Automotive Blog

The typical Miles Electric Car is a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV). The sturdy slow speed EVs have been around for some years. They come in two flavors: the Miles ZX40S Car and the Miles ZX40ST Truck. They are mostly manufactured in China.

The car and truck have similar model numbers, and platforms. The truck is about 10% heavier than the car, with correspondingly less range, 35miles for the truck vs. 45 miles for the car. Cost for both is around $20,000. That is higher than the Zap NEV for example, though the Miles is well built.

Both are powered by good old lead acid batteries. This is fast becoming a dated power source for electric vehicles.

Fast forward to 2010; Miles is pulling ahead with the Miles Coda powered by a 100kW motor supplied by an advanced 34kWh Lithium Battery pack. The car is expected to first sell to Californians sometime late in 2010. The Coda weighs in at around 3,600 lbs which improves the power to weight ratio considerably over the ZX40 class.

The target market for the Miles is likely to be the same as for the Nissan Leaf. For information, the Leaf has posted some 19,000 pre-orders already. Interestingly, a recent survey shows that it turns out that people purchasing the Leaf might be former Prius owners. Since the Coda and the Leaf share similar power, range and price levels, it appears that they may also be sharing the same market.

Miles has news stating construction of a new plant in Ohio if support funding from the US Department of Energy comes through. The Miles Coda is designed and managed in the US, but many if not most of its components are manufactured in China. Likewise, Miles has teamed up with the Chinese concerns Lishen Lishen Power Battery and Lio Energy Systems to produce their batteries. Lio would operate the plant should the Government funding come through.

Tata Motors is one of the leading Indian car manufacturers. With a lot of experience and decades of reliable service, Tata has been tremendously contributing towards the growth of the Indian car industry. Tata cars in India carry the proud tag of being produced by the country’s largest automobile maker and the second largest passenger car maker. That said, it’s time we had a look at the Tata cars in India.

The Tata Indica V2 is an economic car with enhanced power, great fuel efficiency, and gives passengers the luxury of ample space. It comes with the choice of a 1.4-litre diesel engine and a 1.2-litre petrol engine which is available with an LPG kit. Indians, mostly those with white-collar jobs, sit on their office seats the whole day long. Tata has designed this car exclusively for such workaholics in India whose lower backs need the right kind of rest at least while travelling. The broad seats come with superb lower back support.

The Tata Indica Vista is nothing but the new generation Indica built on a fresh platform. Very spacious, very efficient engine, improvised interiors and great handling are few attributes that the car can boast of. It is available in India as the Terra, Aqua, and Aura. The rack and pinion hydraulic power steering and the long petal-shaped headlamps are the car’s unique features that enhance its value.

Tata Motors has proved to India that luxury can come at a lower price. The Tata Indigo is one car on the Indian roads that has an athletic character, sufficient power, enough roominess and still comes within an average Indians means. The car is known for its turbocharged engine and the DICOR engine in the diesel variants and the 1.4L MPFI engine in the petrol variant.

The Indigo has further been worked upon to give rise to other cars that adorn the Indian roads now. They are the Indigo CS, the Indigo Manza, Indigo Marina and the Indigo XL. To the Indica Vista range, the car maker has added another variant which has been blazing the streets of India of late, the Tata Indica Vista DriveTech4.

Moving further, we have the bigger cars. The Tata Safari which is quite popular in India has been upgraded with the 2.2 VTT engine. New emission norms have been implemented in the country and Tata brought out this new car variant that will comply with the new rules. The premium SUV is available with both Bharat Stage III and Bharat Stage IV compliant engines.

The next big car from the car maker’s stable in India is the Tata Sumo Grande MK II. This car has its DICOR engine borrowed from the Safari that has been mentioned earlier. The exteriors of this Tata car are graceful and the interiors are sophisticated. They truly suit the any Indian, be the office going guy or the off-road travel enthusiast. Apart from the Safari and Sumo Grande, Tata also has two other big cars, the Sumo Victa and Xenon XT plying on the Indian roads.

