Unleash the horses with a performance exhaust system upgrade

Stock exhaust systems are designed simply to provide a conduit for spent gases to move from your engine to your tailpipe - no more, no less. On the other hand, performance exhaust systems are engineered to maximize your engine's exhaust flow, giving you:

- Serious horsepower and torque gains

- Distinctive, growling exhaust tone

- Improved fuel economy

Horsepower and torque

In case you skipped out on Auto Shop back in high school, I am here to give you a quick lesson on the mysterious inner-workings of your engine's cylinders. Without cylinders, your vehicle could not drive around, unless you could convince your friends to lend you their backs and push you all over town. That's because the majority of your horsepower is generated right there in your cylinders through a fairly straightforward process, called combustion.

First, the cylinder sucks a mixture of oxygen and fuel (gasoline or diesel) into its chamber, where it is then ignited by a spark plug or glow stick. These three ingredients create a controlled explosion, or combustion, which generates both energy and waste gases. That energy transforms into wheel-turning torque to propel you down the road, but the exhaust is a cloud of useless particles that would clog up your engine if left to linger in the piston chamber.

That's where the exhaust system comes into action. The spent gases are exhaled, traveling out of the engine through your exhaust manifold, and they eventually exit out the back of your vehicle. The faster the exhaust gets out of the way, the easier it is for your engine to breathe, which means more horsepower, torque and fun behind the wheel.

The problem with stock exhaust systems is that they are not optimized for the best possible flow. Auto manufacturers spend much more time thinking about the shape and placement of your air vents than they do planning your exhaust pipes. What's the result of their neglect? Your motor has to work harder during combustion, which robs you of valuable horsepower, torque and fuel economy. A performance exhaust system will harness the potential power that your engine is wasting because of its inefficient stock exhaust.

Quick-installing, bolt-on performance exhaust systems improve your power by:

- Drastically reducing restrictions in your pipes

- Increasing the puny diameter of stock pipes

- Improving engine scavenging

The Growl

With a performance exhaust system, you not only feel the power every time your foot hits the peddle, but you also hear it thundering and rolling around you. Nothing quite improves your vehicle's presence as a throaty, rumbling exhaust system. When you hear each and every piston firing in rapid succession, you truly comprehend the unbridled force lurking under your hood. Stock exhaust systems try to hold back your engine's naturally forceful tone with thick-walled exhaust manifolds and mufflers that stifle your vehicle's rich resonance, rather than enhance it.

When it comes to the sound of your vehicle, the muffler has the most impact. Of course, you can tell by its name that a muffler's job is to dampen the sounds pouring out of your tailpipes. Without a muffler, your vehicle would sound like a string of M80 firecrackers exploding in a metal trashcan. On the other hand, a stock muffler suppresses the naturally aggressive rumble of a strong engine to a spineless wimper. Take control of the tone of your vehicle with a performance exhaust system for the perfect balance of sound and suppression.

Fuel Economy

Unless you've got your own oil derrick churning out barrels of Texas Tea in your backyard, chances are you too are feeling the pinch at the pump due to the rising costs of gasoline. And while it might sound too good to be true that you can get better fuel economy along with serious performance boosts, we're not pulling your leg.

That's because the same overall improvements that lead to greater performance are improving your engine's overall efficiency. You see, when the exhaust is flowing unrestricted down wider pipes with the right amount of vacuum left behind to keep the cycle running smoothly, your cylinders empty themselves of more and more waste gases. And when there are fewer impurities in the cylinder, your mixture of gas and oxygen burns purer, giving you greater horsepower without having to have a serious lead foot. These straightforward improvements in efficiency can result in around a 1 or 2% overall increase in fuel economy, saving you big every time the fuel gauge in your vehicle starts creeping down towards "E."

I'm convinced and I hope your are as well that the exhaust system upgrade that you end up with will improve performance, looks, and maybe even set off your neighbor's car alarm!.......:)

Reasons for buying a car

Besides the obvious reason, transportation, are there any other pressing reasons for buying a car? Perhaps it is a necessity like requiring inexpensive transportation to and from work. Or, maybe you are a “stay at home” Mom or Dad and need a vehicle to haul children around to school and various other activities. Regardless of your reason, make certain that purchasing the car is for a valid purpose and not just because you want to outdo “The Joneses.”

In this guide we will show you some of the pitfalls to avoid as well as information to make your selection much easier. The following are basic reasons you should consider when making that all important car purchase.

Is it a good buy?

