Winter Car Prep & Checklist

   
         The winds are picking up and the temperatures are going down. The snow is falling and the cars are skidding. Yup! It's time to make sure your vehicle is in excellent condition to handle the icy grip of winter that will take hold of the northern lands.

Things that need to be in your trunk:

•   First Aid Kit 

NOTE: Some first aid kits come with more automobile related items than others. I HIGLY recommend one of these. The kit might be a little more pricey, but they come with items such as towropes, jumper cables, flashlights, matches, tape, Fix-a-Flat, blankets, and other road related items all-in-one. While they might not be high quality items, at least they should help you get out of a jam once.  There are many First Aid kits to choose from, but a quick search on Amazon found this FIRST AID KIT. Well worth the extra money.

• Water/food
• Snowbrush
• Shovel 
• Tow Rope 
• Jumper cable or Jumper box 
• Matches (If your first aid kit does't have them) 
• Blankets, gloves, and anything else to stay warm
• Sand for weight (Pickup truck) and traction (Any vehicle) 
• Boots
• Washer fluid 
• Cell phone charger/extra battery 

Alright, so now that the trunk is loaded down and you are killing gas milage with all the extra weight, what kind of car maintenance should be done before the snowflakes start falling? 

Winter Car Maintenance:

• Snow Tires 

Note: Yes, we know that you're getting sick of hearing it, but C&C HIGHLY recommends snow tires. We even suggest them if you drive a truck! Remember 4x4 or AWD only helps you get unstuck. Snow tires help with not getting stuck, steering, and stopping. Even if there is no snow, snow tires improve stopping distances in the cold.

• Oil change & "checkup" - make sure those fluids are topped up!
• Check to see your heater and defrosters work
• Check tire tread depth & tire pressure 
• Make sure those brakes have plenty of meat on them!
• Replace worn windshield wipers 

It's that time of year again.

     Cinnamon donuts, warm cider, and frosty breath in the crisp air. Yup, fall is here. While everybody has those toasty, cinnamon fat-rings on their minds and hockey, it's also time to start thinking about winter preparation for that four wheel love in your life.

     Yes, yes, we here at C&C love to boast about snow tires. We do this because they should be on your car's winter prep list. As the frost and snow settles in, tires (yes even "all season" tires) will start to turn into hockey pucks. Meaning that in colder temps, rubber in those tires will become harder and stiffer. This stiffening will make your car's stopping distances increase and traction decrease in the rain, snow, and even on dry pavement. 

    I have summer performance tires on my car. These tires came with a warning. I am not to use these tires below 35 degrees. Honestly, these tires performance start degrading around the 45 degree mark. Snow? With these tires? I'm not brave enough. They are treacherous in the snow. They have as much traction as a cat on a polished hardwood floor. No traction whatsoever. 

Moral? Get those snow tires on! Even if you have all season tires. 

Stay tuned for a complete winter prep for you car.

2015 Dodge Hellcat... POWER!!!!!!

300 horsepower? Nope, not even close. 400 horsepower? Better, but still way off. 600 horsepower!!!???!! Hell, no! This is an AMERICAN muscle car, we need more power! Okay, what about 707 horsepower!? That's more like it. And that is what you'll find under the hood of the new 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat.  Oh, yes. Dodge supercharged their 6.2 liter Hemi to kick out a few more ponies.

So, 707 horses sounds like it's a lot of power, and you're correct. That's enough power to kick start a dying sun back into life. 0-60 will happen faster then you can say, "Too fast! Don't hit that tree!". Even though the Challenger is about the size of a small aircraft carrier, this baby will move like a stabbed rat. At least in a straight line (1/4 mile in the 10 second area). Of course Dodge will stuff sports suspension under the fenders and big brakes inside the wheels. It'll help too, but this is a muscle car. 3,800lbs worth of muscle car. If you want a sports car that will carve corners like your father carving a turkey, buy a BMW M3. If you want a car that looks like and sounds like the devil himself, get the Hellcat.

