5 things you didn’t know your iPhone could do!

Most smart phones do a lot already, but sometimes they do more than you think! Read on to find some potential new uses for your iPhone!

1. Use your iPhone as a leveler for hanging frames etc…

2. Take a “burst” of photos! Sometimes one pictures just isn’t enough. All you have to do is hold the camera button and it will take photos very quickly, until you let go.

3. Take a photo with the volume button! It’s nice to be able to operate the iPhone like a good old camera. 

4. If you’re short on time, get a quicker charge by setting your phone on Airplane Mode
 

5. See the time stamps on your text messages!

 

Source

All-season tires vs. Winter Tires!

The difference in winter tires starts with the rubber compound, which remains flexible during cold weather rather than hard like all-seasons. Deep grooves (1) in the unidirectional tread blocks (2)clear snow and slush efficiently; small cuts, called sipes (3), grip tiny variations in slick surfaces.
 
All-seasons wear longer because of harder rubber compounds. Drainage channels (1) limit hydroplaning; fewer grooves (2) mean better dry-surface grip. Bidirectional tread (3) allows tires to be rotated to both sides of the car.

Braking

"I'll be fine, I have all-wheel drive." It's called all-wheel drive instead of all-wheel stop for a reason. On all-seasons, the AWD car stopped in the longest distance. On snow tires, both cars came to a halt about a car length sooner—often the difference between a close call and a call to your insurance company. So long story short, Winter Tires will drastically improve your braking distance. 

Acceleration
The difference between Winter Tires and All-Season Tires in terms acceleration time is not that great.

Cornering
This is a very important part of the test, this will allow you to go around an obstacle and back on track safely. Luckily, this is the best result for winter tires, make sure you are riding on winter tires if you often drive on curvy roads, or at higher speeds.

Uphill acceleration
Going uphill on snow or ice can be quite difficult. Especially if your car is heavy and if you’re towing a trailer or anything. On this particular test, having All-Wheel-Drive is the best thing you can do for yourself, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that winter/snow tires do help quite a lot.

Feed your car the right fuel!

Different fuels for different outcomes!

 

Do you still buy the cheapest gas you can find? Ever worry it might mess up your engine? Maybe you should, if you drive a newer, direct-injected car, as the hostile environment these high-precision multi-orifice injectors operate under makes them vulnerable to the performance-robbing deposits cheap gas can leave. 

According to consulting engineer Jerry Horn at Chevron, these deposits are formed from a series of compounds, among them olefins and di-olefins with double-bonds that break down, forming gummy deposits that can alter airflow around intake valves or fuel flow out of injectors. Jim Macias, fuels technology manager at Shell, adds that these carbonaceous deposits start out as one of the 300 compounds in gasoline, then polymerize on hot surfaces. There's no single component to target, which complicates preventing or cleaning them. 

Back in the 1990s, as Tier I emissions regs were phased in, the deposits -- created by fuel impurities -- began causing problems for the emissions gear that manufacturers had to guarantee for 100,000 miles. So the EPA established a minimum fuel-additive performance standard in 1995, but the standard was below what some suppliers were then offering, so many reduced their fuel detergency, making matters worse for the subsequent Tier II standards of 2004. After unsuccessfully lobbying for higher standards, a group of automakers (Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, and Volkswagen ) consulted with fuel suppliers to establish a higher voluntary standard, marketed as "Top Tier Detergent Gasoline." 

Top Tier is a performance standard, establishing tests and minimum acceptable results for intake-valve and combustion-chamber deposits, fuel-injector fouling, and intake-valve sticking. It also requires that all fuel grades marketed by the brand meet the standard (not just the premium grade, for example). Additive manufacturers pay for the testing, fuel suppliers pay an annual fee to participate, and compliance testing is conducted by third-party labs. Over and above the three basic tests to certify Top Tier fuels, the major fuel suppliers conduct additional testing. Jerry Horn explains that Chevron is "trying to cover more of the on-road vehicle population with additional engine and vehicle dynamometer tests, and then also we do tests with a cab company in SoCal to test fuels under relatively severe service conditions." A revision to the current EPA and CARB test regimens is also expected in the future, perhaps to include testing of direct-injection, but certainly to change the standardized test engines.