The best time period to buy that car you have always dreamed of having is later in the month. Usually, there are numerous rebate programs and bonus offered by month’s end based on a dealer’s monthly sales quotas. The idea is that, sometimes dealers fall short of meeting their sales objectives. If their performance is assessed by the end of the month this can prove to be good news to most car buyers since dealers now have no choice but to sell vehicles at a price that is lower than their norm. They are pressed to make more sales that will count for their monthly sales and that puts you at an advantage as a buyer.

Peace of mind

Sometimes dealers do a song and dance routine just to make that sale. The result is that often car buyers end up with car features they realize later on they do not really need and a price they actually could not afford. You can avoid this potential stress by always remembering to trust your instincts. If ever you feel in doubt, the answer -- don’t -- do not let yourself be pressured to making that purchase now.

This is a common strategy of car dealers wherein they compel the customer to buy that car, now, this moment, today!

Do not forget that you should always sleep on it and then decide. This is a lot better than making your mind up now and forever holding your peace.

First Impression

To quote a common clichй, first impressions usually last. Though not always true, when buying cars, you could get many ideas just by observing how car sales people deal with you. Usually, these non-verbal signals are fairly correct enough enabling you to know what to expect from your car purchase.

If at any time you feel that the person selling you the car is not trustworthy or simply do not like him or her, always remember that you have the option to leave. It is advisable that you do not sell yourself too much. Time is precious, especially yours. So do not waste it. You are always free to politely walk away, anytime, anywhere, and in any way you like it. But if there are not many car dealers in your area, you may want to linger for a few moments more and wait until the negotiations you have with your dealer breaks down and you simply have no option but to run off.

The Invoice Price

Another thing to consider when buying a car is the invoice price. Make sure to ask that you see the invoice. If dealers are working their tails off against it, you have enough reason to believe that the car being offered is an unpleasant deal.

Usually, the price on the invoice is the cost the dealer paid the manufacturer for buying the car. This is before any rebates or incentives were included. Once this is known, only then will you have an idea as to how much the dealer could profit from each vehicle sold. Knowing this information could enable one to be more confident then in negotiating the price.

The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price

In layman’s term, this is commonly called the sticker price. This is the price one usually sees in the window of the car that is being sold.

Never ever consider paying the amount stated on the sticker price. This amount is just the starting point to your negotiations with the dealer.

Incentives

There are instances when manufacturers provide the dealers with a little something extra, like money, rebates or a bonus because they are able to sell cars that are either overstocked or undersold. Make sure that before actually purchasing a car, you were able to know if that car you are buying has some dealer incentives attached to it. If so, take off that amount from the car’s purchase price and have yourself a very good deal and hopefully, a very good car as well.

La industria de las apuestas

La industria de las apuestas en lнnea es una de las mбs rentables en Internet. Inclusive, gente que no ha visitado un casino normal se encuentran visitando casinos en lнnea o salas de pуquer diariamente.

Entonces, їque hace a las apuestas en lнnea tan atractivas? Si, puedes jugar a cualquier juego que desees sin necesidad de irte de tu casa, trabajo o cualquier sea el lugar que debas estar. De todos modos, no puedes ser servido tu trago favorito, o ver tu partido preferido en la gran pantalla del casino, ni ver las expresiones de los demбs jugadores cuando ganan o pierden.

A continuaciуn te presento los beneficios de apostar en lнnea comparado al casino tradicional:

Diversidad:

Puedes saltar de un juego de pуquer en lнnea a un juego de dados y luego a una sala da bingo mientras no te mueves de tu silla. En la mayorнa de los casinos en lнnea tienes la posibilidad de apostar y jugar en una amplia variedad de juegos, maquinas y video pуquer. Puedes cambiar de apuestas de casino a apuestas de deportes con el mismo nombre de usuario y cuenta.

Bonos:

їA dуnde mas recibirбs dinero gratis para apostar que en los casinos en lнnea? La mayorнa de ellos, ofrecen dinero gratis en bonos para atraer nuevos clientes y mantener la competiciуn. Los bonos comienzan desde 10 dуlares solo por instalar el programa del casino, a un par de miles de dуlares por completar cierto monto requerido de manos.

Conveniencia:

їQuй puede ser mas conveniente que jugar a tu juego favorito de casino en el confort de tu propia casa mientras escuchas tu mъsica favorita, y tomas tu bebida favorita? Tambiйn puedes poner al repartidor en pausa y tomar un recreo.

