Status Wheel

Archive for the ‘Automotive’ Category

The automotive industry lost a great one this week; famous racecar driver and automotive legend Carroll Shelby passed away Thursday, May 3. You don’t have to know much about auto industry to know that he really contributed a lot to make it what it is today.

Although Shelby served in the US Air Force as a flight instructor, had a short career as a dump truck driver, and tried a chicken raising business, his passion from a young age was for automobiles. So it was not surprising when he took up auto racing, and made it truly an art form. Among numerous wins, including the LeMan Grand Prix, Shelby is named Sports Illustrated Driver of the Year in 1956 and 1957.

Unfortunately a heart condition cuts his racing career short but Shelby takes it all in stride turning instead to building cars. His innovative Cobra would become one of the fastest and well-known roadsters on the market; surpassing even Ferrari and Corvette.

This is only the tip of the iceberg of all that Carroll Shelby contributed to racing, the auto industry, and the community around him. He will not be forgotten and will be greatly missed.

Does the car you drive really indicate to others your level of life and career success? Well, for better or for worse, the short answer is that yes it can. And while driving your old lemon to your next job interview may not be an automatic ushering you right back through the door you walked in, especially if they can’t see your car from the office, it is widely accepted that you will always make a stronger impression stepping out of a clean, well maintained and professionally appearing auto. That doesn’t mean you have to have the latest model Lexus or Mercedes, in fact, having too nice of a car may actually hurt your overall chances if your potential employer feels you might be overqualified, and credit-fied, for the position. This might seem like it puts the average employment seeker and Cooper tires owner in a bit of a conundrum, though it’s actually some pretty good news.

Simply decipher the details and extract the fundamental message. It’s actually less about the specific make and model of the car you drive than the overall, well maintained and professional appearance orientation that matters most. So your next question, or concern, is likely to be what makes a professionally appearing vehicle over any other? And of course that’s the key question. Fortunately, it’s not that difficult to answer and perhaps even easier to achieve. But then I guess this depends on the current status of your car. For most people, simply cleaning it out is a great start. You’d be surprised at how much junk has collected in your car and a backseat full of books, papers, trash and other items is simply unappealing and unprofessional looking. While back in college it might have passed as a dedicated student who is overworked and committed, in the professional world it simply represents disorganization and possibly even a lack of responsibility.

After that much needed, and possibly long overdue, interior clean out, a good vacuuming, followed by a thorough external scrub and waxing will come next. A complete detail job would be great and check your tires. A new set of Ultra wheels will not only enhance your car’s overall performance but will also boost your curb appeal. And in today’s job market, nothing should be left to chance or possibility to shine overlooked. And while it’s true that your potential employer might never see your vehicle, is it really a chance you want to take if your vehicle’s appearance could have such an impact on your own first impression? Not to mention the effect your vehicle’s appearance might have on a first date and other important social encounters .

Travel plans are a standard aspect of many people’s holiday seasons. And this is true whether you are the traveler or happen to live in the preferred destination location for the year. And regardless of which side of the traveling agenda you happen to reside, there are numerous preparations, adjustments and plans to be made. And if things get out of hand, which they frequently do, the holiday traveling agenda can be really stressful for many people. This will interfere with the pleasure and overall satisfaction of the season, as well as enjoyment of the friends and family we were so eager to visit. Meanwhile, there are some simple tips, precautions and tools that will prevent, or at least reduce, much of the stress that is associated with holiday travel. And a small investment in a www.performanceplustire.com store, might be one of your best holiday purchases.

One of the first things to consider is the actual means of travel for which you plan to take. For instance, if you fly to your destination, there are some guaranteed stressful factors that relate simply to the holiday flight season. The planes, airports and everything else associated with them are always overcrowded and systems feel like they’re running slow, regardless of how close to schedule they actually remain. One of the ways of eliminating all of this stress is to consider driving to your destination. Of course, there will be geographic restrictions to this intent, and if you’re traveling across country there are some flight agendas that are simply impossible to avoid.

