Automotive Addict

Threshold braking is the art of slowing down in the quickest possible way by maintaining brake force at the optimum level. It's tricky and requires a lot of practise in a familiar car before you'll be able to do it reliably, but braking late before a corner is one of the easiest methods of getting decent track times.

But first, two quick facts:

• Locked wheels are not the most efficient method of slowing down (lots of tyre screech is bad)
• Tyres exert maximum braking force when slight wheel slip is occurring (some tyre screech is ok)

Is threshold braking still relevant in a world with ABS? In a word, yes. ABS is a reactive system – is detects the onset of a locking wheel and reduces the brake pressure automatically until the wheel has regained grip. When threshold braking, the driver attempts to maintain maximum deceleration without locking wheels, so if ABS has kicked in, then something has gone wrong. However, many modern ABS systems are react so quickly to changing conditions that it is becoming more difficult to improve on them, but the best drivers still can - and many track cars do not have ABS.

So, how does one learn this strange and wonderful technique?

Stage one
First you need to become familiar with the point of wheel lock in your car, which means finding suitably safe area of privately owned tarmac to practice on. Brake hard in a straight line at different speeds (30mph is a good starting point) and get a feel for how the car reacts under rapid braking to the point of wheel lock. Don't stamp on the pedal, but rather apply push it firmly and progressively. Get the answers to the following questions clear in your own mind:

• How hard do you need to push the pedal for wheels to lock (or ABS to kick in)?
• What is the sensation just before the point of wheel lock?
• When wheels do start to lock up, what are the warning factors?
• Which wheels lock up first?
• How does the car behave when a wheel has locked?
• Is there any feedback from the brake pedal?

Once you have the answers to these questions, it's time for…

Stage two
Now you're familiar with the sensation of braking hard enough to lock wheels in your car or activate the ABS. Remember, as soon as wheels lose traction with the tarmac you're no longer braking efficiently - but even the best drivers lock wheels from time to time. So, it's important to learn how to regain maximum friction as quickly as possible when this situation arises.

Accelerate to a slightly higher speed (say 50mph) and repeat the process of inducing wheel lock. Try to get to the point of lock as quickly as you can without upsetting the balance of the car. But rather than simply screeching to a halt, release the brake slightly to free up the locked wheel(s), then reapply at a slightly reduced pressure to try and maintain decent braking performance.

Get to the point when you can reliably reduce the brake pressure and reapply the brakes in as little time as possible. Some ABS systems may make this process difficult due to built in delays in the electronics, and it might be at this point when you decide threshold braking isn't for you after all!

Stage three
Now you will have a good feel for the car, appreciate the sensation of heavy braking and understand the point of wheel lock, so it's time to do the perfect run. Accelerate back up to around 50mph and repeat the process of braking heavily, but this time try to come to a halt as quickly as you can without locking any wheels. Remember, a little bit of tyre screech is ok, as long as the wheels haven't locked.

If a wheel does stop rotating, use the 'release and reapply' technique to maintain control of the car.

Repeat as many times as you need to until you can brake reliably without locking wheels – give yourself a pat on the back and check your tyres for wear and tear before going back on the public roads.

Now all you need to know is how to do it in different track conditions!

Many people considers dent removing a difficult and an expensive procedure and that's the reason they don't even try to remove dents on their car by themselves. In fact they are content to pay expensive bills to body repair shops. If we analyze, dents on a car are not such a big deal. Your car can be cleaned from these mishaps domestically and the budget would not even go beyond your reach too. One of the economical method of dent removal is using Dry Ice.

Where to buy dry ice?
Dry ice is available at almost every super store. It does not cost too much as well. You can buy dry ice at almost $2. This is sure a pretty nominal amount and becomes even immaterial when it comes to your beloved car's beauty where the only thing hampering its hot looks and restricting it to be a really pimped up is the small dent which is apparent to the whole world. Guess what using dry ice is a paintless dent repairing process and does not harm your car's paint. Remember, using dry ice is only good for small dents and not for big ones. It can be used following these steps.