Finally, coming to the smallest car developed in India which is also the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano. This car has been prey to a lot of controversy. Luckily, it has come out of all of it and has been declared as a safe package. This car is available in six peppy colours and has been adding a lot of colour to the streets of India. It will probably be exported to the rest of the world in some time.

Not all of us know what a car warranty can guarantee us, but most of us are aware that we need it. Warranties are not that difficult to comprehend as it is bound with just simple concepts. The terms written on the policies may be familiar to people who have already purchased a new car.

When you buy a new car, you are automatically given a warranty and the span of the warranty depends on the car dealer. Most dealers give 1 year, while others cover a longer period. If the warranty expires, it means that your benefits also have reached the finish line, but you still have the option to avail of an extended warranty. If you want to get the same coverage, you will now have to invest on it. Think of the peace of mind that it can give you rather than the money that it may cost you.

An extended warranty is not just for new cars, it can also be availed by people who have used cars. Aside from car dealers and manufacturers, warranties are also being offered by other companies. Some of these have already established virtual offices over the Internet so that they can be easily reached by clients. Getting hold of an extended warranty online can be more advantageous as you will get to compare different companies in terms of their prices and their coverage. They are even actually cheaper than the warranties offered by car dealers.

There are several companies that offer various types of car warranty. They are distinct from each other and they all seem to be offering good deals, and these what makes it hard to settle for the best. In general, companies offer an extended warranty with a basic coverage, which usually comes when purchasing a new car. This type of coverage will give your car a total protection.

Extended warranties are avoided by a lot of people because they can be very costly. This is something that can be criticized about car dealers who just want to gain too much profit from it. However, these are just isolated cases and this shouldn’t stop you from buying an extended warranty for your car. In fact, there are many companies that offer them at a much cheaper rate. You can find these companies online and you may directly transact business with them without passing through car dealers.

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Passing the driving theory test requires considerable preparation. At time of writing, there are two sections. The first of these is worth a total of 50 marks that contains 45 multiple choice questions and then a case study worth an additional five marks. The secondis a hazard perception test where the exam sitter must identify hazards.

Passing the multiple choice question element requires considerable preparation. As with any test, there are methods that you can use to help improve your chance of passing. One of the best ways to do this is to visit Driving Theory Test Questions. This website contains all the official driving theory multiple choice questions for car drivers. In addition, those who are going to undertake the test can study the material on a question by question basis, and also have access to several tools and mock exams to help monitor progress.

When sitting any exam, the more you know about the subject and the likely contents of the test the better. And with the multiple choice element of the theory test, you should certainly take the opportunity to study and become familiar with all the questions in advance of the test to give yourself the best possible chance of passing it. The theory test is expensive and therefore if you can pass it first time you will save the considerable money as well as the effort of having to retake the test.

As a minimum, if you are taking the theory test you should be sure to look at every question in advance of the test, and see if you know the answer. If you already do then great, but if you don’t know the answer, learn it. You should make a note of any questions that you got wrong, so that you can then check your knowledge against those questions again later.

The night before the test, you should revisit any questions that you are still getting wrong, and be sure to study and understand what the answer is. After all, the point of thedriving theory test is to make you a safer driver and therefore by understanding why you should act in a certain way when a particular event arises whilst driving, you will make yourself a safer driver in the long term, and this alone should encourage you to study the theory of driving in detail to help make you a good and responsible driver.

I remember back in the early 1990′s, it seemed that every lad under the age of 21 lusted after owning a sporty little Honda or Acura. Having the barebones “stock” car wasn’t really enough, as the novelty of owning the basic car wears off pretty quick. We’d then pinch and save, to spend our hard earned cash on aftermarket goodies. Many of us were going through school, and couldn’t afford much, but to modify them with supposed go fast parts, and “aesthetic” items were all the rage.

That was a long time ago to me now, and while modifying cars will never go away, as long as we are still using the internal combustion engine and have 4 wheels. Many of us still care about appearance and performance of our rides, but a lot of the “ricer” look has died down. While I won’t go into what “ricer’ technically means, I will say it carried a bad connotation, and few of us realized it then.

