Sunday, March 21, 2010

Never blow up your battery with Michelin Smart Jumper Cables



by Sam Abuelsamid

Virtually every driver will, at some point, get that sinking feeling that comes when your car doesn't start. Digging out a set of jumper cables to boost a battery is a rite of passage. Jump-starting a car can be a slightly tricky process, though. The positive and negative terminals of the booster and "boostee" need to be connected properly or the battery can be blown up. Which is, you know, sub-optimal. Over the past decade, a number of devices have come out to help ease the battery-jumping process, including portable booster batteries and even jumper cables that plug into a 12V outlet inside the car. Those plug-in cables will never be connected with reverse polarity, but they might not be able to carry enough current to actually crank your engine.

Enter the Michelin Smart Jumper Cable. Instead of the usual color-coded clamps for your battery's positive and negative terminals, the cables are all Michelin blue. Halfway down the cable is a box of electronic smarts. Just put one clamp on the positive terminal of the battery and the other on any piece of bare metal and the electronics will detect whether you've made a complete circuit and illuminate an LED on the central box. When the second battery is connected, the electronics automatically determine the polarity and switch it as needed. A set of these smart jumper cables runs about $30 to $40.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Ford Mustang Lights: Great Deal to Safety

Visibility is one of the most essential part when you are driving, a driver should be able to spot where they are going to elude hitting something or anyone .Car lights are very significant to a driver’s safety because they enhance the visibility on the street and maintain the driver and the passengers safe and sound especially in driving through feebly lighted areas. There are numerous types of lights used in cars specifically in Ford Mustangs; each with its own specific and important function and definite location in the automobile.

The Ford Mustang Headlights is sometimes referred to illumination produced by the lights installed on the front of your Mustang vehicle. The equipped light itself is in principle termed as headlight. Others may say that the term headlight is used to represent both the construction itself and the light formed. Mustang headlights without a doubt improve your line of vision when driving specially during the day. Mustang headlights can deliver the clear view you needed on the road. Mustang headlights are also very important to use whenever it rains or snow because the headlights on your Ford Mustang will absolutely increase your capability to see and contrive your movements during these times and definitely these will make your cars much more noticeable to other vehicles and pedestrians on the roadway.

The Taillight or stop lamp is set up at the back end of the car. It produces a red light when the brake is activated therefore giving warning to the vehicle at the back indicating that your car would stop. This will enable the driver of the preceding car time to slow down. Mustang Tail lights is made up of the tail lamp bezel or tail light frame. Mustang Tail light lens improves the car’s style while adding security to the driver and the passengers. They have wire casing fixed over the lenses for safeguard and an extra hard and fashionable look. Latest Mustang models use lucid bulbs and red reflector.

Safety issues are always raised when buying a car that is why car producers provide their cars with the latest and ground-breaking features that could be positioned on their vehicles to make them dependable and safer. One of this features are the Fog lights. They are set up and mounted on the framework of your Ford Mustang. Fog lights give extra lighting during rough weather specially on rainy and winter season, helping you find the road safely. Mustang fog lights work as a complement to your headlights. Ford Mustangs used halogen bulb as fog lights to produce brighter beams. Fog lights are particularly intended to cut all the way through the fog to give you enhanced visibility. They are set up to harmonize with the stumpy beams of your headlights; collectively they work to maximize your visualization on the road.

Our genuine effort to increase your knowledge base on various auto parts. We are selling Ford Mustang Parts across USA if you don't find what you are looking for doesn’t hesitate to drop us an email and we will get back to you with it. We provide high quality Ford Mustang Headlight.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Foose/Deere 4020 vs John Deere 620 Orchard



by Alex Nunez

Chip Foose's John Deere 4020 is pretty kickass, but the reality is this: You needn't enlist the services of a famous pro rodder to get a slick-lookin' John Deere tractor. Take, for instance, the John Deere 620 orchard model shown above. Standard-issue 620s have a traditional tractor look to them, but the ones fitted with the additional orchard equipment a streamlined appearance that looks like it's a set of giant-sized moon caps away from making a land speed record run at Bonneville.



In fact, all that extra bodywork has nothing to do with aerodynamics or improved performance; its shielding designed to let the tractor operate in an orchard without the tires causing damage to the the tree branches. So, not only does this 620 look great, it does so for totally functional reasons.



And so, we come to tonight's poll: Which one of these tractors would you rather have? Follow the jump and declare your Deere.




[John Deere 620 image via TractorClocks.com]


Which tractor would you rather have in your barn?




Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Mini gets Connected in the Countryman, doesn't exactly say how




by Jonathon Ramsey

Mini will be debuting a new system dubbed Mini Connected at the Geneva Motor Show, which the brand describes as a new, exciting innovation in infotainment. However, we have little idea of what Mini Connected actually does beyond using "a newly developed USB interface whose unique functionality allows maximum integration of the iPhone into the in-car audio and infotainment system."