However, if you plan to visit a family member, friend or even favorite landmark or iconic city that is less than twelve hours driving distance, hitting the road during the holiday season can make a lot of sense. And there are a number of variations you can make with road trips that will make your holiday season more exciting and fun. For instance, San Francisco, California is a popular dream destination for many people. However, if you live there and have relatives in Phoenix, you can make a great road trip out of the season, and maybe even make a stop in Las Vegas part of your plan. You’ll still have the same needs with packing and planning with relatives, but you’ll have a great sense of freedom with your Kumho tires letting you stop and visit anywhere you’d like along the road. Keep in mind that most hotels will have long registration lines, and there will be a standard wait and most locations. But these are simply unavoidable this time of year. Unless of course you have your own little getaway located somewhere along the coast. But for most of us, crowds and lines are part of the season, whether we like it or not. So don’t forget your Ipod and book of Sudoku puzzles .

An essential part of any pimped out vehicle is a set of chrome racing wheels. While a slick paint job and nice interior are important, chrome wheels give it the finishing touch. With all of the options to choose from, you can always find something fun and unique to fit your vehicle. But as cool as chrome wheels are, they do require some upkeep and maintenance to keep them looking their best.

Chrome is a very commonly used metal for a variety of products–for the home pots and pans and faucets, and for the road bumpers and truck wheels. Because it is so soft, most items only have chrome plating. Items made entirely of chrome would simply fall apart and be more or less useless. Despite this, it is still very durable, able to withstand very high temperatures, and can last for years to come when properly cared for.

The key to keeping your chrome wheels shining like new is to not let them get too dirty. The dirtier they get the harder they are to clean, eventually leading to rust or oxidation. Also, it is ideal during the winter months to take your chrome wheels off if you live in snowy climates as the salt that is used on the road can damage them.

The best way to begin detailing your chrome wheels is with some good old-fashioned soap and water. Working through one wheel at a time, spray the wheel with water and then use a soft -bristled cleaning brush and car soap to thoroughly clean the wheel; making sure that you get in all the spaces. Rinse with water and immediately dry with a soft cloth to avoid spotting. Repeat this process for each wheel. If the wheels still do not come clean then you may have to use a specialized chrome cleaner to remove heavy dirt, oxidation or rust. In extreme circumstances you may have to take your wheels into the shop to have them wet sand and refinish your wheels.

You can follow up the cleaning with a coat of chrome polish or wax. This will help give your wheels the sparkle and shine that you love. It also encourages dirt to stay on the surface and not damage or dirt the wheel itself; making the wheel last longer and easier to clean.

With clean chrome wheels you are now free to get out there and show off your awesome, customized ride.

Photo by Nick Ares courtesy Creative Commons License.

The car game, Slug Bug (where kids punch each other in the arm whenever they see a VW Beetle) has changed over the past twenty years.  It’s almost a thing of sentimental longing, and definitely enters into that certain realm that can only be called nostalgia.  It’s not surprising, and it hasn’t come as any shock, because there has always been something about the Beetle in the North American consciousness that evokes a sense of instant vintage cool.  Now, what was once ubiquitous is becoming very rare.

Most people who have come of age in the 80s or 90s can remember having at least one friend who took their turn with an old VW.   This friend seemed to have an extra sense for adventure, and also always had a transmissions repair manual in the glove compartment.  Gas was cheaper, of course, and these things were always terribly efficient if they were working, and that meant that it was easy to get far away from here on just a few bucks.

It’s not that the fuel efficiency has changed, but that the visual landscape on the road is just not the same as it was when the old models were everywhere.  Or perhaps it’s just another way of making the old seem more valuable than the new, because the generation of the 60’s also thought that the kids of the 80’s just didn’t understand what it was to be free in spirit.

