Robert Sikorsky s little book Drive It Forever offers invaluable tips to keep your car going the extra mile. His stellar advice could save you a year s worth of car payments or more!

The smoother you drive, the longer your car will run. Stopping and starting, fast lane changes, scratching off all lead to shorter life for your car.

Naturally, you can t drive at all without stopping and starting. But your goal is to keep moving smoothly any time that you can. Does it look like a stoplight is about to turn green? Then slow down and if possible, gently keep moving until the light changes.

Less engine idle means less engine wear, says Sikorsky. If you have to idle longer than 30 seconds, you may as well turn the engine off and start it when you re ready to roll. So turn off the car if you re waiting in parking lots, waiting on others to ready themselves for travel, if you have to go back in the house for something, etc.

And never rev up the car while it s not moving.

If you re driving in bumper to bumper barely moving traffic, it s wise to turn your air conditioner off. This saves a lot of wear on your car. The engine has to work overtime if the air is on and you re stopping and starting frequently.

You ve probably heard that it s good to take your car out periodically for a good drive on the highway now and again, and that s good advice. This allows your engine to get fully warmed up and helps get rid of some deposits built up by short trips.

If it s below freezing, try not to take your car out on short trips of less than five miles. Sikorsky says this is one of the worst possible conditions for your car.

Don t cruise around a parking lot forever, trying to find a spot. Go ahead and park further away and get in a little exercise.

Avoid accelerating suddenly unless there s an emergency situation. Putting the pedal to the metal may get you someplace today, but tomorrow you may end up hitching a ride from a neighbor.

If possible, don t park your car headed uphill. When you re ready to start it later, the engine will have to use extra power to pull itself. It s better to park headed downhill than uphill.

Driving on dusty roads cuts your gas mileage considerably as well as adds to engine wear.

I ve found Drive It Forever a valuable read! It s personal, and easy to read, even if you re mechanically challenged.

About the Author

This article provided courtesy of http://www.car-leasing-guide.com

Technorati Tags: automotive, autocare, auto care, car care, auto repair

Do you own a Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV)?

What in the world is a Flexible Fuel Vehicle? It’s a car or truck that is capable of burning certain alternative fuels. Now we’re not talking gasoline vs. diesel engines here, we’re talking about gasoline engines that can also burn ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, methanol, and p-series fuels. According to some chemist at the U.S. Department of Energy, p-series fuels are “a unique blend of natural gas liquids (pentanes plus), ethanol, and the biomass-derived co-solvent methyltetrahydrofuran” just in case you were wondering.

Anyway, if you own one of these flexible fuel vehicles, and you could own one without realizing it, then you might be able to save yourself a whopping amount of money now that gas is nearing the price of gold.

Although some of the more exotic alternative fuels may not be flowing out of the pumps at your neighborhood service station, there is a good chance that ethanol is.

Ethanol is alcohol-based and it’s made by fermenting and distilling corn, barley, or wheat. It can also be made from “cellulosic biomass”, which is just a fancy phrase for “chunks of trees and grass”, except that this version is called “Bioethanol” instead of plain “Ethanol”.

E85 is an Ethanol/Gasoline product that’s being sold at a lot of gas stations. It’s a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E95 is a 95/5 blend of ethanol and gasoline. Both blends are capable of being burned by most Flexible Fuel Vehicles.

Some service stations are selling an E10 (10/90 ethanol/gasoline blend), that doesn’t really qualify as an alternative fuel. Its primary purpose is to reduce carbon monoxide levels, and it can be burned by most any engine that burns gasoline.

Unlike Hybrid Vehicles, flexible fuel vehicles are not necessarily more expensive because of the alternative fuel option, and they aren’t anywhere near as rare. In fact, there’s a chance that you’re driving one right now. If the salesperson didn’t tell you, and you’re not the kind that reads owner’s manuals, and you’re ignoring the sticker that’s probably on the inside of your gas tank cover, you could be in for a cash-saving surprise.

If you’re not sure if you own an FFV, or you’re planning on buying a new car soon, then visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Flexible Fuel Vehicle (http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/models.html) list.

If there isn’t a FFV in your life, there’s still hope. You can have an aftermarket conversion done. When you do a conversion, your gasoline-only engine ends up being able to burn some particular alternative fuel such as compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, or propane), or Ethanol. You have three conversion choices; “dedicated”, “dual-fuel”, and “bi-fuel”. Dedicated means that your engine only burns one fuel after the conversion. Dual-fuel engines can burn two different fuels, and with a bi-fuel conversion, your engine burns two different fuels at the same time. So, if you think that you have no choice but to continue paying through the nose when you’re paying at the pump, look into getting a Flexible Fuel Vehicle or an aftermarket conversion.
About the Author

Diane Nassy is the founder of http://www.save-on-gas-prices.com. Visit her website for great tips on ways to save on rising gas prices. Email : deeljeabiz@gmail.com

Technorati Tags: automotive, autocare, auto care, car care, auto repair

When it comes to auto insurance rates, who you are determines what you pay.

Automobile insurance premiums are based on a large number of factors, some of which you can control, and some of which, alas, are incontrovertible facts of life. Statistically, a sixteen-year old boy with a 300 horsepower sports car in a big city is far more likely to hit something than a 35 year-old married guy driving a minivan around the suburbs.

While you can t change your age and some other factors, there are things that you can do to keep insurance premiums as low as possible.

Factors you CAN T change that impact your auto insurance rates:

Your age

Dick Clark and Sophia Loren notwithstanding, aging is unavoidable. And while you may be a mature-looking teen or a youthful octogenarian, the oldest and the youngest drivers are far more likely to have accidents.

Gender

Whether it s the mothering instinct or fewer NASCAR fantasies, women statistically make safer drivers.

Marital Status

Ok, you can change this, but there have been no reports of people marrying simply to lower their insurance rates.

Factors you CAN change that impact your auto insurance rates:

Geography

Where you live matters.For instance, those living in rural America are far less likely to have a collision or a stolen car than those living in a city. But, sometimes even just moving across the street can change your rate.

Driving violations

Speeding tickets, running red lights, failure to yield, etc. all count toward your auto insurance rate.

Your vehicle

If you must have that cherry red Corvette or the Ferrari Testarossa, be prepared to pay for it. Your insurance premiums will be higher.

Accident claims

While you can t change the past, keeping your slate clean and free of accidents will hold you in better stead than lots of fender benders.

Credit rating

That s right many insurance companies view having a poor, or even no credit history as suggestive of higher risk.

Occupation

A little easier said than done. Believe it or not, insurers have found correlation between your occupation and risk. Makes sense that the pizza delivery guy could be a higher risk!

Other factors that go into determining premiums:

• Miles driven per year
• Distance to work
• Occupation
• Years of driving experience
• Business use of the vehicle
• Whether or not you currently have auto insurance
• Theft protection devices (often results in discounts)
• Multiple cars and drivers (another opportunity for discounts)

Overwhelmed?

It can be more than a bit confusing when trying to decide the best and most affordable coverage for your vehicle. Like anything else, get good advice and comparison shop. With the Web at your fingers, you have all the information and power to get the best deal.

Please note that this description/explanation is intended only as a guideline.

For more information about auto insurance please go to: Insurance.com

About The Author

Rob Sliver

Insurance.com

feedback@insurance.com

Technorati Tags: automotive, autocare, auto care, car care, auto repair