So how do Top Tier fuels like Chevron and Texaco with Techron, Shell's Nitrogen-Enriched, and BP's Invigorate work? Each employs top-secret organic chemistry (Chevron admits theirs involves a polyether amine. Others often employ polybutene amines, if that helps), but by and large the molecules include a "hydrocarbon tail" (that keeps the detergent soluble in fuel) attached to a head that includes a functional group containing nitrogen. When enough of these nitrogens attach to a deposit, it comes off. Then the nitrogens can attach to the clean surface and prevent new deposits from forming. The fresh challenge with DI is designing functional heads that don't lose their cool at temperatures of 4000 degrees F or higher. Chevron and Shell both claim that running a few tanks of fuel can remove the deposits left by miles of use of minimum-standard fuels. 

National gas prices are still well below historic highs, but as for fuel-system cleaning products, Macias cautions "the aftermarket treatments tend to be high-concentrations of these additives. Some of that material can get into the crankcase and the effects are not entirely known. It is a big dose of materials, and we are not sure if it could cause damage to the catalytic converter. The only way to ensure that a vehicle maintains peak performance is to use top-quality fuel consistently." Horn states this about these concentrated aftermarket additives "You can wash [deposits] off, but they'll come back, and any deposits can impact air-fuel mixture and combustion, emissions, drivability, fuel economy, etc."  

If you love your car like you love your pet, feed it the good stuff, at least every other tank or so.

Source

Time to adjust your clocks, explained.

 

Well, it’s that time of the year again. We reach for our phones and check what time it is because we never remember if we have to go forward or backward in time or we do not know if we gain or lost an hour of sleep. In this blog post, we have decided to explain Daylight Saving Time aka DST. We agree that it tends to be quite confusing and some of us do not actually know why we observe DST in some states.

What is DST?Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of turning the clock ahead as warmer weather approaches and back as it becomes colder again so that people will have one more hour of daylight in the afternoon and evening during the warmer season of the year.

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed to Daylight Saving Time, extending it three weeks earlier in the spring and one week later in the fall. Starting March 11, 2007 clocks spring ahead an hour on the second Sunday in March and fall back on the first Sunday in November.

Why do we shift our clocks?

The assumption behind the change was that it would decrease the need for artificial light sources and, as a result, save energy. Allowing us to use more of sunlight during the day and less use of the artificial lighting in our homes and workplaces allow us to save energy.

Who doesn’t do DST?

The state of Arizona and Hawaii do not observe the time change due to the fact that the sunlight is enough for them throughout the day that no change is required to really save energy.

Check out our favorite bumper stickers!

When you're stuck in traffic, it never hurts to be behind someone who's got some humor. At least you get a good laugh for a few minutes. Hopefully you're not stuck for too long because after 30 minutes of being stuck in traffic, you will quickly stop laughing. If you're ever in the mood to make your back bumper a little more fun, feel free to reach out to us to find out where you can purchase these. Also, feel free to share your personal favorites! 

Obviously we will not force you to conceive babies but we have to admit if you have babies in your car, that's a really funny one!

 Hopefully, this isn't the kind of bumper sticker you'd want to put on your car. Also, if your car is getting to that point, come by and see us because it will probably be time for a new car.

This is for the repeat offenders, if you see a cop and you know it's for you, well, License and Registration!

 When you need to relax the person behind you, nothing beats a good old "Namaste" to them. Breathe in, breathe out and take it easy!

Who doesn't like The Beatles? Not only is it funny, but it will also add a personal touch to your back window.

Tires 101! Don't miss it!

Tires 101 - Learning the Tire Categories

Tires are purpose-built. In other words, they are built using the specifications that are best suited to the job that the tire will perform. These specifications determine the materials that the tire is made of as well as the tread patterns and the overall look of the tire. These build specifications can be broken down into the following categories: Touring, Performance, All-Season, Light Truck, and Winter.

