Great Deals to be Had in the 2008 Car Clearance

You will always get a good deal on a new car when the dealerships want to clear out their inventory to make room for the cars of the New Year. The 2008 car clearance, though, has been the best one in recent memory in terms of the deals offered to customers. One only has to listen to the news and see the line ups of cars waiting at the docks in San Francisco to see that the sale of cars has diminished to next to nothing. As a result of the global economic situation, car manufacturers are finding themselves in financial difficulty and have drastically cut prices in order to move the cars.

If you watch any of the ads on TV featuring the special deals associated with the 2008 car clearance (http://cheap-insurance-rates.com/auto), you will realize that now is the time to get one of the best deals of your life on a new vehicle. Companies that offer financing of new cars have 0% interest in place so your payments are based on the purchase price only. In addition to this savings, companies and dealerships are throwing in discounts of $2000 and $3000 as well as cutting the cost of the vehicles they still have on their lots.

There are many incentives offered by individual dealerships in order to speed up their 2008 car clearance. It is important to negotiate with the salesperson about the trade in amount you receive for your vehicle, which will reduce the overall purchase price. You will get a better deal, though, if you go in to look for a 2008 car without a trade. You also have to look at a car that has low fuel costs and low maintenance.

The 2008 new car clearance (http://cheap-insurance-rates.com/auto) actually started in July, as it does every year. With so many people losing their jobs, though, car sales did not reach the anticipated levels. Thus, by September, most dealerships were in panic mode with not having enough room for the 2009 cars they had on order. This is when the offers for incentive really went into high gear. Most car dealerships do not have many vehicles of the previous year in stock in January, but this is not the case in 2009. Ads are still running on TV for very expensive 2008 vehicles on which the prices have really been reduced.

Leasing a new 2009 car used to be an option. Due to the credit crunch, many companies have now eliminated this manner of obtaining a new car and this too has impacted the 2008 car clearance. Consumers like the option of being able to lease a vehicle for three or four years and then return it without having to bother with haggling over the price of a trade. The financial state of the “Big Three” is such that a few of them have cut out leasing, although you are still able to lease a car from Ford.

It is not just the car companies of the United States that are having difficulty moving their inventory through a 2008 car clearance. The foreign made cars that are often cheaper in price are also in the same situation. Anyone who can afford the payments on a new car is tending to hang on to their old car just in case there may be changes in their individual financial situation.

Vw Tdi Performance- Building a Beast

As with building up any vehicle for power, vw tdi performance starts with the basic modifications first. The vw tdi will get its biggest two gains out of a tdi chip or module and out of tdi injectors. Your average chip or module upgrade will give about a 20% power increase. A tdi injector upgrade usually yields about a 20% gain as well. If the right combination of tdi chip/module and injectors are used even more will be gained. i.e. (Van Aaken Smartbox & Van Aaken Smart Power Nozzles) Those are the most basic vw tdi performance upgrades.

Another basic vw tdi performance modification is the tdi exhaust. If you are going to increase fueling you will in turn increase EGT’s (exhaust gas temperatures). So to keep temperatures lower and to help increase performance of the vw tdi even more, one of two things can be done. One a mufflerectomy can be performed in which the muffler and resonator are removed and a straight pipe is put in their place. This opens things up a little and removes the baffling of the muffler so that the exhaust can flow more freely. The second tdi exhaust option is the aero turbine muffler. The inner design of the muffler works the same as a jet engine to increase the flow of exhaust even more than what a mufflerectomy does. The inner design splits the air via an air foil. The faster air moves through the center and the slower air moves around the outside of the air foil, the slower moving air then re-enters the main air stream through inlets that go down the sides of the mufflers inner cylinder. This recombining creates a vortex that lowers the tone of the exhaust and dramatically reduces back pressure by increasing the flow of all the exhaust that moves through it.

Increasing air flow into the engine will help more of the fuel to be combusted and to help extract more power out of each molecule of fuel. Most cold air intakes have a large cone air filter that is able to move up to 300% more air than the stock air intake system. This makes the cold air intake an important part of any vw tdi performance package, sadly though cold air intakes are not currently made for all the vw tdi models. Another modification that helps with air intake and exhaust is water methanol injection. Water methanol injection is also known as chemical intercooling. It has a three fold effect on the diesel engine. It cools the intake charge which provides for more available air intake and the benefits of a higher positive pressure ratio (more power giving fuel can be utilized safely without high combustion temperatures). Two, the combustion of water also adds power and three; methanol is also a high octane fuel that adds more power. Water methanol injection typically lowers EGT’s by about 200 to 250 degrees on bigger diesels and is slightly under that for the vw tdi.