There definitely was something, however, to that kind of sensibility that loved the old bugs, passed around John Muir’s work, and traded secrets about  car brake repair as freely as they traded directions and contacts.  Friends of friends of friends were close enough to be trustworthy.  Global car culture also seemed to cross barriers and build bridges.  One could, at one time, drive a bug from one end of the continent across to the next one, and back, and find like-minded spirits, or at least owners of similar cars, to keep everything running in the moment.

It is still possible with an old bug, especially in places that seem far from the usual well-tread roads, to meet up with closet and public mechanics who know an awful lot about car care.  It’s more likely, with the new versions, to need to be a little closer to the dealers.  It may be a few more years before all the warrantees are expiring, and this generation of drivers learns about the mechanics through sheer necessity.  Perhaps that is exactly what happened with the last generation, and the one before that, and this is just another revolution in a story of a very enchanting car.

It is one of the great joys, or sometimes horrors, when hobbies and social circles start to overlap. There is a distinct feeling of turning into a hermit when the intricacies of an obsession lead into obscure caves, far from the usually maddening crowds. At the same time, there is a distinctively uncanny feeling when those obscure caves are marked with recent tracks.

It is not surprising these days that the depths of every interest lead people to discover that they are not at all alone. The easy availability of obscure information, along with the increasing number of groups banding together around common interests, make it very difficult to maintain any kind of focused interest without making friends. That is how it happens, then, when one finds that they are not only welcome to a club that would have them as a member, but that they are also too new to be president.

That is something particularly peculiar to auto enthusiasts, and especially for the ones who combine style with function. This is perhaps not a surprise, because the marriage of design and function has always been a rather happy one. It is still something of a shock, however, when that particular set of custom wheels arrives, and it’s apparent that this is not the first time this style has been matched with that set-up.

Anyone who’s ever been a little concerned about the time they spend on their car each week probably knows the feeling. Likewise, the feeling of having something entirely original is usually worth the price of the ticket. The design and the style are entirely readable to other car owners, and make it easy to have a common bond. However, on the more complex levels of detail, small and almost invisible things are what separate enthusiasts from experts. From here, it enters into the realm of function.

Only the driver and the owner can truly appreciate how mods can make the engine really come alive. The driver and the owner don’t necessarily have to be the same, but it can certainly help. At the end of the day, it is a question of proof, where the rubber meets the road, and that’s the moment when all the work pays off. It is an entirely hermit-like proposition, and interestingly enough, that is the feeling that so many car lovers look for.

Photo courtesy of Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-73814-0003 / Zastrow; Kohls, Ulrich / CC-BY-SA

Believe it or not, someone actually created a complete set of carbon fiber wheels. Carbon fiber, to those that are unfamiliar with it, is a material composed of woven carbon filaments that are boned with other materials like epoxy, aluminum, and Kevlar, to name a few. Carbon fiber is known to be very lightweight, durable, and heat resistant. Carbon fiber is quickly replacing steel and aluminum in both commercial and industrial applications because of its high specific strength. In other words, it can hold a lot of weight while still being very light itself.

One of the most recent applications of carbon fiber is Carbon Revolution’s, an Australian company, complete carbon fiber construction automobile wheel. Carbon Revolution’s one-piece carbon fiber wheel dubbed the CR-9 was first introduced a years ago at the 2010 Dubai International Motor Show on a Shelby Ultimate Aero. Carbon Revolution was not the first company to construct an all carbon fiber wheel; a Japanese company named Weds Sports actually beat them to the punch by a year. Weds Sports showed off their first carbon fiber wheels at the 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon car show, but sadly they were only a prototype and were never manufactured, though. Carbon Revolution, on contrary, followed through and manufactures a complete set of carbon fiber wheels.

However, manufacturing carbon fiber materials is very complicated and time intensive and as result most carbon fiber product are costly. And talk about costly. Right now the only way to get a set of CR-9’s is to purchase a new Shelby Ultimate Aero, the second fastest car in the entire world. The maximum speed of the SSC Ultimate Aero currently stands at a blazing 257 mph and can go from 0-60 in 2.78 seconds. Carbon Revolution’s CR-9 wheels, which weigh 50% less than normal aluminum wheels, no doubt attribute to some of the Ultimate Aero’s outstanding speed. But the least expensive Ultimate Aero costs a cool $653,400, so it’s not exactly an impulse buy. Nevertheless, Carbon revolution claims that they are currently working with development partners to bring their premium wheels to other cars. And Carbon Revolution themselves tests their wheels on a BMW M3 and a Corvette C6S. So maybe there’s some hope after all.

