Yes, we’ve heard it again and again, seatbelts save lives and this is true if they are indeed used. There are however some precautions in the use and care of seatbelts which like any other part of your car is a simple machine that can indeed mean the difference between life and death in a crash. Now to begin with, statistics show that most injuries occur at slower speeds (too high the speed and even seatbelts cannot provide total safety without supplementary support from airbags and other active systems) and in the most unlikely places such as the parking lot where say the car backing up behind you miscalculates and hits you injuring your neck or smashing your face onto the dash or steering wheel. So even if you do not expect to go far and fast, just wear it so you are protected from such incidents.
If you do get into a crash while you were wearing your seatbelt (May it be at slow or fast speeds) have the seatbelts inspected (by a certified mechanic of course) for any damage. Since the belt itself retracts into the side of the car’s decorative moldings, there are several parts that need inspection after such an incident to assure you stay protected in the event of another crash. The restraining action of a seatbelt (which many of us hate for it wrinkles our clothes and causes streaks across your new white shirt) is done on purpose to prevent your body from getting thrown around in the event of a crash. It holds you against the seat (which is usually contoured against your body) providing maximum protection from a rear or frontal collision. Seatbelts can be quite effective in a frontal or rear collision, but with side impacts, not as effective without side collision airbags, reinforced doors and other supplemental restraint systems in most high end cars. The amount of material and space between you and the door is so small that yes you can be protected from a little force but at higher speeds, seatbelts may not be enough.
Ending this, these safety belts should be worn properly (which is stated on your owners manual) the lap belt on your hips or belt line and the shoulder strap across your torso. Placing it in other places defeats their restraining properties thus rendering them useless in the event of a crash. If you have children, adult seatbelts are not suited for them for they can easily slip through adult sized belts, consider getting child restraint systems such as a child seat or adapters that lowers the points at which the shoulder belt is in relation to the torso. Children are always safer at the rear rather than in front even with safety equipment. Also take into consideration that even the most expensive child restraint system if not properly installed would result in no protection at all for your child. Buckle-up for safety’s sake, for the life you save can be your own. (Tip: Want to know the actual production year of your vehicle, check out the driver’s side seatbelt which should have a tag sewn onto it having the said information) Drive Safe, Wear your Seatbelts.
A road monster of a car, its sleek looks comes with the stylish looks of a Mercedes, the performance from AMG and more innovations from it’s Formula 1 technology combined to make a true head turner. Its looks, from the front grille that has a low of area to allow the monster power plant to breathe, the chrome dual-tailpipes, bi-xenon headlights that illuminates beyond compare and the turbine looks of the specially designed mags on the wheels all make a good show of a car. Power without compare at more than 600 hp, it truly can be akin to its track counterparts.
The interior is a sensual blast with supple leather seats and controls that are always within reach (not forgetting the stick-shift one-button start) it comes with a 7-speaker Bose audio system for unsurpassed audio performance in and out of the car. The suicide doors open as if you are entering a spaceship on steroids. The engine is hand-made (which accounts for the low production rates) which delivers 0-60 in just under 4 seconds. The engine is placed almost mid-way giving a ratio of 50-50 for unparalleled handling and balance on the road making it a very much stable yet powerful car. Made almost entirely of carbon composite materials, the chassis and exterior offers the protection of Formula one for the road with more than four times the energy dissipation characteristics of steel making it one of the safest cars on the road (it should be at a more than $ 500,000. They also threw in 6 airbags for good measure).
There have been recent studies that have shown that Nitrogen gas for use in inflating your car’s tires makes them last longer. Well, there might be a good scientific backing for this for many of the new muscle cars that are coming out onto the market have them in their tires. Nitrogen being an inert gas that prevents the problems associated with regular compressed air which contains a sizeable amount of moisture that causes corrosion in aluminum and steel wheel rims. Oxygen causes oxidation which can eventually weaken wheels whatever type they may be. Nitrogen is also cooler than regular air which can translate to better mileage which may be needed due to ever increasing gas prices. As it turns out, the tires on your car looses air even if it does not have a puncture which translates to 2 psi per month compared to 6 months for nitrogen gas.
