Mantaining cars in winter

Winter school holidays, many people took the opportunity to travel with the family, however experienced mechanics warn the drivers in the winter you need to take special care in maintaining the cars. To avoid accidents and rollovers is always good to be reviewing your car. For those going to travel and even for those who will stay home, and especially for those who live in coold regions is a good time to review your car, because the cold and the unit apparently invisible cause some damage, which can appears in hours more inappropriate, so it is important to check some items.

The cold is responsible for the drying of rubber, hoses and the engine, so it is important to take a good look at the blades of the windshield wipers, which can be exchanged for yourself, and very cheap cost. The windshield should also be cleaned inside and out with a solution of water and alcohol to help prevent fogging that one big pain the driver's visibility, especially on wet days and fog. Another important tip is for you to use an additive in the radiator and cooler regions in antifreeze, which helps prevent the effects of low temperatures. Since the additive acts as a lubricant and prevents the hoses from the vehicle engine to burst due to dryness.

Following the mechanic, remember to give a check in the headlights, as on overcast days and fog, common in winter they are very necessary, check traffic lights, headlights and brake lights, are measures that should be made periodically to avoid risks, and as brake fluid and tires.

For some drivers to car maintenance, equipment and accessories is one of the most pleasant tasks, while for others the car is only a means of transport and only seek help in an emergency situation.

A smart guy is always aware of what is happening with your vehicle. However, regardless of how you see your car, it is important to periodically check a few items to keep the car in order and ensure the safety of its users. In most cases these routine care are also economic factors, because they avoid and prevent major problems that could really strain the budget.

Electric Cars vs Gas Cars

While hanging out at the University Center on Monday, many curious on-lookers could not help but notice the shiny, silver Nissans lined up in the UC drop-off lane, ready for a test drive.

It was more like a test convoy, as the cars would pull out, make their drive around the campus one behind the other, and come back about 15 minutes later.

What some test-drivers might not have noticed offhand was the car model’s name: the Nissan Leaf. How many of those test-drivers knew that the Leaf is an electric car? Not a hybrid — all electric. This is not the Chevy Volt, which can run on gas or electrical power. This is a Nissan Leaf.

So, how much is change worth? Let’s use three points of comparison: price, power and range.

If you said, way too expensive for me and my student loans, that’s up for debate, but the actual price is around $27,700.

What about the Daimler Smart Fortwo Electric Drive? What about the car that more or less resembles the “Urkelmobile,” or BMW 300 Isetta, but without the goofy front opening? According to caranddriver.com, the 250 available Fortwo Electric Drive units require a 48-month lease at $599 per month. That is a grand total of $28,752.

The DeLorean Motor Company of Humble — which created the car from “Back to the Future” — is back in business, and when the calendar reaches 2013, we are in for some serious shock. The DMC-12, slated to cost about $90,000 is shockingly awesome.

Now compare these prices to a 2012 gas model. The Chevrolet Sonic Hatchback 2LZ runs at $19,580. That is around $8,000 less than the Leaf, $10,000 less than the Smart electric drive and over $80,000 less than the DMC-12. Even when taking into account the $7,500 tax credit given to buyers of electric vehicles, the Sonic is still cheaper. The advantage goes to the Sonic 2LZ.

In addition to the price, horsepower is another point of contention in buying an electric car. Americans love their horsepower. One problem many have had for so long about electric cars is the lack of horses under the hood.

Nissan leaves this particular stat out on the Leaf’s website, but upon further research, it pulls only 107 horses.

Not too impressive, but definitely more powerful than the Fortwo Electric Drive, which putters out at 40 horsepower.

Both of these vehicles are out-matched by the cheaper Sonic 2LZ, which pulls 138 horsepower. Even the Sonic gets outclassed by the DMC-12, which has 260 horsepower.

Then there is a matter of range — how far a single charge or tank of gas can go. Nissan says the Leaf can go 100 miles between charges. Better than the Fortwo Electric Drive’s 84-mile range, and even outclassing the DMC-12’s 70-mile range. This is where the Sonic 2LZ and other gas vehicles shine. The Sonic gets 25 mpg in the city, and 35 mpg on the highway for a maximum range of 427 miles. The advantage goes to the Sonic 2LZ, though we all know gas is not friendly to the environment, and at around $3.25 per gallon, not very friendly on the wallet either.

Gas-electric hybrids have been on the market for years now, and the prices of those cars are finally getting reasonable. It is hard to imagine how much General Motor’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, debuting in 2015, will cost.

In giving a demonstration to the environmentally-conscious college crowd, it’s important to note that it will be years before many on campus can truly afford these gas-free cars.

The power of these cars, with the exception of the DMC-12, is very weak.

The consumer can go a lot further on a tank of gas than they could on a single charge. One would have to power up several times just to get the same range as a tank of gas.

Electric cars are a viable option if one is traveling in the city with no traffic, but for longer commutes and rush-hour traffic, stick with gas — in the end, you’ll save yourself a few pennies, too.

Electric cars

Electric  cars

Electric  cars

Electric  car

Electric  cars

Electric  cars

Electric  car

Electric  cars

Electric  car

Electric  cars

Electric vs gasoline cars

Electric  car

Electric  cars

Electric  cars

An electric car is an automobile which is propelled by electric motor(s), using electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device. Electric cars were popular in the late-19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engine technology and mass production of cheaper gasoline vehicles led to a decline in the use of electric drive vehicle. The energy crises of the 1970s and 80s brought a short lived interest in electric cars, but in the mid 2000s took place a renewed interest in the production of electric cars due mainly to concerns about rapidly increasing oil prices and the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions. As of September 2011 series production models available in some countries include the Tesla Roadster, REVAi, Buddy, Mitsubishi i MiEV, Nissan Leaf, Smart ED, and Wheego Whip LiFe. The Leaf and the i MiEV, with worldwide cumulative sales of more than 15,000 units each, are the top selling highway-capable electric cars by September 2011.

Electric cars have several potential benefits as compared to conventional internal combustion automobiles that include a significant reduction of urban air pollution as they do not emit harmful tailpipe pollutants from the onboard source of power at the point of operation (zero tail pipe emissions); reduced greenhouse gas emissions from the onboard source of power depending on the fuel and technology used for electricity generation to charge the batteries; and less dependence on foreign oil, which for the United States, other developed and emerging countries is cause of concerns about their vulnerability to price shocks and supply disruption. Also for many developing countries, and particularly for the poorest in Africa, high oil prices have an adverse impact on their balance of payments, hindering their economic growth.

Cars

Cars

Sport cars