In late 2018, the United States became the world’s largest producer of crude oil, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia for the first time since 1973. The U.S. also is the largest consumer of oil, which has a bigger impact on the economy than consumers may think. Case in point: When crude oil barrel prices dropped …
Are Record Low Gas Prices Good or Bad for the Economy? Read More »
In a country where people can’t buy anything for a penny anymore, it seems odd to pull up to a gas station and see a fraction of a cent included in the price. So what’s the deal? The practice of tacking 9/10 of a cent on the end of a gas price goes back to …
In a country where people can’t buy anything for a penny anymore, it seems odd to pull up to a gas station and see a fraction of a cent included in the price. So what’s the deal? The practice of tacking 9/10 of a cent on the end of a gas price goes back to …
You’ve been watching the needle creeping higher over the last few miles. Now the temperature light on your car’s dashboard display is on. Your car is overheating and you’re in the middle of nowhere. What are you supposed to do? You have water that you keep in the trunk for emergencies. This, my friend, is …
It’s a familiar scenario. You pull into a gas station and fill up, only to drive a block down the road and see another station has gas for 20 cents less than you just paid. After a bit of quick math, you realize how two dimes per gallon really adds up. For a vehicle with …
Why Gasoline Prices Vary From Station to Station Read More »
If you’ve been shopping for a new car recently, you may have noticed something missing from many newer models: a spare tire. How can that be? What’s a driver to do when they get a flat if they don’t have a spare? But it’s true: According to a new study from AAA, nearly one-third of …
It’s not unusual to see tire pieces littering the roadway on any given day, but during the summer, highways often look like veritable tire graveyards. From May to October the problem is so prevalent that it’s actually known as “blowout season.” There are simply a lot of things going on during that time of year …
If you could win a million dollars just by answering the question “Who is the world’s largest manufacturer of tires?” what would your guess be? Michelin? Goodyear? Bridgestone? Those are all good tries, but they’re all wrong. Surprised? Well you’ll be even more surprised to know which company does make the most tires every year. …
You’ll Never Guess What Company Makes the World’s Most Tires Read More »
Since Nov. 30, 1954, Guinness World Records has been compiling verified examples of the fastest, farthest, oldest, youngest, biggest and smallest of just about anything you can think of. But you may be wondering: Has Guinness World Records set any records itself? And the answer is a resounding “kind of!” While the company hasn’t set …
Has Guinness World Records Set Any World Records? Read More »
If you could win a million dollars just by answering the question “Who is the world’s largest manufacturer of tires?” what would your guess be? Michelin? Goodyear? Bridgestone? Those are all good tries, but they’re all wrong. Surprised? Well you’ll be even more surprised to know which company does make the most tires every year. …
You’ll Never Guess What Company Makes the World’s Most Tires Read More »
Rear cross-traffic alert. Blind spot monitoring. Pedestrian and cyclist detection. Automakers are coming up with numerous new safety features to help drivers and, more importantly, these features are becoming more available and affordable. Still, drivers shouldn’t wait for these innovations to increase their own awareness of what is going on around their vehicles. What if …
If you could have an accessory for your car that could potentially help you out of a jam with your insurance company, would you buy it? If you said yes, then there’s good news. This device already exists. We’re talking about dashboard cameras — or dashcams. That’s because a mounted dashboard camera will record everything …
A Dashcam Might Be Helpful if You Get Into a Car Accident Read More »
Most people know that the Ford Model T was the first truly affordable automobile. But do you know what kind of engine it had? The original Model T, released in 1908, packed a 2.9-liter four-cylinder engine with just 22 horsepower. That’s a tiny output for its size compared to the engines of today, but it …
The majority of the time most of us don’t spend a lot of time thinking about our engines. We hop into the car, turn the key and head out to wherever we’re going. When we do notice the engine, however, it’s usually when we hear it making sounds we’re not accustomed to hearing or when …
When a car does what it’s supposed to do, it’s pretty easy to take it for granted. But things can (and do) go wrong with no notice at all. Sometimes parts fail without any kind of warning — without a grace period that would let you know something’s wrong so that you might have a …
Do you suspect that your vehicle may have a leaky brake system? Is your brake fluid level just a little bit low? Well, one explanation for the low fluid level may be relatively simple: If your vehicle has worn brake pads or brake shoes, the fluid level in your brake fluid reservoir will be low. …