1. Wear protective gloves before you hold the dry ice in your hands. Your hands may be vulnerable to extremely freezing dry ice.
2. Put the dry ice on the dent. The more accurate you are in putting the ice at the center, the better it is.
3. Hold right there for few seconds. 5-10 seconds are usually advised.
4. Remove the ice. The dent would still be there. It won't pop out immediately. Allow some time. A minute or so and the dent will pop out automatically.
5. If the dent is still there even after some minutes, apply the same above process again until the dent disappears.
6. When the dent is removed, clean the area with a piece of cloth.

The above process is as easy as it seems. watch the video below as well so that you are even more clear.

Powered By: Auto Loan Calculator
This is a Car Loan Payment Calculator so that you can figure what your payment will be before going to a dealership. There are a few things you must first know before calculating your Auto Loan Payment.

It is a little hard to read, but the first line is the amount of the car you are buying. This amount would have to include your sales price, sales tax, any extra fees, and any warranties or insurance products added to your loan. In other words, with this car payment calculator, you have to know the total amount you would be financing.

The second line of the car payment calculator is the Interest Rate you are charged on the car. This is something you may have to guess at or do an application to find out the interest rate. If you have great credit, you can call around to local banks and find the best going rates. If you have not so good credit, enter a higher number here to get an idea. As a guide, there are not many loans over 20%.

The last line on the Auto loan Payment Calculator is the length of the loan in years. How many years do you want to finance the car. If you want to finance for 60 months, enter 5, for 5 years. If you want to finance for 6 years, enter 72.

After these numbers are entered, hit the calculate button at the bottom of the payment calculator to figure how much your car payment will be. This is used for a guide and different finance companies may compound interest differently. Just use this car payment calculator as a guide to get an idea of what price car you can afford.

A Walk-Around is where you actually go over the features of the car with the customer. There are certain steps in the process that have been proven to work best, but something else may work better for you.

Walk-Around Step 1: Under the Hood
When you get the keys to a car, the customer automatically wants to jump behind the wheel. Tell them that you would like to go over the features before driving. This is when you pop the hood and go over Engine size, horsepower, location to check fluids, Safety--crumple zones, breakaway motor mounts, etc.

Walk-Around Step 2: In The Front of the Car
This is when you close the hood and step back to look at the design of the front of the car. If the car has fog lamps, halogen lights, grills, etc.

Walk-Around Step 3: Walk around drivers side--not letting customer get in!
At this point you want to talk about safety or styling depending on customer. Safety--hit the door to show it has a steel safety cage construction that wraps around the car. Show them tight gaps in doors and all seals if it is a newer car. Something to remember: Every car that your customer looks at will have what you are showing them, but if the competition does not show them, it does not have it!

Walk-Around Step 4: In the Trunk
Show customer size of trunk. Low lift in height if you have something heavy in trunk, safety latch to get out of trunk, pass through to back seat, etc.

Walk-Around Step 5: At the Rear
This is when you step back to look at styling at the rear. You may go over tail lights, exhaust tips, etc. Whatever the car has. Remember to just mention 3 to 5 things at each stage. You don't want to pour out a book report, just touch on a few things.

Walk-Around Step 6: Passenger side
Touch on anything going down the passenger side, gas cap entrance, etc. The sole goal is to get the customer to get in the passenger seat.

Walk-Around Step 7: Inside the Car
Have your customer get in on the PASSENGER SIDE!!! You want to show them a few things inside the car. You go over a Radio, climate, steering wheel controls, or anything else inside the car that a customer may need to know.

Now, this is the most important part. You tell your customer to put on their seat belt as you want to show them how the car drives. You drive the car off the lot. You find a pre-determined spot to stop and let the customer drive at which you swap with the driver. This is a control thing. If you take control in the walk around, you will have control at the closing table. Happy Selling and email with any questions.