Pricing is around $60,000 for a base Hellcat. A M3 starts close to the same. However, the M3 has the power of a sewing machine when compared to the Hellcat.

Oh, get the manual. Don't even kid yourself, manuals are just more fun.






Photo credits go to the folks over at Chrysler, (http://www.drivesrt.com/2015/challenger-srt-hellcat/gallery/#vehicle-gallery)

Thoughts on the Fiat 500

 The new Fiat 500 is seen as a cup of java by most people. Is it practical? No. Is the 500 liked by everyone? Not even close.  On the other hand, like java, the microcar is something cool, trendy, and something different.

The little Fiat is not meant to be a serious car. With it's retro looks and funky interior, the little guy is more of a toy than car. Don't get me wrong though, the Average Joe can have plenty of fun on a bun with this automobile. Especially the hot doggin, hot roddin' Abarth version.

All versions of the 500 are great to drive. Responsive, fun, quick turning, and overall a pleasant experience. Not too many downsides to the little car.

Unfortunately, the few downsides of this car are of the bigger sort. Size. The 500 is smaller than a Cooper. So, IKEA shoppers will have to get themselves a roof rack. On the plus side, owners have remarked that the little Fiat does have more room for the occupants inside the cabin, you know, to breath and stuff, when compared to a Mini.

The 500 comes in many flavors too. Dirt Cheap. Fast. Overly Expensive (Gucci model). Drop Top (so you can feel the wind in your hair weaves).  And now you can get a Fat version of the 500, called the 500L. "L" standing for lard,... er, I mean large....


As a fun car, C&C Road Tests approves of this Italian creation.

Winter Tires. Are they just a pointless waste of money?

"I have All Season tires. There is no need for winter tires." Oh, how wrong you are...

     There is a general consciences among people who live in the frosty bits of the world, that they don't need to run winter tires on their cars because they have "all seasons". Sorry folks, all seasons don't cut it in the winter. All Season tires are great in the fall and spring time, when it's not too cold or too hot.  Even though the round rubbers say "all season" on the side, they do not function nearly as well in winter as a dedicated winter tire. 

     As the mercury drops, summer and all season tires transform into hard, un-flexable hockey pucks. This puts you into a predicament. The snow hasn't even fallen yet and your all season tires are already underperforming. A tire's tread blocks need to be able to flex and move to obtain maximum grip on the hard road. In the cold, summer and all season tires become stiff, useless chunks of rubber. What does this mean? When compared to winter tires, which stay bendable like a wet noodle in the cold, stopping lengths are much longer. When the skies finally open up and drop the fluffy stuff, the winter tire shines. 

BMW 128i on Firestone Winterforce snow tires.

     In the snow and on ice, winter tires stop, steer, and accelerate much better than other types of tires. If you look at summer and all season tires, you'll see that they have wide tread blocks for traction on dry asphalt. To give some credit to all seasons, they do have more grooves for water and snow to flow out of when compared to dedicated summer tires. That is why folks can get away with using all season tires all season long. Jack of all trades, master of none. Having babbled that, snow tires have a many more grooves for snow to escape. They look like the butt of a zebra with all those grooves. Among those extra groves and staying pliable in the cold, winter tires have little cuts in the tread blocks, called "sipes". Which allow for more flex, more grip, and more water and snow channeling. That's a lot more.  All of these characteristics add up for a lot more control in the snow. Stopping distances are GREATLY reduced, handling is improved, and traction off the line is enhanced. 

"I have a 4X4, I don't need winter tires." 

     Having AWD or 4X4 will ONLY help you get traction for not getting stuck. It will not help in controlling that fat-hippo of an automobile around corners or stopping. Snow tires are your only option in improving stopping or steering. Imagine if a person put snow tires on a 4x4, which is recommended, that truck will be as unstoppable as a Sherman tank with bees shoved up its backside. 

    If you care about saving baby seals, put winter tires on.... wait that's not right. 

    If you care about your safety in the winter, put winter tires on your car. That's better. 

Links and Vids :

Popular Mechanics All Season vs. Winter Tire test.-- Specs.

Some YouTube love...

