Winter Driving Tips

Just some information I plagiarized gathered from online that I think is very useful come winter time.

Which is NOW! :D

A lot of them are common sense, but it's a good idea to still go through them as a checklist in case you forget.

I have also sent this to all my Mazda customers as my seasonal friendly reminder. Hope they don't think I'm too nosy :P

Okay let's begin:

1. Make sure your vehicle is Winter-Ready

• MAINTENANCE check-up of: battery, belts, hoses, radiator, oil, lights, brakes, tires, exhaust system, heater/defroster, wipers, and ignition system. 
• KEEP your fuel tank sufficiently full: no less than half tank. (I’m guilty of not doing this a lot of times)

• MAKE sure you have sufficient windshield washer fluid (get rated -40°C to be safe)  for those annoying frost and snow. here is how to check:

How to Check Windshield Washer Fluid Level -- powered by ehow... and this guy's infectious enthusiasm!

• YOU can check tire pressure yourself! Pressure decreases in colder climate and chances are that your tires need some air right now!

This reminds me... I gave away my pressure gauge, and now I can't check them. Shouldn't I have thought this through?



2. Stock up on necessary equipments in your car

• Snow brush/scraper
• Shovel
• Booster cables - batteries tend to die when it’s cold
• Flashlight - so that when you’re shoveling snow you don’t smash your car (based on actual personal experience =____=)
• Gloves
• First aid kit

3. Handling your car

• BRAKE early - stopping distance is considerably longer on snow/ice/slush 
• TURN off cruise control - never use cruise control in winter. There are road hazards everywhere and cruise will accelerate the car regardless. A very scary thought. 
• AVOID skidding - skidding can result from sudden, hard braking, going too fast on a curve, or accelerating too quickly. Make sure you turn on your Traction Control (if you have it)
• WHAT to do when you skid - steer in the direction of the skid, meaning steer toward where you want to go and do not floor the brake pedal. 
• IF you skid on a straight line - switch gear into neutral and brake.

Curious Rabbit has no questions today because it's getting late and I'm going to bed :)

Sky

Skyactiv is here



For those that don't yet know what Skyactiv is, here's a quick and inspiring video:



...... ok so chances are that after this video you still have no clue what it is.

What is the biggest advantage of Mazda3 over any other entry level compact cars?

It's the performance.

The 3 generates more power at start, on hills, when merging into traffic, and when you feel like it.
Mazda3 is a driver's car.
It gets you from A to B and promises a good time in the process.






However this biggest advantage is also its biggest disadvantage.
Allow me:

             2011 Mazda 3                               2011 Honda Civic                       2011 Toyota Corolla                    2011 Hyundai Elentra

	Estimated New EPA L/100 km
	Regular Gasoline 9.4 City 8.4 Combined 7.1 Hwy			Regular Gasoline 9.0 City 8.1 Combined 6.9 Hwy			Regular Gasoline 8.4 City 7.6 Combined 6.7 Hwy			Regular Gasoline 8.1 City 7.1 Combined 5.9 Hwy

*based on Manual Transmssion*

US department of energy, [http://www.fueleconomy.gov]

Of course Mazda3 has plenty of attractive qualities that help outweigh this one single factor.
Basing only on fuel efficiency though, you lose around 2 dollars for every 100km you drive, comparing with Hyundai.

A lot of people are more than happy to pay 10 dollar each month to drive a car they prefer. Some need that extra power for their day to day driving. (Otherwise you won't see Mazda3's roaming everywhere).
But it is what it is. You win some you lose some.


Here is where Skyactiv comes in.


The Skyactiv technology improves the F.E. by a whopping margin.
Manual transmission improves to 7.6 City and 5.1 Highway.
Automatic transmission is at 7.1 City and 5.0 Highway.
That's right, AUTOMATIC SIPS LESS GAS!












But wait!!

The fun doesn't stop there.
You also have improved performance! The HP and Torque both jump up by ~10 units!
See more info here ->http://www.mazda.ca/root.asp?path=eng-veh-mazda3-sport-specs--


With the Sky technology I really don't see any good objective reasons not to buy a Mazda3 :(
Just like the video said: No more compromise.








But wait!!

Silly Curious Rabbit has another question:

Q: But how did they do that? You didn't even mention what the technology is!

A: Fair enough. Here you go: http://tinyurl.com/c56secj








Now that wasn't so hard was it?
Just kidding. I'll cover that on my next post :)
Good day!