"Shocking" Shock Absorber Facts

Bouncing down the road one day it occurs to you that things are just not what they should be. The road you are riding on is as smooth as glass, yet your car is jostling up and down like nobody's business. You enter an upcoming curve in the road and quickly learn that the control you had over your car was lost just moments before. Suddenly, the vehicle careens off the road, goes down through a ditch and up an embankment before coming to rest against a fence adjacent to Chuck and Eddie's. You are in luck: you aren't dead and your car is at the junk yard.
Yes this story is ridiculous, exceedingly so. All joking aside, your shock absorbers [or struts in the case of some cars] plays a vital part in your vehicle's suspension system. When certain signs of wear and tear become apparent, you must replace your shocks or otherwise you can put yourself in danger and/or damage your car.

A shock absorber works by damping the compression and extension of the vehicle's suspension springs to prevent ongoing movement. Shocks work to diminish road impact, prevent excessive bounce back, reduce sway, and improve general road handling. When your shocks are functioning properly your vehicle grips to the road whether you are braking, negotiating a curve in the road, driving on uneven roads, or experiencing powerful side winds. When worn out, shocks can play a part in you losing control of your car putting you and everyone else in harm's way.
How often should you replace your shocks? One manufacturer suggests no less than once every 50,000 miles, but that depends on whether you frequently drive on coarse roads [in this case it will need to occur sooner] or it could even be much later if you do mostly local driving, the roads are well maintained, etc.
There is a simple test you can perform on your car to establish whether your shocks need replacing. It isn't absolute, therefore you may want to take your vehicle to a garage to make certain:
Take hold of a corner of your vehicle's bumper.
Press down on the bumper with all of your strength and then let go.
Your shocks are probably okay if the bumper drops down and returns in place without rebounding again. Slight movement is okay, but if it continually moves, then that particular shock is no longer effective. Duplicate the test on the remaining three corners of your vehicle.
Other telltale signs of shock wear can be observed through leakage [although a leak is not always indicative of wear] and by observing tire wear patterns. Finally, if you are simply experiencing motion sickness every time you go for a ride, then that can be the best indicator that your shocks or struts need replacing. No kidding here!

Convert Your Car To Run On Water?

Convert your car to run on water:  save gas, save your car, save money and save the planet.

Fox News recently broadcasted an interesting and very important video report.

A savvy automobile owner has come up with a very simple yet incredibly efficient way of boosting his old car's gas mileage by up to 100% - that means several thousands of dollars economy every year.

The creator claims that his developed invention converts water into a gas called HHO (2 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen). Also called Brown's gas or Hydroxy burns better than regular gas at our fuel pumps and provides more energy. This process is often referred to as Hydrogen Fuel Cell conversion.

Gas prices are on constant rise and the fuel economy question is starting to get very serious. More hybrid cars are sold all over the world, concepts of electric cars and Hydrogen fuel cell cars are developed in almost any country and finally there is a way for you to add a little something to fuel efficient revolution.

Car owners seem to forget or maybe ignore the fact that they could get better gas mileage simply by changing the way they drive. You do not need to buy an ugly and slow prototype in order to save on gas. You could increase gas mileage of your V8 truck as well! To get better gas mileage you should follow these simple rules;

  *Accelerate gently. This will use less gas.

*Keep your distance - every time you stop you will have to accelerate.

*Take your car to a mechanic; simple air filter change or spark plugs replacement could greatly increase gas mileage

*Drive slower. Going over 120kph will use up much more gas.

* Change gears as soon as possible - low gear uses up to 30% more fuel than needed.

Our cars engines are designed in such poor way that they only burn about 20% of the fuel , the other 80% is wasted in heat and unburned gas (pollution). When converted to money at $3+ a gallon  per every gallon your car actually uses only 60 cents, and $2.40+ is completely wasted. When you convert your car to run on water, you create a gas which helps burning the fuel in a better proportion.

Instructions on how to convert car to run on water are also available for sale on the Internet. There have been many skeptical people that do not believe in the efficiency of the system  but there doubts always vanish after finding out that the instructions come with 2 month full satisfaction money back guarantee.

Is it not only the saving money part that attracts people - when you convert your car to run on water you also increase your car's engine longevity and you greatly decrease the pollution. The system allows you to burn gas more efficiently  which decreases the noise of the engine and the wear and tear of the motor's parts.

The system is composed by simple parts that are basically bolted on the engine. It could be done at almost no cost, by anyone and to any car. The system is completely untraceable when taken off of the engine.

Just imagine yourself buying half the gas you are buying now! Wouldn't it be nice to have an extra couple of thousand of dollars for Christmas presents? For a vacation? For a down payment on a new car?

