A collection of Tid-Bits gleaned from various sources.

Good with cars, wanna win $10 million bucks?

A few years ago, in order to stimulate private competition for a space vehicle that could carry passengers into space some investors put up $10 million as the "X Prize" for the first private space flight.  No surprise that Burt Rutan and his organization won the competition. 

Now, in the face of ever increasing demand for oil, another prize is in the offing from the X-Prize Foundation.  All that is required is a vehicle that will get 100 MPG over a selected road course and that the vehicle be practical enough to be manufactured with 10,000 units. There are many other rules that can be found at http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/ so dig out that legendary carburetor that gets 100 mpg and has been kept  secret by the car companies, throw it on your little grocery getter and get rich. 

Source:   AutoWeek, Oct 15, 2007

10 Ways to Enjoy a Car Show

1.     If it's a concours d'elegance and you're a spectator, leave your envy at home.  Some people have a lot more money than you do and like to show it off.  You benefit, and they benefit.  Nobody loses. 

2.     If you're an entrant, leave your arrogance at home.  Unless you designed and built your own car, what you're showing is somebody else's creation.

3.     If you're an entrant, encourage people to ask questions about your car.  No explanatory text placed next to it can convey everything you know. 

4.     If you're a spectator, never be afraid to ask questions.  Sooner or later, feigning knowledge you don't have makes you look stupid.

5.     Don't try to photograph everything.  Some experiences can't be captured in images and some cars are experiences as well as things.

6.     Remember that kids need help understanding what their parents are looking at.  Letting a kid sit behind the wheel of your (fill in the blank) will bring smiles            to everyone and the kid will never forget it. 

7.    If you're a spectator and your kid asks a question about a car, don't fake knowledge about it.  ( see #4)

8.    If you're a wife or girlfriend of a car guy and cars bore you, don't  torture yourself pretending to care about Holley Carbs.  Let the boys amuse themselves while you do something else.

9.    If you're a wife or girlfriend of a Non-Car guy (is there such a thing?) but you're a car gal, be gentle but firm.  If he'd rather stay home and watch football while you go to a car show, so be it.  Fascination with beautiful, exotic or just plain interesting cars can strike anyone!

10.  Finally, Most importantly, WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!!!!

Everything you ever wanted to know about tires. 

Many tires manufactured by a Chinese company have been recalled due to serious defects that can cause failure in as little as 20,000 miles.  For information about this recall (and any other auto related recalls) follow this link to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website. 

The following information can be found in it's original form at: http://www.intellichoice.com/carBuying101/GripOnTires, condensed version follows. 

Born on" dating

Among the factors that influence tire performance is how recently the tire was crafted. Just like Budweiser beer, tires bear a "born on" date. Imprinted on one or both sidewalls is an alphanumeric code of a dozen or so letters and numbers that begins with "DOT." Tires produced starting in 2000 have a four-digit birth date code at the end of the DOT number. The first two numbers indicate the week, and the last two the year. So, for example, a DOT number ending in 0205 means the tire was produced the second week of January 2005.

This date is important because rubber deteriorates with age. A tire that's been in service for five or six years should be replaced regardless of tread depth. Cut a year or two off that for vehicles that are not garaged during the day or are run in areas of high ground-level ozone.

How long can they go?

The greatest factor in tire longevity is the roads on which you drive. Tire companies have mapped out average tread life by county and discovered that tread life is inversely proportional to local elevation. It's great in the flat-lands of west Tennessee and eastern Colorado, but poor in the Smokies and Rockies. It's also better for those who do most of their driving on roads with long straights and gentle curves. And it's worse the farther south you go, due to the heat.

The next factor is how you drive. If the plush toys and ball caps on your rear package shelf remain motionless under all driving conditions, you might get the claimed 70,000 miles from your tires. If you know on which interstate transition ramps it's possible to more than double the recommended speed, and you measure 60-foot times leaving stoplights, the same tires might not last 30,000 miles.

Next is the type of tires you have. Ultra-high-performance tires rarely last more than 25,000 miles, even if the ball caps never budge.

Ultimately, maintenance is the key to getting the most mileage and performance from your tires. Each month make sure pressures are at least what the vehicle manufacturer recommends, rotate positions every 3,000 miles, diligently check for signs of uneven wear, and correct any vehicle problems that can cause poor wear.

Reading sidewalls

A tire's sidewall is packed with information. Each manufacturer's Web site has a detailed key translating the figures, but this quick primer will help you decipher the information.