What is happening to BMW???????

How do you like your BMW? I love it! Have you seen the new 3 series? Yes, I even drove it for a week, Unfortunately...

You may ask yourself, what does this bloke mean by "unfortunately"?

Well... a lot of things.

I love BMW, I'm not going to lie. I love them so much I bought what I deem, to be their pure enthusiast's car. A 128i, manual transmission, M sport. "A MANUAL?????!!!!????", some of my friends shout at me between bites of their burgers. They ask why would I ever want a car with a manual, stiff suspension, and virtually no technology on it whatsoever. 

And that is why BMW has made their new cars, specifically the new 3 series, bigger, softer, and less Bimmer like than ever before. 

Americans like cars that are practical, even though we no longer like station wagons. We also like cars that are comfortable and full of gadgets that make driving more "pleasurable." 

Why can't Americans find pleasure in driving itself?

BMW has made it's new 3 series more appealing to the American market by making it softer and putting in a new 4 cylinder that gets better MPG. I understand why BMW did this, but there really needs to be options. 

I think BMW does need to offer a 3 series that is softer, cheaper, and more economical. This is the model that will sell by the thousands. However, BMW needs to have a Sport version that is actually sporty. The current 328i Sport can't hold a cow's turd to the old E90 328i. It just can't. The drive, the "feel", and the materials are all better in the older E90. BMW really took a step backwards with this new 3er. 

My only hope is when BMW is done switching around the series, that the new (the 3 series that is not currently being sold yet), will be as good as the older E90. If you don't know what I'm on about, BMW will be making the current 1 series into a 2 series and they will be bringing out a new FWD 1 series (maybe). The current 3 series will become a 4 series and so on. 

Ok, that's enough of all that babble. 

I will be doing a road test/review of my 128i along with a review of the new 328i. That is what is to come, so stay tuned!

2012 Chevy Cruze

Have you ever wanted to hate something but can't? Like one of those fruity mixed up drinks with a little umbrella and tinsel. One of those drinks might make you look silly, but they taste so good that you have to love 'em.
This is how I feel about the Cruze. It's not a very good car by a long shot. However, the more I drive it, the more I like it.
Looks:
Overall the Cruze is not a bad looking auto. Not great. Just, okay.. My fellow female friend has referred to this car as "cute". I don't see it.
The inside is OK, a little cheap looking for me.
Speaking of the guts of the car...
Interior:
The interior is festooned with cheap-o plastic. However that cheap plastic does seem screwed together nicely. The design of the interior is nothing to write home about.
The engineers of over at Chevy didn't really put too much thought into the driving position.
 Some of the buttons and dials are a bit of a stretch for the driver. The gear selector/steering wheel/ seat position are not laid out for the driver enthusiast. On a positive note, I was very comfortable while driving around town.

Let's go over the performance aspects of this little car.

There are none.

The handling is numb as a bowl of mayonnaise. There was wasn't any road-feel being transmitted to the driver whatsoever. The car did not inspire me to drive aggressively one bit.
Acceleration is poor. The car will growl when you hit the go-go pedal but that's about it.

However, the more I drove the Cruze, the more I liked it. While on a curvy road with the engine screaming for the next gear, I finally was having some fun. Was I going fast? No. It just sounded like it from the cockpit. But that is how a person can have fun in this car but not get into trouble.

A few things that bothered me...
when I was stopped and I pushed on the brake pedal, I could hear the pads crunching down harder on the rotors. I also had a squeaky steering wheel. Things like this add to the cheapness level of the car.


One thing that surprised me...
The size of the trunk! It's pretty good for such a small car.


To sum up:
The Chevy Cruze is a budget priced car and you get what you pay for. It's as sporty as a debate team.
The Cruze is comfortable to drive and has decent cargo capacities.

Would I recommend it? No.
I would recommend a hatchback, such as the Volkswagen Golf. The Golf has more practicality, better interior quality, handles better, and more power. Yes it is slightly more expensive, but I say work harder and pay for the difference.
You may also want to look what the Japanese car manufactures offer.