Car Insurance

Here are some oftentimes forgotten — or otherwise overlooked — items that you should ALWAYS keep in your car.

I do…

# Baby Wipes — Even if you don’t have children, you should keep a supply of these on hand for quick cleanups — like muddy paws, sticky fingers, spilled coffee, etc. Plus, if you’re ever stuck in traffic or waiting on someone, you can pass the time effectively by dusting the dashbord, nooks & crannies with a baby wipe!

# Dental Floss — (Call me crazy, but at least I don’t SHAVE while I’m driving!). Whether you floss between stoplights, while sitting in rush hour traffic, or as the passenger the next time your husband’s driving you to the movies… you’ll be amazed by the amount of “down time” you spend sitting in your car — when you could be promoting heathy gums

# Umbrella — I keep one in my desk drawer at work and one under the seat of each of our vehicles. I never want to get caught should a sudden rainstorm approach.

# Spare Change — You never know when you’ll need some cash for a quick soda or a snack. If you get in the habit of tossing your change in your car ashtray, it will add up faster than you think.

# Notepad & Pen — Some of my best ideas come to me when I’m driving to or from work, on the way to the grocery store, after leaving the mall, etc. Then again, I also keep a notepad & pen in the bathroom, by my bed, in the kitchen, and the living room. Hey, I’m an idea person!…

# Flashlight — Believe it or not there are certain circumstances when you’d wish you had a small pen-light sized flashlight handy, and other times when you need the mac daddy of all flashlights. Play it safe and carry along one of each — large one stays in the trunk. Small one in the glove compartment.

# Blanket — We are outdoorsy people, so you never know when we’ll happen upon an outdoor festival, a parade, or a sporting event. One thing’s for sure: I’ve always got a clean spot to sit, protection from the elements in the event of light rain, harsh sun or cool breezes.

# Camera — You may choose to purchase an inexpensive disposable camera, or keep an old film camera from your pre-digital days in your glove compartment, or simply have a pocket-sized digital camera on your person at all times (like a camera phone). Either way, you’ll be ready should you ever be involved in a car accident, or if you happen to spot something else unusual and photo-worthy while you’re out and about.

# Map — You never know when you might need it! We keep a U.S. map tucked between the front seats, plus a map of the county we live in. It comes in handy for last-minute road trips and to find a quicker route in the event of a traffic accident or something.

# Coupons — I don’t like to lug around all my grocery store coupons in my purse, so I keep them in a Coupon Caddy inside my car. I keep all my restaurant coupons in there, too.
More articles like this here: Car & Driving Humor

Many of the roads between tourist traps (I mean “sightseeing destinations”) are INCREDIBLY steep and winding. Some roads wind UP one entire side of the mountain, then require that you drive back DOWN a narrow winding road on the other side.

Needless to say, with the amount of traffic over the 4th of July holiday, and the sheer number of mountains which exist in the Smokies, we had SEVERAL occasions to test our downhill driving skills (AND our brakes!) this weekend.

Example of the very busy Gatlinburg mountain roads… This was the line of traffic coasting through Cades Cove. There must’ve been about a BILLION cars all traveling single file down those narrow mountain roads — all attempting to spot the biggest black bear in the Smokies (well, more on that later)…

“It’s An Automatic… I Don’t NEED To Downshift, Right?”
Wrong.

There are times — even in a vehicle with automatic transmission — that you SHOULD manually downshift. Those times are: When you are driving down steep hills.

Sure, I’d seen it done before…
On our family vacations growing up, Dad would drop the old-fashioned dashboard gear shift lever down a notch every time he went down a steep winding hill. Then kick it up a notch at times. Then, back down again. He played this fancy game of gearshift knobbing virtually every time we drove from Indiana to Florida. (Come to find out, this was usually while traveling through the mountains of Chattanooga, Tennessee.)
Lynnette’s dad and brother Mike preparing the boat for our annual trek to Florida. While Dad used the boat to fish from upon our arrival, we also used it to haul all our luggage, bikes, etc. for a 2-week stay in Florida.

Back then, I thought it had more to do with the fact that we were pulling a boat trailer than it did with actually saving our brakes.

Fast-forward some 30 years… and I find myself being properly educated about the use of “2″ and “1″ on my automatic gear shift. And this applies to ALL vehicles… not just those pulling trailers.

This weekend, I learned firsthand the proper use of “2″ and “1″ on my automatic gear shift, and it made our downhill driving experience SO much more enjoyable.

