Auto Trends

Mechaphilia can be best described as the ultimate love for cars. Not the brother and sister love that some feel after slipping behind the wheel of a BMW M3, classic Mustang Shelby 350, 500 BHP Dodge Viper SRT10 Roadster, or wide body turbo Porsche 930. But the actual marriage and then consummate your relationship kind of love.

If you hadn’t already seen this story on the UK’s Five TV, about two months ago they ran a story on a 57 year old man who has had love affairs with vehicles ever since he was 15 years old (he is now 57). He claims that he has never really been able to get close to humans as much as he has his cars, and currently is in a relationship with a 1960’s (we’ll withhold her exact age, as you how those lady’s can be) Volkswagen Beetle named Vanilla.

Before Vanilla there was a 1973 Opal GT named Cinnamon, a 1993 Ford Ranger Splash named Ginger, a 1969 VW Beetle named Victoria, and he has admitted to a brief “encounter” with the helicopter from the 80’s hit television series, Airwolf.

He didn’t offer too many details on the Airwolf encounter, as this must have been just one of those meet a machine in a bar and… you know, one thing leads to another, kind of things. But one thing is for sure, we’ll never be able to watch another episode the same way!

But seriously, mechaphilia is considered an actual documented fetish for those who have an extreme love of machines as if they were living, breathing, and loving entities. While many of you will find this story quite disturbing, there is a method to our madness…

For those who have been chastised by your loved ones for spending too much money and time on your babies, waxing, changing oil, installing needless performance bolt-ons, exterior ‘bling’, audio/video equipment, etc., you now have a new line of defense.

The dreaded, “It’s either him/her or me,” may not be as clear cut as it once was. They should watch their step, as they may be more easily replaced than they think!

The Problem:

ABC News recently reported on the little known danger of aging tires. While some folks in the tire industry will tell you that tires have no expiration date and don’t need to with their current advancements in technology. You really have to ask yourself… is you or your loved ones lives worth taking the chance.

Since this newscast, there have been a number of tire shops around the US who have had to answer to the question…

How old is this tire?

How many of you have ever really thought about this. We just assume that most things that we see in a store are “new”.

It may have never been used, but it also might have been sitting in the store for as long as 10 to 12 years. Many tire shops know about the “unspoken” rule that tires should only be used for 6 to 7 years, but that doesn’t mean that some of them won’t sell them anyway… there is no government mandate controlling this.

While there has never been an expiration date for tires, how many of you would willingly purchase a “new” tire that was 4 or 5 years old? It’s kind of like when you buy a bag of lettuce. Do you take the first one off the top, or choose one with the longest shelf life left?

The Solution:

This is why we are going to share with you how to decipher when a tire was manufactured. Knowing how long your tires have been in existence, allowing the rubber to dry and lose some of its elasticity, is never a bad idea.

Where to Look?

It is at the very end of the DOT code on your tire. It will say something like 4202 or 414. To crack this code, what you need to know is the first two letters represent the week of manufacture, while the last number or numbers, represent the year. So, 4202 is deciphered as the 42^nd week of 2002, and 414, as the 41^st week of 1994.

Can’t find your number?

Then it might be on the side portion of your tire, facing the underside of your vehicle. Up until a year ago, manufactures did not even print this helpful information on the outside of a tire.

Additional Words of Advice:

Water, air, and sunlight can cause any tire to wear prematurely even before it reaches six or seven years. This is why you should also inspect your tires on a seasonal basis for signs of dry rot and cracking.

Please don’t forget to keep an eye on your spare tire also. These often get forgot and sit in a vehicles trunk for years without even a single thought. Then the first flat you get, no matter how careful you have been keeping an eye on your other tires, you find yourself riding on a time bomb.

Pass this little known information onto everyone you know…

There are a record number of advice columns on how to save gas, discussing even the most minuet details that might offer one or two extra droplets at best. Some of us have tried every one of these tips, short of hanging outside the drivers side window holding onto a semi truck while in neutral.

But the cold hard facts are coming in and there is really only a few sure fire ways to save any worthwhile gas amounts and we break them down into nice and simple Do and Don’t rules to live by:

Do’s

• Do Drive at a reasonable constant speed. It has been found that driving 55 not only keeps you alive, but saves you as much as 5 to 10 mpg. Cruise control will prove to be a great ally in this effort.
• Do drive with your window down and air conditioner off when you are cruising at low speeds (20-30 mph) around town. This move is usually good for about 1 mpg.
• Do take those sand bags out of the trunk/truck bed in the summertime. Excessive weight decreases fuel economy.
• Do store items in your vehicle or garage rather than on top of your cargo rack whenever possible. The drag coefficient of items on a rack can drag your fuel economy down anywhere from 1 to 4 mpg.
• Do buy a more economical car. There really is no better way to save on gas, than to buy a vehicle that was made to do just that.

Don’ts

• Don’t bother getting gas in the late evening or early morning. The gas is stored in underground tanks, so there is little to no difference in temperature, which means you really are getting about the same amount of gas any time of the day.
• Don’t accelerate and brake heavily in traffic. This wastes energy and inertia and destroys your fuel economy by as much as 40 percent. Remember, the slow and steady turtle always wins the race when it comes to fuel economy… always!
• Don’t overinflate your tires. There is a limit where your safety outdoes any small amount of gas savings you would achieve from overinflated tires.
• Don’t turn off your air conditioner and role down your windows on the highway (40 mph and above) thinking you are saving gas. The negative effect in aerodynamics from the open window outdoes any of the gas saving effects of turning off your air conditioner.
• Don’t bother over zealously changing your air filter. In reality no matter how dirty your filters get, your fuel economy is always the same. Your vehicles computer compensates for the lack of air by reducing the amount of gas going into the engine. Follow the recommended tune-up procedure laid out by your manufacturer. That is all you should need to maintain your vehicles fuel efficiency.