Changing a flat tyre

Last week, the writer went in tyre maintenance at length. If you do your due diligence, you greatly reduce the chances of running into problems while on the road. But sometimes, the unfortunate happens, and you find yourself stranded by the roadside with a punctured tyre. What do you do then?

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you out.

Safety First

You are driving along like you've done everyday, and suddenly you hear a loud bang followed by the dreaded flapping sound of a deflated tyre- your tyre has punctured.

Don't panic and jam on the brakes immediately or start yanking your steering wheel wildly. Your safety and that of other road users should be your foremost concern.Slow down and carefully pull over to the side of the road as soon as you're able to do so.

Park your car on a hard and level surface. Don't attempt to change the tyre if your car is on a slope or it is sitting on soil or dirt. Turn on the hazard lights and put the warning triangle sign. As an additional precaution, block the tyre diagonally opposite the flat by placing a heavy object against it. If, for example, the left-front tyre is punctured, place a heavy object behind the right-rear tyre. Blocking the opposite tyre makes the car less likely to move while you're raising it.

Procedure

Follow these steps to get your tyre changed:

1. Get ready

Locate the jack, tool kit and spare tyre. Make sure that your gear is engaged, or in "park" position if it is automatic. For good measure, engage your handbrake.

2. Jack up the car

The jack will have to be positioned under the chassis, at a specific position near the flat tyre. Consult your owner's manual if you're unsure (so make sure you keep it in your car at all times.) Once the jack is in place, slowly turn the handle until you shift some of he car's weight from the flat tyre.

3. Loosen the wheel nuts

Use the lug wrench to loosen the wheel lugs by turning it in an anti-clockwise direction. The lugs will almost certainly be very tight, so if your strength fails, position your wrench such that it is more or less horizontal to the ground, then step up onto the wrench and step down on it; that way, you can use your body weight to loosen the lugs.

At this point, you don't want to take out the lugs yet. Just loosen them.

4. Remove the tyre

Once you've loosened all the lugs, jack up the car further so that the tyre leaves the ground. Loosen the lugs all the way, then remove them from the wheel. Next, gently lift the tyre out.

5. Insert the spare tyre

Position the spare tyre over the wheel studs, then slot it in. Make sure the air valves are facing upwards. Tightening the wheel nuts lightly by hand. Don't tighten the nuts completely at this point because the car is unstable while still on jack.

6. Remove the jack

Unwind the jack slowly until the spare tyre bears the weight of the car, then remove it. The final step is to tighten the nuts completely.

Spare tyres aren't meant to be driven for long distances, so get the damaged tyre repaired or replaced as soon as you can.

Source: The Straits Times Saturday, November 20 2010

Tyre Maintenace

Tyre Rotation

This means swooping the rear tyres with those in front to tackle the problem of uneven erosion. In front-wheel-drive vehicles, for example, braking, steering and driving forces are concentrated on the front-axle tyres, with the result that the front tyres wear down more rapidly than those at the back.

Unless your car has unidirectional tyres (that is, those with treads designed to go in one direction only), a good way to do rotation is the cross or diagonal rotation method. This entails exchanging the front-right tyre with the rear-left one, and the front-left tyre with the rear-right one.

Vehicles with unidirectional tyres should only go for what is called straight rotation, which means swooping with the front-left tyre with the rear-left tyre and likewise for the right side.

Tyres should be rotated after every 5,000-8,000km travelled.

Air Pressure

Check your tyres regularly to ensure that they have the prescribed air pressure. Inadequate air pressure in tyres adversely affects driving stability, reduce fuel economy and may damage your car's suspension system. Over-inflated tyres, on the other hand, have less contact, which reduces their ability to absorb road shocks, and leads to a hard and bumpy ride.

Air pressure should be checked only when the tyres are cold. Tyres that have been driven for some time have built-up heat inside, and will give inflated readings. The optimum air pressure can be found in the vehicle manual or inside the car door.

Ideally, air pressure should be checked weekly.

Tyre Balancing

Tyre imbalance happens when there is uneven distribution of mass about the tyre's centre. Contrary to appearances, no tyre is completely symmetrical. Most will have "heavy spots" that cause imbalance in the wheel assembly. When your car moves, these heavy spots are pulled outwards by the centrifugal force generated by the movement of the wheels, which will then cause your vehicle to vibrate or your steering wheel to wobble.

Excessive vibration and instability of the steering wheel can be distracting, and a safety hazard, especially when you're driving over long distances.

Wheel Alignment

When you find your car continually pulling away from a straight path, veering slightly to one side, chances are that your wheels are out of alignment. Wheel alignment means adjusting the angles of the wheels, so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.

Wheel alignment should be done when fitting new tyres to your vehicle, and for every 10,000km thereafter.

Visual Inspection

Check tyre exteriors regularly for cuts, cracks, splits, uneven wear or bulges in the tread and sidewall areas. rims, valves, valve stems, valve caps and lug nuts should also be inspected. Remove any small stones or metal pieces stuck in the grooves.

If you notice a specific pattern of wear on the tyres, it may indicate a problem with the suspension. tyres should also be frequently examined for adequate tread depth: ensure that there is a minimum depth of 1.6mm.

Source: The Straits Times Saturday, November 13 2010

Keep your car shiny

Buying a car involves making many decisions, one of which is deciding on a colour for your vehicle. Colour gives your car character, and to a certain extent reflects your personality: black could mean that you're cool dude (or at least you want to be) and red alludes to sensuality and excitement.