Look for an alphanumeric combination such as "P245/40R17 91Y." The "P" indicates the tire was designed to meet North American passenger-car standards. If it were "LT," the tire was designed for light trucks. A lack of a preceding letter means a tire designed for European standards. The "245" is the nominal section width (not exactly the same as tread width but close) in millimeters. The "40" is the aspect ratio: The sidewall height expressed as a percentage of the tread width. In this case, 40 percent of 245 mm, or 98 mm. "R" indicates a traditional radial tire design. "17" is the wheel diameter in inches. "91" is the load index-a larger number means the tire, if inflated properly, can carry more weight, in this case 1,356 pounds. "Y" is the speed rating, meaning this tire is capable of sustained speeds of 186 mph. Other common speed ratings are S = 112; T = 118; H = 130; V = 149; W = 168; Z greater than 149.

Tire manufacturers have a size "window" in which to fit a nominal dimension. While all of Maker A's 245/40R17s will be identical, they may be ever-so-slightly wider, narrower, shorter, or taller than Maker B's 245/40R17s. A tire focused on performance will likely be in the wide and tall corner of the window, while one that prioritizes low cost will likely be in the narrow and short corner. Since the size windows overlap, some makers use one size mold to produce a pair of dimensions. "M+S" means the tire meets the standards for an all-season tire. This does not imply the tire performance rivals a dedicated snow tire, just that it's better in snow than one without the M+S designation.

Widely misunderstood, "Max Load/Max Pressure" is not the pressure at which the tire will burst. Instead, increasing pressure beyond this point results in no additional load-carrying capacity beyond that stated.

Uniform Tire Quality Grade is shown as numbers or letters after the words "treadwear," "traction," and "temperature," this is the tire manufacturer's self-assessment of how this tire compares to its other offerings. The treadwear number, determined by field testing on a government-specified course, is a percentage of a control tire graded at 100 points. Thus, a tire marked "200" means it lasts twice as long one graded "100." The traction rating comes from a straight-line wet (more like damp) grip test (not really stopping distance, as its performed on a traction trailer). "AA" is best. And temperature indicates the tire's resistance to heat generated by running at high speed. "A" is best. So many high-quality tires get "AA" and "A" in the last two categories, that they are of relatively little use, except to convince you not to buy cheap tires.

The right tire for you

Selecting the right tire is a daunting task, surpassing even that of a novice snow skier from the flat-lands choosing downhill skis: In the ski store, he finds row after row of seemingly identical skis, labeled with, to him, meaningless features and benefits. At least with skis, however, you can pick your favorite color.

To choose the right tire for your needs, start with understanding what performance category you have now and then decide where you want to end up.

Passenger: Round and black. They hold air, last a long time, provide a comfortable ride, and don't cost too much. A step up from this is sometimes called "traditional luxury."

Touring: While comfort and long-life are top priorities in this category, precise steering feel and a more controlled ride are important as well.

Grand touring: Sometimes called "performance luxury," these tires offer sportier steering feel, tauter ride, and enhanced grip.

High-performance: Grip, both wet and dry, and crisp steering feel are at least as important as tread life and comfort.

Ultra-high-performance: Grip is king, and precise steering feel is queen. Tread life and ride comfort take a back seat. Some separate out the stickiest street tires into a "max performance" category.

Shopping for a new car

So you want to buy  an American Car   "Made in the USA" -  Get ready for some surprises. 

Source: Consumer Reports, April 2007, issue

You might expect that a vehicle that says Ford on the hood would be made in the U.S..  But if that Ford were a Fusion, you would be wrong, it is built in Ford's factory  in Hermosillo, Mexico. 

Ford is not the only one.  Only 35 percent of the parts in the Chrysler PT Cruiser, built in Mexico, came from the U.S..

The headquarters of DaimlerChrysler is in Germany.  Nissan is controlled by the French company Renault.  Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by Ford, though at least the cars are still made in the countries where their nameplates were first stamped. 

General Motors owns part of Suzuki and all that remains of Daewoo.  The Chevrolet Aveo is imported from South Korea and only 4 percent of its parts came from the U.S..

BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota all build vehicles in the U.S. Combined, they produce more than a third as many vehicles in the U. S. as do the "Big Three".  Many of the parts from those vehicles do come from overseas.

 As much as 80 percent of the U. S. built Toyota Camry comes from U. S> suppliers.  That compares with only 30 percent of the parts of the Ford Fusion. 

Built in Canada

Built in Mexico

Built in South Korea

Chevrolet Aveo

Foreign Nameplates built in the USA