Fumar y Vestimenta:

Si eres un fumador o no, cuando apuestas en lнnea eres libre de obedecer tus propias reglas. Algunas son de vestimenta, comida y bebida las cuales puedes fumar o no fumar a tu elecciуn. Puedes vestir tu ropa mбs cуmoda o quedarte desnudo, comer, tomar, hablar por telйfono, mirar TV o lo que sea.

Principiantes:

Un casino clбsico puede ser un poco intimidante para un principiante. La mayorнa de los casinos en lнnea, son amistosos a los principiantes. Ofrecen guнas tutуrales, interactivas, modos de pago y la opciуn de ahorrar la embarazosa situaciуn de no entender las reglas de los juegos y los cуdigos de comportamiento. Estos dan una grata bienvenida a cualquier jugador.

Seguridad:

Si, apostar en lнnea es en general mбs seguro que apostar en casinos clбsicos, en los cuales tienes que cargar grandes sumas de dinero en el bolsillo. La mayorнa de los casinos en lнnea son confiables y respetables empresas que no arriesgaran su reputaciуn y perder sus clientes para robar a sus clientes.

Aparte de los beneficios mencionados anteriormente, apuestas en lнnea ofrece igual oportunidades a aquellos que no pueden viajar fuera de su paнs o ciudad a un casino clбsico.

Todos estos beneficios de los casinos en lнnea hacen que su gran popularidad sea mбs fбcil de entender.

Tireless servant protects your car while you sleep

So here I am at the dealer about to purchase a brand new vehicle. My old car was a good one, but after being having it’s frame and axle bent in a car accident, (that by the way wasn’t my fault, but that’s another story...) my old car was just never the same. It was about time I moved on, and got myself a brand new vehicle.

So I’m going through the usual list of standard options, and things I just got to have in this new car, when a guy car browsing next to me says, “Nice vehicle. Going to keep it on the street, or in your garage?”. I said “Well, in my development, we have assigned parking spots, so I will keep it as close to my unit as I’m able”.

He replied back “You better consider a custom car cover then, you want to protect your investment.” A car cover, I thought to myself, I wouldn’t have even considered that. I thanked the gentlemen, and continued with signing the papers for the new car.

I asked the dealer what he thought about car covers, and he said “They are a great investment if you don’t have a indoor place to park your car. They help protect your vehicle from the elements, not to mention, other people.” Seems I hit on a topic he knew about because he kept on talking.

“You’re going to need a custom car cover for this vehicle, being it’s a SUV, and there are plenty of places you can find that make them” he replied. He then went on to explain that not only will it help to retain a higher value of the car, but it will have less wear and tear, and it would help to avoid the usual nicks and scratches you get.

Most of the time you speak to people in casual conversation, you either forget what they were saying, or you just brush it off as nonsense, but I have to say, this time I sure am glad that complete stranger mentioned this to me. Protect what you have, get a better return on your investment, and keep your car looking newer, longer, with a custom car cover.

Kids join forces with police in speeding crackdown

Schoolchildren in Central Wales have been acting as ad-hoc prosecutors in an attempt to reduce the speed of motorists on the roads in Powys.

Pupils from Radnor Valley County Primary School learned how to use laser speed cameras to measure the speed of speeding cars, which can cause accidents necessitating car insurance claims.

However, speeding motorists – who often risk increased car insurance premiums, not to mention accidents; large and small – could perhaps have been a little surprised when asked to explain their actions to schoolchildren, according to the Powys County Times newspaper.

PC Lyn Heard told the newspaper: "I would expect a motorist, who would have to answer to a group of school children, to modify their future behaviour while using the roads."

Sarah Morris, a road safety project manager, added: "Inappropriate speed on Powys roads is one of the major causes of road traffic collisions."

"It is hoped that motorists will adhere to and respect the speed limits, which will greatly improve the road safety within the vicinity of our schools," she concluded.

THINK!; the national road safety campaign is all about saving lives. They campaign all year round, nationally, to get people to think more about road safety, whether you walk, drive or ride.

As part of the Government's strategy towards road safety, their aim is to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries from road accidents by 40 per cent by 2010.

THINK!, said that 64 per cent of all fatalities occur on rural roads, this is despite the fact that some drivers the campaign surveyed think that rural roads are safer because they are quieter.

Some car insurance providers look upon licence points for speeding less favourably than others, although all will eventually be forced to increase their premiums after the amassing of enough points to threaten the validity of the driving licence.