Winter Car Tune Up Check List

Wintertime is beautiful scenery for the eyes. It can be devastating to a car though, especially if the car is not inspected and prepared for the winter driving season. Have the car tuned up with a checklist before the snow hits and the car will drive with a peace of mind.

Brakes are essential for stopping on the icy roads to avoid pedestrians and even accidents with other cars. If the brakes are not equal, they could cause the car to lean to one side and skid on the roads.

The cooling system in the car also must be checked. This includes belts, containers, pressure caps, hoses and the thermostats so that everything is in working order. Flush the system with a chemical cleaner and add in anti freeze before the snow hits the ground.

The engine is the heart of any car and must run well in all weather conditions. A diagnostic test can ensure the drive of any abnormalities before hitting the road. Starting the car becomes essential when the cold weather is coming down so have the spark plugs replaced if needed and check the emission control devices to make sure that the car will get up and go when it needs to.

Another important part for inspection is the exhaust system. The windows are closed during the snowy winter months so have the muffler and tailpipe checked. Carbon monoxide leaks can be fatal.

When driving, it is important to have the defrosters, heaters, and windshield wipers working. Being able to see and keep warm are very important during the winter months. Winter wiper blades can be added to the car as well as washer fluid that was made for use in the cold weather.

Fuel, air, and transmission filters must be changed to ensure that the car runs properly. In addition, oil can become quite troubling during the winter months. Dirty oil can be a big problem so change it and the filter before the temperature drops and the snowflakes start to fall.

Last, but not least are the cars tires. If the engine is the heart of the car, then the tires are the bloodline. A car can run on faulty tires, but they may not take you far. Snow tires are essential during the wintertime and all four wheels need to be fully equipped as well as a regular check of the tire pressure. Snow tires provide the ultimate control when traveling down a winter wonderland type of snow setting. Residents in Quebec must have all four snow tires, as it is required there.

Car Parts Putting A Car Back Together Again

So youve sunk a whole load of money into an old car with the intention of lovingly restoring it to its former glory. But its only now that youve started looking for car parts that youre beginning to wonder what on earth have you let yourself in for. Whether youre in it for the money or for the sheer fun of it, any car you restore is only going to be the sum of the car parts you put into it. So before you start building from scratch, here are a few points to consider.

Cars arent that complicated to understand, right? Well, theres a world of difference between replacing the odd car part here and there and refitting the insides of an empty carcass like a jigsaw. Before you commit financially to any project, be sure to ascertain honestly what your ability is, and also how much time and effort youre prepared to put into the project. A fancy paint job and new upholstery can be as much fun as installing the most basic of engine parts, if that is where your technical comfort level is. Consider what youre prepared to put in, before you start ripping those old car parts out.

Once youve decided upon the type of project you want to work with, be sure to wait for the right car with the right parts. Of course you can learn as you go along, and that might even be part of the fun, but dont invest in a car minus parts you havent the interest in learning to find and fit. You might love that make and model at the time of purchase, but a few weeks of sitting in your front yard without the final missing part will be enough to sour your relationship forever.

If you are a novice, be sure to take an expert car parts man along with you when you view potential cars and parts. What might look about right to you might actually be along the wrong lines completely, and you could find yourself shelling out a fortune for a part that is completely unsuitable. Also bear in mind always how much money you are willing to spend on car parts, and what you plan ultimately to do with your restored car. An older part might be fine in a vehicle you hope to use for show purposes only, but a fully operable car will need car parts of the same standard.

Caution is the watchword when choosing car parts to put into your restoration job. Know what you want and stick to that, and if in doubt then save your money. Whatever your reasons for restoring a car, the parts you put inside need to be just right, so do the best job you can by waiting for the best parts.

Custom Car Seat Covers

What you ever thought about custom car seat covers? Different abuses and hazards can cause damage to your original car seats. Pets and children are some of those who cause damage to car seats but the original upholstery of your car may also be damaged through repeated abrasion and friction. Spills of beverages and water and food remains may make car seats to be unpleasant and dirty. To be able to protect the original upholstery of your car, it is necessary to protect car seat covers, and the best choice for most people is through car seat covers.

Custom car seat covers are the ones which are personalized to suit your specific taste. It is possible to make them for your car, and there are different types of materials and designs which can be used for truck and car seat covers. You can also find the custom seat covers in different colors from in many parts of the world. Some of the popular car seat covers are Ballistic seat covers, Neoprene seat covers, Velour seat covers, BMW seat covers, Suede seat covers, Tweed seat covers, Ford seat covers, Leatherette seat covers, Honda seat covers, Saddle Blanket seat covers, and so on. There are many of them; and you can even make custom ones based on your personal beliefs and interests.

In order to make good custom seat covers, you should first of all consider what is already available for the type and model of your car because it is possible that custom covers are already installed for your car. In creating the design, you can make the ones which make a fashion statement to those which are just basic black seat covers.

Custom car seat covers are good for seats like 70/30 seats, 40/20/40 seats, 60/40 seats, and the difficult-to-fit seats found in trucks, jeeps, SUVs and tractors. In installing the seat covers, the upholstery company first measures your car seats and then have an estimate built up. In most cases, this is a free service while you only pay for the customization. It is possible to make the cover to be designed aesthetically, while you may choose from the different types of fasteners like zippers, buttons, Velcro or strings, in order to improve the durability and look of the cover.