Modifying and “dressing up” sport compact Honda’s and Acura, wasn’t limited to only these Japanese imports, however. While they are held responsible for birthing this “ricer” stigma, it wasn’t long before we saw Cavaliers, Sunfires, Sunbirds and Neon’s rolling around with racing stickers and big wings on the trunk lids. Volkswagons were always a part of the sport compact craze and the GTI was perhaps the original “hot hatch,” but the ‘Dubbers liked to keep their distance and maintain a more dignified and refined look.

Typically a “riced” out Honda would have a body kit, which could include obnoxious, busy looking bumper covers, or replacement bumpers, rocker panel covers, replacement hoods and fender with aggressive flairs, and of course the quintessential oversized high wing on the trunk, to complete the shopping cart look. Lowering the vehicle was essential, to compliment the plus sized performance rims, which would be wrapped in low profile wide sticky tires.

Racing stickers were a staple add on, and we later joked that each sticker was worth X amount of extra horsepower. Typically the stickers (steal me stickers) were to proudly advertise which manufacturers parts were installed on the vehicle. Sometime, however, the stickers were used to make up for the lack of modifications on the car, I’m afraid I was guilty of that at the time. Lets not forget the sound systems, how often have we heard a driver’s music half a minute before we even see his car go by?

Last, but not least, the staple “modification” on all riced out sport compacts was the fart can muffler. “Loud but proud” should have been the motto, as they did little to add performance to those tiny engines, all by themselves. All they really added was noise pollution as they sounded like a bucket full of angry hornets. To this day, they are still used, though I believe regulations are finally cracking down on these racket makers. On top of mufflers, we had intakes, bored out throttle bodies, ignitions, port work, headers, the list goes on. If you actually added up the horsepower increase claims from each manufacture, you could nearly double your factory rating. These claims we mostly puffed up advertising and lies.

It wasn’t all bad though, and even now, tastefully modified sport compacts can still be found. A slight suspension drop with lowering springs or coilovers, slightly larger diameter wheels than stock, with matching performance tires. No body kits or aftermarket wings, but some JDM market goodies for Japanese imports always seem to look good. A larger piping exhaust, to complement any engine breathing modifications is still needed and welcome, providing the muffler is baffled, or at least chambered. Add to that, a tasteful classy colored paint job, or leave it original, and what we have is a slightly dressed up vehicle that does the brand justice.

Its not always about show though, legitimate go fast goodies were all the rage and will still be for a long time, for anyone who can afford it. Turbochargers, nitrous oxide, large lobed camshafts and port work, entire engine performance rebuilds and engine swaps.

Myself, being into Honda civics and Acura Integras, I was blessed to have the opportunity to satisfy my needs the plethora of direct “bolt in” engine swaps being available. Perfectly good engines were being shipped over from Japan by the boatload (and still are), and I performed more than a few of these swaps. Fortunately I didn’t have the money to blow on ugly body kits and chrome rims and turbocharger back in the ’90s. When I finally had the money, I had a more mature outlook and I developed a sense of wanting to keep things refined and simple. My favourite swap, which I swill own today, was a JDM Integra GSR engine swapped in to a ’94 civic cx hatch. Bolt in low 14 second quarter mile swap, right there. While it was impressive as a mustang beater way back, it’s nothing to brag about now as factory Neon turbo cars and Cobalt turbos can match that, and they’re everywhere.

Fortunately the ricer phase seems to be dying off. Maybe partly because young people don’t have as much money to throw around after paying their smart phone bill, but I think it’s more than that. Cheap simple cars are gone, forever it seems. You can’t just simply pop a new chip into your car anymore, modifying has become harder and more expensive. Most of the sport compact cars from the ’90s era seem to be on their last leg and are rusting out. That’s the image I see when I “hear” a rice rocket car from a bygone era go by. Mismatched body kit colors, fart can, cheap wheels, rusty quarter panels, faded paint. This is not to say that nobody will try to rice out a new model car, but I’m just not seeing it anymore. Where are all the stickers and the blacked out tail lights? Are we maturing? I hope so.