We do know you can get web radio in your Mini now, and there's Mini: Mission Control in which "vehicle-related signals are used to generate constantly changing, situation-dependent messages." Other than that, Mini Connected will be launched as an option on the Countryman. We'll have to wait until Geneva to bring you the rest, but you can make the jump to glean all you can from the press release in the meantime.

Cheap Tyres

Friday, February 12, 2010

Tanner Foust Moving To European Rallycross Championship for 2010



by Jonny Lieberman

Tanner Foust has about the most solid "car guy" curriculum vitae there is. Drift king, stuntman, rally champ, X Games legend, TV star, momentary Top Gear USA host, two-time U.S. representative for the International Race of Champions and of most important/impressive, Autoblog Podcaster. Well friends, let's go ahead and add Rallycross participant to Tanner's already padded resume.

When/Where/Why? Foust will be competing in the 2010 European Rallycross Championship as the sole American representative. Tanner will be traveling to Europe for the first four races before returning to the United States and bringing the races with him. For those unfamiliar with the discipline, rallycross is similar to rally racing, only the cars are typically 50 percent more powerful (600 horsepower as opposed to 400 hp) and the quick stages consist of dirt, jumps and tarmac. Tanner will of course be driving the same 600 hp devil of a Ford Fiesta he took to a bronze medal at last year's X Games.

Says Foust, "I've been watching European-style Rally Cross for years. I love the combination of dirt, pavement, jumps and door-to-door action – it's like a real-life videogame. I'm really excited to be on the leading edge of this discipline as it grows in the U.S. It's been popular in Europe for years – the fans here are going to love it." We're fully in agreement with Tanner on that last bit. When it comes to Rallycross, there's very little not to love. Press release after the jump.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Toyota will now send needed pedal repair components directly to dealers



by Michael Harley


In an effort to stem the flow of potentially defective accelerator pedal parts at the source, Toyota announced earlier this week that replacement pedal components had begun shipping directly to its factories. While the announcement was a welcome step in the right direction towards a long-term resolution, Toyota retail dealers – face-to-face with millions of concerned customers seeking a fix – were understandably angered that the automaker had apparently left them out of the loop.

That changed late Friday, when Toyota announced that gas pedal parts had started shipping directly to the dealers too. Brian Lyons, Toyota company spokesman, said the parts "are on their way to the dealers in preparation for the recall launch." The so-called "recall launch" will be more clearly defined next week when the automaker officially announces how it intends to solve the problems potentially affecting 4.2 million of its vehicles worldwide.

Right now, Toyota's "solution" (reportedly involving shims) is being reviewed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – Toyota presented it to NHTSA on Thursday – which must approve it before the automaker moves forward. Even then, Toyota will need to train dealers and mechanics on how to make the repairs and educate vehicle owners on the process.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Using Aftermarket Parts and Its Effect on Your Auto Insurance Premium

Getting involved in a car accident is nasty business, but not as nasty as when your vehicle is uninsured. Having your car covered by the policy of an auto insurance company can help you out greatly with the repair of your car (and of the other party’s car, if that is the case), medical bills, and even legal representation, should it come to that. But with regard to car repairs, there might just be some things you need to know and discuss with your insurer.

Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts are automotive parts made by a certain vehicle’s manufacturer. Aftermarket parts are essentially non-OEM parts, manufactured by third-party vendors. As part of the process of you shopping around for the ideal insurance company for you, you must determine what an insurer’s policies are regarding the use of OEM and aftermarket parts. There are two reasons for this: First, you might be the type of person who likes to be set apart from the rest of the world, even with the car you drive. You don’t want to be just another owner of the usual BMW or Mercedes Benz, but you’d like your car lowered, looking more aggressive with a new back fin, spoiler, or wing. Chances are, you’ll be using aftermarket parts for these modifications, and your insurance company might not like that and may increase your premium or discontinue coverage entirely when they find out. Hence, you must know what their policies exactly are regarding the use of aftermarket parts.

The other reason you must discuss this issue with your insurer is that they might actually use aftermarket parts themselves for the repair of your vehicle in case of an accident. If you’re the exact opposite of the guy in the previous example, then you’ll want only genuine BMW parts for your BMW, or Mercedes Benz parts for your Mercedes Benz. You want to maintain the quality of your car being 100% the brand that it is, and not some mutt of a vehicle with shoddy attachments on it. And, as this is an existing practice for some, insurers may cheat on you so they can save on money. They may go for well-done repairs with aftermarket parts which may pass for OEM parts in the eyes of the unassuming guy, who will only later on find out about the deception when he decides to trade or sell his car and the real value of his car is revealed by expert inspectors. When your auto insurance company handles the repair of your vehicle, the goal is to have your car returned to its pre-accident condition. But the reason post-repair inspectors now exist is to assess if that goal has actually been achieved. You must be wise yourself to know how to demand that OEM parts alone be used in the repair of your car post-accident. Though you most likely would have to pay much for the use of OEM parts instead of aftermarket ones, there will be no hassle selling or trading your vehicle because its quality has been maintained, and hence its value is not unduly diminished.

For more information regarding car insurance, insurancespecialists.com is a great site to help you with all your insurance needs.