So in conclusion, to be able to build a real beast the modifications must be made from the ground up. After these mods are made then a bigger turbo and intercooler could be added as well as upgrading the clutch and other components to help hold the added power.

Volkswagen Cornering Enhancements

Volkswagen Cornering Enhancements

If you enjoy taking a corner or two a bit crazy once in a while like me you may find your Volkswagen’s current handling performance a bit lacking. There are a few key things that affect the way a car handles corners. Improving any or all of these elements will greatly increase the handling capabilities of your car.

Sliding off the road:

One of key components to how well your car corners is the tires. The tire width and compound of the rubber play crucial roles in keeping your VW from sliding off the road.

Wider tires have more surface area in contact with the road which will improve traction. It also has the unfortunate side effect of decreasing your gas mileage due to increased friction with the road. It is not uncommon for people to install wider tires and see their gas mileage go down by 50 miles per tank! If you have ever wondered why car makers put such skinny tires on their vehicles this is one of the main reasons. Wider tires also tend to turn into skis in winter driving conditions.

Installing stickier tires will help your dry traction considerably. One thing to keep in mind though is the softer and stickier the tire, the faster it will wear out. High performance summer tires may also perform very poorly in wet and icy conditions, which means you’ll probably want another set of tires for winter driving.

If you get bigger wheels to go with your tires you will probably end up with a tire that has a shorter sidewall, which makes the new tires nearly the same diameter as the old ones. These shorter sidewalls will improve handling slightly. Have you ever gone around a corner at high speed and felt like your tires were flopping over sideways? They actually do. The shorter the sidewalls are the less likely this is to happen, but unfortunately this also leads to a slightly rougher ride as there is less tire height to absorb bumps in the road.

Body Roll:

Does your Volkswagen feel like it is leaning over sideways when you tear around a turn? This is what is known as body roll. There are a couple main ways to combat this problem.

The easiest of which that is also the thing that has the least effect on ride comfort is to install a set of sway bars or anti-roll bars. Depending on your car there may be aftermarket bars for the front, rear, or both for your vehicle. They are usually thicker than the stock sway bars, which flex less and keep your VW from leaning as much during cornering. The difference these bars make is tremendous. They can be installed yourself in a few hours and shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars at most. This is the first modification I did to my car and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again to every other car I drive in the future.

Another thing that effects body roll is your car’s center of gravity. The closer your car is to the ground the less effect the forces of cornering will have on it. Installing a set of lowering springs which bring your car an inch or two closer to the ground will improve handling considerably.

You should be aware though that putting lowering springs on your stock shocks will cause them to wear out faster, so it is recommended that you replace both at the same time to save money on labor in the future. Lowering springs also have a different spring rate than the stock springs and will most likely result in a much stiffer ride than you’re used to. While some people can get used to this, I’ve read many stories about people that spent all day installing new springs themselves only to have their spouse hate it and make them change it back.

Since cornering capability and ride comfort are at odds with each other you must find your own comfortable compromise where you are happy with the way your VW handles and the way you and your passengers feel riding in the car.

Remember: Drive safe, wear your seatbelt, and have fun!

Toyota Parts – Quality At Its Peak

High prices of gas and diesel fuel has forced automobile manufacturers to innovate by coming up with solutions and thinking outside the box. In the case of the Toyota Motor Company, the Japanese Auto making giant, parts like the Toyota Highlander parts are carefully designed to maximize fuel efficiency while remaining affordable.

In a well-planned calibrated and redesigned move adopted by the company, which will certainly be adopted by other automakers, the Toyota Motor Company plans to offer to its customers a high output engine as standard equipment. The engine is equipped with four-cylinders in all new SUV models after 2009.

Toyota Highlander parts are available with all its dealers, especially models that were introduced into the market since 1990, and since the Highlander was launched in 2001, getting parts is simple. Genuine Toyota parts are available with authorized dealers of the Toyota Motor company, as some aftermarket Toyota Highlander spare parts bought from unauthorized and unreliable sources may turn out to be fakes or used material spares.

