How important is acceleration in defensive driving? If someone were extremely concerned with safety (because there’s a baby in the car, for instance) would it be worth sacrificing fuel efficiency for the extra power of a V6 engine?
View 19 RepliesWill a 2011 Chevy Cruze 1.4L turbo engine wear out / break down / fail sooner than a 2011 Chevy Cruze 1.8L engine ( w/o the turbo ) ? Both being automatic transmissions. Driven by the same person. What is the gas mileage difference between the same two ?
View 17 RepliesSo I was driving and suddenly three warning lights came on. The Master warning light (Red triangle with !), Check Engine Light and the Hybrid System warning light (Car with !).
My AC works fine and I was able to shut it off and start it back up with no problem. I also did see a difference in driving.
A large auto magazine has reviewed the Auris Hybrid (Gen III Prius drive train) while remarking that driving in 'B' gives better regen. This auto magazine also does a fuel economy evaluation and noted engine noise as a negative point for the car.
Now, how much fuel economy is affected during normal city/highway driving when you drive in 'B' rather than 'D'? And as a bonus. How much more will the engine run due to the missing regen?
I drive a 2011 Tundra 5.L 4X4 truck. why do I get better gas mileage while driving in the Rockies vs states like OK and TX? I get 2mpg better while driving in the Rockies. 17mpg vs 15mpg. I drive same speed, buy the same 87 octane gas & drive on Interstate highways. And it doesn't matter whether I'm driving to or from. Is the gas quality different in the Rockies vs the south or plains states?
View 19 RepliesThree weeks ago my 1997 Oldsmobile eighty-eight (75K miles) shut off while I was driving. I was able to pull over and restart it immediately. This morning it happened again, same exact way. It shut off without warning, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for the shutting off! For the past few months my check engine light has gone on and subsequently turned off two-three days later. Most of the time when it turns on, I have been driving on the interstate for an extended period of time:at 70 or 75 mph.
I had it looked at once and they said the light was triggered by the transmission- they serviced it but I didn't notice much difference. Occasionally, I feel the car stutter while slowing down, almost like it might stall-but it never actually has. Finally, ever since I got the car-two years ago from my grandparents, there is a pull occasionally when I am going about 40-45mph and speeding up-almost like it is having trouble shifting. I don't know if all these issues are related...not sure who to trust to take it to. What could be going on?
I have a 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS with about 151,000 miles on it. And it's an auto. I recently took it to about 5.3K rpms on a stretch and it occurred to me that I might be pushing the engine a little too hard. My oil was all fine, and the engine was plenty warm, I had been driving for about 10 minutes but still. I also don't do this too much maybe like 1-2 times/month but I sort of get paranoid about these things.
View 11 RepliesCheck engine light comes on, car starts "chugging", recovers, chugs, recovers. So we limp to our destination. Check engine light goes off after car stands overnight. Repeat after driving car again. Mechanic replaced a 4" square "switch" somewhere "hot" last time. Said heat makes it go bad. Can't find anything 4" square under the hood. Mechanic says this part goes out all the time on this model and year.
View 6 RepliesI have a 2005 Suzuki Aerio with an automatic transmission. Occasionally, maybe once every month or two, the check engine light will come on while I am driving and the car will immediately stop down-shifting from 3rd gear. The car otherwise seems to run fine but I end up having to manually shift to get to wherever I am going. Then on my next trip, the transmission will shift fine but the check engine light will stay on for an additional trip or two and then go off. What is going on. By the time I get to it the light is off again and the car seems to function fine.
View 4 RepliesDescription of Problem: 1999 mercury cougar 2.5L V6 automatic trans: I was driving down the road and suddenly lost power. The engine was still running but sounded a little rough so i turned it off. then it wouldn't start. After having it parked for a couple months i started looking ant it and notice that the starter is spinning the flexplate but the harmonic balance isn't turning. It does turn by hand with a socket. After talking to a mechanic i was told a used motor would run. He said i broke the crank or timing chain? I thought if it was the timing chain the harmonic balancer would still turn, he didn't agree. and i thought it was unlikely that the crank would just break driving down the road. What it could be? or how i can narrow it down. If the flexplate or bolts broke off would that cause my problem?
