Why You Should Know More About Brake Rotors

Having the right set of brakes is an essential and primordial part of safe and efficient driving. After all, your car's brakes are the ones which dictate how smoothly you can reduce your speed, or how you will be able to put it to a full stop without any glitches whatsoever.

Now, when brakes are mentioned the first thing that comes to mind is the brake pads. Unfortunately, this mistake of most drivers can cost them some problems in the end. Why? Because they are forgetting another aspect of an efficient braking system that should always be considered. And this is the performance brake rotors or brake rotors.

So what is it? Here are some pieces of information that you might want to know:

How Brake Rotors Are Used

As a rule, braking involves friction for the purpose of reducing the speed of a vehicle or to put it to a full stop. In order to makes this possible, a specifically designed friction material called brake pads, are mounted or placed on a brake component referred to as a brake caliper, to mechanically force the said pads unto the friction surface, aka, brake rotors.

However, because of this use of friction, a significant amount of heat will result. And the greater the heat the less effective brakes become. Hence, there is the need to address this problem as much as possible.

Materials And Durability Of Performance Brake Rotors

Brake rotors are usually made from cast iron. However, in order to resolve issues with heat and in order to reinforce durability, certain materials for performance brake rotors have now been introduced accordingly, such as carbon, ceramic and other composites.

It must be noted, however, that the reliability, efficiency or durability will be relative to the type of driving or specific use that your chosen brake rotors will be undergoing on a regular basis.

Kinds Of Performance Brake Rotors

There are two main types of performance rotors. The first is the slotted rotors while the second is the cross drilled rotors.

Slotted rotors are used mainly by racecar drivers and those that heavily apply their brakes, such as towing, and occasionally, street use. This is because of its slotted design which dispels water a lot faster, making it perfect for wet weathers and for protection against waterlogged brakes. This type of rotors also offers more bite for every application of the brakes. However, it must be noted that this slotted type of rotors tend to wear brake pads a lot quicker than the other type of rotors.

Cross Drilled rotors, on the other hand, are performance brakes that can be perfect for street use and conventional driving that do not need the heavy application of brakes. In addition, its holed design will dispel heat a lot faster - providing it with a higher coefficient of friction. However, it is also because of its design that it tends to crack, break or depreciate at a quicker pace, most especially when brakes are heavily used on a constant basis.

Presently, there have also been introduced new innovations that combine both the slotted and cross drilled designs for performance rotors. But before deciding to make use of them, it is always advisable to take into account the specific use that you will utilize them for.

These are just some of the aspect of Brake Rotors that you might find useful. In the end, what is important is that you are able to know as much about this topic as possible to have a more efficient driving experience.

A Complete Guide to Know About Steam Car Wash

The term steam car wash should refer to using steam to clean cars and other vehicles. However, in the jargon of the cleaning industry and for the purpose of this article, it refers to using heated output for auto detailing. The heated output has many advantages in all types of cleaning, not just auto detailing. It has more cleaning power, allows the surfaces to dry up quickly, and does not cause too much water run-off.

This article narrates how different cleaning machines make use of heated output for a steam car wash.

Steam Cleaners 

It is better to start with car steam cleaners. These are the machines that offer the maximum output temperature - in other words the hottest steam output. The output temperature of these machines ranges up to 386°F depending on the model.

Portable steam cleaner machines are used to clean the hard surfaces inside an automobile, for example, dashboards and steering wheels. Care must be taken when using car steam cleaners for cleaning vehicles. When using a steam cleaner for a steam car wash, the machine would never be used for exterior cleaning. The scrubbing action needed for using steam cleaners may scratch your vehicle.

When choosing portable steam cleaner machines, it is better to opt for machines with dry steam output. These machines use less water to clean and have a better cleaning efficiency too.

Carpet Cleaners 

Carpet cleaning machines are used to clean the soft surfaces in a vehicle. These are used as auto detailing equipment for cleaning mats, carpets, and seat upholstery. Carpet cleaners are not designed for cleaning hard surfaces.

