore knowing the true mileage of a used car is imperative. Cars having 4 or 6 cyl. engines may have rubber timing belts and should be avoided.
Be warned
Five years ago an international oil company survey found that 50% of off-lease cars had their odometers illegally turned back and suggested consumers avoid buying off-lease (used) cars, or leasing used cars having uncertain mileage. If the cars really had 50,000 miles, and the odometer read 30,000, then the timing belts would fail long before the new owners expected them to fail.
What is an “interference engine”?
Rubber timing belts are usually used in “interference” engines in which the
valves open further and project further into the combustion chamber than in a “free-running” engine. This allows outside air at atmospheric pressure to flow faster into the combustion chamber through the larger valve openings, allowing the engine to inhale more air, be smaller and still create as much power while reducing its manufactured cost and guaranteeing future repair business for the dealer.
