Hi Dear Friends,

The world today is going thru very trying times. First the recession and now Swine Flu.

This has really frightening every body & with this being said to be worse than Sars, it is like battling with an invisible enemy. Well! all we can do is keep high hygiene standards and for time being avoid places. We can only ride this thru and not it effect us especially when we are out on the roads. Look for something interesting to do or read like what I am sharing with you here.

Maintaining the good look of your vehicle can be very challenging at times. It always takes time and patience but the end results are always worth the trouble taken. Cleaning of your vehicle can be broken into three parts, namely, the body, wheels & rims and the interior of your vehicle.

Your vehicle’s wheel rims play a very important part in the overall look of your vehicle. Imagine you have a shiny, clean beautiful vehicle body but your wheel rims are all scratched, dented and dirty.

Not only does it spoil the image of your vehicle but it can be very expensive to replace. Wheel rims should be cared for to prevent damage. In the long run, it would be more worth the time and effort taken.

Let’s find out some ways in which we can care for our vehicle rims.

In this critical time of recession, it is important to take care of and maintain whatever things we use. Be it electrical or otherwise. With not much extra cash flowing around, it would become a heavy burden if we have to fork out extra money to buy new things to replace old ones which we did not keep in high or even basic maintenance level in the first place.

Make sure you wash your wheel rims. If you are the type of person who runs the car thru a car wash instead of hand wash, your wheel rims will never be clean. This is one part of your car that does not benefit from a car wash.

All it takes is soap, water and a cloth or brush. Clean every little area and corners of your rims.  After washing make sure you dry them otherwise when you drive off, dirt would be attracted onto the rims. It would get stuck to the rims because of the water.

Spraying tire shine on your tyres always leaves a residue on your rims. Make sure to clean off the residue once you have finished.

Unlike the previous one in which you cannot prevent dirt from being attracted to your rims, this next way is definitely in your hands.

It only takes some tolerance, patience and careful driving and it would go a long way in saving you money and unnecessary headaches. While driving do not take corners too close to the curb.

You may ask, ‘What’s wrong with that?” Well not only do you damage the curb but end up scratching or even denting your rims. What about potholes. As far as possible avoid potholes. Hitting potholes would definitely damage tires, rims, undercarriage or even the  axle (if you are going at a great speed).

Always drive carefully. Accidents can be avoided if you drive within the speed limit, remain alert to everything that is going on around you and concentrate on driving. A lot of time, money, pain and heartache can be avoided.

However, if you really need to get your wheel rims repaired, always get it done from the experts. Either your vehicle agent or authorized workshops. You might be spending a bit more money but you would have the peace of mind that you would be getting top service and genuine parts provided. Don’t forget your life and the lives of your loved ones is at stake.

So always remember prevention is better than cure as sometimes there is no chance for cure but remorse and a heavy burden of guilty conscience.

Happy Safe driving and don’t forget the numerous offers that I have for you here at my blog site.

Gurdip

Dear Friends,

My sincere apologies for not coming back since end of last year. This New Year has been very hectic for me. So many things coming down on me at the same time and with the whole world falling into recession, I have been taking various courses to upgrade myself. (Whatever little extra money made is always welcome).

Well enough said about me, here is a very interesting article about why despite vehicles tires being made of rubber, they still tend to slip during wet weather.

Majority of races are conducted irregardless of wet weather. Racing drivers normally say, ‘Driving on a rainy day is like driving on ice’.

Today, I asked Mr. Hamashima about grip of tyres when driving on wet roads.

I’m sure many of you, at one time or another, have been shocked as to how easily you have slipped on a steel plate or the platform and stairs of a subway station while walking in rubber sole shoes on a rainy day. Well, the same thing happens to tyres.

The mechanism of slipping is at work when water forms an extremely thin film between the rubber sole or tyres and the road surface, causing frictional force to weaken.”

When trying to wipe away water on a tile floor using a rubber squeegee with all your might, it is difficult to push the squeegee forward if it is wide, but relatively easy if narrow. This is due to water resistance. In the same way, racing tires, which are wider in comparison to regular tires, have a larger resistance against water. Also, because racing cars are light in weight, the water raises the tyres from the road surface. This is a phenomenon called “hydro planning,” a phrase often used as a warning for high-speed driving on wet roads.

So then, how is grip secured under such conditions?

Water must be drained through tread pattern so that water does not sneak under tyres and form a film. This prevents tyres from rising and allows them to stay in contact with the road. Tread pattern must be designed taking account of how quickly water underneath tires can be drained and maintaining a low water resistance. Moreover, the components of tread rubber for wet tires are different from that for dry tires in order to enhance frictional force on wet surfaces. For instance, masking tape does not easily stick to wet surface. So, rubber that sticks better on wet road surface is used to increase friction. Also, as previously explained, good grip is attained through the proper balance between rubber and structure. Therefore, structurally, rubber must be designed so that tyres are able to firmly hold the wet road surface with low friction.

So, tread pattern of rain tyres plays the role of a drain, preventing, as much as possible, water films to be formed. Last year, Bridgestone completed the development of “hydro simulation” system, which made possible the simulation of drainage process and efficiency on the computer. This technology has enabled drainage tests, only possible through actual driving in the past, to be conducted on the computer, and greatly enhanced the speed of development of wet tyres. F1 wet tyres, introduced from this race season, were also designed using this “hydro simulation” technology, and both Ferrari and McLaren cooperated in the actual driving tests to verify the relativity of data obtained by simulation and through actual driving.

That’s all for now but I promise that I will be back with more exciting articles real soon & this time I mean it. Before I sign off here is a Great Offer that you would not be able to resist.

Bye for now and drive safely.

Cheers!!!