And judging by the rancid smell of hot smoking brakes and brake dust which filled the air throughout most of Gatlinburg, Tennessee this weekend, I know some Smoky Mountain tourists who could learn a thing or two from today’s post…

On The Downhill
A winding mountain road somewhere around Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Instead of using your brakes to slow your vehicle down on a steep grade, use what is known as “engine braking” (big-rig drivers use something similar called “jake brake”).

This is a good idea if you want to:
a) save your brakes a lot of unnecessary wear & tear
b) actually HAVE brakes at the end of the hill!

In fact, you will increase the life of your brakes by a few months (or even years, depending on how much steep downhill driving you do) if you simply use engine braking whenever possible, rather than actually pressing the brake pedal to slow your vehicle.

In short, you are literally using the engine to break the speed of your vehicle traveling downhill.

This does NO harm to the engine itself or any of the inner working parts.

Here’s how to do it…

Shifting On The Fly
Your standard gear shift. In a vehicle with automatic transmission, you can “shift-on-the-fly” into 2nd gear (indicated as “2″ on the gear shift) at any point while you are driving, so long as you are traveling under 50 mph or so.

You will hear the engine downshift into this lower gear, and the vehicle will begin to slow, naturally and safely, while you continue to drive and maintain your place in the traffic as you head on down the hill.

The result: Your need to actually use the brakes will be SIGNIFICANTLY reduced!

In fact, should you feel the need to slow down even MORE on a really steep hill, then feel free to “shift-on-the-fly” into 1st gear (indicated as “1″ on the gear shift) while you are driving, so long as you are traveling under 30 mph or so.

In both 2nd and 1st gears, you can continue to give it gas AND utilize your brakes like normal, though your need to do so will greatly be reduced.

One of the many mountain road tunnels through the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Whenever you reach flatter land and no longer need to slow down by pressing the brakes OR using engine braking, then feel free to shift back into your normal “D” (Drive) position on the gear shift. This can be done at any point while you are driving, so long as you are going 50 mph or less (to go from 2nd to “D”) or 30 mph or less (to go from 1st to “D”) — as stated above.

Top Speeds In 2nd and 1st Gears
In 2nd gear, you can safely travel at virtually ANY speed (which the terrain and the degree of incline permit).

If you ever take it down to 1st gear however, you will notice that you can’t go much faster than 35 mph in 1st. If you give it gas, the engine will simply rev louder, but you won’t really go any faster. You’ve topped out 1st gear, speed-wise.

If you need to go faster when you’re in 1st, then simply switch to 2nd gear — “on-the-fly”. You can safely switch between 2nd and 1st gears anywhere in the 30-mph-or-less range.

Again, once you reach flat land and no longer need to slow your vehicle in such a way, then simply shift back into “D” for normal driving and use your brakes again for routine slowing and stopping.

“What If I Use My Brakes INSTEAD of Engine Braking?”
A well-forested mountain road. There could be any one of four hazardous outcomes should you choose to give your brakes a workout, as opposed to taking advantage of “engine braking”:

# Hazardous Outcome #1:
You could significantly wear our your brakes.

We’re talking… you could actually reduce the life of your brakes by months or even years, depending on the degree to which you “ride the brake” on such steep grades.

# Hazardous Outcome #2:
You could lose your brakes altogether! No joke.

That stench of brake dust (that goes hand-in-hand with squealing brakes) is a sign that your brakes are too hot. If you overheat your brakes and don’t take enough time in between to let them cool off a bit, then you can actually fry your brakes — leaving you with virtually NO stopping power at the bottom of the hill.

You may even begin to see SMOKE coming from your overheated brakes. Everyone knows, where there’s smoke there’s fire, so you’re really taking your chances at this point.

# Hazardous Outcome #3:
You’re polluting the ozone. And in a place like beautiful Gatlinburg, Tennessee that’s full of all sorts of natural beauty… now, why would you want to do this?

You think I’m kidding about the smell of brake dust. I’m not! I actually wonder how those working in the souvenir shops and stores which are perched on the downhill side of the main roads can even HANDLE the stench.

# Hazardous Outcome #4:
Pickup truck pulling a camper trailer and scooter through the Smokey Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. You run the risk of being humiliated via photographs and video footage showing you, behind the wheel, driving like an imbecile with hot, smoking brakes down a steep hill… if WE are stuck behind you, that is!

