Automotive

HYDROGEN as a complete pollution free alternative to fossil fuels.

BLACK BOX, SENSORS & AIR BAGS what you may not know about the Event Data Recorder (EDR) that's in your car.

Michelin brand sells Radius model windshield wiper blades through Costco for $12.99 CDN. They are manufactured by Pylon in China. They are curved without a mechanism to break (frameless design), so they appear like they would be good blades, except that the side pin arm style that fit my Astro van keeps falling off. The EZ-LOK fastner simply isn't working right for the pin arm style used on my car.

Costco sells Kirkland Signature brand car batteries for a really good price with a really good warranty (3 years free replacement & prorated after that), but after buying one in January 2006 & having it fail a load test 15 months later, I am beginning to wonder about the quality. Mine was item # 314519, Fitment code 5, group size 78, 800 cold cranks Amps. It's fully charged standing unloaded Voltage is about 12.75 Volts, which seems a bit lower than most other lead acid car batteries.

ETHANOL ALCOHOL IN GASOLINE: For several years now, all Canadian Sunoco (Ultramar) gas stations have up to 10% ethanol (ethyl alcohol) in the gas year round. Ethanol is a renewable energy resource when it is made from corn. Using ethanol in gas not only reduces the amount of foreign hydrocarbon-based oil we need to import, it also employs farmers. Ethanol in gasoline has no adverse effects on internal combustion gasoline engines when used in mixtures of 13% or less, it helps to increase the octane rating which reduces pinging in your car & ethanol is relatively clean burning so it reduces pollution (no sulphur). In winter, ethanol in your gas also acts as a gas-line antifreeze in case you get any water or condensation in your gas. Using ethanol in your gas may only be a small step towards energy conservation & reducing greenhouse effects, but it's something you can do right now without any addition cost by simply filling your gas tank at a station that uses 10% ethanol in the gas (like Sunoco stations). In theory gas with 10% ethanol might ever so slightly reduce your fuel economy because ethanol has a lower energy density. October 25/2003

Butanol fuel is similar to ethanol & is produced from the same natural feedstock (like corn), but it is much more similar to gasoline in energy density & air/fuel ratio & therefore holds the promise of much higher percentage mixtures with gasoline without the need for engine modifications. BP & Dupont are working on ways to make this economical. Butanol (sometimes called bio-butanol when made from renewable resources) holds the possibility of significantly reducing the need for hydrocarbon fuels in the near future as an interim step to a hydrocarbon free future. April 3/2007

ONLY TWO NEW TIRES, THEY SHOULD GO ON THE REAR: Costco automotive bays have what I wrongly thought was a potentially unsafe policy that insists that if you buy only two new tires, they must be put on the back of the vehicle. They will rotate your old rear tires to the front, but they will not put the two new tires on the front. Their reason is because they say tire manufacturers recommend this for better traction. I assumed that manufacturers intend this policy for front wheel drive cars (mine is rear wheel drive van), but it turns out they recommend it for all cars & vans. I assumed that Costco failed to realize that on front wheel drive cars the traction is on the front. Also, front tires do about 75% of the braking on most vehicles & 100% of the steering, which is why I wanted the two new tires put on the front for safety. A front tire blow out can be catastrophic, causing a car to go out of control, whereas a rear tire blow out usually isn't any where near as dangerous. However, the experts tell me that my basic assumptions are typical, but wrong. If the rear wheels loose a grip on the road before the front ones, you can get into a very dangerous situation that even an experienced professional driver may not be able to steer out of. Although Costco automotive was correct, I do wish they had explained the situation better than they did, rather than just tell me that this is policy so we have to do it. Michelin has some good tips on this, as well as a good on-line video demonstrating what can happen when you replace only two tires & put them on the front. Harvey McFadden has an excellent article (pdf) explaining why the rear tires require the best traction. Last updated March 29 22/2006

ESC (Electronic Stabilization Control or Electronic Stability Control), next to seat belts, ESC may be the next most important safety feature to have on your next car, ask for it. Electronic Stabilization/Stability Control could save up to 1/3rd of the deaths by car accidents each year. According to crash statistics gathered by the Insurance Institute and the government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ESC could prevent more than 10,000 deaths annually if it were installed on every vehicle in the U.S.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH is former vice president Al Gore's "traveling global warming show" which has been turned into a documentary movie that came out May 24th 2006. Scientists say that he got the details mostly right, so it is really worth watching. You don't want to ignore this subject that will have an effect on all of our lives in the future & is already affecting some people's lives. This is a moral issue and we have a responsibility to do something about it.

POLARIZED SUN GLASSES: I'm a really big fan of polarized sun glasses for vacations & for driving because they are the only type of sun glass that actually cuts the glare off of shinny surfaces on a sunny day. Not only does this make it easier & safer to see, but the glare reduction also enhances the saturation of colors, which makes viewing more pleasurable. Photographers often use a polarized filter over their lens to achieve better colors. Polarized sun glasses aren't expensive & can be purchased in the eyewear or sporting goods section of department stores. Fishermen often wear polarized sun glasses because it cuts the reflection off water on a sunny day, so they can more easily see under the water. Most polarized sun glasses are made from plastic instead of glass, so they are easily scratched if you set them on the dashboard. Try to find a model where the lens is as flat as possible, curved (bug eye shaped) lenses tend to reduce focus clarity.

CANADIAN RED BOOK: The Canadian Red Book lists the wholesale & retail prices that used cars sold for last month through dealers & it can be an excellent tool when you are buying or selling a used car up to 7 years old. Often private used cars sell somewhere between the wholesale & retail values. Private purchases pay only PST (at the Ministry of Transport when your change ownership), dealer purchases pay PST & GST. The Canadian Red Book has price adjustment tables for odometer readings & other relevant factors.  Most public libraries have a copy of the Canadian Red Book that you can look at for free, or you can get an annual subscription for $90. CDN by phoning (905) 469-6468. You can also order a single month on-line at http://www.canadianredbook.com/ December 23/2003

LOW SULPHUR GASOLINE: Link to a CBC Marketplace article on which gasoline's have the lowest sulphur content. In Canada, Sunoco is known for cleaner gas with less sulphur in it than the other major gas companies & Imperial is known for the dirtiest gas with the highest sulphur content. Sulphur when burned with Oxygen from the air, forms sulphur dioxide (acid rain) & is a huge contributor to pollution & asthma.

USE CRUISE CONTROL ONLY ON DRY ROADS: Did you know that you shouldn't use the cruise control on your car if the road is wet or icy? If your tires lose contact with the pavement they will start to hydroplane or skid & the cruise control will cause the car to speed up. Sept. 2003

INVERTERS that create AC Voltage for household appliances from a battery.

INSURANCE opinions.

By Doug Hembruff.