Time for TPMS
We all know how important a good set of tyres is for safe motoring. Correct tyre pressures go a long way towards keeping the tyres firmly and safely in contact with the road. Keeping your car tyres at the correct tyre pressure is going to give the maximum opportunity for the tyres to perform at their best – which is what they were designed to do. The ability of a car to maintain grip is closely connected to its inflation pressure. European laws are going to tighten up in the area of keeping tyre pressures in their optimum range. It’s good because it sends the message out there that the ‘powers that be’ want to keep Europe’s roads as safe as possible. Not sure what’s going to happen over here, though. But what’s good for Europe is usually good for over here, at least when safety’s the issue.
A new EU ruling is about to be passed this year that will mean new car models must be fitted with tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMSs). TPMSs have, actually, been systems that have been used for many years by various car manufacturers. Porsche was the first to use a TPMS in a production passenger car. They used a TPMS in their Porsche 959 in 1986. It is no real surprise to see that Renault have employed TPMSs over the years. In 1996, Renault used a type of TPMS in their Scenic model, called the Michelin PAX system. Peugeot’s 607, in 1999, used a TPMS, as well. Renault, in their Laguna II (year 2000), was the first mid-size passenger vehicle to be equipped with a TPMS as standard.
Best cars for economy
I bet you’re interested in this. Take a look at the www.nextgreencar.com website. They have a list of the top twenty most fuel efficient cars, in Britain, for each class of car. If you are a family person with plenty of kids or just have plenty of friends, then it’s likely you’ll be looking at a car that doesn’t feature on the City Car, Supermini or Small Family car list. The cars in these brackets are just way too small to be practical family cars. But, I will let you in on a secret: Hondas, BMWs, Toyotas and the like do make some pretty frugal mid-sized vehicles that run on either electricity, hybrid power, petrol or diesel. So don’t despair when you see how tiny some of the most frugal cars can be.
Not so surprisingly, you’ll see that it’s the Smart cars that lead the way. With an incredible combined fuel economy figure of 86 mpg, these cars just don’t know how to drink the fuel heavily. These are the cars for the city street. If it’s only going to be you in the car, most the time, then one of the City Cars like the Smart car should do the trick. It is nice to see the Fiat 500 models dominating the City Car top ten spots with a Citroen C1 (I wish these were in Australia) and a Hyundai i10 featured, as well. You’ll also find a Peugeot, Nissan, Ford and Toyota sitting in the top 20, but did you guess that here would be an Aston Martin!
Pothole Punishment
What’s your car like at handling the rough roads? Driving over any rut, pothole or big undulation on a main road can be off-putting for the driver or passengers inside a car. The chassis design team has a lot of work to do on a new modern car to keep the ride controlled and compliant. Also, the suspension must be able to cope with a beating from time to time. However, sometimes there is something on the road ahead that seems to just jump out and bite you from time-to-time. Wheel alignment problems can result from running your wheels through a big pothole or against the kerb.
There is no doubt that potholes are a major factor in causing wheel, axle and suspension failure. A year or two ago, our holiday plans were changed when our Saab was fully loaded up and we were travelling happily toward our first destination. We were travelling along a sealed road, and I hadn’t noticed a nasty hole in the deterioration of the left-side edge of the tarmac. The next thing we all knew was that the front left wheel on the Saab dropped in and out of this hole with an almighty thump, followed by the left rear wheel. The left front tyre went flat, and we pulled over to change the tyre. What we found was that the tyre had been sliced on impact and that the rim had been severely damaged and would need specialist repair. This repair on the Saab’s rim wasn’t cheap, though the tyre was replaced at no cost. Hmmm…not the best way to start the holiday.
A "Howard" Motor Car?
Have you seen a rather funny dialogue going the email rounds lately purporting to be a sketch featuring John Clarke and Bryan Dawe?
It’s worth a read so we have re-produced it below. As far as we can discover it was not a skit run on the ABC, and it is not ascribed to either of these humorists, but it’s funny, nevertheless:
Level 2, 9 Help Street