Touring

I'm sure you heard the term "touring", but what does that mean? Touring means traveling at highway speeds for prolonged periods. Touring tires are designed to give a quiet, excellent ride with top-notch handling at highway speeds. This type of tire has a non-aggressive tread pattern with straight ribs that allow the channeling of water. Another characteristic of the touring tire is long tread life. Long tread life is certainly a plus but the downside is that the hard compound that makes up this tire tends to freeze in winter, which in turn, sacrifices traction in bad weather.'
 

Performance

This type of tire does a great job at highway speeds. It has an aggressive tread pattern that provides great traction and handling during cornering and aggressive driving. These tires have heavy or large shoulder lugs for cornering traction and a wide smooth face for gripping the road surface. Evacuating water is usually not a strong point of this type of tire. They are made of a softer rubber compound which aids traction but wears out quickly. Performance tires are usually short-lived. Most "Summer" tires fall under this category.'
 

All-Season

This category includes the most versatile tires. All-season tires have a dual purpose. First, the tread patterns squeegee, or remove water from underneath each tread block maximizing rubber-to-road contact. Secondly, the tread patterns allow the "pumping" of water, ice, and snow away from the tire. These tires are also made up of a compound that resists freezing, ensuring better traction during icy conditions. Another great characteristic of the all-season tire is its performance in great weather. They are comparatively quieter than performance tires and their blocky tread pattern allows good traction and handling in the wet and dry.'
 

Light Truck

This type of tire is built for work. They are constructed to work under heavy loads and in rough conditions. The rubber compound is hard, ensuring durability and the steel plies help the tire resist punctures and tears. The tread patterns vary widely and is determined by whether the tire will be used on or off-road. You will find lots of variation for light-truck tires, so thinking through the truck or SUV's mission will go a long way.'
 

Winter

This category of tire is built for inclement and severe weather. Its whole mission in life is to move and break through snow and ice. The rubber compound resists freezing temperatures and remains flexible. The treads open and close as the tire moves down the road creating a "crunching" effect on ice and snow. This "crunching" keeps the treads clean which gets them ready for the next bite, ensuring traction. They are excellent at evacuating water. The sharp edges on the treads break through ice so that the tire can find the road or a surface that provides greater traction. If you experience an abundance of ice, snow, or inclement weather, the winter tire is your best bet.

Here's a quick guide for category characteristics:

• Touring- quiet, good highway performance, long tread life 
• Performance- great handling and grip for aggressive driving in the dry, poor performance in wet and snow, short tread life 
• All-Season- good highway performance, good wet, dry, and snow performance, moderately quiet 
• Light Truck- good for heavier loads, hard compound, aggressive tread pattern, good on and off-road performance 
• Winter- great in ice and snow, resists freezing, best at evacuating ice and snow, great winter traction

Now that you can "speak" tires and know the difference between the types of tires available, you can make an informed purchase, choosing the right tires for your needs.

GM and Honda to Collaborate on Next-Generation Fuel Cell Technologies

GM and Honda are teaming together to make the next generation fuel cell technology.

 Their goal is commercially feasible fuel cell and hydrogen storage in the 2020 time frame.

“This collaboration builds upon Honda and GM’s strengths as leaders in hydrogen fuel cell technology,” said Dan Akerson, GM chairman and CEO. “We are convinced this is the best way to develop this important technology, which has the potential to help reduce the dependence on petroleum and establish sustainable mobility."  Takanobu Ito, president & CEO of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. said:
 “Among all zero CO₂ emission technologies, fuel cell electric vehicles have a definitive advantage with range and refueling time that is as good as conventional gasoline cars. Honda and GM are eager to accelerate the market penetration of this ultimate clean mobility technology and I am excited to form this collaboration to fuse our leading fuel cell technologies and create an advanced system that will be both more capable and more affordable.”

Fuel cell technology covers many of the major challenges facing cars today – emissions, efficiency, petroleum dependency, range and refueling times.  The only emission from fuel cell vehicles in water vapor.