Risk-Taking Teens

Although teens make up only 7 percent of the total driving population, they account for 14 percent of all fatalities. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 19. “In 2000 alone, we recorded 4,877 teen deaths as a result of preventable crashes,” says Rose McMurray, associate administrator for traffic safety programs at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Today, 16-year-old girls are just as likely to crash as 16-year-old boys. And the fatality rate for girls ages 15 to 20 increased 4 percent from 1990 to 2000. “Parents are letting girls drive more often, so they are just as much at risk,” says McMurray.

Then, of course, there are the many innocent victims who die in car crashes with teens each year. “Teen crashes have become an epidemic,” says McMurray. “Teens are risk takers.” Of those involved in crashes in 2000, 36 percent of teens had been drinking, and 58 percent were speeding at the time of the crash, according to the NHTSA. “They think they are immortal,” says McMurray.

Dennis Doverspike, PhD, a professor of psychology who studies teen risk-taking attitudes at the University of Akron in Ohio, echoes McMurray’s sentiments. “It takes several years for driving to become an automatic response and teens don’t have these years of experience under their belts,” he says. Most teens never have to practice driving in inclement weather or high-speed traffic before getting a license, says Doverspike, and “When placed in one of these situations, they don’t know how to respond. Add to that raging hormones and you’ve got yourself one inexperienced and distracted driver.

The drive train serves two functions: it transmits power from the
engine to the drive wheels, and it varies the amount of torque.
“Power” is the rate or speed at which work is performed. “Torque”
is turning or twisting force. Multiple ratio gearboxes are
necessary because the engine delivers its maximum power at
certain speeds, or RPM (Rotations Per Minute). In order to use
the same engine RPM’s at different road speeds, it is necessary
to change the “Gear Ratio” between the engine and the drive
wheels. Just like a bicycle, the car has to switch gears in order
to move at a wide range of speeds. Unlike your bicycle, the car’s
drivetrain also has to allow you to back up. (Well, you could
push it backwards if you ate your Wheaties)

There are actually two sets of gears in the drive train; the
transmission and the differential. The transmission allows the
gear ratio to be adjusted, and the differential lets the drive
wheels turn at different speeds.

Manual transmissions usually have four or five speeds, and often
have “overdrive”, which means that the output shaft can turn
faster than the input shaft for fuel economy on the highway. Some
use an electric clutch and a switch that controls whether the
overdrive is engaged or not. An interesting development on a few
cars is the “clutchless” manual transmission, which uses a stick
shift and an automatic electric clutch. Speed and position
sensors, mini computers, and throttle controls keep the engine
from over-revving when the driver shifts gears. As with many
automotive “inventions”, this is an old idea, which may now reach
feasibility due to the computer revolution.

Automatic transmissions commonly use three forward gears to blend
speed and torque. In the case of a three-speed transmission,
first gear delivers maximum torque and minimum speed for
starting. Second gear offers medium torque and speed for
acceleration and hill climbing. Third gear allows maximum speed
with minimum torque for highway travel. A reverse gear permits
backward movement.

A transmission is a speed and power-changing device installed at
some point between the engine and driving wheels of a vehicle. It
provides a means for changing the ratio between engine RPM
(Revolutions Per Minute) and driving wheel RPM to best meet each
particular driving situation.

Some types of drive train layouts use a “Transaxle”, which is
simply a combination of the transmission and the differential.
These are usually found on front wheel drive cars, but are also
used on mid- and rear-engine cars. Some exotic cars have their
engine in the front, and a transaxle in the rear of the car for
better weight balance.

Torque is derived from power. The amount of torque obtainable
from a source of power is proportional to the distance from the
center of rotation at which it is applied. It is logical, then,
that if we have a shaft (in this case, the crankshaft) rotating
at any given speed, we can put gears of different sizes on the
shaft and obtain different results. If we put a large gear on the
shaft, we will get more speed and less power at the rim than with
a small gear. If we place another shaft parallel to our driving
shaft and install gears on it in line with those on the driving
shaft, we can obtain almost any desired combination of speed or
power within the limits of the engine’s ability. That is exactly
what an automobile transmission does by means of gears and other
devices.

There are two types of transmissions; manual and automatic. If
you have a manual transmission, you have to shift the gears
yourself, usually with a stick located on your console and the
clutch pedal. If you have an automatic transmission, the
mechanism changes without any help from you. This is accomplished
through a system that works by oil pressure. Each shift of the
gears is controlled by a shift valve; the gears shift change
depending on speed, the road, and load conditions.

Another basic component of all drive trains is some form of a
clutch. it allows the engine to continue rotating while the gears
and wheels are stationary. Automatic transmission cars use a
“torque converter” in lieu of a clutch.