The Benefits of Axle and Transmission Lubrication

Nearly all car owners are generally informed nowadays that proper engine servicing is normally vital to the dependability and lifetime of a car or truck. A nonfunctional motor creates a stranded driver. But the truth is, most people have a tendency to overlook their vehicle's transmission as well as differential gears. Routine servicing of these gearboxes is every bit as important as engine servicing. Not surprisingly, in the event that the transmission or differential stops operating, the driver is just as as stranded.



Transmissions operate at high temperatures, very often leading to deterioration of the transmission fluid, producing clutch glazing and deterioration in shift quality. Clutch glazing can be experienced as an elongated, slipping or even sloth-like shifting feel, and it's almost always a sign of transmission breakdown. Synthetic transmission fluids offer you maximum defense against oxidation and also clutch glazing.

While rear end styles have remained somewhat the same over the previous 30 years, their working environments have changed drastically. Current differentials usually are put through approximately 93 percent more power, towing limits as much as eighteen thousand, high working temps plus diminished lubricant quantity. Numerous suppliers recommend switching the original gear lube during the initial 500 to three thousand miles based mostly on Society of Automotive Engineers tests. We advise the original differential gear lube always be changed no later than the first 5,000 miles, regardless if car or truck producers do not designate to change the factory-fill gear lubricant to take away wear particles. If you use synthetic gear lubes, we suggest drain intervals of 50,000 miles in extreme service or one hundred thousand miles in normal service, or longer if suggested by the manufacturer. Synthetic gear lubricants not only give top-notch insurance and overall performance in cars, including diesel passenger trucks, they usually are substantially much less than original synthetic gear lubes.
Some time ago, the typical automatic transmission was a three speed. Presently four, five and six speed transmissions are typical, and one producer provides an eight speed transmission! Contemporary transmissions and differentials usually are subjected to increased horsepower, greater towing limits in addition to hotter heat extremes, and they involve a lot more clutches and are usually subjected to increased shifting for the same driving speeds. Wear protection along with oxidation resistance, for this reason, become more essential than in the past. A good synthetic automatic transmission fluid (ATF) will provide fantastic wear protection, and it resists oxidation twice as long than required for regular automatic transmission fluids.

Torque Converter Problems

A torque converter does the job of the clutch in a vehicle with manual transmission. It transfers the rotating power generated by a vehicle's engine to the transmission mechanism in order for it to shift gears automatically. There are three major torque converter parts; the pump, the turbine, and the stator.

The pump is attached to directly to the engine, and spins at the same speed as the motor. Inside the pump are many fins, which, as the pump spins, direct hydraulic fluid outward to the turbine. The turbine then spins at close to the same speed as the engine, but in the opposite direction. The spinning of the turbine causes the transmission torque converter to rotate and drive the wheels. The hydraulic fluid exits the turbine at its center, moving in the direction opposite to how it was forced in by the pump.



A converter, like any vehicle part, gets worn out and requires the occasional torque repair or torque converter part replacement. You can also opt to upgrade your converter for a high performance driving experience. When you know the limits of your converter, you can spare yourself from torque repair woes, which is more common than you might think. Of course, most of the problems can be avoided by simply knowing the limitations and capabilities of your converter.

Overheating is probably the most common converter problem encountered by users. There is more than one reason for overheating your converter. There could be a defect on the spark plugs; the distributor timing might be off, or there is continuous high level of slippage. Torque repair shops would have to control this situation by checking for the seals, to make sure they haven't melted away. Broken seals lead to leaks, and leaks lead to poor circulation of transmission fluid.

Due to sudden loading or excessive heating of the converter, the pump and/or turbine blades may get deformed, separated from their hubs or annular rings. On worse cases, they may even break into fragments. At the least, this type of transmission torque converter will result in a significant loss of efficiency, producing symptoms similar to those seen in stator clutch failure. In extreme cases, you might have to undergo total torque rebuild mode. Replacement of torque converter parts like the turbine and the stator is an expensive process. This problem can be rooted to plain bad and careless driving.

A converter problem called ballooning is also commonly seen among units. What happens is, pressure and stress put on the converter's housing causes it to distort and eventually break. Hot oil and converter parts will automatically spew out. This is a very serious problem that is caused by prolonged operation under excessive loading, very abrupt application of load, or operating a torque converter at very high RPM. For efficient and high performance of your converters, make it a habit to regulate speed and load. The occasional check up is also helpful.
The beneficial part of a torque converter is that it is able to enhance torque when there is a difference between the input and output speed of rotation, which then provides about the same torque as a reduction gear. A converter can be, and is often, used not only in automobiles but also in boats and in buses used for public transportation.

