All posts tagged truck

Towing Power: 4 Truck Tips to Increase Your Torque

by Anica Oaks on 2016/10/26 in Trucks with Comments Off on Towing Power: 4 Truck Tips to Increase Your Torque

Torque is what gives your truck low-end power to muscle through deep sand and tow heavy trailers. While many newer trucks have excellent horsepower, they often lack the ability to transfer that power to the wheels at lower speeds. Here is a look at four tips you can use to give your truck massive power when it is needed the most.

1. Have It Professionally Tuned

New vehicles often come with complex computers that manage the entire mechanical system. While these processors can save you money on gas or diesel, they could be limiting your torque. Truck owners should find a local garage that offers custom tuning to those who want as much power out of their vehicle as possible. In many cases, these services can be finished in just 15 or 20 minutes, and they could increase your truck’s torque by as much as five percent.

2. An Aftermarket Exhaust System

Anyone who plans on towing a trailer from Hillsboro Industries with their truck should consider upgrading their exhaust system. While it might not seem like the exhaust does much to alter your engine’s power, it is actually one of the most common areas where low-end strength is lost. Stock exhaust systems bottleneck the air coming out of the engine, and this prevents new air from being drawn in as efficiently as it could. Aftermarket systems are designed to pull air out as quickly as possible without causing any backflow.

3. Install a Performance Chip

Depending on the model you have purchased, your truck might already have a performance chip inside it. These small devices plug into your OBD-II port and give you full control over many aspects of your engine. A performance chip essentially allows you to tune your truck without heading into a garage. Many modern chips also allow you to create specific settings depending on what type of driving you plan on doing.

4. Cold Air Intake

Installing a cold air intake is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase your torque, but you should first make sure these devices are legal in your state. Because they alter a truck’s emissions, some states have decided to ban them. This upgrade lowers the temperature of the air that is going into your engine to make it as dense as possible.

Many of these tips and upgrades will not only make your truck more powerful, but they could even improve its efficiency. That makes them an excellent investment for practically any driver.

5 Easy Tips for Lowering Your Car Insurance Rate

by Anica Oaks on 2016/02/15 in Auto Insurance with Comments Off on 5 Easy Tips for Lowering Your Car Insurance Rate

Every time you flip on the TV or drive past billboards, you’re likely to see at least one advertisement for car insurance. Providers everywhere bombard us with their competitive rates and incentives for choosing their plans. But no matter your insurance provider, you can do several things to lower your rate. These few tips can get you started.

Drive a Low-Cost Vehicle

Driving a clunker certainly has its drawbacks, but insurance isn’t one of them. The lower the value of your car, the lower your premium.

Why?

Because car insurance is there partially to pay for any damages to your car in an accident. But if you’re driving a car from the ’90s in 2014, chances are that car wouldn’t last much longer after your accident anyway. For the most part, it costs your provider much less money to pay for those repairs.

This doesn’t mean you need to drive a straight-out clunker. Your premium will also be lower if your car is considered safe. If your car scored highly in a crash test, your provider will usually lower your rate for that too.

Drive Fewer Miles

Many auto insurance companies reduce your premium if you drive less than 7,500 miles per year. If you can, limit how much you use your car. Switch up your commute by taking public transportation or carpooling with coworkers. You don’t have to drop your car altogether (why else are you paying auto insurance?). Just cut back on unnecessary miles.

Get an Insurance Package

Insurance companies tend to provide a discount if you combine insurance plans. Rather than using three different providers for car, home, and life insurance, combine them into one package.

Make the Most of Good Grades

Insurance companies reward good students. If your teenager or college student is driving a car you insure and they do well in school, tell your provider. They’ll typically provide a discount (of about 15%) for students on the honor roll or with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Sometimes, the higher the GPA, the higher the discount.

Why?

Because good grades tend to indicate safer drivers. Insurance companies use statistics that show good students have better decision-making skills and safer driving habits. So if your student driver qualifies and is under the age of 25, get that discount.

Be a Safe Person

Hopefully, you have higher incentives than your car insurance to be safe, but safe habits will definitely lower your rate. Most providers recognize a clean driving record and habits that indicate strong decision-making skills, like grades do. Try the following ideas to be safer every day:

  • Kick bad habits like drinking or smoking. Drinking puts you at a higher risk for driving under the influence, and a DUI charge may mean that you must find a great DUI attorney in Athens or your particular area or risk a criminal record. Furthermore, both smoking and drinking risk your health. The healthier (and less distracted) you are while driving, the less likely you are to get in an accident.
  • Take a driver’s ed course. You’ll learn valuable skills like how to avoid accidents and combat driving in poor weather.
  • Avoid getting into accidents or getting tickets. Easier said than done, but drive defensively and stay within the speed limit. Be more careful with those preventive measures. Your driving record helps establish the rate you pay.
  • Establish good credit. Like good grades, solid credit indicates you’re responsible.