The last component in the drive train is the axle. In a rear
wheel drive car the axle is in the rear. Engine power is
transmitted from the transmission to the axle via the drive
shaft. The drive shaft is basically a metal tube with joints on
each end called universal joints. These joints allow the tube to
move in relation to the suspension and keep power flowing to the
rear. In front wheel drive cars the axle is integrated into the
transmission thus the term transaxle.

>From the back of the engine to where the rubber meets the road,
the drive train encompasses one of the most complicated systems
of your car. Some people say looking at a transmission “makes
their brain hurt”.

The above information is directly from the Auto Insight program,
which you can buy online from AutoEducation.com.

Common Problems:

Manual transmissions suffer from wear mainly in the
synchronizers. The synchronizers make shifting easier and help to
prevent gear clash. Over time the synchronizers, which are made
of brass, can wear out causing hard shifting and grinding.

Automatic transmissions can also wear out, causing slipping and
uneven shifting patterns. Universal joints can wear and cause
vibrations while driving. Many newer universal joints are sealed
and cannot be lubricated, leaving replacement as the only option.

Preventive Maintenance:

Change the fluid in your transmission at recommended intervals.
Your owners manual will give you a time schedule in miles and or
months. If you tow a boat or trailer be prepared to change the
fluid even sooner. Most owners manuals will give you recommend
intervals for severe use like towing or off-road use.

Do not “ride” the clutch if you have a manual transmission. Learn
to release the clutch in a smooth motion without revving the
engine too much. Revving the engine too much while pulling out
can cause premature wear on the clutch.

If you do tow a boat or trailer, consider getting a transmission
cooler for your automatic transmission. Temperatures can approach
the boiling point in severe conditions. Most newer trucks come
equipped with transmission coolers if sold with a towing package.

Make sure your universal joint is lubricated at oil changes if
they are the type, which can be lubricated. When replacing
universal joints try to find replacements with lubrication
fittings so you can lubricate in the future.

If you have a front wheel drive car, avoid applying the gas to
the floor while the wheels are turned at full lock. This puts
stress on the universals and can cause premature failure. This
can happen when stuck in the snow and trying to get out.
What to discuss with your mechanic:

If you are noticing a vibration in the car while driving, make
sure to describe when it happens. While accelerating? braking?
maintaining speed? when turning?

Have you ever stopped your car at a busy intersection and
cringed in embarrassment as your brakes let out an ear-jarring
squeal? Or braked and felt the whole car shudder and chug to a
stop? Or worst of all, have you pressed on the pedal and realized
that absolutely nothing was happening?

Anyone who drives a car has heard their brakes make funny noises
and wondered what it meant. But how do you tell the difference
between normal sounds and the danger signals that tell you it’s
time for a new brake job?

“Some braking noise is normal, but it should be minimal,” says
Pete Murnen of Federal-Mogul, manufacturer of Wagner brake
products. “An occasional squeal does not necessarily mean there
is a problem; noise can be related to a lot of different
factors,” he adds.

For consumers who want high-quality, quiet brakes with an
extended life span, there is now a new alternative. ThermoQuiet
Disc Pads are dramatically different from any other brake pad
available. The one-piece, integrally molded insulator (IMI)
design eliminates the squeaks and vibration often associated with
other brake pads, while still providing superior stopping power.
This patented, heat-dissipating configuration also extends the
life of the braking system well beyond that of most conventional
pads.

“ThermoQuiet quite literally has changed the game in brake pad
design,” says Murnen. “It has virtually eliminated brake-noise
complaints, and the stopping performance and durability is
excellent.”

The experts at Federal-Mogul offer guidelines for monitoring the
condition of your brakes. Here are some common scenarios and what
they mean:

* Brakes grab at the slightest pressure: It could mean a problem
with grease- or oil-contaminated linings, or a loose or broken
component that could fail in an emergency.

* Vehicle pulls to the side when braking: This could mean an
underinflated tire, brakes in need of adjustment or brakes in
need of repair.

* Brake pedal or steering wheel shakes or vibrates, or the
vehicle shakes when the brakes are applied: It could mean disc
brake rotors need resurfacing, there is a loose component, or a
faulty steering mechanism.

* Brakes are sticky, wheels are hot or there is a loss of engine
power: It could mean brakes are failing to release.

* Excessive squealing, grinding, screeching, clattering,
chattering, and groaning: Brakes need attention.