So You Think Some Traffic Laws Are Nuts?

December 29th, 2016

Yes, there are plenty of traffic laws in certain areas that don’t make much sense. Here, though, we present a collection of traffic laws from other parts of the world that are just bizarre:

--In Thailand, the law states that no driver, male or female, shall ever drive without a shirt.

--In South Africa, “the driver of a vehicle on a public road shall stop such vehicle at the request or on the signal of a person leading or driving any bovine animal, horse, ass, mule, sheep, goat, pig, or ostrich on such road.” Or face a $500 fine.

--Splashing a pedestrian with water is illegal in Japan.

--In Montana, you can forget about driving with a sheep in the truck unless the sheep has a chaperone... and the state of Alabama had the presence of mind to make it illegal to drive while blindfolded.

--On the island of Cyprus, it’s illegal to raise a hand from the steering wheel. No waving at anyone, no eating or drink ...[more]

  Tags: tips, auto facts
  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

Your Car’s an Investment – Protect It

December 24th, 2016

You rely on your car every day, and you have a lot of money tied up in it. It’s probably one of the more valuable things you own…so make sure you get the most out of that investment:

Oil changes: Changing your motor oil at regular intervals will ensure long engine life by cutting wear and friction and helping to prevent the buildup of sludge and carbon on internal engine assemblies.

Cooling system: Older cast-iron engines could overheat with no serious consequences, but not so with today’s aluminum blocks and heads. Your engine’s coolant has a finite life and should be changed and flushed at regular intervals to prevent accumulation of scale and corrosion in the radiator, heater core and water pump.

Finish: A good coat of wax does more than keep your car looking good. It also helps prevent rust from forming, helps to repel debris and dirt and keeps the paint in good shape. ...[more]

  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

A Brief Explanation of Tire Information

December 15th, 2016

Ever wonder what the designations stamped on your tire sidewall actually mean? We’d like to break it down for you.

Let’s take for instance, “P195/60R15 87S”. This is a full service description of a tire.

In this case, “87S” denotes a tire’s load capacity and speed rating. The higher the number, the greater the load capacity – an 87 load capacity means that tire can support 1,201 pounds. Speed ratings range from L (75 mph) through V (149 mph), and an S speed rating means the tire is good for 112 mph. W, Y, and Z-speed rated tires are available for extreme performance cars and are rated as high as 186 mph.

As for the rest of the information:

--“P” denotes Passenger Tire

--195 is the tire’s width from sidewall to sidewall... in millimeters

--60 is the aspect ratio... the proportion of the height of the tire ...[more]

  Tags: tires, tire pressure
  Posted in: Tires 101