There are many types of materials which are used, and you can choose from vinyl, cotton, neoprene, denim, sheepskin, tweed cloth, velour cloth and many other materials. You can also choose specific patterns and colors, in addition to being able to consider climactic factors and the level of wear and tear which the car seats are likely to be subjected to.

How Car Insurance Might Save You From A Economic Ruin After a Crash

Your car insurance policy is supposed to help prevent any financial disaster due to a car accident. Whenever you run into a road incident and cars or home is damaged, your vehicle insurance plan will help you cover another party for that loss. But there has to be tangible evidence that you’re the main cause of the accident. Using a automobile insurance policy, it’s in fact possible to make up for deaths and injuries.

Many different types of accident exists. What this means is the service expense may range between one extreme to another. Repairing tiny damages can cause the vehicle owner anything from a few hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars. You really should examine the estimated costs ahead of auto repairs. A few damages may need a lot more spare parts to restore. Others require quite a few surfaces to spray paint on. As a result use your personal objective viewpoint when talking to your car technician.

In case your car insurance fees are merely a tiny proportion of the service cost, it may be advantageous to claim from the insurance company. On the other hand if the claims is just a fraction of your monthly premiums, it definitely is not good to file for claims. It’s because it doesn’t sound right to pay for even more monthly premiums for the next 36 months as a result of a really small claim made within the policy period. This is certainly true, even if you think it is strange.

You need to file a coverage claim only when the car accident repair cost is substantial. It is in accordance with how much money you may be paying for the car insurance fees. So it will be all worth it, there is a guide you may use. If your car accident repair costs one and a half times in excess of your insurance premium, it could be great to make claims. Definitely, if you feel any type of financial stress as a consequence of a substantial accident statement, make the car insurance claims straight away.

Any sort of accident that concerns actual injury has the potential to become seriously unpleasant. There is always serious pain involved, individuals become affected and need immediate medical assistance. You may become broke instantly if you should pay the price of hospital expenses. For this reason auto insurance is very necessary, even when you do not use your automobile frequently. Accidents can happen. Accidents are occasions which no individual desires. Yet they still occur. Whilst the most severe can happen, you’re still protected by your car insurance policy. This is because every cost can be reimbursed, aside from the excess.

In conclusion, prior to your choosing an automobile insurance policy, you should always be investing in a comprehensive coverage. This is because a third party or third party fire and theft insurance only covers the damage you cause to other folks. Your own car remains unprotected from harm. Hence if your automobile is entirely damaged, you’ve still got to pay lots of money repairing it or to purchase a new one.

Remote Control Car Setup Tips

Setting up a remote control car is as much a science as it is an art, the physics behind rc cars is exactly the same as the physics that governs real cars, if you know how setup changes in a race car work, you already know how to setup a remote control car.

The problem that most people have with setting up RC cars is that when you make a change in one area it always has a knock-on effect on the rest of your settings, setups are very much a balancing act

To start with I’ll concentrate on the basics of handling, over steer and under steer. The physics behind this is pretty simple, if you turn into a corner the center of gravity will move in what ever direction you were initially travelling. Your tires via friction push back with (hopefully) an equal amount of force. When your wheels lose traction and start to slide the energy that was being turned into heat in your tires gets released as inertial energy in the original direction of travel. With cars, both back and front don’t break traction equally, this creates either under steer or over steer, which is how we describe the experience the driver has under these conditions.

Under steer

Under steer is when the front of the car loses traction while the rear of the car still has grip on the tar, the effect is that the nose of the car drifts away from the direction you are turning, turning harder makes it worse, the only thing you can really do is back off the throttle and bleed off speed.

Over Steer

Over steer is the opposite of under steer, and in most cases it’s best to have a little of this. The front of the car keeps traction while the rear lets go. One of the key benefits is that you can typically corner much faster in a car that has some over steer

Over steer / Under steer Tuning tips

There are a lot of ways to tune the handling or your radio controlled car, the easiest is to adjust the front and rear shocks. While there are a lot of options with springs, different oils and all sorts we are just going to concentrate on the basics, most decent shocks have adjustments, either with spacers or bolts that let you adjust how hard or soft the shocks are.

As far as maximum and minimum stiffness goes, make sure that the bottom of your car doesn’t scrape the ground, and on the other end make sure it doesn’t bounce and leave the asphalt, apart from that you need to find the setup that matches your driving style, most people get winning setups off the internet and try to learn to drive them, mind you this is a great starting point, and most championship winners post their setup sheets

Shock Stiffness guide

Stiffen in front = increasing under steer or reducing over steer
Stiffen in rear = increasing over steer or reducing under steer

You may be wondering why one setting makes two changes, this is because it’s all about balance, you could for example setup your rc car by only every changing the rear stiffness, but you would find that when you got the perfect amount of over steer under braking the car would then be uncontrollable during the exit of the corner. It’s all about balance,

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you change the shocks you also change the roll of the car, this the the chassis of the car moving with the inertia, in effect pushing the front tires into the road during breaking and the rear during acceleration. If your shocks are too soft then the transfer might dig your front wheels in and lift the rear enough to make you car spin out, or lose steering under throttle, you have to find the right balance

More to come…