But if you’re not ready to drop nearly $700,000 on a car just for a set of wheels then know that the same look can be achieved with set of custom wheels. Though, if you still have to have the carbon fiber look then there are some wheels that have a partial carbon fiber construction like the DUB 3-Piece Wheels.

via Autoblog & How Stuff Works

Consider this history the next time you check your Pontiac repair manual or need to take your vehicle in for any kind of auto repair , whether it be from an accident or a worn out part:

At the turn of the previous century, buggy men, producers of horse-drawn vehicles, began a transformation that remains with us today, turning to the production of automobiles. The birth of Pontiac, for instance, came about because of Edward Murphy and Alanson Brush. Murphy founded the Pontiac Buggy Company in Pontiac, Michigan; Brush was an engineering consultant in Detroit who designed the early Cadillacs. The two men met in 1906 , and Brush showed Murphy a design for a two-cylinder car which Cadillac rejected. Murphy bought the idea and called it the Oakland, the same name he gave to his horse-drawn carriages.

The car wasn’t a success at first; after Murphy’s death, though, in 1908, sales began to increase. Another buggy man, known as William C. Durant, purchased Oakland, taking it into his business, General Motors. The Oakland led to the Pontiac, in 1926 , introduced by Oakland’s assistant general manager. The car was a quality six cylinder engine vehicle made to sell for the price of a four cylinder vehicle — and it became an instant success.

Without these early pioneers in car history, without Edward Murphy or William C. Durant, we might not be taking our vehicles in for repair, but instead be going to the market place for a new horse; a task which seems far more formidable than going to the market for a new car.

Users of the sophisticated iPad and iPhone devices continue to increase in numbers, which in turn increases the demand for mobile entertainment and Hulu has responded to the massive demands with its own iPad and iPhone apps, which please the needs of all the mobile tech users.

Hulu, which has become an internet phenomenon over the past two years, had their iPad application developer create Hulu Plus, a downloadable iPad app that provides the same functionality as using Hulu’s website. The app is very user-friendly, fast and very responsive. The app is designed to look like Hulu’s website, so avid users of Hulu’s website will feel at home when using their iPad to access Hulu. If the user has fast Internet connection, users will enjoy how swift the app allows them to watch content.

Basically, Hulu Plus iPad app allows users to stream Hulu’s ‘premium’ service whenever the user has access to any type of internet connection. The Hulu iPad app is free, but it requires a special invitation to beta test, meaning the user has to go through a few rounds of testing in order to have a better experience. About the only negative aspect of the iPad Hulu app is that even with paying the premium fee of $9.95 a month, the app still allows advertisement to appear.

It seems like every kid from a generation or two ago has at one time tried to fashion some kind of a motor to their bicycle or has at least dreamed and talked about doing so. Well, it just so happens that today it is extremely easy to convert an existing bike into an electrically powered one and the reason this might be interesting and exiting to the older generations is because they are the primary population that is doing it.

So, grandma, your time has come. You can purchase an electric bike kit and attach it to your existing bike and ride off into the sunset, or wherever else you’d like. Okay, so perhaps you’d rather have your son or daughter do the attachment for you and maybe even help you pick out a kit. But, it is possible to do on your own if you are so inclined. And for a small installation fee, it is usually possible to have them installed for you.

These bike kits are extremely affordable and come in different sizes and power options. They also vary in price and ease if attachment. Some of the models attach to the chain path and allow for an easy transition to electric power. Others are built into a hub in the tire wheel and have a streamlined appearance. There are additional models and options and you have only to decide on the one that is right for you. And from there you’re good to go.