Driving Safely During The Winter

Here are some tips to keep you and your car in mint condition despite driving through snowy and icy roads:

If you are driving through snowy roads, make sure that you do not speed up. You see, your tires may give up and send you skidding through the road.

A temperature gauge would help you out a lot during driving. That way, you can check if you can already speed up or slow down.

If you are on black ice, drive more slowly. You would know you are on black ice if your car’s tires are kind of quiet. Other hints are that the temperature has dropped and your windshield has started fogging up.

If you start skidding, keep your feet on the gas pedal. And make sure that you do not panic. Always keep your head clear and let your mind show you where you want to go. More likely than not, you’ll be back on the road in no time at all.

Driving In Winter

If you have ever dealt with black ice, you would know that it would seem as if there was no ice at all. All you experience is when your car starts to skid off the road.

Did you know that black ice is one of the main causes of accidents during the months when the temperature is low? However, it is not the only reason for accidents during the said wintery months. Here are some:

Your vehicle is using old tires or is using tires not made for snow.

You lack a gauge that checks out the outside temperature.

You never thought that you would be driving in such road conditions.

Well, it still is best to be safe and sure. So when the temperature starts dropping, be on the alert. You would never know when black ice would hit.

You Need Good Tires In Winter

Why do you need good tires during winter driving? Well, tire manufacturers made winter tires to have a different tread design so much so that they get a good grip of the road. Plus, these winter tires also have been created with some rubber compounds so much so that you would not be skidding through the road during driving in the cold.

Normand Latremouille is the expert of winter tires from Michelin and he shares, “Changing, mounting and balancing tires every six months ends up costing a lot more over three to five years than having a separate winter driving set.”

“With four-wheel drive, it comes down to adhesion,” expresses Steve Erlichman of Mercedes Benz. “With four-wheel drive, it comes down to adhesion. The more power you have to all four wheels and double the grip, the safer and better handling you have in both wet and dry conditions.” Erlichman even shares his philosophy on this, “A smoothness to your driving in bad weather also helps. Go as smooth on the throttle and brakes as posisble. Also, don’t make any quick movements that will cause you to break traction. You can’t defy the laws of physics and when you lose too much grip, sometimes there is nothing that will help.”

AutoWeek Releases Best List Of 2007 NAIAS

AutoWeek’s editorial staff annually does their share of judgments during the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) and just recently, the magazine has already informed the public of their top choices among the lots of vehicles set on display at the car show.

Most Fun: Dodge Viper

Bob Gritzinger (senior news ed for AutoWeek): 600 hp, 8.4 liter V10, breathing so heavy the Dodge boys had to add half a dozen new hood vents just to bleed off the excess heat. The car goes 0-60 mph in less than four seconds, and goes 0-100-0 mph in 12 seconds flat. What could be more fun than that?

Best Concept: Ford Interceptor

Mandel (senior editor at AutoWeek): No matter what you call it, this Ford sports sedan based on a stretched Mustang chassis is one hot concept. We can only hope Ford takes the next step to put this pony car for the family man into production as soon as possible.

Most Significant: Chevrolet Volt

Gritzinger: The idea behind the car – a pure electric powertrain that gets its energy from plugging in at home or work, or from an on-board generator powered by a small gasoline engine – is surprisingly simple. GM says they’ll be ready to build this car by 2010 or 2012, and unless battery companies can’t come through, Volt and GM’s E-flex System could spell the beginning of the end of America’s addiction to foreign oil.

Best In Show: Jaguar C-XF

Mandel: C-XF, the concept version of the coming S-Type replacement, is the sexiest four-door we’ve seen from Jaguar in years. This car draws a line from past Jaguar sedans to Jaguar sedans of the future.

Best Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette


Best Exotic: Bugatti Veyron


Best Sedan: BMW 3-Series


Best People Mover/SUV: Honda Odyssey


Best Economy Car: Audi A3


Best Luxury Car: Audi A8L


Best Coupe/Convertible: BMW 6-Series


Best Truck: Ford F-Series


Best First New Car: Honda Civic

Star-Studded 2007 NAIAS

Have you been to the 2007 NAIAS?

If you’re a car lover, you would surely not want to be left behind. In fact, many people have already been there.

Which celebrities have been there?

* Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke (Dancing With The Stars)

* Bobby Flay (chef and restaurateur)

* Seal, Kelis, Tamia, and Sisqo (R & B singers)

* Bill Gates (Microsoft)

* Bobbie Thomas (Fashion Police)

* Deborah Norville (Inside Edition)

* Tommy Davidson (comedian)

* Marvin Winans, Jr. (songwriter)

And the list is still continuing to grow! Join up and rub elbows with the stars and the cars.

Ford Fusion, Goes To The Top As The Favorite Customization Vehicle

You want to customize a vehicle? Sure. Go ahead. But it also important to note that not all vehicles can be customized that easily. And it looks like the Ford Fusion has become the target of customizations from many areas all throughout the world.

The reason behind this is very simple. Sure. The Ford Fusion has got good looks and it really does perform well. And according to a spokesperson for the Ford Motor Company, a person or a car owner would be customizing a good looking vehicle to make it even better. And it is also not very quite a trend for a car owner to purchase a bad looking car to make it look good.

Well, sounds good enough for me though.

Auction Gets Movies’ Scariest Cars

Three of the most scary cars are going to be back. And this time, on auction. Thanks to Volo Auto Museum who had to go through auto graveyards to find these three vehicles. They would b available on eBay starting on the 1st of October up until the 10th.

Who what would these three terrfying vehicles be?
* 1958 Plymouth Fury – right from the movie Christine
* 1970 Dodge van A-100 – right from the Texas Chain Massacre flick
* Cadillac Eldorado – straight out of the Devil’s Rejects

Christine is sold online as eBay item no. 170033211331. The Dodge van is item number 170033214132.