With a massive increase in cars and SUVs, more and more aftermarket auto spare part dealers have emerged in the market, which stock and readily provide replacements for auto spares for different every Toyota vehicle available. They also stock and offer accessories like car stereos, safety air bags, tires and a variety of other aftermarket products that are designed to improve the car’s performance. There are accessories and parts that increase safety, improve mileage, give better fuel efficiency, and enhance the look of vehicles.

The parts manufactured for the Toyota Highlander are made of tough, shock proof material and because the SUV has been built with the concept of driving both in the cities and through rugged mountainous terrain, they are highly durable, reliable and do not give away easily. Nevertheless, at the same time the Highlander needs to be maintained well and must be periodically serviced to achieve smooth effortless driving and get optimal performance and longevity. Even the very best Toyota Highlander parts in the world will fail to operate properly if they are not well maintained and cared for.

It’s important that Toyota parts are installed correctly in order for them to work as promised. Make sure that even if you have purchased high quality genuine Toyota parts, you get them installed by a certified mechanic who really knows what they are doing. If parts are not correctly installed, they can fail to function properly and may even cause expensive damage to your vehicle.

If you decide to install parts yourself, precisely follow the instructions given and carefully test the part once it has been installed to ensure that it is firmly in place and that it is operating as it should. If you find that it is shaky or that it is not working as promised, it’s important that you take it to a mechanic right away. You are better off paying a little bit to have your parts installed right then to have pay a ton for a new car!

Defining The Suv With The Landrover Defender

Production of the Landrover Defender didn’t start with the Defender name right off the bat.  Between 1983 and 1990, the Rover Group Plc then under the Government before getting privatized when the British Aerospace bought it in 1988, came out with the Land Rover 90, 110 and 127/130 to reflect different wheelbase lengths in inches,  enhancing its Series III Land Rovers that started in 1948 and was about to end its production in 1985.  It was only in 1990 when, together with the new Discovery line started a year earlier, would break the company’s traditional naming convention over the last 40 years.  It now has the Discovery, Defender and the future Freelander series.

Distinguishing Features

From the exterior, the Land Rovers of the 80s had little to distinguish them from the Series III Land Rovers, other than a full bonnet, a slightly revised grille and a wheel well arches covering wider tires from wider axles.

The engines however showed significant improvements that included a 3.2 liter V8 petrol engine with 5-speed transmission before getting subsequent upgrading to 3.5 as well as the introduction of 68 hp 2.5 liter diesel engine.   Coil springs replaced leaf springs on all fours to improve axle articulation and ride comfort.

Its all-wheel drive system comes from the upscale Range Rover line with 2-speed gearboxes and a locking center differential.  Cosmetically, you have a more modern interior and a one-piece windscreen that took out the center post.

The early 90 and 110 models had sliding windows and subsequent models from 1984 onwards used the standard wind-up windows.  The basic pick-up and station wagon models continued to be marketed as utility multi-purpose working vehicles aimed at families and it was not until later when it started to get accessory options that progressively started its position as a private recreational vehicle – the precursor of your sports luxury SUVs.

At about the same time, a new 127 and 130 wheelbase was introduced as a more rugged utility Defender for larger heavier payloads.  This longer wheelbase was a stock station wagon out of the factory and was an instant hit and became popular with after-market conversion kits for an ambulance, fire engine, flat bed trucks and a van that can seat 15 persons.

Introducing the Defender

It was in 1990 that the Defender name was introduced and has been evolving ever since to the present despite changing ownership hands from BMW in 1994, Ford Motor in 2000 and the Tata Motors of India in 2008.  With the Defender’s introduction came a new 2.5 liter turbo charged diesel engine, the 200Tdi that produced 111 hp, a 25% improvement over the engine it replaced and was also used in the Discovery series.

This allowed the Defender to cruise with the highest level of comfort for a Land Rover until that time.  The various wheelbase models also got a name change and were now known as the Defender 90, Defender 110 and the 127 became the Defender 130.

Throughout the 90s, the Landrover Defender fulfilled two product positioning niches – one is the basic all-terrain all purpose family utility vehicle if bought without the optional extras.  Otherwise, with the accessories, the Defender becomes an up-market utility that can be used everyday on city streets and highways with the same driving luxuries and comforts found in regular sedans and SUV’s.