When choosing carpet cleaners for mobile steam car wash, one must choose machines equipped with low flow technology. Such machines also provide the earlier-mentioned benefits such as quick drying time and better cleaning. In addition, these machines make sure that there will not be any problems with water run-off. The 'steam' output temperature of carpet cleaners is 210°F.

Many auto detailing companies now offer mobile car wash. That is, they go to the customer's houses and garages on request to clean the vehicles. Not all such places have good drainage facilities. Excess water run-off will eventually attract fines and other charges. Carpet cleaners with low flow technology help the workers avoid such fines.

Pressure Washers 

Pressure washers are used as auto detailing equipment for cleaning the hard exterior surfaces. The major condition for using these machines for portable car wash is that the output pressure has to be less than 1500 psi. These machines offer wet steam output. The output temperature of such machines is often 250°F-330°F.

Pressure washers used for steam car wash should have a low flow rate. The lower the flow rate is, the less water is used during the cleaning process. This is ideal for areas that may not have as adequate drainage as needed.

What's the Difference Between Mud Flaps, Splash Guards, and Mud Guards?

Call them what you may, mud flaps, splash aprons, splash or mud guards. It's the piece of material that is attached to the wheel well with the sole purpose of defraying and reducing the spray or splash of debris from tyres.

Pickup trucks, utilities and SUVs are instances of what type of automobiles commonly make the upgrade to OEM splash guards. The difference in names for this particular accessory is regional. Most countries refer to them as mud flaps. Splash or Mud Guards are terms utilised in the Midwest of the United States and Splash Aprons aren't unusual on the east coast of the U.S.

Everyday dealers internationally sell new pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans that are not sensibly equipped with the correct type of splash guard. Driving in rain, snow, mud and even dust without protection may cause damage to your own vehicle or to those driving behind you.

Many of us view mud guards to be superfluous or that they may get in the way while 4x4 driving. Many mass-produced and OEM mud guards are sometimes made from a contoured low quality plastic and unfortunately cover a minimal area of the tire. This type of mud flap is subject to breakage in extraordinary temperatures and does not offer much anti-spray protection.

All-rubber splash guards offer more pliability but have a tendency to sail up defeating the purpose. All metal, generally stainless steel, are prone to bending or being easily dented.

Then why isn't there a better alternative?

Fortunately there are a number of after market manufacturers of high quality mudflaps. They utilise specially formulated polymers with custom lengths and widths to accommodate most applications including road, rally and recreational off-road. Many of the custom-made varieties are temperature tested for extreme conditions as well.

The critical items to consider when making your selection are;

1. What purpose will they be used for the majority of their life - road off-road etc...

2. What's the average temperature as some polymers are prone to cracking and bending in extreme conditions

3. If the custom-made mud flap attach to the existing mud flap as an extension or as a replacement

4. Do they require additional weight so as to avoid excessive lift or 'sailing'

Before purchasing your guards also consider consulting your dealer if the vehicle is under warranty.

It's also a good idea to discuss your choice with the retailer or supplier so that your mud flaps prove to be the right choice the first time around.

Car Stickers and Decals - Why People Need Them

That's a pretty strong statement I made in the title, saying that people need car stickers and decals, isn't it? I personally don't use them myself, so I understand people who don't and I really don't care if you do put them on your car or if you purchase them from me. Oh... I just remembered... my wife just put an "UPWARDS" decal on our van to support our son's sports league.

Socio-Economic Factors: Who Puts these Graphics on Their Automobiles?

I have not done a scientific study of socio-economic layers of society to determine what percentage of the population puts car graphics on their vehicles. But as an offhand guess I would conjecture that 80 to 90% of automobiles on the road have decals of some sort on them. Maybe more, but I think that's a pretty safe guess. There are those that state political bias, insult particular politicians or presidents, past and present; those that tell people where you went to school, humorous bumper stickers; and those telling the world what sports team or teams you root for, business posters advertising where you bought your car, and the list goes on.