But more often than not, after just a few years on the road, many cars lose their lustre and start to look dowdy. Don't lose heart. The good news is that with proper care and maintenance your four-wheeler can still look its best!

Protection from the environment

The exterior of your vehicle is subject to environmental erosion. To protect your paintwork from external wear and tear, you should go through a preventive maintenance regimen.

Exposure to ultraviolet rays over an extended period will eventually corrode the paint, so you'll have to use protective coatings and sealants to neutralise the effects of ultraviolet rays.

Another factor is the corrosion that results from air pollutants coming into contact with your car body. Chemicals in the air are sometimes converted into sulphuric or nitric acids, and these acids, when deposited onto your vehicle either in a wet or dry form, will gradually erode the paint. To protect against this kind of damage, frequent washing is needed.

While we're on the topic of acidic corrosion, let's not forget bird droppings. Faeces have very high acid levels, and it takes only a matter of cays before they affect your paint. Make it a point to wipe off bird droppings as soon as possible, and rinse the areas thoroughly with water.

Importance of regular washing

Nothing beats the rejuvenating effect of regular washing. When the car body is clean, moisture dries up quickly; but when it's dirty, moisture can gain a foothold in dirty spots and eventually cause corrosion.

Aim to wash your car at least once a month, or if possible, once every week. After washing, don't leave your car to dry on its own- water marks will be left all over. Instead, wipe it dry with a soft cotton towel.

Once every half a year or thereabouts, wax your car after giving it a thorough wash. A layer of wax gives your vehicle a shiny look, and helps to shield the paint.

Source: The Straits Times Saturday, November 6 2010

Off with those spots and stains!

If you're a cleanliness freak, this article probably won't be of any use to you. But sometimes, despite your best intentions, accidental spills and stains will happen in your car. Don't panic, though- you can do something about those "damned spots", unlike Lady Macbeth!

Wipe it out

As soon as you can, remove as much of a liquid spill as possible by blotting, not wiping, with paper towels or clean rags. Press the cloth down into the spill until all liquid is absorbed.

Leather seats are much easier to clean than fabric upholstery. After tackling a spill, follow up with a leather cleaner for a more thorough cleaning job as well as leather conditioner.

For fabric upholstery, your first line of defence should be prevention, by treating the car seats with a stain-repellent product.

General spills and stains

Dab the stain with a mild solution of soap or upholstery cleaner and water solution and scrub gently in a circular motion. Allow the foam to sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then wipe away. Rinse well with  a clean and damp cloth without over-saturating the upholstery. If that doesn't work, use a foam fabric or upholstery cleaner.

Crayons

Scrape off what you can of the crayon mark with a spatula or metal spoon. Next, spray the stained area with an upholstery cleaner or WD-40 and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub gently with a stiff brush, then wipe away with paper towels. Re-spray with the cleaning agent and apply dishwashing liquid on the area. scrub the stain again gently, then wipe off with  a damp sponge.

Ink

Blot immediately with a clean rag or paper towel to remove excess ink. Never rub or scrub ink stains. spray a small amount of hairspray or rubbing alcohol on the stain and let it sit a few minutes. Use a clean, soft cloth to wipe the area. If you are worried about the hairspray or rubbing alcohol damaging your upholstery, test it on a less conspicuous part of the seat first.

Coloured drinks/coffee

You can make your own "home remedy" by mixing one litre of water, a tablespoon of white vinegar and half a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, and applying it to the stain with a sponge or towel. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Wipe away with warm water.

Source: The Straits Times Saturday, October 30 2010

Revised ERP Rates on ERP-Priced Roads and Expressways from 1 November 2010

Revised ERP Rates on ERP-Priced Roads and Expressways from 1 November 2010

1. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has completed its quarterly review of traffic conditions on Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)-priced roads and expressways, and will be revising the ERP rates at the following gantry:

2. The revised rate will apply from Monday, 1 November 2010. The rates for the other gantries will remain unchanged.

Next ERP Rate Review

3. The next ERP review will take place in November 2010 for the December School Holidays.

Source: http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=g38062p2uils9ifxm1v9n1ow73395wdooebjj7whbu4q51m1jv

Rotary engine will be missed...for the next few years

With the RX-8 sports car expected to be discontinued after the current model year, Mazda, the last bastion of the Wankel rotary engine, will be without a car in its lineup featuring the free-spinning engine. This is because Mazda is yet to engineer a rotary engine to meet its own internal fuel economy and emissions standards.

Marvelously simple and compact yet viciously inefficient, variants of the spinning triangle have been used in Mazda's cars for over 40 years. However, It’s a well-known fact that the 13B twin-rotor engine in the current RX-8 is a gas-guzzler, rivaling some V-8s for thirst.According to Mitsuo Hitomi, Mazda’s powertrain chief, development of a new rotary engine, dubbed the 16X due of its 1.6-liters of displacement, is ongoing but still years away from production.

Hitomi revealed that the new 16X engine is around 30 percent more fuel efficient than the 13B engine found in the RX-8, and about on par with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder in terms of fuel economy and emissions. But sadly, this level of performance is at least one model year behind schedule so it may take another two years for Mazda to further improve the design and announce production, Hitomi conceded.

The good news is that for Mazda at least, dropping the rotary engine is not an option. But getting more out of the rotary design while decreasing emissions and fuel use is certainly a hefty challenge, especially when cost and reliability issues need to be considered as well.

 

Source: http://www.mycarforum.com/blog/myautoblog/801/rotary-engine-will-be-missedfor-the-next-few-years/