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With all of today’s traction control and stability control systems, and front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and four-wheel drive vehicles, it can be a bit confusing when trying to decide the value and importance of snow tires. Following is an easy-to-read break down of 10 rules.

Rule 1: regardless of traction electronics a vehicle has, in the snow, it boils down to rubber-meets-the-road-traction

Rule 2: traction comes from your tires gripping the road. No grip, no traction. Traction is important not just for stability, but steering, braking, and propulsion. It’s a biggy!

Rule 3: some all-season tires are adequate in the snow, many are not. Various tires that are “rated” all-season have sport tire attributes, and are inadequate in the snoweven dangerous. SUVs with sport tires (DUBS) run into this scenario quite often.

Rule 4: the best all-season tire is not better in the snow than a premium snow tire

Rule 5: all season tires can stiffen in cold weatherstiff tires, less traction

Rule 6: snow tires really do make a noticeable difference

Rule 7: replace all four to maximize safety. Replacing only two encourages unequal traction, which leads to loss of control. In fact, replacing just two is often more dangerous

Rule 8: snow tires will feel/ride differently, but nothing like the days of knobby, studded-snow tires. Tire technology has come a long way, and there are many snow tires on the market that ride beautifully

Rule 9: consider a rim and tire package. It makes swapping to your snows a breeze

Rule 10: you don’t have to use snow tires. In a safe area, try driving on your regular tires in the snow. If you’re all over the road, get some snows. If your car feels fine, great. Save your money!

These comments are intended as a general guide. Refer to your owner’s manual for particular vehicle requirements.

-Theodore P. Olson (Ted)
Maintenance Time Saver

Ted holds extensive certifications from Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, General Motors, ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) and more. Over a twenty-year period in the automotive service industry, he has served as a technician, shop foreman, shop manager, shop owner, service advisor, service manager, and service industry consultant.

Other Works by Ted Olson Include:

• ARREST the Automotive Service Industry!
• Maintenance Myths: A Step-by-Step Guide to STOP Getting Ripped Off!
• Auto Repair: The Shocking Truth About Who’s Ripping You Off and Why!
• Automotive Service Pricing Strategiesa fair pricing guide for service centers
• Being the Besta comprehensive customer service handbook for service advisors
• Service Center Personnelan auto repair informational for general service staff
• Service Mission Statementa philosophical proposal to improve customer service

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Is it possible to build car washes, which capture rainwater and reuse it? Carwashes, which recycle the waste wash water and re-use it? Car washes, which can run from energy produced by solar and wind rather than being hooked to the grid for energy? Can we make the perfect car wash, which is environmentally friendly in every way?

Every thing you ask is possible and there was an article this week of a car wash at http://www.carwash.com which was totally close looped, solar powered and environmentally friendly. Hats off to those folks, very interesting indeed. But I do not think anyone is using the run off which is wasted into the storm drains? Well having been in the carwash industry, I believe some one probably is doing something like this although I have never heard of using storm water to wash cars.

Although I must admit having sat in rainstorms and watched all the water escape into the storm drains I have considered it. In car washing water is a cost and when you see that run off, well you think about money going literally down the storm drain you see.

But there are several companies making commercial grade completely closed loop systems to re-use all wash water, of course it fills up the discharge sludge pretty fast and the smell is an issue. Of course many use bio-microbes to eat the sludge and cover the scent with other technologies. It is possible and that is being done now. I think that is very good. Maybe someone should concentrate on putting all these environmentally friendly ideas together and coming up with a really superior perfect carwash? So, consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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The new Corvette has a 400 hp engine so notable named the LS2. The predecessor was the LS1 model at a mere 350 hp. This engine along with aerodynamics allows this Corvette to have the highest top speed of any Corvette, including the exotic ZR-1 model from the early 1990’s. This new engine is all aluminum and with the Z51 package, allows the fastest acceleration of any model currently available.

The team considered using a 405 hp LS6 engine, but it had a lot of special components in it to get that horsepower. They were afraid that the cam might have been too aggressive for everyday street driving. When the team finished, they came up with a 400 hp engine at 6,000 RPM. The engine also boasts 25 lb-ft greater torque than the previous engine. Torque numbers are 400 lb-ft at 4,400 RPM. Now the engine is larger. The engine displacement increased from 346 cu in to 364 cu in. This was accomplished by a larger cylinder bore of 101.6mm. The stroke remained the same at 92mm. The LS2 also uses a higher lift cam and stronger valve springs. Another engine feature is the throttle body has been increased from 75mm to 90mm which allows more air into the engine. Couple all of this together with new flat top pistons at a higher compression of 10.9:1 and faster responding fuel and engine management computers results in one of the most advanced engines GM ever put in a car.

Other interesting features in the overall layout of the engine included moving the engine 1″ forward. 1″? What could that do? Actually, it allowed for a better exhaust system, which in turn gave the car more power. There is more than enough power to exceed the traction of the rear tires. But cornering also had to be considered in the engine design. If the car is capable of 1.0+ G’s in maximum cornering, this is the equivalent of turning the engine on its side at 45 degrees. The team made a different windage tray and oil pickup to control the lubrication system during spirited driving. Redesigning also allowed the team to eliminate the “gull-wing” oil pan of older models leaving room for more exhaust work to further tune the engine.

But how did all of these modifications effect the overall gas consumption? The new Corvette can get 23 mpg on the combined EPA city/highway test. That’s better than the 320 hp Porsche 911 at 20 mpg. Forget the 400 hp Ferrari Modena at 12 mpg.

This new engine has been totally redesigned for the Corvette enthusiast and shows a tremendous effort GM has put forth for this new model. This is by far the best Corvette ever produced.

Stuart Simpson
I collect pictures of the new C6 corvettes. Take a look at my website.
http://www.corvette-links.com

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