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Written by Brandy Schaffels
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Friday, 22 January 2010 08:10 |
While her fellow Californians grumble, Automotive Traveler's Brandy Schaffels welcomes the cleansing power of SoCal's winter rains
 The big winter rains have finally arrived in the Los Angeles area. While many of you might laugh at this announcement, because you may have been living with seasonal rain and snow for a few months already, this is actually a monumental event for SoCal drivers. It's been raining for most of this week, and the wet weather is expected to continue into next week as well.
While many drivers might complain about the effects of the weather on their commute, for me, driving in the rain is practically a spiritual experience.
For many years, I enjoyed a 45-minute commute from my home in the San Fernando Valley to my office in Hollywood. I didn't take the freeway: It was a lovely drive across Mulholland and through the Hollywood Hills, with twisty, windy roads that were perfect for evaluating a vehicle's performance, but that also displayed lovely vistas, including the city skyline at night. The narrow, tree-lined roads had none of the bumper-to-bumper traffic so iconic to the region.
In the summertime, I could hear birds singing, and sometimes saw such wildlife as deer and coyotes. But in the wintertime, it was even better because, as much as I love to drive, I love to drive in the rain even more.
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Written by Brandy Schaffels
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Monday, 18 January 2010 04:02 |
Try this do-it-yourself test to see if your tires are ready to handle rain, ice, and snow
 As I wrote last week in my post about Winter-grade tires, automobile crash rates spike from October through February, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Yet with the right gear, winter driving doesn't have to be a "white knuckle" experience, say tire experts at Tire Rack, America's largest independent tire tester and a leading resource for consumer tire information. Consider these tips from Tire Rack to help you be a safer Winter driver:
Small Change Can Be a Big Help!
If you don't live in a climate that necessitates specific Winter tires during the cold/snowy season, the next best way to guarantee optimum traction is to ensure that your tires have sufficient tread depth. Insufficient tread depth can double your stopping distance, a fact the Tire Rack team proved through testing. Since water can't be compressed, you need enough tread depth to allow it to escape through your tires' tread grooves. If the water can't escape fast enough, your tires will be forced to hydroplane (actually float) on top of the water, loosing contact with the road and thus traction.
According to Tire Rack, most states have laws defining tires as legally worn out when they are down to 2/32-inch of remaining tread depth. To determine whether your tires are within the "legal" limit, place a penny into the tread grooves. Check the penny head in several treads across each tire: If part of Abraham Lincoln's head is always covered by the tread, you have more than 2/32-inch of tread depth remaining.
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Written by Brandy Schaffels
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Tuesday, 12 January 2010 09:28 |
Injuries and property damage related to winter-driving conditions are "needlessly high"
 Now that rain has finally hit sunny Los Angeles, it's clear that Winter has arrived across the country. While many Californians think colder weather just means it's time to swap flip-flops for boots, those who live in frostier climates know that the presence of ice and snow on the road means your vehicle needs some tougher treads.
Switching to Winter-grade tires isn't just smart in theory; it can save you real money--and even your life. Crash rates spike during the October through February timeframe, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2007, 738,000 crashes occurred in rain, sleet, or snow. Most resulted in costly property damage, and, on average, one in three involved an injury or fatality.
"Those numbers are needlessly high," says Matt Edmonds, vice president at Tire Rack, America's largest independent tire tester and a leading resource for consumer tire information. "A little caution, a little research, and most importantly the right 'footwear' can mean the difference between wintertime gripping and slipping."
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Written by Brandy Schaffels
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Thursday, 24 December 2009 09:59 |
Reliving the holiday travel adventures of a very weary Father Christmas
 Allow me to introduce you to Grumpy Santa (actually, his name is Mike): He writes a travel blog for FareCompare.com and was given the holiday assignment of traveling through all of the Lower 48 United States within 11 days... while wearing a Santa Suit. (Which explains the moniker "Grumpy Santa.") It took more than 60 flights to accomplish this feat, requiring as many as six or seven planes on some days--not to mention the additional trains and automobiles required to help him (and his appropriately attired Elf) meet this goal. Honestly, I'm not sure which is worse: the travel schedule or the required travel attire?
He has reposted his adventures, saying, "As Christmas approaches and travelers head out to deal with airport chaos, delays, over-stuffed luggage, and all of the joys of holiday travel, I thought it was time to relive Grumpy Santa's Excellent Adventure, in the hope that maybe you can learn from some of my mistakes and even benefit from some of my triumphs."
All in all, Grumpy Santa traveled more than 25,000 miles on a dozen different airlines in 56 different airports around the country. His flights exceeded 90 hours of airtime, and he spent more than 75 hours making connections between planes. I myself have flown more than 30,000 miles this year, with two dozen segments to five cities on five different airlines. It took me an entire year to rack up those statistics; Grumpy Santa did it in just 11 days.
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Written by Brandy Schaffels
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Monday, 21 December 2009 11:37 |
Teaming up with NORAD to help kids around the world track ol' St. Nick
 Santa Claus is getting a technology upgrade this Christmas season: For the first time ever, OnStar subscribers can follow Santa's Christmas Eve journey around the world using the OnStar system in their vehicle, thanks to a new partnership with The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). And Santa's Sleigh gets an OnStar technology upgrade as well!
Starting at 6:00 a.m. EST on December 24, drivers with active OnStar subscriptions can just press the blue OnStar button in their vehicles to request a "Santa Update." From there, an OnStar advisor will share Santa's whereabouts, based on location information provided by NORAD. (The advisors will receive hourly updates from NORAD and will be able to inform subscribers of Santa's location through 5 a.m. EST on December 25.)
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