Archive for January, 2012
The Art Of Tire Maintenance For Off Roaders
A proactive approach to tire maintenance is best if you address potential issues before things get ugly or as soon as they become apparent the better chance you have of staying safe.
Here are a few easy ways to care for your vehicle tires.
Inflation The Good Kind:
It’s usually a given that proper inflation gives you more efficient fuel usage. And it is certainly true for street driving that underinflated tires can greatly decrease your mileage make your car more prone to skid in wet conditions and cause uneven tire wear.
But for a vehicle that you take offroad there are different considerations and conditions. So many Jeep owners actually prefer softened aireddown bias tires. But these are definitely not street tires so there is additional maintenance required is you use these types of tires.
You may wish to consider offroad savvy radial tires. These would seem to provide the best of both worlds. However you will need to adjust the inflation depending on whether you are on paved streets or negotiating offroad conditions and obstacles.
Either way one tool you cannot afford to be without is a portable air compressor. This allows you to inflate or deflate your Jeep tires on the go all from a compact and easytouse compression unit.
As The Tires Rotate:
Once again what you know about automobile tire rotation doesn’t directly correlate to what should be done for a 4wheel offroad vehicle.
Generally off roading tires require more frequent tire rotations than a street vehicle. This is because an aggressive tread wears faster. Given the wear discrepancy between front and rear tires tread balance becomes uneven quickly resulting in major loss of performance.
Generally off road vehicles require tire rotation every 6000 to 8000 miles but more use and wear may necessitate rotations as frequently as every 4000 to 6000 miles. This is where being proactive in maintaining your tires comes in handy. If you are actively monitoring your tire wear you will be able to judge best how often to rotate your tires.
Keep in mind that for new tires the first rotation is the most critical. You will want to pay particular attention to tire inflation and alignment. You can do a lot of damage quickly if you don’t take the time to make the required adjustments at the start.
Also tire rotations in a Jeep should not be done front to back as with a street vehicle. Rather they should be done in an X. This means that frontleft goes to rearright and vice versa while frontright goes to rearleft and vice versa.
Consider Nitrogen:
Essentially nitrogen gas tire inflation is nothing more than replacing the air in your tires with nitrogen gas. This modification provides improved gas mileage longer tire wear and better performance. Best of all it is also environmentally friendly. So you can go offroad and go green at the same time.
Nitrogen gas tire inflation for your Jeep tires is becoming more common as it becomes more readily available. If it is not available to you now keep watching your favorite auto supply store. It should be available soon. This is one enhancement you will want to adopt.
About the writer: Chris Jensen is a contributing author of Jetfly Blog. For more related articles and reviews visit Jetfly Automotive Blog now. Also for the best uptodate related online products check out Jetfly Tire Collectibles Shop for todays current online deals.
New Saab Crossover Raises 9-3 Appeal
All the talk about Saab being sold or discontinued loses site of one thing: the automaker is still a viable albeit small player in the world of fine European automobiles.
A case in point is the all new 93X Crossover a vehicle which adds a positive light to the brand’s popular 93 franchise. Along with a convertible sedan and a wagon the 2010 Saab 93X Crossover completes the 93 line giving Saab the right mix of vehicles in a bid to compete effectually in the tough premium small vehicle segment.
According to General Motors the 93X features Saab’s respected Cross Wheel Drive XWD system. The XWD made its debut in the Turbo X limited edition model last year and will be combined with the fuelefficient 2.0liter turbocharged fourcylinder gasoline engine. The 93X represents Saabs EcoPower technology school of thought which aims at uniting an energizing driving experience with an efficient use of resources to accomplish trustworthy performance.
The Saab 93X is a car in tune with the lessismore needs of todays customers. The 93X is an efficient allrounder for anyone who doesnt want or need an SUV type vehicle says Simon Padian Saab Brand Design Chief. Simply put we are offering a trekking shoe that will do whats required in more comfort and style than a heavier mountaineering boot.