Customizing cars has become very popular over the years, especially with car movies like the Fast and the Furious. There are more tuning shops and more products available if you’re looking to tune up your car. This article will help you understand what you should know if you’re thinking about tuning your engine to add more power to the car.

With all the options online these days, there are all sorts of kits that promise to add more power to your engine. The most basic addition would be a cone air filter, which can up to 15 extra horse power. This usually ranges from $50-$250.

Then there are turbo kits or compressors. If you’re really looking to add power, this is the way to go. A turbo kit can add a whopping 100-600 extra horse power. Unfortunately, there’s a hefty price tag and it will cost more than your basic air filters.

In a basic turbo kit, there will normally be an exhaust manifold included. It’s usually tailored for a specific car. A turbo kit consists of intercooler with pipes, an air filter, a blow off valve, oil lines, several hoses and gaskets.

If your car can’t handle the improvements, you man need to make some more changes. It’s common that your clutch will need to change from stock to a sports clutch. A sports clutch can absorb the torque in an easier manner. Other stock items that may need an upgrade are the head gasket, fuel injectors, pumps, sensors, fuel pressure regulators and more.

For an entire turbo kit, it can range anywhere from $4,000 – $8,000 depending on how much work you want to do. The engine tuning and installation can add on an additional cost as well.

The engine can be extremely expensive in the event there are any issues. The gearbox can also be pricey. By increasing the power in your engine, these parts may have issues if the installation isn’t done properly. Always use a reputable shop to do the tuning and they should always use a dynostand. To be really safe, you may want to change the engine internals as well.

Tuning your car is a fun, but expensive hobby. There are a ton of fun things to add to your car, so make sure you take your time to shop around!

For years I drove an old clunker of a car. My excuse was I could not afford a new one. I never was into cars much and always spent my money elsewhere.

I knew eventually I would get another vehicle, but kept procrastinating doing so. There were things about my car that were totally unsafe. The back wheels of my car were really slipping. The accelerator pedal would stick alot if I took my foot off the pedal very quickly. When your old car starts having problems, it is just not worth it to drive an unsafe car.

It is time to get a new car when:

1. your car starts having all sorts of mechanical problems.

2. you have a bigger family now and you need to say goodbye to your sportscar

3. your car is a gas hog.

If you you are short on cash,, you may want to think about buying a pre-owned car. I learned online that there are many good used cars available even if they have over 100,000 miles. Before buying them, make sure you have them checked by a mechanic you can trust and who happens to be experienced with the certain model.

Be real careful if you find yourself considering buying from a private party. It can sometimes result in a great deal, but once you pay for it, you own the car. If anything goes wrong with the car, it is your problem.. It is much smarter buying from a dealer who will give you some kind of warranty.

As far as buying a car at an auction, you sometimes can get a good deal. It is much better to leave this type of car buying to the professionals. There is really little time to inspect the car and you usually don’t even get to drive it. Cars are sold as-is.

For 2010, the only option powering the Lexus SC 430 luxury convertible is a dual overhead cam (DOHC), 90o eight cylinder, 4.3 liter, V8, gasoline engine. This engine features direct port sequential fuel injection, has four cams and is equipped with Lexus’ variable valve timing and camshaft with intelligence.

Maximum horsepower of this engine is 288 delivered at 5,600 rpm. The torque is rated at a maximum 317 foot pounds and is produced when the engine is operating at a speed of 3,400 rpm. The engine Is made from an Aluminum block and has aluminum heads has a bore of 91 mm and a stroke of 82.5 mm and a compression ratio of 10.5 to 1. The efficiency and power of this engine are revealed by its impressive acceleration from 0 mph to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. The car also has an impressive quarter mile time of 14.3 seconds. The maximum speed of the SC 430 is electronically limited to 149 mph.