View 3 Replies2005 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Big Horn, 5.8L V8 Hemi my air conditioning only works when I'm driving forward, and does not work at all any more when I'm sitting still at an idle. this is a new problem. the A/C has worked like a champ for the past year (since I started using this vehicle). I even refilled it by myself last summer, with no issues until now. when it is at idle, I hear a clicking coming from the A/C system, and the RPM's arch a little bit. then it clicks again, and the RPM's go back down. it does this 2-3 times a minute. also when at idle, the air is VERY HOT, considerably warmer than the outside air. also, I have a pressure gauge for the A/C system (came with the refill kit last summer) and it says that the system is holding too much pressure. it suggests a possible mechanical problem.
View 8 RepliesI was caught up in the middle of the haboob (major dust storm) in Phoenix this summer. I drove through it in my 2008 BMW X3 (40K miles) for about 45 minutes. Ever since, the engine has been idling rough and hesitant on acceleration. I had replaced the air filter which was full of fine dust particles and thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed the internal of the filter housing. I also used Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner on a couple of tanks. The condition has improved a bit but it is still not back to how it was before.
View 2 RepliesI have a 1994 Toyota Camry. Took it to a shop to repair an oil leak. They had to dismount the transmission to get to the gasket. I got the car back and the transmission was messed up. Took it to a transmission shop and they told me that the transmission "cable" wasn't positioned correctly by whoever had done the work and they could fix it. They told me it was safe to drive it until my appointment. The engine was revving too high before changing gears and while driving home, I heard a loud rattling noise in the engine and my car stopped in the middle of the road. I'm told that a rod has broken inside the engine. My question is: can this in any way be related to the transmission cable not having been set/positioned correctly?
View 5 RepliesI have a 1997 Toyota Hilux (unleaded, not diesel) and I'm looking for input as she keeps breaking down but no one is able to figure out the problem. While in gear and driving, the gas stops engaging and the speed slowly drops. The car stutters while slowing down but then if I switch gears or rev the engine it will stop. After some time this continues to happen more frequently (at all speeds) until the car eventually stops and dies. Try to restart and the engine will turn over but not start. After sitting for a night or so, though, she starts up and runs just fine. Thus no mechanics have been able to solve the issue!
Could be a fuel problem as the exhaust pipe makes a banging sound when this happens, but it could also be electrical.
I have a 2007 Explorer with around 79,000 miles on it and it has been in for assorted repairs over the last 6 months. Cooling issues, Losing all Coolant, Rough sounding engine, Stalling while driving, The mechanic has said they replaced much of everything each time I take it in. But now it was in for a fuel pump and while they were test driving it he said the Internal balance Shaft exploded and shrapnel is in the engine. His solution replace the engine with a 2008 has 38k on it for $2K. Does this sound right?
Do these Explorers have issues like this?
What is the difference between these two? I just bought a v6 4motion passat yesterday and it is a 2001..
View 9 Repliesi am going to get rims and have never bought tires before for rims.
when i googled images it looks like the 205/50 look thicker than the 205/45. but i couldn't find a good comparison.
the 205/50 is the right size for my 2003 camry, but i want a low profile look. can you see a difference between 205/45 and 205/50?
also does it matter if i get 205 or 215?
I want a 20th AE & have seen pics that say ESP on a button next to the hazard & others say ASR. I know that their was one option for the car: ESP. So what's ASR? Is one better than the other? Is it the same? I've heard that the ESP sucks for autocross. Is this true?
View 8 RepliesI have the option to have a 1.8T passat built for me, or I can buy a VERY clean V6 (has coilovers, but not many other mods, still looks sweet) and I just need some opinions before I decide for sure. (BTW the price will end up being about the same either way). The 1.8T will take about a month longer to get, but has the opportunity to be modded much more.
1. 1.8T or V6? I am interested in hearing about the difference in pickup as well as the overall handling differences with them.
2. On the built passat it will have much more aftermarket parts, how is the stock performance and handling of a stock V6?
I was looking at oem hids over on ebayUK and every seller says that they aren't legal for LHD cars. What is the difference between hid headlights from LHD and RHD cars?
View 3 RepliesBasically got myself into a big pickle with tickets.... as related to keeping my job. I got two serious traffic violations (15+ mph over the limit) that'll count against my CDL.
My question basically comes down to having brand new tires vs. tires that are worn to the bars indicating tread depth is too shallow. Yes, that difference can be enough to determine whether or not I'm under or over 15mph over the limit.
Okay I guess that really wasn't a question .... Is the speedometer calibrated to "new" tire or a "worn" tire?
I drive a '98 Saturn SC1 with the stock steal rims... R14 if I remember right. I basically have two new tires on the front end... One about 1000 miles off the other one.