What is the Tire Pressure Monitor System

Government regulations require all cars now to have tire pressure monitoring systems as original equipment. The question is what do these systems do…or better one is how do they work? Unlike a starter or an alternator the TPMS is a unit that is battery powered and has a 100% failure rate over a period of 10 years.

The system uses a sensor in each tire that contains an internal battery and sends a signal to a receiver in the vehicle. When one of these sensors detects a low tire pressure it signals the ECM and the check tire light will flash.

Every year it is estimated that there are over 40,000 accidents and 33,000 injuries due to tire issues. Not to mention more than 650 deaths are attributed to under inflation related issues so having a system that will relay potential issues is an amazing advantage. Aside from the safety issues the potential money savings is a big factor too. Not just for the driver but for everyone since a tire that is under inflated by 10% will cause a 1% drop in efficiency in performance. It is estimated that over 2 billion gallons of gas are wasted each year due to under inflation. This system has been standard equipment in normal passenger cars since 2007 and will be federally required after 2012 in all new vehicles.

Automotive Styling Do’s and Don’ts

Automotive styling is a tricky beast to tame, the fact of the matter is cars have to be designed to lure the masses and not the specific style of its builder. While parts like the tail light or headlight assembly dictate the “face” of the vehicle there are many other aspects to consider that make a car attractive.

There are some great examples of how headlights can look great but still the car design is a failure. The Pontiac Aztec is a great example of this, the headlamps look like they would be right at home on a sports car but they have been placed on what would turn out to be probably the ugliest car that has ever been released to the public. On the other hand there are cars that have terrible headlamps but for some reason they look great anyway. A great example of this is the new SLS by Mercedes if you look at the parts they don’t look good but once they are all put together it just works and you cant really explain why.

Car design is a major factor in what car people will buy, a few years ago Honda released the civic hatchback SI. It was met with weak sales and Honda took that as the public did not want a sporty version of the Civic. They missed the major factor ….it was really ugly and it doesn’t matter how good a car is if it’s not nice to look at. The fact of the matter a car must look the way people want it to. If you are building a mid-size sedan the car can look kinda bland cause to most “it’s just a car” but if you are building a sports car it must have curves and angles that give the car an aggressive look. They say cars represent their owners and their owners don’t want to drive a car that makes them feel ugly or boring.  

The Amazing Auto Auction that is Barrett-Jackson

Every few months the automotive sales goliath that is Barrett-Jackson rears its head. This even is not like a mechanics special auction where all the cars need a new diesel injector or diesel fuel pumps, no these are classics. Well not all of them are classics, some are future classics.

Barrett-Jackson is a traveling auction that specializes in high end cars that private collectors and dealerships are looking to sell but would never reach their full potential if sold on a lot. Over the years this auction has seen cars from complete concepts to extreme race cars to the complete body off numbers matching restorations that fetch millions. Barrett-Jackson is basically every little boys dream car buffet we all had a car poster on the wall, for me it was the Countach.

The money that people are willing to throw down to get some of these rides is almost as impressive as the cars themselves. Some cars have cleared the 3 million mark and others don’t even hit the reserve, it all comes down to the buzz around a specific car. Unlike police auctions or estate sales this auction widely advertises the cars that are for sale and lets potential buys get all the info about the cars as well as documentation that proves numbers matching. Some cars sold have unique background such as movie cars or even classic James Dean driven cars. People will pay good money for cars that have a history and Barrett-Jackson is where these cars are sold. In other words if you have a classic car with a good history and you are looking to sell then this auction is the place for you to sell that car. 

The Pagani Huayra makes other super cars look juvenile

Each car make on the planet has a specific purpose, they all want to sell their cars and make money. Not every company goes about this the same way. When someone like Ford creates a car they build it for function so the steering rack or steering gear box are all there to “work” but not to make the driver passionate. Small car companies are usually more interested in creating a driving experience that inspires the driver to feel passion for the car or for driving. Companies such as Ferrari and Lotus are more about the way a driver feels then about mass producing a cheap hatchback for the general public. Even Ferrari and Lotus have quotas to meet and huge companies to satisfy. Pagani on the other hand is a completely different type of company they are built around one man’s dream.

