We All Know How to Merge...or Do We?

So many factors to count for what shall we do? That may be the way some of us are looking at merging into traffic. When it comes to merging it is still up to us to determine if it can be done safely, our car stereo or in-dash navigation screen cannot tell us how to do it. Because many of us rely on a nav system to get us anywhere, regular driving techniques have become a bit lax.

Merging is a important part of everyday driving an its one that many people are really really bad at doing. The idea is to seamlessly move from one lane to another in traffic and keep the flow of cars uninterrupted. It seems that many a driver believes that merging their vehicle is everyone else's problem. Just start moving over and everyone else should get out of their way. This is not true, you are the one who has to take responsibility for your driving.

When merging the main idea is to look using your mirrors and actually turning your head to make sure you can make the gap you are trying to enter. Driving along any freeway merging is needed when ever getting on the highway and usually when highways intersect not to mention anytime you want to pass. Merging is very common and one of the most used driving maneuvers that we use without thinking about it. So if we all use it so often why is it that day after day and night after night we sit in traffic for no reason? The answer is clear it bad drivers! Drivers who slam on the brakes after the merge, push their way on, other drivers who don't let people in or even worse the ones who speed up to block people from getting in. If all the drivers at an intersection were to allow one other driver to merge then the speed of a highway should only drop by a few miles an hour due to the fact that the merging car can meet the required speed with the on ramp. If it comes down to merging being the cause of many traffic jams...which it does, the "Smart guy" is the cause of many of them. This is the guy that sees a long line for an exit off the freeway and waits to the last second to cut over. They risk hitting the person who is already waiting in that line and also they slow down their lane by making people behind them panic break. It's a rude and obnoxious maneuver and it is also down right dangerous. To the driver who does this "you are not smarter than the rest of us, your just much more rude".

A drivers action on the road are going to dictate how the traffic flows on the freeway so think before you make your merge. If we all do it right, the drive will be smoother and nicer for all of us. If you are one of those people who thinks it is ok to cut the line of traffic, you should try it at the grocery store when waiting to check out and see what everyone around you has to say about that.

In House Tuning Companies, are They Worth It?

Everyone knows the major players in the automotive world but what about their tuning houses? They make parts as small as a mass air flow sensor to a complete turbocharger or supercharger set up. A tuning house is a company that modifies vehicles for a specific purpose. An in-house tuning is a company that works with a specific brand exclusively such as AMG for Mercedes Benz.

Most of the time a few small upgrades are not a huge investment with a car but is it worth it to buy the completely reworked car or do the upgraded that are desired individually. There are many factors to consider when it comes to purchasing these kind of upgrades not the smallest of which is the money. A great example of this is the mighty Honda Civic which comes in lots of configurations the top of which is called the Mugen edition. Now Mugen is a company that specifically makes performance parts for Honda's and they make some great ones at that. On the other hand a fully loaded Civic SI would set a person back about 23 grand...pricey for a civic. It is not that bad for the performance that one can get compared to that of the base model Civic. The Mugen Civic though would set someone back close to 33 thousand dollars which is 10 grand for a body kit, special wheels, a paint job and not much else.

So where should the line be drawn, the fact of the matter is that for all the gear heads out there modifying their cars is a way of life, a costly one. Any serious modification will almost instantly void the warranty on a vehicle and there for lower the resale significantly. So for this we have in-house tuners, they are able to give the performance that we all want while still keeping things under warranty. Not to mention in California it will keep the emissions man off your back. So in the end the Mugen is a good deal but sometimes the ends don't seem to justify the means. There is a company called Brabus and they specialize in Mercedes benz, they are the ultimate expression of automotive crazy. For example  they will take a 2005 Mercedes SL600 and add $45K worth of modifications to it and consider it a lightly modified car. A few times a year they will sell a Merc that has close to a half a million dollars worth of modifications without even breaking a sweat. The amount of money that is spent to create a custom high end ride is truly insane but still it has to be said that their cars are some of the more stunning on the road today.

So is tuning worth it? in short...YES! ever penny is worth it if you are a motor head.

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.