Inherent factors like your age and gender also play a role in your rate. If you’re an older driver or a female, you’ll pay less because you’re considered lower-risk.

Ask whether any of these qualities and habits qualify you for a lower rate. Wherever you get your auto insurance, it’s very likely you qualify for a discount and can cut back on that rate. Just communicate those qualifications to your provider so they can reward you for being a safe, low-maintenance driver.

Prepared for a Break Down? 4 Crucial Items to Keep in Your Vehicle

by Anica Oaks on 2015/12/18 in Auto Care with Comments Off on Prepared for a Break Down? 4 Crucial Items to Keep in Your Vehicle

When it comes to your personal safety and well-being, it always pays to be prepared. This includes preparing yourself for any emergencies that you might experience when you get in your car and head down the road. Here is a look at four emergency items that everyone should keep in their vehicle at all times.

First Aid Kit

Every single vehicle should have a stocked first aid kit in the trunk or cab at all times. Smaller kits that are created specifically for vehicles are quite affordable and can be purchased at practically any store. These kits will typically include a handful of bandages in various sizes, pain relievers, a tourniquet, latex gloves, antiseptic wipes, and tweezers. Larger kits might have an assortment of additional gear such as hand-crank radios and sterilized water.

Blankets

Anyone who lives in a climate with freezing temperatures or will be driving through a colder area should keep extra clothing and blankets in their vehicle. A human’s internal temperature only needs to drop by two degrees in order for hypothermia to take place, and this can result in permanent damage to their organs and other soft tissue. At the very least, drivers should have a water-resistant jacket and thick blanket in their trunk. Those who would like to be even more prepared should consider a sub-zero sleeping bag.

An Old Cell Phone

It might seem counterintuitive to keep a second charged cell phone in your vehicle, but these devices are important for a few different reasons. The first reason is that cell phones can make emergency calls even if they do not have an active calling plan. A driver can also switch out their SIM card if their first phone dies. Plugging your SIM card into the second phone will allow you to make calls to anyone that you need including a heavy towing service in Texas or other emergency services.

Water

Going just a few hours without water or any other liquids can impair one’s judgment as their body begins to shut down to protect itself. Having a couple jugs of clean water in your car will allow you to protect yourself from the harsh side effects of dehydration. Typically, drivers will want these water jugs to contain distilled water so that they can use it in their radiator if their car begins to overheat. Most cars require a mixture of 50 percent radiator fluid and 50 percent distilled water.

Having just these four items in your vehicle will keep you safe and comfortable if your car breaks down and you find yourself stranded on the side of the road.

Five Of The Many Benefits To Owning A Truck

by Carsurfer Admin on 2014/08/08 in Trucks with Comments Off on Five Of The Many Benefits To Owning A Truck

Trucks are one of the most popular types of vehicles to own for drivers and have evolved into a car that offers both luxury and unique features. Although the inside of the cabin was once cramped, trucks now offer spacious interiors that feel cozy. Due to their size and powerful engines, there are a number of other benefits to owning a truck that drivers can enjoy.

Transport Large Items

One of the main benefits to owning a truck is the ability to transport cargo and large items with ease. The bed of the truck is spacious enough to carry appliances, furniture, or tools without intruding on space of the cab.

Travel on Rough Terrain

Trucks are a viable car to use when driving on rough terrain or in bad weather. It can easily handle wet roads or plow through snow, making it a great car to have for those who want to drive in the mountains or in the desert. By having the four-wheel drive system and the right tires, there are few limitations on where trucks can travel.

The Ability to Tow

Pickup trucks come with a hitch, which offers the ability to tow and haul large items. This can make it easy to transport a second vehicle or trailer for a convenient way of making use of the vehicle. It also makes it easy to tow other toys, whether wanting to bring a boat to the river or a pair of four-wheelers to the desert. The six-speed engines work well with hauling and can pull a higher amount of towing capacity of up to 7,000 pounds.

Repairs are Easier to Diagnose

Trucks are built to last and commonly drive up to 300,000 miles for a vehicle that can continue to haul and climb tough terrain for several years. According to 99 Truck Parts & Industrial Equipment Ltd, which provides transmission repair in Langley, they can also be easier to diagnose due to the simple mechanics of the vehicle for a car that needs few repairs during its lifetime.

Better Views of the Road

The cabins of pickup trucks sit higher up than typical sedans or SUVs, making it easy for the driver and passengers to have better views of the road. This can make it easier to spot items in the road or see upcoming traffic while traveling.

Whether wanting to feel in charge on the road or simply get a better view from behind the wheel, pickup trucks offer a number of benefits that have made them a popular choice among consumers. Between their vast size to their ability to tow, it makes for an option that offers more features to their owners.