Road Rage - A Psychological Disorder

Highway rage is a term related with rash driving that may possibly outcome in incident. Nevertheless, this in fact indicates rude, intense and careless attitude of the driver on the street whilst traveling. This not only includes traveling improperly or in a rash manner but also rude language, insulting behavior, generating in threatening approach, threatening a person verbally on road although driving are included in path rage.

The manifestation for highway rage includes numerous other issues in the category of road rage. This includes intense operating. This indicates applying sudden brakes, accelerating or tailgating that may possibly lead to crash. Changing or cutting off lanes, making use of horns that may possibly be threatening for others, use of lights much more than needed and also if you are shouting or yelling that may well trigger disturbance to the individuals generating on path then you may possibly be charged for street rage.

Some other scenarios of highway rage are hitting someone's vehicle or colliding intentionally, rude gestures and driving at substantial speeds on the lanes exactly where the speed limit is fixed. If you believe, you have been a victim of any of these circumstances then you can take assist of law and report it. Path rage is a severe crime due to the fact it dangers the security of numerous people on the path at a particular time.

Laws and punishments for road rage are diverse in all the countries and hence the legal procedures to deal with path rage instances are various. But it is apparent that severity of the punishment depends on the circumstances, intention and the injury or loss caused.

The psychologists take into account it a type of psychological disorder and state of psychological restlessness although operating that causes frustrated conduct on highway. Knowing why we behave aggressively on street may possibly help us to be a tiny more patient.

Headlight Replacement Basics

If you own a car, you drive at night. It's a simple fact. Headlights are one of the most essential car accessories on the market. Even if your car is primarily a tool to get you from work or school and back, headlights must always be in top working order. If one of your vehicle's headlights has been damaged in a minor accident, a missing headlight can even get you into trouble during the day.

Luckily, because of their prime placement in the auto accessory hierarchy, headlights are a cinch to replace. Even better, you can purchased used headlights on ChuckandEddies.com

When it comes to at home headlight installation, there are many different options. Some headlights are of the plug and play variety and take very little elbow grease to install at all. Other headlight options take a little bit of elbow grease and DIY knowledge. But almost all headlights can be driveway installed with the attitude that where there is a will there is a way.

Headlights are also a great way to modify the look of your vehicle. There are many styles of headlights ranging from Euro to sports car design. Plus, headlight engineering has come a looong way over the decades. There are now headlights that outshine factory options in so many ways. Headlights with clear, white or blue hues are very popular and give much greater range of sight. Plus, there are many headlight options with technology that burns green and lasts a lot longer.

So there is no reason to worry if your headlights have started to fog over or fade, you can replace or upgrade headlights easily with just a little bit of know how.
that will save you a bundle of dough over getting replacement headlights from a dealership. Headlights are one of the accessories that dealerships make money on hand over fist. Not only will the price of the headlight itself be marked up unfairly, there will be labor costs for installing each headlight.

The Importance of Oil Changes

Changing vehicle oil on a regular basis is an extremely important task which offers a number of benefits to vehicle owners.

Oil plays an extremely important role of providing lubrication in the engine. Apart from lubricating engine parts, the oil also performs other important roles like cleaning of engine, reducing pollutants, stopping the formation of sludge and cooling the vehicle. But, if it is not changed on a regular basis, it can result in engine failure and engine wear and tear thus causing huge loss in terms of vehicle performance.

Some of the major benefits offered by oil change include improved gas mileage, improved engine stability and life, increased performance etc. All the benefits have been discussed below in detail.

Improvement in gas mileage

This is one of the major benefits offered by routine oil change. If the engine oil is not changed from a long time, it becomes less viscous and starts losing its ability to lubricate and protect elements of engine. As a result, friction occurs between moving parts of the engine thus causing wear and tear. The more will be the friction, the more the engine needs to work in order to overcome that friction. On the other hand, new oil is extremely viscous, smooth and allows engine to move smoothly with smallest friction.

Improves engine stability and life

This is another important benefit offered by regular oil change to vehicle owners. It improves the life of the engine thus making it functional for years to come. Oil change on a regular basis keeps engine clean. Clean engine shows less signs of ageing and offers an excellent performance for a longer time period.

Increased performance

We all know that performance of a vehicle majorly depends on the condition of the engine. If it is good, performance increases.

Stops noise produced by vehicle

Regular changes of engine oil also prevent the parts of an engine from coming into contact with each other. This helps in reducing the noise made by the vehicle. Moreover, it also reduces the temperature of the engine.

Thus, it becomes clear that regular oil change offers a number of advantages to vehicle owners. Getting oil change performed by an auto service centre is a good decision. There are many auto service centers offering such services to vehicle owners. One needs to do a deep research in order to find a reliable service center which uses quality products and motor oil. Individuals can take help from internet in this regard.