Category: Lifestyle (Page 12 of 13)

The fastest roads in America!

August 18, 2011 /

AutoGuide.com breaks down the top 5 fastest roads in America.

America’s five fastest roads have been ranked and surprisingly, the average driver’s need for speed has been dampened. American’s are traveling more slowly than they were a few years ago, likely due to rising gas prices and increased traffic enforcement.

The average speeder traveled 81 mph on America’s top ten fastest roads, which is down from 85 mph last year. The fastest road in the U.S is located on the northbound section of Arizona State Route 79, between Saguaro National Park and Phoenix. The top speed recorded on this section was 94 mph, and 5% of drivers use this road traveling an average of 88 mph, even though the speed limit is 75 mph.

With gas prices on the rise, people are driving more efficiently but the decline in average speed has also been linked to the struggling economy and high unemployment. High unemployment is keeping younger drivers off the road, and they generally engage in the riskiest behavior on roads.

The top five fastest roads include:

5. Arizona State Route 77
4. Eastbound MI-5 Michigan Highway
3. California State Route 73
2. Oklahoma State Highway 33
1. Northbound Arizona State Route 79

Check out more from AudioGuide.

Lifestyle

The Five Most Essential Car Maintenance Tips

July 23, 2011 /

During tough economic times, we often put off basic maintenance for our cars. Oil changes, tire rotations, filters, and other maintenance items often seem more expensive than they should be. When you are in a financial bind, it makes sense to use what money you have for bills instead of simple maintenance. Unfortunately, by skipping car maintenance items, you are actually setting yourself up for a bigger bill when your car breaks down. 

Below are five common car maintenance items that are often overlooked. If you find yourself in a financial bind, remember the financial tips from plaingreenloans. Failing to maintain your car will cost you more in the long run.

1. Keep Your Windshield in Tip-Top Shape
When you’re driving down the road and your windshield gets a chip, don’t ignore it. Even the smallest of chips can eventually spread to the rest of your windshield. Not only can it be expensive to replace an entire windshield, but you can also get a ticket.

2. Maintain Tire Pressure
Check your tire pressure on a regular basis to ensure that it is properly inflated. Under-inflated tires can fail and cause an accident or simply go flat at an inopportune time. Save yourself money and hassle by checking the pressure and keeping the valve caps on the tires.

3. Regularly Rotate Tires
Tires will wear unevenly unless they are properly rotated. Each car make and model is a bit different, so check your owner’s manual. Failing to rotate your tires may cause them to fail prematurely.

4. Engine Oil Care
You should check your oil every two weeks and change it every three months or 3,000 miles. Following these simple maintenance guidelines will help ensure that your engine is free of metal particles and abrasive dirt that can severely damage it.

5. Clean or Replace Filters
Your car has several different kinds of filters, air, transmission, fuel, and oil. They should be changed on a regular basis. While each make and model differs, as a rule, your oil filter should be changed twice a year. Your air filter, transmission, and fuel filters should be changed as needed.

Remember, financial tips from plaingreenloans: your car maintenance needs to come first. Spending the money now to maintain your car will save you money in the long run. If necessary, consider a small loan to help cover the expenses. Any interest or fees you pay will be worth it.

Lifestyle

World’s Most Beautiful Cars according to MSN

June 30, 2011 /

From MSN.com:

What makes a car beautiful? Is it flowing lines, pleasing proportions, a clear identity, a strong sense of character, exquisite details — or a mixture of all of the above? True, the assessment of beauty ultimately remains in the eye of the beholder, yet its truest manifestations always seem to elicit unanimous praise and approval. We have looked far and wide to choose the most beautiful production cars of the last few years, and agonized over a list of 10 standouts. The fact that most are European will not come as a great surprise, but the inclusion of a compact sedan from South Korea should raise a few eyebrows.

Read the full article.

Lifestyle

How to beat high gas prices

June 2, 2011 /

Here are some tips on how to battle high gas prices by improving your gas mileage. Here’s on of the tips:

Keep your car

Buying a new car may not be financially viable at this time so keeping your current car may be your only option. However, there are a variety of things you can do to ensure you are getting the most mileage possible. First, perform scheduled maintenance. Make sure to replace all items specified by your owner’s manual according to the schedule, especially such things as oxygen sensors, fuel filters, air filters and spark plugs. Also, make sure your fluids like oil and coolant are up to date. These items will keep your car operating at optimum efficiency and will guarantee that you are getting every advertised mile out of a gallon of gas. Also, if your tires need replacing, look into a set of low rolling resistant tires. There are a variety of brands out there and you can check car tire sites to see if such tires are available for your make and model of vehicle. Most importantly, check the air pressure in all your tires since low tire pressure will adversely affect your mileage.

Lifestyle

How to Drive a Stick Shift

May 19, 2011 /

In their “Real Guide for Men” series, Bullz-Eye.com breaks down the nuances of how to drive a stick shift.

If you’re an experienced driver, you’ve probably heard the benefits of driving an automobile that has a manual transmission. For starters (no pun intended), cars with stick shifts are generally very fuel efficient, which is obviously a bonus in today’s economy where the gas prices continue to rise. They also have fewer moving parts than automatic transmissions, require less maintenance and are easier to repair, which means they usually have longer longevity and cost cheaper.

Cars with stick shifts also respond better to the driver, which makes them safer (assuming the driver himself is safe). Due to the constant shifting and changing of gears, drivers have to focus more on driving, which means less time for texting, talking on the phone, or doing other dangerous activities that many people with automatic transmissions partake in.

But aside from the benefits listed above, you also must be skilled to operate one, which facilitates a certain sense of pride and confidence. And thus, even if you don’t own a manual transmission, as a man you need to know how to drive one because it’s just one of those skills that all men should posses.

Below is a simple step-by-step guide on how to drive stick shift. Hopefully, after you read this and you get behind the wheel, your learning curve won’t be as high as a teenage driver who stalls out constantly with mom or dad shaking their head in the passenger seat!

Read the full article.

Lifestyle

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