On the exterior of Saab’s new crossover the front and rear bumpers sport a dark gray grained finish that is also applied to the side sills and the edges of the wheel arches as a protective covering when the terrain becomes loose or muddy. This artistic style is complemented by skid panels with a matte aluminum finish curving up towards the door opening at the rear and adopting a wing form in the lip of the lower front bumper. These are matched by matte aluminumcolored lower door decor strips. Roof rails and visible twin round exhaust tailpipes are standard. Front fog lights ringed with a chrome finish add yet another conspicuous touch.
Underneath the 93X the hardware includes an electronicallycontrolled Torque Transfer Device TTD which varies power transfer between the axles. A valve increases or reduces hydraulic pressure on wet clutch plates inside the TTD to progressively secure or disengage the rear axle. The degree of slip dictates how much drive is transmitted to the rear wheels. A standard rear limited slip differential eLSD operates on the same rule splitting drive across the axle to whichever wheel has more grip.
Inside the 93X is designed to make loading sports and leisure equipment effortless matching form with function. The rear cargo area with a low floor is amazingly roomy and wellproportioned. The compact design of the rear suspension allows a deep boxlike space unbound from intrusions offering multipurpose rear seat up/down space.
The 60/40 split rear seatback incorporates a skihatch and folds down without any need to move the fixed seat cushion. The folddown front passenger seatback also makes it possible to carry items that are as long as 8 feet.
The 93X will make its official debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March. The vehicle will go on sale later this summer as a 2010 model completing the 93 range with its fourth and perhaps most significant design.
About the writer: Matthew C. Keegan is a freelance writer who resides in North Carolina. Matt is a contributing writer for Andy’s Auto Sport an aftermarket supplier of quality parts including Saab 900 wheels and Saab 900 rims.
Types Of Hid Conversion Kits
Have you ever noticed one car with sleek headlights that are a very different color than the average halogen headlights that you are now so used to? Chances are that what you were looking at were HID headlights that are becoming more popular as each day passes. It is true that these tend to be more on the expensive side but there are good reasons for it.
First of all they last longer a lot longer than halogen bulbs which means a heck of a lot longer than the average household light bulb. Second of all they work better. People who get good quality HID conversion kits experience an average of about three times more light than what they got from the previous halogen headlights. In some cases up to five times more light is produced.
If you compare halogen and HID headlights one huge key difference will stick out at you immediately. Halogen headlights have filaments encased in quartz that is of course filled with halogen gases while HID headlights have tubes filled with different gases that react to create an arc that produces the light without the use of filaments.
As said before HID conversion kits use headlights that work by having an electric current course through gases that respond by creating an arc that gives you more light than you could ever get from the halogen headlights that you probably have in your car right now. Because it doesnt use filaments the way household light bulbs and halogen headlights do HID conversion kits last a lot longer than anything you use now. They can last as long as our car.
The reason other light bulbs burn out is because the filaments that allow electricity to flow through eventually wear down and snap ending the flow of the current. This happens rather quickly with household light bulbs because as the filaments begin to break down they deposit on the bulb. Halogen headlights last a lot longer than household light bulbs because the filaments are somewhat protected by a quartz tube that is filled with halogen gases the halogen gases allow the bits of the filament that are broken down to undergo a reaction allowing them to be deposited back onto the filament significantly improving the life of each filament. The HID lights last the longest because they dont have filaments that break down over time.
Despite all of these wonderful improvements that come with the HID lights it would take a long time for them to heat enough for there to be visible light. However thanks to xenon and their break through we are past this problem. Now there is xenon added to the gas mixture to help produce the light faster than you would have it otherwise.
Two decent HID conversion kits are the HID xenon conversion kit and the McCulloch conversion kit. The McCulloch conversion kit claims that it is easy enough for anybody at home to put in their car but it is always better to find a mechanic willing to and get their opinions on the best HID conversion kits available.
About the writer: Buying the right HID Kits can seem confusing but it doesnt have to be! At www.shophidkits.com we take the confusion out of buying McCulloch HID kits and help you find the lowest prices on the web!