Fuel economy for the SC 430 is rated as 16 miles per gallon (mpg) in urban environments, and 19 mpg on the highway. This gives the vehicle an average rating of 23 mpg. The engine is made to run on premium unleaded fuel. The SC 430 has the distinction of being certified as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV II), making an appealing choice for those who are environmentally conscious. The ULEV rating means that the engine emits extremely low levels of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide into the air.

Defensive driving consists of keeping your options open and allowing yourself time to react to any situation which may develop. The faster you are driving the more length of cars you will have covered by the time you react to a dangerous situation and finally come to a stop. As you increase your speed the chances of killing someone also increases disproportionately. A difference of ten miles per hour can be the difference between killing someone and not.

You need to be constantly preparing for hazards by looking as far as possible down the road in front of you. Taking note of all pedestrians and cars and their current trajectories and whether they could develop into a potential problem in a few seconds. Remember it’s also important to be seen yourself and you should be aware of other pedestrians and road user’s blind spots and position yourself accordingly.

Be aware of the rear of your car too. Putting all of this information together and building up a view of the world and it’s possible outcomes can be tough especially at first but it is necessary to progress as a safe driver. A car can overtake from behind you causing you to review your surrounding.

Things to look for can be partially hidden junctions, road works, parked cars, buses pulling out and much more. Road signs and markings often aid in judging these things and point out sharp turns and low visibility sections of road.

It goes without saying that defensive driving requires you to use your mirrors early and signal before you proceed with a manoeuvre. Be careful with misleading signals, if there is another junction on the same stretch of road signal at the right point and in good time. Position your car carefully to negotiate any hazard but without doing it in such a way that might convey you are turning around into a junction for example. You should be in control of your speed as you negotiate the hazard so you can respond to any changes in the situation.

Defensive driving simply comes down to being able to spot potential hazards and driving to a speed that allows you time to react. Remember that the car in front should always be at least 2 seconds in front of you. Allow room to the sides for pedestrians, cyclists, and opening car doors. If the car behind you is too close then it is safer for both parties if you slow down and let them past.

Owning a car is more than just practical, today the vehicles we own and the way they look can create a certain style and image. Of course most cars are far more desirable than the models that were sold even just a decade ago, but the problem is that today very few cars are unique or original. Most would have the same generic design and feel. If you want to make yours stand out from the crowd then you should get a set of dream wheels with Vrimz – a well known name in auto accessories and modifications.

It is often the wheels on our motors that are noticed first. After all it is these that grip the road and give us control. Although most of today’s manufacturers understand the popularity of chrome and alloy rims, the fact is that when millions of vehicles are fitted with these as standard the charm soon wears off.

You can give your car a fresh new look by getting hold of a set of customized rims. This is actually a relatively economical option and you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes to the car’s appearance. If you love to catch the attention of other drivers then you will be doing so all the more often by choosing a set from Vrimz.

You may be wondering what sets this company apart from the hundreds of other auto accessories and modifications firms that are in operation today. Well for a start they offer a service which is very unique and would help make certain that your new rims look perfect on your vehicle.

You can upload a photo of the car that you are planning to modify and then with an easy to use online tool you can remove the current wheels then try out a massive selection of the latest rims to get a real feel for how the vehicle is going to look. Just imagine the effort and confusion that this can cut down on. No longer would you need to drive to an auto store and spend many hours checking out how different rims look in person. It can all be done from the comfort and convenience of your own home and without having to take a day off work to do so.

But the advantages do not stop there. The website is actually packed full of features that would help you get a clearer idea of how certain modifications are going to look. You can even raise the level of your car, or drop it down closer to the ground, change the size of the wheels for a more dominating appearance, and even alter the background of the photo you uploaded so you can check out how the mods would appear in different situations.

If you want to get other people’s opinions then it is possible to let other users make a comment or give a rating.

You may end up with a set of rims that you would not have even entertained the idea of getting at the outset. Before you know it you will have a car that is not only original, but also the envy of all your friends.