Horatio Pagani set out years ago to make a car that was his dream and the idea was simple. Make the fastest car they could possible build and who cares how much it cost. The car had to look good and make the driver feel like a 12 year old boy staring at a poster of a supercar on his wall. The first car that was built was called the Zonda which quickly took the top spot on most people dream car list…that includes my own. After about a decade the Zonda’s production run has come to an end and while that is sad it means there is a new model that is ready to make us all green with envy.

Over the last few years Pagani has been upgrading and testing higher and higher performance parts in their track versions of the Zonda all for the purpose of installing these exact parts in their new street car. A year ago we got the first few glimpses of what they were planning and what a shockingly beautiful creation it is now that it has come into full view. This new car is called the Huayra and if you are having trouble saying it, it sounds like this “why-ra”.  This car was built from conception to production all on the vision of Horatio and has now finally hit the streets of the USA but only for a test drive with Jay Leno in the passenger seat. It will be another year before any of us can get behind the controls. Of course to get behind the wheel the size of the check you will have to write will be bigger than the mega mansion you will live in. There is no way to soften the blow…its 1.5 million dollars. It is a small price to pay for the most exciting car that has ever been built for the streets and even better…the US streets.

Concept Cars a Plenty in Frankfurt

Every year there are a host of car shows and events where manufacturers show off their new creations and new ideas. From components like car radio units and car navigation system units to complete concept vehicles the Frankfurt motor show has always been a haven for the automotive ideas of the world. It’s not just cars like the Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale that take center stage in this arena. Cars like the Ford Festiva ST are huge crowd pleasers because of their real world attainability.

This year was no different with Ford, Subaru, Fisker and many others throwing down some amazing ideas.  Ford showed off their Focus and Festiva ST model’s which are both set for a global release…that means we will actually be able to have them here in the states. This is a big announcement since the US never gets the fun models of cars…type R, Old School Nissan GTR, even the old focus St none of them ever saw US shores, well legally anyway.

One of the most stunning models is the Jaguar C-X16 which is slated for production for the 2013 model year and has to be one of the best looking cars ever built. The great thing about this car …yep it is set to go head to head with the Porsche Cayman so the price won’t be out of this world. Sadly for the US market the Focus ST wagon will not hit our shores so we will have to make do with the Cadillac CTS-V wagon and its petty 600HP. Porsche showed off their new 911 but it is hard to tell the new one from the old, as opposed to KIA who dropped the GT concept on an unsuspecting public. The GT concept is KIAs fist RWD platform and if it comes out looking like the concept it will be a huge head turner. There was also a 1000+HP electric super car that was teased but not that much is known about it yet. For a full list of all the action cars and events at the show hit up Google and look for the Frankfurt auto show then sit back and enjoy the glory. 

The Small Customer Car Craze Started a Long Time Ago

Throughout the ages man has strived to define himself as an individual. Cave drawings, elaborate hair styles, huge watches there are all a way to say “look at me” in new and unique ways.  Car trends through the years have changed but the feel is the same it’s all about making something truly unique and truly yours. This is not just about putting some fancy parts or changing out the steering racks and power steering pump when there is a recall. Customer cars are all about what the owners want and how the car makes them feel. The same idea of making your loin cloth out of some dangerous animal can be applied to the car scene. Something that took a long time to build or is unique will always stand out in a crowd.

It is a little known truth that the Japanese and euro tuning market has been alive and well long before the Honda crazy hit the US. In the US the car market was dominated by large American cars for a long period of time and anyone running a small engine was considered to be a bit limp wristed in what they drove. There was no way that a car with a 4 cylinder could be a performance car in any way. In Europe on the other hand the trend was already in full swing with tuning houses and private individuals dropping some serious coin to make their rides unique and much faster.

The trend of going wider and making the cars “footprint” larger has been a tried and true practice for years. These pics are just a few of the examples of the crazy ideas that people had in the 80s and 90s before the small car crazy hit here. There are so many examples of what the gear heads of the past had in mind and what lead to the looks of modern cars. As a car guy it is obvious to me and probably to you that styles created by custom cars is always a big influence in the car of the future.