Nitrogen also causes less problems with your car’s wheel valves making them last a tad longer than usual. Wheel valves should be replaced everytime you have your tire changed to ensure they are at par with the wheel. They might be slowly leaking air which if added to the leak in the rubber tire can get you in an odd spot when you least expect it. Also, it would be a good idea to make it a ritual to have the tire pressure checked everytime you fill up to ensure your wheels are running as designed. Uneven wear, cupping and other wheel maladies should be taken seriously for they are indicative signs of other problems such as in the suspension. Low tire pressure leads to poor mileage (it also heats up the wheels excessively even causing failure). If you have experienced having to run on a flat tire due to an emergency or unexpected flat the tire would surely be a goner for the plies of the tire tends to separate on the sidewalls for they are not designed to come in contact with the surface of the road. Till next time, keep safe on the road and off guys. Drive safely.
Hailed by many as one of the greatest sports cars ever to come from Japan, the Nissan GTR Skyline is truly in a class of its own. GTR stands for Gran-Turismo which is an American that was deemed necessary by the Japanese manufacturer to increase sales of their top-racer. Featuring a VR-series twin turbocharged 3.8 liter V6 engine it is capable of delivering 480 hp at 6,400 rpm. It has dual overhead camshafts with variable intake- valve timing. The car is a great car indeed jam loaded with Japanese innovation and features that is enough to give it a spot as one of the best sports cars in the world. It uses a carbon composite driveshaft between the engine and transaxle making it lighter thus taking more of the power to the tires than in propelling the vehicle itself. Also has a VDC-R or Vehicle Dynamics Control which has three user selectable modes for normal, R-mode which uses maximum control from the car’s many sensors in the engine and transmission and an off option to give the driver full control. This allows less guesswork from the driver as he drives allowing the car’s computer to run itself optimally as it sees fit.
The car comes from a long line of technology loaded cars (featured as a user-friendly car due to the car’s easy interface with a laptop and other add-ons that can allow customization of the engine’s performance handling and many other user-changeable controls) and was even banned in the US for being one of the most used cars in illegal racing etc. It has earned the respect of many Americans even with their Corvette’s and hefty V8’s, the skyline would continue to be in the category of great sports cars for many years to come.
We just had our Baguio trip on new year’s eve and I noticed “speed” reminders at NLEX and the subsequent warning that we are being monitored via radar. Speeding on the expressway is so tempting specially if you want to test the mettle of your car, or when some dude just overtaken you.
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The New Year heralds in a new generation of super cars which comes from all the major car manufacturers mostly from Europe. Cars sales from the said area have slumped a bit the past years but that does not stop car manufacturers from producing more and more loaded versions of their top-of the line road cars. We start with the hottest cars for the year 2008 from the high-end to the super luxury models. In the area of top-of the line cars with power, we have the Audi R8, Audi TT, Chevrolet Corvette and the Nissan GTR.
The Audi R8, from Germany is equipped with a 4.2 Liter FSI V8 engine capable of delivering a maximum of 441 hp. The transmission is a 6 speed manual or semi automatic and features Magneto Rhetorical Dampers which provided responsive suspension depending on road conditions. The similarities between the R8 and Lamborghini are quite noticeable for Audi AG owns 15% of the company’s shares. It has a top speed of 301 kmh/187mph and has acceleration from 0-60 in just 4 seconds. This model has been seen to top Porsche in reviews in terms of super car traits and power. The future holds more power (which comes in the form of a V10 from the Lamborghini Gallardo) for the said sports car as the different companies mix and match components to come out with some of the most powerful cars in the world. The price tag, a hefty $109,000.00 in the US which takes it only to the level of a super car with the more luxurious brands like Aston, Bentley and others on top. In the next posts, we take on more of the year’s top cars and what the future holds for all the car lovers out there.
Yes, we’ve heard it again and again, seatbelts save lives and this is true if they are indeed used. There are however some precautions in the use and care of seatbelts which like any other part of your car is a simple machine that can indeed mean the difference between life and death in a crash. Now to begin with, statistics show that most injuries occur at slower speeds (too high the speed and even seatbelts cannot provide total safety without supplementary support from airbags and other active systems) and in the most unlikely places such as the parking lot where say the car backing up behind you miscalculates and hits you injuring your neck or smashing your face onto the dash or steering wheel. So even if you do not expect to go far and fast, just wear it so you are protected from such incidents.