I have noted that blue-collar guys (a.k.a. rednecks) like really big rear window vehicle graphic prints, preferably perforated decal material that covers the entire rear window of their jacked-up Chevy Nova or Ford pickup (gotta be careful here as I have a Ford F250 - but the rear window is clean). Usually it's either an American Flag or a Rebel Flag. Sometimes such stuffs on the rear window are tasteless and tacky on these rigs, but blue-collar guys (and some gals) love their big auto graphic displays.

On the other end of the vehicle graphics socio-economic spectrum are the expensive cars like Mercedes and Lexus and Ferrari. These rarely display anything except maybe interior static clings of the Ivy League school they attended, or maybe the one their kid attends. Except for a friend of mine who owns a bunch of independent Verizon stores who completely decks out his Mercedes, Lexus, and Ferrari with full car wraps! His wife has a great sense of humor.

Then, there's the middle where most of us live. The ones that we put on our autos tend to vary far more than either end of the socio-economic spectrum hitherto discussed. Whereas the blue-collar guys are thumbing their noses at the Lexus driver, and the Lexus driver is on his way to work to tell the blue collars what to do for the rest of their lives, the middle class is simply trying to belong.

Pride Factors: What Kind of Automobile Stickers and Decals Americans put on Their Automobiles

These image prints tell others that you are proud of your group, whatever that may be. It is programmed into the human psyche to belong - to a family, a church, a civic club, an alumni association, a fan club, and there are those for at least some of those associations in everyone's life. As I stated in the first paragraph, we even have one now on the mini van for our son's sports league. We belong.

Of course, geographically, most people around here support local sports teams with their car stickers and decals, unless of course, they're from somewhere else. They still belong to a tribe somewhere and flaunt their tribe's sports team's graphic logos. Downtown there are so many various university and college vehicle decal prints, that to belong downtown, you just need to have gone somewhere. Humans need to belong to a tribe. What tribe do you belong to? I'll bet I can tell by looking at your car's graphic stickers.

Everything You Need to Know About BFG Tires

When man first started to discover ways to build, it required a means to move, transport and transfer materials. Man have always desired to reduce the workload to make things easier for them. Moving bricks, mud, clay and other materials would be too much for beasts so men thought of another way to do it. Thus, the wheel was created.

The first wheel was made out of logs, the loads were placed over it while additional logs were placed at its front. This made the transport of heavy loads easier despite the terrain. However, this method takes time and still requires a lot of work. Since the concept of rolling logs was established, they then created and molded wheels out of rocks. But these wheels tend to break or crumble. This posed as a problem so man searched for other alternatives and kept on developing the wheel until they found something to add to the wheel to enhance its performance. What they added then was a tough material that could withstand most conditions and at the same time, be compatible with a powerful rim. This is what the fashionable day calls, the tire.

Nowadays, there are many types of BFG tires. There are tires for different applications such as tires for muddy roads, snowy terrains, rough roads and several more types of tires you can readily find in the market. These tires are generally made out of rubber and other synthetic materials that produces tires durable and road-worthy.

If you have a car, odds are, you have an extra tire in your trunk. BFG tires are easy to use, manufactures can produce them easily and they are very dependable, they can last for a long time with proper maintenance. Tires are accessible but when worn out, they can cause road accidents that could be fatal. To lessen the risks of accidents, always have your tires checked and make sure that they are compatible with the terrain you intend to traverse. We must put in mind that over inflated tires or under inflated tires could also affect the performance of your vehicle.

Tires is already a part of the trendy society. Tires are already considered a necessity if you have a vehicle. Most land vehicles wont function without a set of tires. It would also take a long time for tires to be replaced. For as long as cars are manufactured, tires will always be produced. But if people invent flying cars, now that is completely a different story.

BF Goodrich Tires are among the best in the tire industry. Tire Packages offers BFG Tires at low prices and fast shipping, saving you money and time for over 8 years. Why should you shop at Tire Package? Not only does Tire Package offer the best deal, it also offers price match guaranteed so that you can shop with confidence.