Tires are, without a doubt, one of the most important elements of our vehicle, mainly because they are the only ones who are in direct contact with the road. That is why we welcome all new initiatives to improve road safety.

In this sense, Continental assures that this summer it will present for sale its ContiSeal model, a tire which has a viscous and sticky substance that slows down air escape in the event of a puncture, which allows us to continue to run at the same speed.

Of course, we will have to remove the object that caused the puncture as soon as we can. Either way the tire will re fill itself as long as the puncture is less than 5 mm in diameter. 
source motorpasion

Twenty neighbors from Cartagena are learning through a municipal course how to drive their car to reduce the consumption of fuel, pollute less and improve vehicle performance, thanks to the European Mobility Week.

The strangest thing is that the majority of the course participants began the course beleiving that without going very fast driving within the city in fourth gear was crazy. Nothing could be further from the truth, as this driving fact  is the most advisable.

One of the main premises of this initiative, is  less consumption, less spending.

Those responsible for the course ensure that the long gears (fourth and fifth) are more desirable than short ones, because they could reduce up to 15% fuel consumption and 50% the emission of harmful gases, especially dioxide carbon.

The best way to save fuel and perform eco-driving is to “anticipate anything that might happen on the road. You can take advantage of the full power of the vehicle, while consuming as little as possible.”

source soitu.es

driving instructions

Photo Flicker by Tere y Diego

Here it is the two top 10 lists of the cars that contaminate less in the market, there is a gasoline version and a diesel one.Starting January 1, 2008 the car tax at the time of registration will depend on how much the car contaminates.

The guideline will be from the cars that emit less than 120 grams of CO2 by kilometer run up to a 14.75% of the price for those who emit more than 200 grams of CO2.

The following are the two lists:

Diesel

1. Smart ForTwo CDI – 3,3 – 88
2. Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion – 3,9 – 102
3. Mini Cooper D – 3,9 – 103
4. Peugeot 107 / Toyota Aygo / Citroën C1 – 4,1 – 109
5. Lancia Ypsilon 1.3 JTD – 4,3 – 114
6. Lancia Musa 1.3 JTD – 4,3 – 114
7. Citroën C3 – 4,3 – 113
8. Fiat Panda 1.3 JTD – 4,3 – 114
9. Renault Megane 1.5 dCi – 4,4 – 117
10. Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 JTD automatic – 4,4 – 116

Gasolina

1. Toyota Prius 1.5 (hibrid) – 4,3 – 104
2. Honda Civic 1.3 (hibrid) – 4,6 – 109
3. Peugeot 107 / Toyota Aygo / Citroën C1 – 4,6 – 109
4. Smart ForTwo 61 cv / 71 cv – 4,7 – 112
5. Kia Picanto 1.1 – 5,2 – 124
6. Chevrolet Matiz 0.8 – 5,2 – 127
7. Mini One – 5,3 – 128
8. Fiat Panda 1.2 automatic – 5,4 – 127
9. Hyundai Getz 1.1 – 5,5 – 130
10. Mitsubishi Colt 1.1 – 5,5 – 130

Source microsiervos

I just read in Motorpasion a very interesting thought written by Daniel Seijo about how much a trip could cost us and how to evaluate it.

According to his post, the cost depends exclusively with the combustible we use in our getaway. We should analyze the fixed costs for things such as the tires, change of oil and filters, break pads.. and also the variable costs and unexpected costs.

Adding all these factors, Daniel comes to the conclusion that the cost of a trip depends on the following factors:

• Combustible.
• Fixed costs: tires, oil, scheduled maintenance…
• Costs not measurable such as: electronics, combustible and the unexpected..
• Possibility of accidents and flan tires…
• Car amortization

What do think?

photo Flickr

The gas prices have gone up so far this year between 11 and 12% and in the case of diesel, the raise has been 6%. For this reason the Consumer Union of Spain UCE, recommends a series of measures to save combustible.

-Make sure that the medium consumption establish by the manufactures corresponds to the actual consumption of the vehicle. If that is not the case, it is possible the vehicle needs a maintenance.

- Make sure that the tire pressure is accurate. If the tires are low, you will have higher gas consumption.

-Make sure you take your car to all the  maintenance revisions established by the manufacturer (oil change, filters, tires etc)

-Try to avoid traffic jams. Figure out your route before you go on the road.

-Don’t speed up as soon as you start up the car and try to change gears as needed.

Circulate in a uniform manner, without speeding up and breaking abruptly. Try to take advantage of the vehicles inertia.

-The higher the speed the more gas you will consume. The cost of gasoline increases from 100 km/h.

-Try not to overload your vehicle if its not necessary.

-Circulate with the windows rolled up, keeping them down increased the wind resistance and therefore increased the energy consumption. It also generates more consumption the roof racks because it reduces  aerodynamics.

-Use the manufactured recommended gasoline and try not to refuel in the heat of the day, in order to reduce the evaporation of the combustible.

-Carpool whenever possible and try to utilize public transport specially on shot trips or around the city.

 Even though petroleum prices are rising, we can always use certain guidelines to help up save a little on our trips.

 -          We should plan our routes making sure we avoid any traffic jams.

-          We need to make sure that our car is not to heavy with baggage

-          Use air-conditioning as needed since it adds 20% of gas usage

-          Travel with your windows open instead

-          It is better to fill up your tank in the morning with the appropriate brand the car manufacturer recommends.

-          We should keep the maintenance of the car up to date to ensure everything is working properly

-          If you are going a short distance it is advisable to use public transportation

-          Car tires need to be at their optimum pressure as to no waste them

-          The motor revolutions should be set at the correct gauge

-          Do not start the car by pressing on the gas

-          Make sure you use the correct gears in a stick shift car

-          When driving make sure you drive at a safe speed without speeding up and breaking aggressively.

Photos in  Flickr